Matteo and Crystal Scamporlino met a Ukrainian woman after their children started playing together.
“I’m Andriana,” she said, “and this is my son Leone.”
When Andriana learned that the Scamporlinos were Christians who had come to her town to start a church, her eyes lit up.
“What, really? I’ve been searching for a church!”
Searching for more
Andriana and her husband Stanislav had been living in Italy for several years. Both had been raised in the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, but during the Covid-19 pandemic, Andriana had begun listening to some protestant Ukrainian pastors online.
Struck by their prayers, which seemed so much more profound and personal than the prayers she’d grown up hearing, Andriana knew she wanted that same kind of intimacy with God.
In conversing with Andriana, the Scamporlinos realised she was curious but not yet a believer in Jesus. They told the Ukrainian couple that they were in the process of establishing a church.
Andriana and Stanislav attended the very first Sunday service. Afterwards, they approached the Scamporlinos with tears in their eyes. “We want to receive Jesus,” they said. The church planters were thrilled to pray with the couple and encourage them in their new-found faith.
Spiritual and physical healing
A week later, Andriana and her husband shared a painful part of their lives. “Our son hasn’t gained any weight for the past five months,” they confided. “We’ve taken him to all the best specialists in Rome, but nobody can figure out what’s wrong with him.”
“We believe Jesus heals people,” said Matteo. “He healed people when He was on this earth, and we believe He still heals today.”
Leone, in his mother’s arms, became agitated even as Matteo spoke. He turned red and began screaming. This wasn’t normal behaviour for the child.
“Would you be comfortable with us praying for him?” asked Crystal.
“Yes, please pray.”
The Scamporlinos laid hands on the child and prayed for healing and deliverance. Within minutes, the child calmed down and relaxed. A few days later, Andriana texted Crystal: He’s gained 200 grams! It was a small start but the beginning of something amazing. Today, Leone is completely healthy and normal. His thin face has filled out, and he continues to gain weight.
The right place at the right time
As Crystal reflects on these events, she believes the meeting in the park with Andriana was orchestrated by God.
“Andriana calls it an answer to her prayers,” she says, “but it was also an answer to our prayers! How encouraging for us to know this couple was waiting eagerly for us to begin holding Sunday services!”
Source: Greater Europe Mission (GEM)
