Major linguistic breakthrough

After extensive data collection and analysis, Corey and I have broken the code of cat language. The general consensus that "a cat says 'meow'" is incorrect; we have been missing a consonant the whole time. (Perhaps this was a shift that happened over time or only in certain dialects.) The truth is that a cat says "menow" meaning that the two morphemes are "me" and "now." And we propose that everything else a cat says revolves around these two basic meanings. If you ever meet our cat, you will know how we know this.

Christmas letter and pictures

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I figured posting our Christmas letter would be a good way to get back into the world of blogging. :) (It's pretty long, but it includes Italy, Dellwater, and the year...) I don't know if anybody even reads this anymore, but I really enjoyed posting while we were it Italy, so we'll see what happens. . . Anyway, here is our Christmas letter and some pictures!

Dear family and friends,
Merry Christmas! With a trip to Italy and a college graduation included our year, we decided we should send out our first Christmas letter!
We still call Bemidji home, and even have a house to call “home” for now. An unexpected blessing and change in our plans happened while we were in Italy over the summer. We had planned to live in Oak Hills campus housing for the year and then look for something else, but a house not too far from Oak Hills opened up for rent and we’ve moved in. It has been so much fun!
I (Ellie) returned to my job as a special education paraprofessional at the Early Intervention Center working in a classroom with four-year olds. That age group and those kids in particular have become so dear to my heart; I didn’t expect to love my job so much—another wonderful example of God’s provision and leading. Corey returned to Oak Hills Christian College in the fall and by the time you read this letter he will be done with his coursework and have a B.A. in Biblical Studies and Intercultural Studies! He has worked so hard and I am a very proud wife! (The official ceremony will still be in May.) He has also been working part-time in the maintenance department at Oak Hills and will continue through the spring.
Ministry in Red Lake continues to be a very important part of our lives as well. After returning from Italy in August, we were able to be a part of Camp Dellwater and again see God work through the week. Great memories were made for all. One that sticks out in our minds was hearing a teen from Red Lake who has attended and helped at camp share her hope story of how God has worked in her life with the entire camp. We have never seen the kids that quiet or focused. Please pray for her and that God will continue to use her story! Another time that we thought was significant was when a man from Red Lake came and shared about the power that this generation can have for change in their community through Christ, and that they don’t have to stop being Native American to do it. These are things that we know are important to them and want them to fully grasp onto. Along with working part time at Oak Hills, the plan is for Corey to become more officially involved with Youth for Christ and be able to dedicate consistent time throughout the week to ministry in Red Lake.
As for our summer in Italy, it was a great experience for us and a profitable internship for Corey. We worked closely with the pastor of the Milan Bible Church, Jim Kutnow, and his wife, Lynda. They really helped us to get a look into what ministry is going on in Italy with CrossWorld and a taste of the culture and land of Italy (figuratively and literally J).
We got a chance to visit five different churches in northern Italy and meet the missionaries who are working there and some of the national believers. We feel that we gained valuable insight about ministering and living overseas in a different culture. It was a real joy to be able to meet and spend time with some people from the churches, and even though we couldn’t communicate very well, to have a special connection with them because of our shared love of the Lord. Church growth in Italy is slow and there are many challenges to be faced. This is felt by both the missionaries and the national believers, and it was neat to be used by God to encourage some of these wonderful brothers and sisters in the Lord.
One example was in a small church in Bergamo. Corey preached there with a translator and the people were so gracious and appreciating and told Corey he could preach any time. This church has faced many challenges, but has grown in spite of them and in fact has outgrown their meeting space. Right now they only have one elder, who carries a lot of responsibility with not a lot of support, and also works full time in a factory. He and his wife invited us into their home and we had a wonderful time.
It was a real blessing to be a part of the Milan Bible Church for our entire time there. This church is different, because it is mainly for the large international community and the service is done in English. We got to attend there almost every week, as the services are held in the evening, and were also part of a Bible Study. We met some wonderful people and it was truly a joy to be a part of that fellowship. Corey also preached there, as well as played guitar each week with the music team. The last week of June a team of six from the USA came to lead a Vacation Bible School and we had so much fun being a part of that. There was one group for adults and one for kids, and both were very well attended. The theme for the kids was “Avalanche Ranch” and there was a story and songs, a craft, games, and a snack each night. We had a wide range of ages of kids show up, and it kind of threw us for a loop when most of them were teenagers. Some adjustments had to be made and we didn’t know quite what to expect, but they kept coming back each night and participating in all the activities and genuinely having a good time. Jim said he had never seen some of the smile like he did that week, and that it was the best VBS they have had in 10 years. In later weeks we also had the opportunity to share our testimonies with the youth and encourage them in their faith.
We went to Venice on the east coast and Genoa on the west, and many places in between. It was on our list to go to the “lake district” and we definitely accomplished that; we got to go to all four lakes, including spending our first wedding anniversary on beautiful Lake Como! Two of the churches we visited were in the mountains, which was very different from the big city of Milan and very beautiful. Being in a very big (and very hot) city of 4 million was pretty different for these country kids! There are some great sights to see in Milan, including the Duomo, which is the third largest cathedral in the world. We got opportunities to see many cathedrals, castles, and museums with amazing works of art and architecture throughout our time. Overall it was a valuable time for us where we learned a lot about God, ourselves, and ministry, as well as a new appreciation for home and family.
This is a special time of year to appreciate those things as well, and we truly do. And whether it is in Bemidji, Red Lake, or Italy, the message of Christmas is for everyone and full of hope and joy. Luke 2:18 tells of this message that “all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them.” (NASB) May we never stop wondering at the truth held in the beautiful story that we celebrate.
With love and wonder,
Corey & Ellie St. Peter

