Augustus' Holidays

Tomorrow is a holiday in Italy. It's a big one. In fact, it is often coupled with the fact that it is the end of summer and people take lots of vacation in August. August 15th is called "Ferragosto". It is also known as "festa dell'assunta", or Feast of the Assumption (of Mary). The catholic church believes that Mary, the mother of Jesus, did not die, but instead was "taken up", from the Latin word: assumptio).

Before the catholic church however, the Roman Empire used this day to honor the gods and the cycle of fertility and ripening. The name, Ferragosto, comes from its original Latin name, Feriae Augusti (Festivals of the Emperor Augustus).

I walked through town today and noted all the shops that were closed and/or closing for Ferragosto. Most stores that were closed, did so for more than just Saturday. Several took the week off and many took two. I saw two places that closed for one whole month. In Ancona, one of our favorite restaurants closed for two months!!!

Tonight, Angie went into the 'centro' (main center of town) and strolled. There were people everywhere which was not terribly uncommon on any given night of the week. We did catch a Rockabilly/Blues concert in one area that was part of a two day holiday celebration. After walking around some more, we stopped and had a crepe. So delicious. A crepe is like a very thin pancake and they put all sorts of wonderful toppings on it. We tried a new place. Angie had a crepe with a chocolate nut spread and bananas. I had one with berry jam, bananas and cream. Good stuff. Happy Ferragosto everybody!

For more on...
The Assumption of Mary

Getting To Know Verona

April arrived a little over a week ago and we have gotten her moved into her new apartment. We are finally starting to get things set-up and stabilized here in our own apartment. As we have been getting settled you can imagine the numerous trips around town we have had to make. What that has done has shown us parts of the city that we may not have seen otherwise. It finally feels like we are getting to know the side streets. The streets that locals use, as opposed to the numerous tourists that are here in the summer, but predominately during the summer. Angie and April went out for coffee and while they did that I walked all over the downtown center. In Italy, the 'centro' or center of the city is really just that. It is the heart of the city. Most Italians that live in Verona will go often to the centro, because that is where life starts in Verona. Shakespeare describes the reverse this way...

There is no world without Verona walls, But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
Hence-banished is banish'd from the world, And world's exile is death.
—William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act III, Scene iii

Whew, that's a little rough. In softer words, nothing is out there that is not better found here. God provided a great location for us to live in Verona. It is within a 30 second walk to a major Verona bus stop which sits in front of the main hospital. There are eleven buses that arrive and leave from this stop. That makes it very convenient to go to certain places in Verona. And we are very thankful for that.

This weekend I had a car accident. I looked down for just a moment, looked up and saw the cars in front had slammed on their brakes because of a crossing ambulance. I never heard the siren nor saw the ambulance. I slammed into the back of the car in front of me, which in turn hit the car in front of it. My car had the most damage. The front bumper, hood, headlights and at least the radiator internally are busted up. It happened on July Fourth, Independence Day! It also happened on a street named after the Italian who discovered America, Cristiforo Colombo Way. We prayed yesterday that this week we would find someone honest and trustworthy to do the repairs. We also prayed that it would be inexpensive. And we prayed that looking for a mechanic might give us a chance to better know our neighbors. This morning as we were heading out, our next door neighbors were leaving also. I asked Giovanni if he knew of any good mechanics. He replied that he did and since I didn't know where I was going, he would go with me! That is a great opportunity to spend time with one of our neighbors, and very generous on his part.

One thing we have found is that the people of Verona are incredibly helpful, even going out of their way to be so. Ask a cafe owner where a store is and she might pull out the phone book herself, look for the number, go outside and point you the way. Or ask a self proclaimed wind-surfing employee at a hardware store where are the best spots are on Lake Garda, and he might just draw you a map, pointing out the sights along the way and remember your name next time you go in! The people of Verona are very kind, helpful and courteous. We pray that those who don't know about having a relationship with Christ, will seek Him and come to have an abundant life with Him.

Here's to exploring the city some more......

