In Italy, there is a common saying to describe the amount of time and patience it takes to accomplish something important: “Pian piano.” Literally, it translates as “slowly, slowly.” But the expression is used to mean something more along the lines of, “Slowly but surely” or “In due time.” I remember how my Italian teachers would use this expression whenever I lamented how I wanted to learn the language more quickly. They would usually smile with some appreciation for my zeal and simply say, “Pian piano.” In other words, “Just keep at it, and it will come. You can’t rush the process.”

On Sunday, January 6, 2019, I had the honor of being installed by the Consistory of Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia (the Reformed church in Milan, Italy) as minister of the Word and sacraments. Using an Italian version of the URCNA form for installation, elder Vittorio Calderaro read the form and delivered the charge to me and the congregation. I felt the weight of responsibility for this awesome task as I publicly affirmed my sense of call and gave my promise to labor as diligent workman: “Io credo and lo prometto, con l’aiuto di Dio” (“I believe and do promise, with the help of God”).