Styles Family

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Styles Italian Chapter

November 2011 to April 2013

Genesis 8:11" Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf [was] in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth."

God's timing is perfect.

During our semester at Hungary in 2011 God took us on a scouting out of Italy trip - He had been putting Italy on Mike's heart through various ways and Mike kept telling me "Cindy we will be going to Italy for a period in the future...." Huh Italy what happened to Madagascar?!? Well Madagascar was not written off , but Italy was to be the next step for us. Amazingly we made some lovely Italian friends right at the start of our semester in 2011 at the Calvary Chapel Missions Conference in Austria.

Mike and Andrea

Sweet Emmanuella

So we visited our friends in Mantova Italy and took a day drive to Montebelluna where there is a Calvary Chapel church plant and a Bible college. We were able to view the church and had lunch (pitsa) with David Downs. I will never forget my flight leaving Italy and the heavy feeling in my heart of the millions of beautiful people so stuck in religion and without a true personal relationship with Jesus.

Religiosity on a (sad) grand scale

We have been home for over a year and its been a year of just waiting on the Lord and His timing for us to return to Italy. We knew that we needed to be home for this time for many areas of our lives, including our church family. It has been a wonderful time and I have been blessed to serve in the moms group and we have been having a home fellowship group for the midweek Bible study, which Mike has been blessed to teach. Mike has also been serving on the leadership team. A highlight has been for Mike and I to have a weekly prayer time for missionaries, as our hearts and calling is for international missions. It was an interesting hard year of many good-byes and new chapters in people's lives - especially our pastor of many years - Julian and his wife Monica, and their two girls who now serve at Murietta California. If you know me you know I struggle with good-byes - I praise God that oneday it will be an eternity with hey: never a good bye to loved ones - Horey!

Our visa's has come through and we Praise God for His faithfulness to bring us to this point - what a process!! Eish, will I ever get used to the visa issue in life LOL....Matthew 19:26 "But Jesus looked at [them] and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." So we are booked to fly out the 28th May 2013. Only 5 plus weeks to go..... and a Ton to do :) We will be staying in the apartment that the girl students normally use in Montebelluna / Italy for the first 2 months. Mike and I have been granted a longstay visa and the girls 3 months tourist visa's ( we have to apply for them from within Italy) we trust God to work it all out for His purposes. We go by faith in more ways than one ...

Mike sharing at a church in Mantova / Italy- they prayed for us

We want to thank all that have walked this road with us up until this point. It seems surreal that we are going out to serve with another church all the way in Italy. We know there is lots of need in South Africa, but God has clearly shown us that He wills us to go to Italy for a period. Two years at this stage to be specific. Mike got a verse in his Qt at a crucial decision/seeking point. Acts 28: 30 - 31 "Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him." 'Ironic' because we will be needing to rent our own home this time, as the church does not own its own propety to house us. God is faithful. We covet your prayers and during this time of " letting go", packing, preparation and going... We are needing prayer and financial partners - if the Lord lays this on your heart please email us or see the info below.

Acts 27:6 "There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board."

Mike, Cindy, Kiarah, Melissah and Sienah Styles serving Jesus at Calvary Chapel Montebelluna Italy.

email cndstyles@gmail.com
Missions Financial Support: Absa Bank, branch: Bellville: Account Name: MM Styles, Account Number:120303309, Account Type: Savings, Reference: Styles Family (missions support)

pray for God to continue to give us His wonderful love for Italy

Our third daughter, Sienah was a little traveller since the womb :)

The kids are excited for this new chapter. They will miss their life in SA I am sure.

Let the many travels begin - life out a suitcase :)

Italy has its perks - the worlds best Gelato :)) - temptation everyday.....

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Athens 10 day report back

Cindy and I were asked to lead a ten day outreach this semester. I am very grateful to our Lord for the opportunity and was blessed through doing so. We sought the Lord as to where He wanted us to lead a team on outreach, and we got a Word in Philippians 4:14 – 23. In this passage Paul mentioned Greece, and we just knew in our hearts that the Lord wanted us to go to Athens.

