Gospel to Italy

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II.

A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.  

What is God doing in Italy ?

by Lisa Anderson

I grew up in Italy because my parents ministered the gospel there for 25 years.  I have many relationships that go back very far; through these, the Lord has given me a lot of favor to be able to minister and speak into people’s lives.  In recent years I have spent much time in ministering the gospel in different parts of Italy.  The last few years I have taken some of my close friends to minister to the Italians and it has been a great experience for me to what God has started with my parents now can continue with me and our ministry.

We continue to minister in many different churches in different parts of the country. The Lord touched the lives of hundreds of young people who were challenged to begin to live as people of influence and to preach the gospel boldly. In every meeting where we preach or minister, there is a great response from the people. The Holy Spirit is moving deeply in the hearts of the people in Italy.

In one of the services there was a young woman who came to the church for the first time, she was greatly moved and came forward for prayer. That night she shared how her grandmother used to take her to a Christian Bible Center as a little girl. That was my parent’s church.

Another young man I met, is Stefano, he used to be a drug addict and worked for my Mom and Dad just to try and stay away from the bad influences in his life, but today he is a strong Christian and is plugged into a vibrant church.

Every were we go, we run into grateful people who are the fruits of our ministry. They often remind us, saying, “I used to come to your church as a child” or “I ate a meal at your home” or ‘you were the first ones to share the gospel with my family”.  We praise God for the seeds we have planted in the hearts of men, women and children continues to bear much fruit until this day.

As we traveled through the country on public transportation we were able to talk to so many hungry people. It was obvious that the Lord had prepared these divine appointments.  We shared our faith and prayed for them just before we or they reached their destination. As this went on you can probably imagine the audience that we had around us, I believe the Lord has touched more people than we even realized. 

when we were in Saint Peter’s Basilica near the door way, waiting for a rain storm to subside. Next to us were two ladies discussing about the possibility of receiving a miracle as they had touched the foot of the statue of St. Peter.

Since they were talking loud and close to us and realized they were hungry for the supernatural, I felt led to join in and tell them that I believe that Jesus is the one who performs miracles. They welcomed me into their conversation and I was able to continue by sharing my testimony of how the Lord healed me many years ago and how Jesus can change lives. It was a small window of opportunity to speak into their lives before the rain subsided and they had to go. 

Please continue to pray for Italy and the nations in Europe for the move of God to continue.