Putting up the tree...
I am the queen of Christmas lights; we quit counting at 6, but I think there is 8 strings of lights on our tree. What can I say, it's that Shuka blood.

Corey helps with the ornaments.


Isn't it beautiful? I love having room for a big tree! Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Reierson!
Yes, she is adorable and loves the tree too...
loves to knock off all the ornaments within her reach and try to get inside the tree. :)

My dad is cool and I love him alot.

Camp Dellwater

Tomorrow we head to Camp Dellwater! The kids from the Red Lake Indian Reservation come on Tuesday and will be there until Friday. We are very excited to be a part of it again and are so thankful it continues to be such a strong ministry. The kids really look forward to it all summer and it has become an important part of some of their lives. Some are coming back for the third, fourth, or fifth time. And there is just nothing like actually living in a cabin together and doing all kinds of fun activities to build those relationships and memories.

One very exciting this is that Valerie is going to share her hope story with all the campers! Valerie went to camp for as many years as she could as a camper and then started coming as an LIT (leader in training) We also keep in close contact throughout the year. It has been a kind of tough year for Val, but she has really taken some time to think about her faith and what God means to her, and now she really wants to share that with others. It is such an encouragement to me and I am so proud of her!

The girls that were we saw on Sundays for most of the year are also going to be there and be in my cabin and I am excited to have this time with them and really want to challenge and encourage them.

Corey will also have an LIT in his cabin, and we are hoping some guys will be more interested in keeping in contact throughout the school year.

Please keep this camp in your prayers!!

Moving!

This last week, after some recovering in my parents’ air conditioned basement, we have been busy moving into our new house! We had planned to be in campus housing for one year and then find something bigger, but while we were gone a house not very far from campus opened up for rent for a very good deal. So through my parents we decided to take it! (This is the second time I’ve agreed to live somewhere without actually seeing it in person…oh well, it’s worked out so far)

We are so excited! What an unexpected blessing! We are looking forward to doing a lot more hospitality and using all that wonderful space! (I think the screen porch is about as big as our whole last apartment…)

Verona and Sirmione

I am finally getting around to writing about our last week in Italy; sorry it took so long. After Corey preached at Milan Bible Church, his official internship was completed. So we went on one more trip with our own time and $ that last week. (Also, we had been warned when we choose to go to Italy that a lot of the country kind of shuts down in August and I guess we didn’t really believe it, but now we do! Almost all of the Italians that live in Milan and inland places like that head to the coast or the mountains for the month of August. The population of those cities drops considerably and a lot of the stores and restaurants close. It is pretty weird. But lucky for us, the really “tourist-y” places stay open.)