I made some mistakes during and before the outreach, but have learnt and grown through each one of them. There were various issues before and throughout the outreach. Some of them spiritual, others physical. At times, especially in the logistical planning for the trip, I felt anxious. Then the Lord gave me Philippians 4: 6 – 7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. I have learnt to memorise this verse and have engraved it on my heart. I will take this verse and truth with me wherever I go into my future ministry...

After announcing our outreach to Athens, we came under spiritual attack. It was almost immediate. A rock was thrown through a large window of one of my stores back home, my newborn went down with a chest infection for two weeks, there was an attempted burglary into our house on the castle property etc... I learnt to always overcome these attacks by putting on the armour of God and through constant prayer. ( Ephesians 6:11 ).

The outreach was difficult because there were strikes and riots in Athens during our outreach week. This added to stress levels and we had to constantly reschedule our itinerary. In the end we resorted to a day to day program. “Blessed are the flexible”.

There were cultural issues. The biggest was having to adjust to a new toiletry system. The Greeks do not flush used toilet paper. The trash removers were also on strike during the duration of our outreach, and the smell which resulted was interesting.

I grew personally in the area of leadership. I learnt to take the bull by the horns and run with it. There was a lot of planning, organising, leading and control for the outreach. I learnt to take care of man's basic needs: food, shelter, finance, transport, spiritual etc.

Although Athens sounded like the most exotic destination for this semester's outreach, the 9 days were not easy. We were all out of our comfort zones and the team had to learn to share one bathroom. This taught everyone to die to self, and be servants to one another.

The outreach presented evangelism opportunities. Our most fruitful day was one spent at a refugee centre called Helping Hands Ministries. The team got to serve and observe in many areas. The guys also got good opportunities to witness to men from Muslim backgrounds.The ladies did childcare and cooking and cleaning. This created good inter-cultural exposure for the team. I was blessed with an opportunity to witness to an old man from Sudan. I will continue to pray for the ministries and the people that we witnessed to. The ladies went for another day to Helping Hands which was a shower day for women and kids - they helped with kids ministry, cooking, cleaning and just serving. The guys went to help at a soup kitchen with Hellenic ministries one evening and were really blessed to help there. Some of the team got to help sort clothes for a ministry sending clothes to the needy in Bulgaria. We did prayer intercession for Athens from Mars Hill near the accropolis and did prayer walks in the areas where the missionaries stay.

We also got to spend a day in Corinth (book of Corinthians, ring a bell?) with our own tour guide , attended Calvary Chapel Athens mid week Bible study and Sunday service, spent a work day doing practical ministry, helped with a soup kitchen, blessed the missionaries with fellowship and ministered to and were ministered by our host, a local Christian Greek widow with a heart of gold.

Overall the outreach was a success and brought glory to God.

Amen.

Greece Athens report back and photos

Ministraki square with the team

Vassiliki - our host and fellow Greek believer giving us scriptures

Vassiliki giving the girls decorations

lovely team ladies

refugee Helping Hands ministry Athens

crafts with refugee kids

Mars Hill Athens - lady from Africa reading her Bible - Paul preached up here too

prayer time for Athens up on Mars Hill

Acroppoli Athens

guys on team plus Frank - missing is Travis the other missionary

Many a Greek Orthodox church building

walking around ancient Corinth

Famous Road of Corinth

Greek orthodox church

we got to see the sea at Corinth

This is where Paul would have arrived and left by boat at Corinth on his missionary travels

Greece has yummy treats to eat - esp Bakklava

Greek flag

Mike had a quick swim at Corinth

prayer intercession walks - Athens is huge with many apartment buildings and 5 - 6 million people

date night fellowship with missionaries

Greek Orthodox lady reading her Bible and whenever they pass an orthodox buidling they do the cross over their body

Logistics of 9 big bags of luggage for the missionaries - God worked it out with even Sienah's 10 kilos being mentioned in order to not get charged PTL