Joanna and I have been preparing for missionary service for several years now.  Up until a little over a year ago we were unsure of a location.  When Italy first "popped up" on the radar screen Joanna and I didn't even consider it because we assumed that there wasn't a need.  Operation World and other sources showed us that we were wrong about that.  Statistics vary, but between .4% and .9% of Italians claim to be evangelical believers (Operation World puts Saudi Arabia at .9%). Only 1500 of Italy's 33,500 communities have an evangelical presence. Wow, there is a need for self sustaining, multiplying churches in many parts of Italy.  When there are no churches it is the job of the missionary to establish them. 

As the weight of those statistics began tugging on our hearts Saint Andrews Evangelical Church, our home church, began giving Joanna and I more and more opportunities for ministry.  At the same time we were (and are) going through the 2+ year Missionary Candidate Training Program at SAEC.  It was here that Vernon Bauer taught, listened, and guided us in examining our gifts and passions for the purpose of finding a ministry that might be compatible with what we were learning about ourselves.  The synergy of these and many other factors have caused Joanna and I to move in the direction of Trieste, Italy.

Dan and Becky Rogerson are on the team of church planters in Trieste that Joanna and I would like to be a part of.   Joanna and I look forward to learning from Dan, Becky and the other missionaries in Trieste.  http://www.therogersons.com/