We took the train over to Verona, which is about halfway between Milan and Venice. What it is famous for in the summer is that is has a huge ancient Roman coliseum, now called the Arena and where they put on amazing operas. So we got the cheapest tickets, meaning you sit on the stone steps of this place with thousands and thousands of other people, and went to the opera “Aida”! (It was our birthday present to me It is set in Egypt so the sets are huge and amazing. It doesn’t start until about 9:00, when it is dark, and then they give everybody a little candle to light as the opera begins. It was a really cool experience.

We also hit the other main tourist spot in Verona, Juliet’s house and balcony. (Juliet of Romeo and Juliet.) It actually is totally fake and isn’t historic, but it is still fun.
Verona is a beautiful city and we enjoyed walking around before the opera and having dinner at a little restaurant. We also found the San Pietro castle, translation—the St. Peter castle!
The hotel we named at was also called San Pietro. How could we resist staying there after they named it after us?
The next day we went to the biggest of the four lakes in the “lake district”, Lake Garda. (We visited all four lakes during our trip!) There is a town way out on a point called Sirmione. You have to walk through a castle just to get into the main part of town, and then there is awesome shopping and tons of gelaterias. There is also some Roman ruins that are supposed to be really cool, but they are closed on Monday, which of course you do not find out until you reach the gate at the top of a hill. We joined the group of disappointed tourists for awhile, and then headed back to the town for a little while before we took the bus back to our hotel for the night.

Overall it was a great little trip!

More Milan

We spent a day exploring a little more of Milan, the public gardens. We heard about a butterfly exhibit and decided to go looking for it, and it was worth it. There was a tent sent up with about 20 different species of butterflies inside. It was so cool to have all those beautiful butterflies flying around us and get to see them up close! (Unfortunately no pictures allowed.)


There is also a museum of natural history in the garden so we went to that as well. There was all kinds of animals and dinosaurs and lots of different rocks.


We had a picnic lunch and spent some more time exploring (it is a huge place) and headed back on the subway. A fun day!

We made it!

HOME! We made it! I no longer believe in flights being on time and going as planned, and that theory proved true again. Our flight from Poland to Chicago was delayed a few hours, which should of meant we missed our next flight. But...that was delayed too. So we finally took off from there at midnight, and then made it to Minneapolis. And so did our luggage!
Since it was so late we stayed at my aunt and uncle's for the night after my parents picked us up. Thank you again, Livingstons! It was really fun to get to see them, and Corey's brother Cole and his wife Laura live in the same town so we got to see them too. Yay!
We had a wonderful summer, but it is so good to be back.
There is more to tell about our adventures the last week we were there, but just wanted to let you know that we made it safely! Thank you for your prayers!

Update

Hello everybody!
Sorry there hasn't been much in the way of posts lately! We haven't had internet access all week. We had a very fun last week here filled with some fun travels that we will write more about later, including an opera, another lake, and lots of butterflies.
We fly out tomorrow at 10:55 am Milan time and will hopefully arrive in MN at 10:50 pm that time. Please pray that our flight goes as planned and not as eventful as on the way here!

Sunday

Just a quick note about tomorrow, we will be visiting an Italian church in the morning, and then Corey will preach at Milan Bible Church in the evening. We will also be sharing a little bit about Red Lake and the ministry we do there.
Please keep these things in your prayers!
Thank you!

Genova

On Wednesday we went to Genova with Jim & Lynda and another girl who was staying with them. Genova is over on the coast and is a major port city. We took this weird Italian elevator-ish thing that goes inside a mountain up to a castle to get a really good view of the city. Then we ate an amazing lunch, with different kinds of pasta including one in a hazelnut sauce that was absolutely wonderful and a type of fish that the area is known for.