Finally

So, after two years and almost six months of planning, recruiting, praying, preparing, raising awareness and training we are finally in Verona. We have been here a week today. I've been sick (read more about that here) for the entire week, so we haven't been able to do everything that we thought we would do, but we have done many things. We have got to meet a few area merchants or pizzeria owners. We have been exploring the streets around our apartment building by visiting stores, looking in windows and walking through neighboring streets. We have been getting our apartment set up, very slowly due to me being sick. Our rental agency has been great, going way above and beyond what we ever expected. They are making sure all problems are taken care of. So this week we have met Marco, and air conditioner repairman, a plumber (whose name we don't know yet) and at some point we are supposed to be meeting an electrician. In two months, all of this will be a faint memory.

Weather Wonderings

I have this little widget on my computer that tells me the current weather and forecast for a couple of locations. The first is here in Tulsa. I check it each morning to decide what to wear. Long sleeves or short sleeves, jeans or capri’s. Here in Oklahoma the weather is back and forth.

The other location is Verona, Italy. I have been watching the temperatures stay a lot more steady than they do in Oklahoma. This morning I got up to see that the temperature in Verona is 90 degrees. When I clicked on the widget to open it up and see the next few days it shows we can expect the temperature to climb as high as 97 degrees! It’s only May!

I think I understand why our new apartment in Verona has two air conditioners. Mamma Mia, che caldo!!!

Fast Food Mexican Food??

Okay, okay, I know what you are thinking.....Mexican food in a country that is known for it's pasta and pizza dishes??? Well, I do love Italian food, however, anything done in overabundance can get monotonous and overdone. So, we definitely like to look for alternatives. Since, Mexican food is one of our favorites, it seemed natural to do a search for "cibo messicano" (Mexican food). One of the first things I saw was a Italian franchised fast food restaurant called "Avogados - Mexican food takeaway". Now, we have learned to not go into new restaurants with false hope, so we are holding out final judgment until next month, when we can go check it out for ourselves.....but the website looks amazing. You can check it out here, but it is in Italian so you may not understand much of it. The pictures look great though. Here's to Italian tacos, burritos, nachos and quesadillas!

Sounds of the Bridges of Verona

Here is another video that has 'sounds' from the various bridges in Verona. It helps you imagine the people crossing them, as well as the life that is passing by. Take a moment and pray for the souls that are behind the sounds you hear.

* Drivers of cars
* Children
*Adults
*Bicycles
* etc.....

Verona Video

If you want to see some good video of Verona, check out this video from YouTube.....

Pre-Departure Stage Transition

Angie and I have just announced that we are heading back to Italy in June, after receiving some new financial commitments this week. Read more about it at our blog at http://www.thecrossersblog.com.

You'll be seeing more about the process on here and in our updates. Send us your email if you would like to receive our updates!

In Christ,
Matt & Angie

Distance from Verona to other Countries

So, tonight before bed, I was playing around with Google Maps. Great fun, if you have never played with it. Unfortunately, there still are no "street level" photos of Verona, but I did check to see how close Verona is to other countries. By car, Verona is 2 hours and 24 minutes from Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. It is 3 hours and 35 minutes from Germany and Croatia. And it is 4 hours to France.

It is interesting to see how "close" a city in Northern Italy is to so many countries. Also, once the church is firmly established in Verona and multiplying in the surrounding areas think how close those new offshoots would be to neighboring borders! The Verona church could someday be the launching pad for Southern European mission endeavors!!! We must keep praying for the foundation of the church in Verona and for those to come to know Christ in a daily relationship.

Time Between the Times

In Celtic history there is a concept known as the "Time Between the Times". When the sun is coming up, is it day or night? It's neither, it's dawn. The same is true for when the sun is setting. When you are standing on the shore, with the ocean tide coming back and forth over your feet, are you in the ocean or on the beach? While our team is in the states are we here or there? Neither. We are here waiting for there, which is markedly different than just being here, and definitely different than being just there. We are in the time between the times.

As Christians we experience this as well. We are citizens of heaven, but are stuck here on earth. Stuck with a glorious task of taking the message to those who have no hope. We live here while waiting for there.

