Maranatha Outreach - Italy

Naples, Italy was the first stop on the European tour for the "movement team." The team nicknamed itself "Transformers" because it was their mission to set a movement across Western Europe that would transform lives and set souls ablaze that would once again bring revival back to the European continent. Cody McMichael along with 19 other college students left from Dallas, TX on a 4-week crusade through 6 countries to build and edify local churches, and share the Gospel to anyone that would listen. For over a year they prepared, each one fasting and praying on different days, so that for 365 days the continent of Europe was being bombarded with prayer and fasting. The team met once a week for corporate prayer and to prepare for the meetings they would have.

During their time in Italy the team planned to hit Naples, Rome, and Florence. Immediately after arriving in Naples, after an 18 hour flight the team was greeted by members of the church, taken to freshen up a bit, and then hit the streets. The plan was to travel each day to a popular plaza, dance, play music, do funny skits, and draw in a crowd to tell them about Jesus. Many people came to know the Lord through these times. At night the team went to the host church and led praise and worship and spoke during the time they were there. Previously, before the team left, a word was given to them that this year was to be a different year. Yes, they were to go and spread the Gospel, but their main objective was to speak to the churches and build them up so they could reach their people. "I'll never forget one of the nights we led worship," says Cody, who also played drums for the team. "During one of the nights the spirit of God fell so heavily. The band had moved away from its song list and was just allowing the spirit of God to move. I remember looking up one time and I saw the entire church of about 1,000 people on its face praising God. There is something about the presence of God that is so powerful when you have that many people at one time in worship that is unexplainable."

The last stop before the team went to France was the Italian city of Florence. The team was excited to be there. The plan was to aid in the opening of a Christian Internet cafe, and then the next night preach in the Church. The team arrived at the cafe ready to help clean and paint, whatever was needed in order for the Pastor to open the following week. "When the team arrived the Pastor surprised us and told us that there has been a change of plans." Instead of everyone cleaning and moving equipment, the pastor had brought in a small keyboard and asked if we would worship and pray over his building instead. "The presence of God was so awesome. When you take time and just sit and worship Him, God really is able to show himself to you, you just have to take the time to look." The next night the team was to go to another pastor’s church to meet up with a team from the Spanish School at CFNI. "We were told that we had the night off," Said Tyler Everett, the bands' leader. "You can imagine our surprise when we walk in, the church is packed, and they tell us to hurry and get to the stage for worship, we didn't have a song list or anything prepared." When asked about it, Cody just laughed. " Yeah, that’s just like God, He took us completely out of the equation so He could show us what He could do. I went to the drums, Tyler, to the Keyboard, and a guy named Kyle on the guitar. We all kind of smiled at each other because we had no idea what we were going to play. We just started playing in the spirit, nothing known, but just worshiping a bit. Finally a song came forth, and the presence of God fell in that place." For three hours the band played that night, they never got to the preaching. Prophecies, words of knowledge, baptism in the Holy Spirit, and healings took place that night. "It was amazing, we would play and sing, then pray, then sing and worship again, then pray. I have never been a part of something like that before", said Cody. "It was amazing."