After than we took a spontaneous Mediterranean cruise. Okay, not quite cruise. But we did take a really nice boat ride down the coast, which is considered the Italian Riviera, to Portofino and back. We had never heard of Portofino, but apparently it is very famous and very ritzy. It was a great day!The color of the water was amazing!

This is Portofino.The pirates coming to get us! Maybe not, but it was cool to see this ship out on the water!

I like boat rides!

Brescia

Here are some things we saw on a little day trip.
Some ancient Roman ruins:



Saint Peter on top of the church

Milano

Well, after being here a month we finally got in to the center of Milan to see the sights! Our friend Samuel from church came with us and played tour guide. The main thing to see in Milan is the Duomo. It is the third largest cathedral in the world and is pretty amazing. The whole thing is made out of granite and every nook and cranny is carved into something. We got to go out on the roof and see things up close; that was really cool. We also went underneath, where they have discovered the baptistery where Saint Ambrose baptized Saint Augustine. A neat little piece of history to see.



Right by the Duomo is the Galleria, a huge shopping center with a really cool glass ceiling. It is one of Corey’s favorite things we’ve seen.

We also went to the Castello. You know you’re in Europe when there is an ancient castle downtown… Now there are various museums housed in it. We went to one about Ancient Egypt and visited some mummies, and also got to see a ceiling painted by DaVinci and an unfinished sculpture by Michelangelo.

Testimonies & MBC

In the past couple weeks we have both gotten to share our testimonies with the youth at Milan Bible Church, and it went very well. 10-15 kids were there each time, middle and high school age. It seems like it was an encouragement to them. The girl who translated for us, Shane, told us that the week after Corey gave his testimony, one of the guys told her that it had really made him think about some things he was doing. A mom also approached us and told us she was blessed by what we were doing and that her son told her about Corey’s story.

While I was sharing mine I stressed that even though our (me and Corey’s) stories are very different, the heart of them is still the same because it is what Christ has done that has saved us, and that is what’s the same about all of our stories. 1 John 5:10-11 “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his hear. . . And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” The cool thing was that they proceeded to ask Shane to share her testimony, which I think is even more powerful because she knows them and has been working with them in the youth group for awhile. And they really paid attention as she shared. It almost looked like they were going to start sharing their own stories, but time ran short and nobody wanted to go first. We pray that they do share with each other and lift each other up and continue to seek God.

We have enjoyed continuing getting to know people in the church on Sundays and during the Tuesday night Bible study. We have also visited some with Jim and Lynda and explored Milan with our friend Samuel (more about that and pictures later.)

Corey has continued to be a part of the music team each week playing guitar, and he preaches next week! He and Jim have been working hard on his sermon and he is excited to get to share.

Here is a short video clip of a Sunday service. (Notice the handsome blond guitar player on the left. :) )

Bergamo

This past Sunday and Thursday we were in the town of Bergamo. It is about an hour away from Milan and closer to the mountains/valleys. On Sunday Corey preached his first official sermon! He did awesome. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Jim said he did really well, and he was a Homiletics professor at Dallas Seminary. And more importantly, the people enjoyed having him and said they appreciated his message. He talked about Philippians 1:27-30, conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. He talked about a number of things that church members said have been recurring themes for their church; it was neat to see the Holy Spirit work that way.

On Thursday we went back and spent some time with the CrossWorld missionary who works there (she was gone on Sun) and saw the town. It is split into an “upper” and “lower” city on the mountain and is a pretty place. Then we got to go to the home of the elder of the church and spend some time with him and his wife. He is a really neat guy and seemed encouraged, especially by Corey. Actually he has it all planned out for when we come back to live there and work with him…it’s nice to know we’re wanted. He has a vision to evangelize the various valley towns that have no witness. Again, it was a blessing to be able to feel that sense of fellowship with someone we had only known for a little while and could only communicate with through translation. The family of God is big; praise Him for that!

The church has faced alot of problems, and yet it is growing and growing! In fact, they need to find a bigger building, which is quite a challenge in Italy. Please pray for the church and especially for the elder.

Ciao!

Happy Anniversary to us!

