Europe Trip

Greta and I are in the second stage of a five country trip to Europe. We spend just two days in Dublin, Ireland with our co-workers, Philip and Shirley Thompson. They are members of Team Expansion and are involved in a new church plant venture in Dublin. They work with a group of street evangelists called John 3:7. Most Bible readers will remember this passage as the one that says, "You must be born again." Like the folk who manage to hold up the John 3:16 signs in sports events in the States, this group has done the same with the John 3:7 signs for over 25 years. Everyone in Ireland has seen the signs and many are curious about it. Now the group is out on the streets of Dublin on Friday nights holding up the John 3:7 signs. People coming out of bars, night clubs and sports events will walk up to them and ask about the sign. In the last two years enough people have listened to the testimonies of the street evangelists to make a public commitment to Jesus Christ and many have been baptized. The John 3:7 group has asked Philip to lead a church plant in Dublin from to disciple the people who come to the lord in this way. Greta and I went with the Thompsons to see the possible meeting site.
Leaving Dublin on Friday we flew to Ancona, Italy and are visitin the Team Expansion church plant team here. We spent much of today, Sunday, recovering from the long day yesterday. We were up at 3 AM to get to the airport in time to catch our 6:30 AM flight. This evening we will attend church with the Caseys and the team here in Ancona. The new church here is only a few months old but has finally begun to grow. I have been taking pictures and will add them as I am able to do so.