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If you feel lead to support financially, you can support online by clicking Go Ministries.
Or you can send a check made out to "GO! Ministries" and in the memo line write "Account 1419" (that's our missionary account) and send the check to:
GO! Ministries
PO Box 7035
Norco, CA 92860
USA

July 2022

Still Giving Thanks…

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

JULY 26th, 2022

We have so many things to be thankful for this day! July has been a whirlwind of a month to say the least, but we have seen so many prayers answered, and have so many things that we are thankful for.

First and foremost, we are thankful for you, our brothers and sisters in Christ! Your prayers have carried us through this past month. How can we thank you enough? We ask that God would bless you for loving us in this way. From paperwork showing up ‘just in time’ on several occasions, to getting last minute things set in place, getting out of our house, Trevor and Jamie’s backs feeling normal again, and getting our luggage back after some of it got lost during travel, among other things, God has heard your prayers for us!

We are thankful for those from Langlois Community Church that helped us in very tangible ways to pack, find new homes for our things, get our house emptied out, sent us with cards, prayed over us, and got us to the airport. For your help, your love, your time -we are grateful!

We are also thankful for our last week in Bandon, Oregon! It was more than full, but we were able to spend each day with friends and have many sweet times to say goodbye for now. For our kids, it was time they needed to be with many of the people they love and care about.

And then we were off . .

More things to be thankful for: We have been blessed to be able to stay together as a family and rent out the apartment that had been the ‘girls’ dorms. We are still in search of a home of our own to settle into, but we are grateful for a place to land and rest for now. Two of the young women that oversee the girls’ dorm have graciously allowed us to take over their space!

Lastly, something to share, that we hope leads us all to more prayer:

Sunday, after church, a family invited us over for a meal. Unbeknownst to us, it was their 18th wedding anniversary. They graciously opened their home to us and a few others from church, so they could be with God’s family on such an important day for them. Their own family no longer communicates with them because they have left the Catholic church. Our hearts were broken to hear and see the pangs of their grief. We cannot image the heartache. However, to be with them, see their love and intense passion for the lost, to see what they have suffered and continue to suffer on account of the Gospel, and yet the beauty God has brought from their hardship - only the grace of God through the blood of Christ Jesus can do something like that. And it brings us to our knees - to see more people be saved, to see more hear the truth of salvation. This family explained that people here do not understand the Gospel. Grandparents go to church, not because they believe in God, but because ‘that’s what you do on Sunday’.

But they believe their salvation is the direct answer of prayers that were prayed over the area by Craig (the Bible college director and pastor) for many years. So we pray, and we ask you to take part in this work with us - pray that God would call more people out of darkness and into His marvelous light!

Please pray:

- For the lost souls of Italy!
- Unity and communication (our family, leadership, the church)
- Isabel, the young daughter of another missionary family, has recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Please pray for their family as they make their way back to Italy this week and learn how to manage life with this added challenge.
- Continued Language Learning for our family
- Troy, David, Corey, Klari and Anna to see God working and trust Him in all things.
- New relationships for the kids.
- Finding a more permanent place to live.
- Finding a vehicle.
- More laborers for Italy!

In His Grip,
The Blackman Family

As we step into this new stage of life we will be sending out monthly updates in order that others may see the need for the Gospel in Italy. We desire to see others develop a heart for the Italians, so much so that they might feel called to Go or called to Send.

June 2022

Lessons in the Waiting

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

JUNE 25th, 2022

It is true that, “man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps.” June 8th marked the day the paperwork for our visas arrived at the consulate in San Fransisco, and the day we departed for a 7 day trip to see family. As God would have it, the road trip turned into fifteen days, and we are still waiting to hear word on our visas. However, our hope is not in carefully scheduled plans, but in the One who created and calls out His host of stars by both name and number. And He knows our names . . .

The Gift of Family:

The first leg of our journey was to Laughlin, NV. We were blessed to be able to see almost everyone from Jamie’s side of the family, some old friends, and family members we have not seen in years!

We were also invited to give a short presentation about our plans in Italy at Calvary Chapel Desert Light, where Jamie’s parents attend church. They have prayerfully decided to come alongside our family in support and prayer. We were blessed by the time Pastor Chuck and his wife Lynda spent with us in conversation to listen, encourage, and pray over us.

The morning we were headed to California to see Trevor’s family, Jamie’s back went out. Yet even in that we watched as God opened a door to get her into the ER at a hospital that was not accepting patients. After a few days in bed, for Jamie, we finally made it out to California.

To have parents that love the Lord and have remained faithful in marriage for over 40 years is a blessing, but to have two sets of such parents is . . . beyond words. We were grateful as well for the time we had with Trevor’s parents and family, and watched as God opened further doors for Jamie to get an MRI and a shot for two herniated discs.

God showed his hand at work again as we were able to make it home just in time to be with our church family at Langlois Community Church. They had been planning a chili cook-off dinner and fundraiser for us that we didn’t think we would get to in time. How we are grateful for their love and faithful prayers.