For our anniversary we headed up to the beautiful Lake Como. First we stopped at Villa del Bilbianello and took a tour of the gardens and the villa, both of which are absolutely amazing. (It is one that we saw from the boat earlier and where my favorite parts of Star Wars Episode II were filmed.) It’s way out on a point by itself, and is quite a walk to get there, through lots of trees and hills. Actually it looked pretty much like northern Minnesota, minus the mosquitoes. The garden itself is very unique and very beautiful. And there is this huge 150 year old tree that they prune in an umbrella shape. We got a guided tour of the inside of the villa and got to learn the history of it, which was pretty interesting. It was last owned by an Italian guy named Guido Monzini (good Italian name too) who loved to climb and went on tons of expeditions including to the North Pole and Mt Everest. He collected all kinds of artifacts and maps that are on display in the villa.

We stayed overnight in a little town called Cadenabbia in a little hotel room. (The picture is the whole room, minus the bathroom.) We discovered what 84 euros will get you; it was nice even though it was tiny. And when you have a view directly of the lake (and the breeze from it), who’s complaining?

The next day we went to Villa Carlotta, which is an enormous villa that is now a museum with some pretty famous art in it, surrounded by an even more enormous garden. It was also very beautiful and a fun relaxing way to spend the day. We shopped a little bit in Bellagio and then were ready to head back, via boat, then train, then subway, then bus. We are able to get around on our own pretty well now and appreciating public transportation!

I would like to add that marriage is awesome and we loved our first year and are looking forward to many more!!

Schedule

Here is what we will be up to for the next week or so:
Sunday--Corey will be preaching at a church in Bergamo, and then sharing his testimony with the youth at the Milan Bible Church
Monday--Our one year anniversary!!
Tuesday--Heading to Lake Como to stay in a hotel and relax and celebrate (there is a transportation strike on Monday, so we will go on Tuesday instead)
Thursday--We will go back to Bergamo for the day to see more of the area and ministry and meet the CrossWorld missionary who works there
next Sunday--Ellie will share her testimony with the youth group at the Milan Bible Church

Thank you all for taking the time to read about our trip and for all you love and prayer support! We are blessed!

Beautiful

We have had opportunities to see some beautiful architecture and art. In cathedrals and palaces there have been huge spaces filled with gold and mosaic, statues with features so intricately carved they look almost real, grand tapestries, magnificent paintings. And it has been a great experience.

But when I think about all the things we have seen, and what is truly beautiful, I see a painting that is a sheet covered with multicolored handprints of kids who were truly smiling while they had a part in creating it. I see a small square room filled with a mosaic of people from all around the world gathered together praising God. I see a real face with a smile welcoming me and eyes lighting up as we talk about the Lord that we both love. These are things we have had opportunities to see, and they are beautiful.

Update from Corey

In the three weeks that I have been here Jim opened my eyes to some of the needs here in Italy. One day we went on a home visit to a Philipino man from the congregation. His brother back home has been falsely accused of raping a girl. All the test that were taken have proven that he didn’t do it, but the girl’s uncle is the mayor of the city and therefore the justice is not being carried out. His brother is now in prison awaiting a trial where he may be convicted guilty by the powers that be of this crime he didn’t commit. He is a believer and is taking everything as well as one can in this kind of circumstances. To add to coals to the fire, this man’s uncle just died as well. He is questioning God and his faith. He can’t help but ask, “why me oh God? Have I not repented of all my sins? What have I done to deserve this?” It is hard to see him go through this. Jim and I assured him he is not alone in his suffering and that God is faithful. I also have gone on a hospital visit with Jim. We met with a lady named Françoise and her 8 moth old son David who has a poor heart and two hernias. We prayed for young David and read scripture (Ps. 46). My personal prayer for David is that God by His great grace will heal David and use him for the glory of His kingdom. I hope to find out one day that God used David as a great missionary or evangelist like William Carry or Hudson Taylor.

Jim is also teaching me how to preach and prepare sermons. Jim taught at Dallas Seminary for 6 years as a Hermeneutics professor. Then he went on to be a pastor for several years before coming to the mission field. He says that every one tells him he did it all backwards. The first time I preached here in Italy was the first time I ever preached and it was with an interpreter. This coming Sunday I will preach again and it too will be with an interpreter. However, after that I will most likely be preaching at Milan Bible Church, which is an English speaking church made up of many ethnic back grounds.

