It was great to fly back to Italy and the northern city of Vipiteno. I was returning to the Church plant that I had been privileged to help establish some years earlier, Bethel Church, Vipiteno, and it was their celebration Church Weekend. It was great to be with Pastor Justin and Rukshan and their family. They were now Italian nationals having originally come from Pakistan.
The journey took me from Bristol Airport in the west of England to Marco Polo Airport in Venice, Italy. From there I was to catch the train to Vipiteno. The flight was very comfortable and short compared to most mission air flights and the approach to Venice and landing was spectacular. It enabled you to see this ancient water-logged city with its historic churches and medieval buildings and many canals and waterways, from a whole new perspective.
The rest of the journey was by train which took me through wonderful scenery and even in the flater industrial parts you could see from the train, the snow-capped mountains in the distance
Vipiteno itself nestles in between the beautiful northern mountains
The modern Italian town of Vipiteno was created from the old Roman settlement of Vipitenum.
Vipiteno Main Street
The Church celebration was held in the Roman Catholic Church Conference Centre where the church regularly meets for worship. It’s in a beautiful setting
The view from the conference centre
I arrived to such a warm welcome and met another Pastor who was originally from Libya and who was doing the translation for me and sharing the meetings. He too was now ministering with his family in Italy, in Rome and has a powerful ministry in preaching followed by signs and wonders. He has invited Call2Come to bring what we carry to his assembly in Rome.
Because the majority of believers were Asian now living in Italy, most of the worship reflected the worship culture of India or Pakistan. It was wonderful to be a part of that.
I was only with these lovely people for four days for the conference and celebration and we were so blessed to experience a deep sense of His power and presence amongst us. The word of God went forth with power and many were healed or delivered and filled or baptised in the Holy Spirit. The message of the Bride and the One New Man was taught and received by those whose hearts had been prepared by the Holy Spirit. We praise God so much for this.
There were many testimonies of healing and deliverance throughout the weekend but the greatest miracle was the depth of intimacy that people experienced with the Lord. Miracles will fade or be forgotten but the ‘encounter’ that we experience with the living Lord Jesus that brings a reality to our relationship that changes everything from that time onwards.
We praise Him and give Him thanks for the privilege we had been given to serve Him in Italy.