So now we wait, and we trust in our Heavenly Father as he continues to bring healing to Jamie’s back, works behind the scenes at the consulate, helps us as we continue to find new homes for our belongings, and prepare for the next step: Italy.

Please continue to pray:

- That our Visas would arrive on time.

- Trevor/Jamie both have disc issues between L4-5 and L5-S1.

- Time to have special goodbyes.

- Continued Language Learning.

- Sale of vehicles and the renting of our house.

- Troy, David, Corey, Klari and Anna to also see God working and trust Him in all things.

- New relationships for the kids.

- Finding a place to live.

- Finding a vehicle.

- More laborers for Italy!

In His Grip,
The Blackman Family

As we step into this new stage of life we will be sending out monthly updates in order that others may see the need for the Gospel in Italy. We desire to see others develop a heart for the Italians, so much so that they might feel called to Go or called to Send.

May 2022

Blackman Family Update

MAY 23rd, 202I (Trevor) just returned from a week long visit to Montebelluna. It was an encouraging time getting to know the staff at CCBC and some members of the church. There is a humility, a willingness to serve, and a genuine love for others that is refreshingly similar to my home church in Langlois Oregon.

It was a great joy to be welcomed by Donovan, his wife Caryn and two kids who have been serving in Italy for several years. I also had the opportunity to stay in the guys apartment with a student from Holland and the School registrar / dorm steward / Sound and AVA person / anything the church needs person (Nathaniel).

On day 2, pastor Craig drove me up to the Alps, about a 1 hour drive. As we drove up the mountain we passed through the city of Feltre. It is home to around 20,000 people and a somewhat recent church plant Calvary Chapel Feltre, the only Protestant church in the area. As we passed through each city, Craig would say something to the effect of, we don’t know of any Christians in this town or there is one Christian in this town that makes the long commute to our church. Every town we passed through, “There is no Protestant church in this town.” Jamie and I lived in Hungary for a season and in most decent size cities you could at least find a baptist, protestant, assemblies of God or Calvary Chapel or some reformed church. In Italy, nothing. The need for laborers is immense!

City after city with no Gospel witness.

Italians have access to the Scripture but the only witness they have is the Catholic church and thus don’t know the good news that awaits them in Scripture. They have no framework of mind of what a church looks like. When the pastors tell people they are pastors, people think they work with sheep. When they go a different route and say that they are priest, people can’t figure out why they have a wife. There is a desperate need for church plants and laborers in Italy.

Troy has graduated from high school. He is one year into an associates, in information systems, with Liberty University.

Trevor had the opportunity to share Wednesday night, from John 13, at Calvary Chapel Montebelluna

Plane tickets are booked and we are leaving July 19th. Please continue to pray for:

- Language Learning

- Visa Application

- Troy, David, Corey, Klari and Anna

- New relationships for the kids

- Finding a place to live

- Finding a vehicle

- More laborers for Italy

In His Grip,

The Blackman Family

The position at the Bible College is a voluntary missionary position. If you feel lead to support financially, you can support us through Go Ministries. As we step into this new stage of life we will be sending out monthly updates in order that others may see the need for the Gospel in Italy. We desire to see others develop a heart for the Italians, so much so that they might feel called to Go or called to Send.

April 2022

Blackman Family April Update

“I have made you a light for the Nations, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

APRIL 18th, 2022

Jamie and I have shared a desire to serve as missionaries together, since we got engaged in 2003, in Peru. Jamie has a gift with languages and I have always had a desire to teach. While attending Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jamie and I enjoyed a sweet season of discipling college age kids and hosting times of prayer and worship in our little apartment. It was also during this season of life, in 2016, we enjoyed fellowship as members of a new church plant called Emmaus and were introduced to the state of the Gospel in Italy. I remember hearing that Italy was less than 1% evangelical and thinking “How could this be?” After returning from a trip to Italy, one of our elders gave the account of witnessing an elderly lady crying out to a saint in desperate need. Ever since, we have been praying about serving as missionaries in Italy, to see the light shine in the darkness. Though Italy boarders the land of the Reformers, the ideas of the Reformation mostly remained North of the Alps.

I have been given the opportunity to teach at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Montebelluna, an outgrowth of Calvary Chapel Montebelluna, the first protestant church to ever exist in the area. CC Montebelluna has planted a handful of churches in Italy and Brazil, as well as maintaining CCBC, in order to train others for missions and ministry. I am excited to start teaching, and Jamie and I are excited to have the opportunity to pour into the students lives, on campus, plug into the local church and be a light in Italy.

19 Years and 5 kids later, Jamie and I are excited to have this opportunity to serve overseas with our family. Please be praying for Troy (17), David (15), Corey (14), Klari (12), and Anna (7).

We are planing on leaving the end of July and Trevor will start teaching during this coming fall semester. Please continue to pray for our kids, future relationships, language learning, the move and visas. The position at the Bible College is a voluntary missionary position. If you feel lead to support financially, you can support us through Go Ministries. As we step into this new stage of life we will be sending out monthly updates in order that others may see the need for the Gospel in Italy. We desire to see others develop a heart for the Italians, so much so that they might feel called to Go or called to Send.

In His Grip,

The Blackman Family