Why February in Italy?

Posted by Kaylee K on Friday, December 18, 2015 Under: Italy

As we enter into a holiday season that celebrates hope and new opportunities, we’d like to invite you to join us in bringing this to thousands who currently are struggling just to survive. The next immediate phase of our journey to serve refugees alongside the churches in Italy is a trip this February to participate in the Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable and travel to several towns to visit with churches and refugees who have a need for our assistance. This trip will last 2-3 weeks and the funds needed are $6,900. Can you help us make this happen? (Scroll down for donation details.)

As we have driven across a large part of the U.S. over the last few months, we’ve had the opportunity to meet with many people as well as church and missions leadership. A common question with regard to the refugee crisis that has been a hot news item for many months now is, “How can we help?” Often the media leaves us without answers. We are grateful that we can offer ways to help by coming alongside churches – refugee and local – who are on the front lines of this crisis. At this critical time, our role is to assess the needs specific to the Italian churches and the refugee churches in the camps in Italy, learn from what others in Europe are doing to assist refugees, and help shape the plan for our work in Italy.


This trip is key to both gaining a current and deeper understanding of the situation and needs, and for taking our relationship with the church leaders – many of whom we met in 2011 and have stayed in touch with – to the next level of commitment. (Photo: Our 2011 visit with Pastor Pietro Evangelista's church in Pescara, Italy)

As you plan your holiday or year-end giving, will you please make a donation to this important visit with these churches and ministries? It’s quick and easy. Click here and then select “Kolditz” under the dropdown menu on the Missionary line. 

In : Italy 


Tags: italy  support  response 

Blog Authors


John and Kaylee Kolditz Kaylee founded Refugee Connect in 2008. John joined the work in 2011 as we investigated the refugee situation in Europe. But our faith and cross-cultural journeys have been a work-in-progress for many years. Much of this blog reflects that. ************************************************ We met in Austin, TX, while volunteering at a serving event at Gateway Church and have been married since 2002. Marriage, parenting and ministry all require a great deal of intentionality, humility and true reliance on God for strength, wisdom, and grace. It is a journey we are grateful to be on together. Ultimately, what matters to us is building into meaningful relationships in ways that, to the best of our ability and by God's grace, demonstrate the love and hope Jesus freely offers to us all. ************************************************ We bring both business and ministry backgrounds into our current work. John started a business in his 20's and helped build several other businesses. He has also served with churches in a variety of roles including as an assistant pastor, director of community development, and missions board member. Kaylee left her marketing career to become the global missions director for our home church in Austin, TX, then founded a local refugee ministry, and became TEFL certified (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) in order to prepare for our work overseas. We have led short-term teams domestically and internationally, and served with a variety of cross-cultural ministries. In 2008, we sensed a call to build into the church in Europe, which was also around the time when God broke Kaylee’s heart for refugees. Since then, God has continued to weave together this heart for refugees, desire to serve alongside the church, and focus on His call to Europe.

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