Meet Dot
Each summer THE ARK hosts a missionary who lives on property for the summer and shares daily with the campers what God is doing in and through their mission. Campers and volunteers are invited to partner with the missionary by praying for them and giving financially. This summer, we are honored to have Dot with us. All the offering campers and volunteers give will go directly to Dot's ministry in Italy.
Here's a bit about Dot in her own words:
Hi, I’m Dot Elliott! This year I have the honor of being the summer missionary at THE ARK Christian Ministries. I live near Rome, Italy.
I serve with Team Expansion and follow our mission to make disciples and churches among the unreached. Italy qualifies as unreached because just 1.46% of the entire population knows Jesus. Many people in Italy have never read the Bible, few regularly attend church services, and even those who say they believe in Catholicism might not even believe in God.
Andrea (our leader) and Heather Gentile, Faith York, and I make up our team. We are involved in ministry in many ways. Since I arrived, we’ve been discipling a group of young adults. They now are discipling the high school students from the church. We rejoice that there have been six baptisms from these two groups, with one more planned for when the weather is warmer. (They get baptized in the Mediterranean Sea, so you don’t want to do that in the winter!) We also offer English lessons using the Bible as text. Heather is certified in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and provides English grammar classes. This year I will be working on a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate. Our English students ‘pay’ for the lessons by donating food, diapers, or toiletries. When the Zingari, who you may know as Gypsies, come in, we distribute food and supplies to them. We also study the Bible and pray with them. I am also a part-time high school English teacher for a small International Christian Academy in Rome. Since I do not have a car yet, I teach my classes via Zoom. I plan to buy a car when I fly back to Italy. Using my gift of hospitality, I have used my apartment to host Bible studies, English lessons, a mini church camp, short-term mission teams, game nights, visitors from a variety of countries, as well as cooking lessons!
I thank God that he sent me to the mission field in this era of internet communication. As a result, I can easily be in contact with my three daughters and five grandsons. You may see some of them around this summer.
For most of my adult life, I lived in the greater Kokomo area; and THE ARK Christian Ministries has held a special spot in my heart. I’ve volunteered in various capacities and was even a dean in the Jungle Huts for several years. I’ve enjoyed getting to know many camp missionaries over the years, and I’m honored to be THE ARK’s missionary this year. I’m looking forward to a great summer sharing with the campers and faculty!
Map used with permission https://freevectormaps.com/italy/IT-EPS-02-4001?ref=atr
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Click on the recipe cards for two of Dot's favorite recipes.
