We’ve only been in Italy for a week so far, but it has already been so impactful, so fruitful, and so stretching. For a little more on what we are doing, every morning from 8:15am-1:45pm we are going into classrooms as ministry teams of 4 and sharing the gospel. We share our testimonies and then take time to answer questions the students have about our faith, their faith, the church, our experiences with God, etc. It has been so good but also so exhausting. We have this incredible opportunity to share the Love of God with these kids, and I am so grateful for it. We’re planting seeds and praying for them to grow as we leave in a week. As we’ve been doing this all week it’s been so incredibly productive for growing my faith as well. I have had to give a reason for why I believe what I do, and as I’ve had to answer so many deep questions about God, I feel like I have grown so much in my faith. So I am so grateful for all that God is doing in our time here and for all the opportunities He has given us to step into these public schools and share the gospel. 

Preparing to come on this next part of our journey, people kept saying Italy is dead, that the religion is dead here. But I think they were wrong, it’s not dead. As we go into these classrooms for ministry I have realized that these kids are so smart and have so much knowledge in God and the Bible and how everything works, they have questions and they need answers. They need relationship. They understand enough to question where the catholic church has it wrong. That’s a really good start. That’s a spark that we can light. We’re working to show them the love of God, that his love is what matters not what the church says and gets wrong or right. They want to read the Bible they just don’t know how. They ask these questions, how do I you hear from God? How does God speak to you? What has God changed in you? What does it look like to have a relationship with God? We answer their questions the best we can, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us. And then we pray for them. We pray for God to speak and for them to be able to listen. That’s the importance of what we’re doing here. We’re bringing life to what is starting to take form in the lives of these youth. In the hearts of the youth. They have this desire and curiosity that I didn’t expect to find in them. 

We keep praying for them. Praying that they experience God and not just the rules and the religion. We pray for encounters with his love, the same love that has changed our lives. We engage in conversation on a bench in the dark as our host sister talks about her questions and faith. We stay late in class to talk with a student about his faith and wanting to encounter the love of god, we bring our non-religious host family to a worship night. Then we pray again. 

As this trip has gone on these past few months, I’ve realized just how powerful prayer really is. Even as we are going into these classrooms and personally talking to over 300 students, we pray the whole time we are talking. And I will say from personal experience, God takes over our conversations and is leading and guiding us in every moment, leading us to the students who are hungry and answering the questions of those who are doubting. So I will continue to pray. Praying for Italy and that the sparks would light ablaze and that these people would encounter the love of God.

It is so beautiful to see how religion and Catholicism connect with Christianity here in Italy. We had a worship last night that I got to be a part of, and after spending all week talking about my faith while also learning so much about Catholicism, it was beautiful to see us all worship together. We led worship with another group of Italians and sang half the songs in English and the other half in Italian. Standing in this beautiful church, hearing our praise and worship echo off the walls and still being able to praise God even in another language was so special and a memory I won’t forget. We all had one thing in common, our love for God, and after focusing on that theme of love all week in classes, it was so special to experience that love again during worship. 

We have one more week of ministry here in Isernia and then we have debrief week in Sorrento. This next week will be insanely busy, going from ministry in the mornings to a different event each afternoon, to youth events on the weekend, to visiting the bishop, to a trip to Rome. I know that my time here is going to fly by but honestly it just makes me even more excited to continue this journey in Mexico in January. God is moving here in Italy and I can’t wait to see what He continues to do.  

If you feel led to give in order to help me fundraise for the next part of my trip, here is the link! https://adventuresinmissions.servicereef.com/events/adventures-in-missions-3/spring-2026-journey-school-chiapas-mexico-and-guatemala/participants/jayna-hakoun7