I am learning that I have a great love for children though I am willing to serve all people willing with a servant’s hearts and the love of Christ. In Domo, the little mountain town we wrote about, I got to go to a Saturday morning market and people-watch while selling books. This was an ok experience but handing out tracks and pushing books is not something I am called to. I shine when I get to disciple and share God’s word with people.

Please be praying for me that I might understand God’s plan for my life as He reveals it to me.

Love, Corey

Fellowship

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints,

for the courts of the Lord;

My heart and my flesh cry out

for the living God.

These are the beginning verses of Psalm 84, which was shared in church on Sunday. One point that was made really stuck out to me. The author is expressing a longing to go to the temple—above all for God’s presence, but also to be able to worship along with other believers. That community and the act of worshipping and fellowshipping with others is so valuable. Maybe it is being away from the comforts and surroundings of home, but I have found being a part that fellowship and worship to be so sweet these last few weeks. And that is how it should be; we were not meant to do this alone. Perhaps I have not valued what we do have at home enough, and I have a desire for more when we return.

The diversity of the church is so fun. It is like a little piece of heaven, people from many different nations and languages praising the one true God with everything that they have. And when these people sing, they SING. There is such an obvious focus on the why and Who of the words of the songs, and I like that.

It has also been a joy for us to be a part of a Tuesday night Bible study. We have been looking at some of the parables of Jesus. The group also has a real heart for prayer and lifting each other up, and that is neat to be a part of.

Please pray for the people of this church. Being a minority in Italy is not easy, and many of them have major things going on back in their home countries as well. Pray for encouragement. Pray for the kids that came to VBS, that they will desire to learn more and that they would know the joy of the Lord.

~Ellie

VBS

I am glad to say that VBS finished off as well as it started! We continued to have around 35 kids each night, including many teenagers that kept coming back. There really was a sense of peace and joy the whole time and was just a very good experience for everybody.
There was a 3 yr old girl who the first couple nights wouldn't leave her mom's side, and the last few she was running around and smiling and participating. She also had fun teaching me some Italian. Thanks to her I know my colors. :)
A really neat thing we did was to get a white sheet and have everyone put there handprints on it. it was alot of fun, and the church will get to keep it. What a cool visual reminder of the week.

Venizia

Saturday was our trip to Venice. We got up too early and rode the train to get there. Then we took a boat (which was quite a crowded Italian experience) up to St. Mark's square and went in the cathedral and the palace. Amazing art and architecure, and more gold than we have ever seen! Our favorite part was meandering along all the little side streets. Actually sidewalks, because all the "streets" are water. It is just plain cool. (And no, we did not go in a gondola, considering it is over $100 for 15 minutes. But we got pictures of them!)

Lake Como

Our wonderful week of sightseeing continued with a trip to Lake Como. We drove up to a town called Bellagio and then took a boatride back down the lake. It was so much fun, very relaxing, and amazingly beautiful! All these little Italian towns nestled in the mountains right by a very clear and blue lake. These are some pictures from the boat. (And trust us, the pictures don't do it justice.)


And here it is, the house from Star Wars Episode II! You know, when Padme and Anakin are hiding away on Naboo and it is the most beautiful setting ever? Well, this is the real deal where it was filmed. It was slightly exciting...

VBS

Vacation Bible School started on Monday! The theme for the kids is Avalanche Ranch, and the adults are studying the Mosaic covenant. The first night had a wonderful turnout. We had almost 30 kids and a packed room of adults. A lot of the kids were older (13-16), which is a little different than what was expected, but they seemed to really enjoy everything. The theme for the night was “God is real.” Along with the teenagers, there was also an adorable one year old, who kept me company for the night. J

Tuesday evening we saw even more people come, and had another great time. Jim said he rarely sees some of these kids smile, and it was so cool to see them smiling and laughing and having a good time.

Please keep this ministry in your prayers!