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Missions and MissionersDear Church Family and Friends, Since I saw many of you in April for the Breaking New Ground celebration, I have been mostly consumed with planning a mission trip to Italy with the Gospel Choir. In January I got a call from a pastor in Rome asking if the choir could participate in a conference in Rome. At the time I thought it seemed a little unrealistic, but two weeks ago 90+ people returned from a very blessed week in Italy!Financing this trip was, of course, a significant factor in determining whether we would go or not. Because of a very generous donation from an American businessman in the church, the per person cost for the choir was reduced by half, which meant that ¾ of the choir was able to go. So 78 choir members, 5 band members, 4 technical crew, and a few supporters went on a mission trip to a country that is ‘religious’, but yet surprisingly ignorant of the gospel message that Christ offers. As you can imagine, planning a week long trip like this for 90+ people proved to be quite a nice challenge! I am now an expert on buses and there seat configurations; the average per km rate; the fact that the big cities in Italyall require entry fees for buses (Florence , eg., $280). Also, you had better know where you are you going with an 80 seat bus with a huge trailer behind it because if you make a mistake, you need a few city blocks to turn around! And when the Italians say “Oh, it is simple” – watch out!! The first big challenge came on the first day when, after, traveling for 14 hours, we arrived in Crespano Del Grappa, the small town where the retreat center was where we would be staying, only to find that our huge bus would not be able to negotiate the last 4 km of the small, windy roads up the side of a mountain. We had been assured that the bus would get up there. Later we found out that this was based on a small bus getting up there once a few years before! Remember: “Oh, it’s simple!” Fortunately, we had decided to rent two minivans a few days before we left. So for the next three days two minivans shuttled 85 people, luggage, and equipment up and down the mountain! And this happened twice a day – arriving and leaving! The choir was wonderful patient in ‘going with the flow’ and had a great attitude about it all. This Catholic retreat center, by the way, was a wonderful place with a great staff and excellent food – and cheap!We did a concert in the city of Montebelluna (about an hour and a half from Venice) in a sport complex. The audience was very enthusiastic and the pastor of the organizing church told me later that they were very excited because they estimated that about 75 % of the approximately 450 people were just from the city - i.e. non-churched people. They were able to hand out about 100 new testaments. We then moved onto Rome where we did two concerts in the Teatro Eliseo ( Elijah Theatre ) which is in the heart of the historical district. I was a little concerned before the first concert because we had been on the bus for 8 hours and, because of really bad traffic, had arrived at the theatre 20 minutes before the start of the concert. So with no sound check, very little warm-up, etc. the choir proceeded to give the best concert I think they have ever given! We were helped by the wonderfully enthusiastic audience – the most expressive audience we have ever had! And this was the same night that Italy was playing the US in the World Cup soccer tournament! Both concerts were a wonderful experience. This trip ended up being a great blessing for the choir itself, not just a mission trip for the concert audiences. The fellowship that happened is something not easily duplicated in the regular routine of things back in Budapest . Many choir members shared with me the blessing it was to be a part of a trip like this. We are on break now until late August when we will be doing more outreach concerts and then resuming rehearsals in September. I can tell you that things just seem to be ‘warming up’ for the choir as far as concert invitations, etc. This past season saw a new level of organization in the choir with the formation of a 5 person administration team that meets regularly. This is in addition to the 5 section leaders we have. I sense that we have to be ready for more extended trips. It continues to amaze me how the Lord is using a gospel choir as a bridge for people to experience a little of the joy that Christ offers. Thank you for the incredibly tangible part that you guys play in all this.Blessings, Mark Z. |
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