So how do we proceed in our time in this transition. Much of it is spent raising awareness and seeking support, that is support in the form of prayer partners, one time financial gift givers and individuals and churches who commit a self determined amount of money to be given monthly to the work. Also, during this time in the states we continue following God in our daily lives. Looking for needs and opportunity around us. In about a week, we will determine if an extension is necessary. Currently, Angie and I are set to return to Italy by the end of the year and the team follows starting the following month. If an extension is necessary, our new return goal would be at the end of March 2009 and the team would begin to follow us in April.

What is the purpose of extension? Our team is working hard to raise awareness and support, sometimes that comes quickly, sometimes it seems slow, but when you are following God it always comes in His timing. Pray for the conviction of individuals/churches to partner with our team in finances and prayer. Pray that this would come quickly, if it is God's will.

If you are interested in getting involved in our team's ministry, follow this link:

http://www.goverona.org/involvement.html

As the Wheel Turns

So, as we are in the states, one of the objectives was to recruit the team, which really means trusting in God to form the team and listening to the Spirit as we follow Him. We hope to have recruitment finished within the next month. Then we can shift as a team towards "long-distance-bonding". So far, Angie and I are the only ones who have met or spent time with each of our team members in person! I know it has got to be strange for our team, who is just getting to know who they are going to be ministering with!

Our time for being in the states has been extended from the end of June to the end of September. Having that extra time is important for our team to get more of a base in their financial support, as well as giving us a chance to do more VBS programs and camps.

Everything we do in the states impacts our future work in Verona. It is the foundation for what we will build on as a team once we arrive in Verona. May God's will be ours.

Preparation for Verona

Since arriving back in the states on October 30, 2007 we have been extremely busy. We have done much in the way of preparing for the ministry in Verona. We have been involved in recruiting and promoting the work at the National Missionary Convention and it went really well. Hopefully, soon we can announce some of the news regarding that. Angie and I went to the bi-annual Team Leader summit hosted by Team Expansion where we were trained and encouraged in leading a team. Now we are back in Tulsa and are moving into a new apartment tomorrow morning. In January, we will start giving formal presentations to many churches around the country. If you are interested in having us come and speak just email us and let us know, mcrosser@teamexpansion.org. Thanks for reading!

Prayer Idea - Map of Verona Downtown

Follow the twelve highlighted areas found on the "tourism walking map" at
(http://www.comune.verona.it/turismo/Passeggiando/inglese/itineraryA/index.htm). As you explore the city pray for each area of this downtown zone.

• Pray that the enemy would be leave the area.
• Pray that the people's hearts in those areas would be fertile soil for the message of Christ.
• Pray that our team will find out how to reach the people who live and work in these areas.

Verona Buildings Video

Follow this link to view online our latest video of Verona. http://goveronavideos.blogspot.com/2007/10/verona-buildings.html

This one features buildings of Verona. As you explore the city by looking at these buildings, pray over each inhabitant that they might come to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

You can download to your computer the 800x600 wmv version of this video here (http://www.goverona.org/video/verona_buildings.wmv).

The Trolley of Verona

Do you remember the trolley from Mister Roger's Neighborhood? You remember, the trolley who took us to the Neighborhood of Make Believe? We got to ride it last week in Verona! Well, maybe it wasn't the same trolley, but it looked like it. While we were in Verona with our field coordinator, Wayne Meece and his wife Greta, I decided it would be a good time for us to take a trip on this little trolley in the center of town. It is a twenty minute ride for 3 euro (approximately $5) per person. It winds through many of the small ancient streets and alleyways, all the while playing over the loudspeaker tidbits of history about the surrounding area. The trolley is a great way for us to survey the city and find out more about this place. Here are some pictures...

And as I was reminiscing and thinking about the old trolley from Mister Roger's, I was reminded of the song with which he ended every episode. Ah, days of youth. Hopefully we can bring a childlike faith to the people of Verona.

For your nostalgia....

"It's such a good, feeling

To know you're alive

It's such a Happy feeling

You're growing inside!

