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Fowler Update for December and January 2016
Fowler Update for December and January 2016
FOWLERS’ UPDATE FOR DECEMBER AND JANUARY 2016
Hospitality.
In Hebrews it is written: “Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it”. (Heb. 13:1)
Our story begins around four in the morning when carabinieri police knocked on the door of Andrea and Belinda Farina. The police needed a temporary safe house for Anna, a battered mother and her teenage daughter, protected from her abusive husband. Andrea is a Christian, member of our church, and the carabinieri knew him and his wife well enough to entrust Anna and her daughter to the hospitality of Andrea and Belinda. Sleepy-eyed, they agreed to provide food and refuge from this stalker.
We need to specify that the Farinas are not at all rich, because they have had to have financial help to care for their three children. Their modest apartment had to be stretched to welcome two more people, but they did not hesitate to take in Anna and her daughter. They are savvy having grown up in the workaday world. Both of them have said at various times, “I just could not turn Anna away, out in the street at the mercy of her cruel husband!”
The husband, Antonio, totally ungodly, raged at Anna and reviled, beating her in public and in their house, yelling and cursing and shouting obscenities day and night. He reminds us very much of the Gadarene demoniac before Jesus got to him! Part of his “approach” was to inundate Anna’s cell phone with hundreds of obscene messages, hassling also the Farinas. He created pornographic facebook entries in her name. Unbeknown to him, however, the police monitored his SMS calls to her phone and turned over the incriminating transcript. Once when the husband was vilifying Anna, a police captain was listening, the brute hurled obscenities also at the policeman. This became first-hand eyewitness evidence for the judge who will handle the litigation. Incredibly, the Italian postal police has not intervened to block him — they don’t even answer the phone so she can change her telephone numbers!
Throughout all of this, the Christian faith of Andrea and Belinda has helped them to hold tight to the Lord. They were already strapped for food money before this came up, but they did what had to be done and added two more places at the table, and somehow the Lord always provided the meal. The authorities provided Anna and daughter police protection, but no food to take care of them! The Christians helped by bringing in sacks of food to make the difference.
Unfortunately, Anna is not yet getting justice, because the hands of the police are tied, and the Italian legal system works very slowly. However, things have begun to move but it will take a couple of weeks to get everything ready. Please pray with us that everything will be ready on schedule. So, some things are beginning to roll, thank the Lord.
What does this story have to do with mission work? The Gospel is back of everything Andrea and Belinda did to host these needy strangers in their home. This is a story of concrete Christian solidarity seen up close. We rejoice in this moral victory for the Farina family. Join us in praying for them that their faith may grow even stronger. They offered hospitality beyond the call of duty and God gets the glory.
We send you our greetings in the Lord and thanks for your support.
Harold and Enid Fowler