What is next?

“What’s next?”

You all want to know, and it’s completely understandable. I’ve given little details here and there, but it’s overwhelming for me to try and write it out. I’ve written a support letter, asking for support, but I’m not sure how to write a blog about it without it sounding awfully dry and boring.

What’s next? Well first, I should tell you that I graduated in December 2013 with my BA in Psychology with a minor in creative writing (poetry). I stayed in Bowling Green (Ohio) until the middle of June. (I worked as the baker at Tim Horton’s.)

I am going to move to Rome, Italy with International Teams for two years.

How did I pick International Teams and who are they? In the summers of 2012 and 2013, I went to Hungary with a different organization to teach English in refugee camps. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done and it fit my soul. The summers were incredibly different experiences, which showed me that I was actually interested in refugee work, not just attached to one place.

I learned a lot about people, God, myself during those two summers. One thing I noticed was that it seemed like the countries receiving refugees didn’t seem to want to receive their stories. They’re invisible in a lot of places, or at least, they’re not seen.

I was drawn to ITeams in part because of the value that no one is invisible. Another thing I love about ITeams is the goal that everyone would have access to food, freedom, and forgiveness. ITeams’ vision is to see lives and communities transformed by the power of God, doing this by bringing people together to help the oppressed.

Originally I talked with ITeams about writing for the organization, but after going back to the refugee camp another summer, I realized I wanted to be with the people. So after almost two years of talking, interviewing, personality assessments, psychological assessments, skype calls, and an endless amount of emailing, I was accepted to go to Rome for two years, to work with refugees and whoever else God has us interacting with there.

I know a little bit about the ministry in Rome, but I don’t really know what my day-to-day life will look like. I’m okay with this, because I am one hundred percent sure God knows what He’s doing there, but it’s a bit unsatisfying to have to say I don’t know whenever I’m asked.

What I do know is that social support for refugees in Italy is pretty bad. I know that there is a refugee center that the ITeams team currently runs, and that my team wants to fill as many needs in our community as we can. Whatever the needs are there, that’s what we’ll focus on. I know that we want to pass the ministry off to the Italian church, and that we don’t want to be an umbrella organization, but rather working with and alongside our neighbors in the community.

What does the timeline look like? I need to learn Italian. ITeams has a program for me to go through for that. I need to take a confirmation trip to Rome, to make sure it’s where God wants me. I need to attend training, online and in real life. And of course, I need to raise a lot of money. I’m aiming to leave next summer, but it’s not a deadline and only God knows how long it will take.

I’ll need about 36,000 dollars a year, and I need to have all my money for two years pledged before I can leave. It’s $3,000 a month, which is incredibly reasonable for Europe. The total includes all the fun stuff like taxes and insurance.

That’s what I’ve got for you right now. It definitely has not sunk in that I will Rome will be home, at least for a season.

A few things:

I’ll be sending update emails- please let me know (and give me your email address) if you want to receive those!

If you want to receive a packet of information I will gladly send you one!

I need a prayer team. I’m thinking I’ll send special prayer email updates to just the people who want to pray for me regularly. So let me know if you’re interested in that as well!

Finally, if you feel led to support me financially here and now, that would be a huge gift to me! You can donate online https://wwws.iteams.org/us/giving-form and stick my name (Phoebe Lawry) in the box.

I’d love to hear from you! What’s going on in your life? What are you learning? How can I be praying for you? Please comment or email me! 

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post, friends! (I promise most of my blog posts will be more fun!)