And when you Wake Up, ready to say:

'I think I'll make a snappy new day'

It's such a good, feeling

A very good feeling

The feeling you know

That, I'll be back

When the day is new

An' I'll have more, Ideas

For you.

And you'll have things you'll want to talk about.

I

Will

Too."

Back From Verona

Well, we got back from our Verona overnight trip last night and it was really good. We found some really tasty restaurants and tried several dishes from the Verona region. We also got all of the goals accomplished that we had hoped for on this trip, as well as a few extras. I will try to post a few key pictures here on this blog soon, but in the meantime I have uploaded all of the pictures we took on both days. You can find them at:

Verona Day One: September 11
http://public.fotki.com/mcrosser/2007/verona-day-01---sep/

Verona Day One: September 12
http://public.fotki.com/mcrosser/2007/verona-day-02---sep/

Hope you enjoy them!

Field Coordinator Visiting

Wayne and Greta Meece are visiting us in Italy this week. Wayne is the European Field Coordinator for Team Expansion and has visited us before i the past. Greta helps him in his role, as well as is involved in other member care areas of our Home Office. They are spending time with the Ancona team and us, as the only in Italy representatives of the Verona team. We are taking them on an overnight trip to Verona and then spending a bit more time with them here in Ancona too. Pray for our safe travels and that we can continue to research Verona and how we can minister there.

Fnac

Two things I love are books and coffee. Put those two things together and I am in a wonderland of delight! When we are in the states one of my favorite things to do is go to Barnes and Noble where I can wander through the books forever. Finally, I will make a selection of several books that I want to sit and look through and I head to the coffee shop. There I will get a tall coffee and spend a long while perusing the pages of books that interst me. I can spend all day there if I am allowed!

Living in Italy I have never found a place that fullfills, in the same way, that time spent at a Barnes and Noble. Yes, there are bookstores...nice ones. Yes, there are coffee shops....great ones! But in Italy I had yet to find a place that fullfilled my love of books and coffee at the same time.

However, it looks like Verona might just have something that will do the trick, Fnac. It is a store we had never heard of until we visited Verona. They have electronics, movies, video games but best of all downstairs is a bookstore! It is filled with children's books, cooking books, decorating books, magazines and so much more. I bet you would never guess what is also in Fnac? A coffee shop!!!

Good Trip

We had a good overnight trip to Verona. There was lots of traffic on the way there and on the way back, but that was worth it to continue the quest to Verona. Angie and I arrived and explored some parts of the city and county of Verona that we hadn't seen before. The interns had taken the train from Rome and met us that night. On the train they had met a guy, Giuseppe, serving in the Italian military in nearby Trento (about forty minutes via car). He came into Verona today with a friend and they hung out with us as we explored Verona and then we went to lunch together. They even picked up the tab to show their friendship. Giuseppe's friend, Pasquale, has a strong desire to learn English and we talked about the English lessons/conversation will be offering once we arrive in Verona. He is excited. We exchanged cell phone numbers with Giuseppe and Pasquale to keep in touch. Then we took the interns to one of the area malls and we explored it and had dinner. While shopping, Lucia, was met by one of the interns and she was told about what we would be doing once we moved to Verona next year. Lucia speaks some English and was excited to learn how to converse even better in English.

God really led us around as we went into and through the city. My excitement is growing for the future and I can't wait to see what God is going to do in Verona. One day, we pray for a strong group of believers leading and reaching out to their peers in that beautiful city in northern Italy. And we also hope that through their willingness and giving that more churches would come from this one in the North.

Full Speed Ahead

Today marks the first day that Angie and I are both full-time team members of the Verona team. For the past seven months we have been moving forward through a gradual transition which has seen great benefits. Yesterday was our last day on the Ancona team, which leaves us singly focused for the first time in many months. So, we go forward and I hope to lead this new team, still forming, into Verona and follow the great commission and bring many into His kingdom.

We will still be living here in Ancona for the next three months before we return to the USA for recruiting, promoting, training and support raising. However, today we are driving to Verona to spend a day showing the interns, that have been here in Italy, the city that God has called us to next. I plan on posting something from our latest journey soon.