Vite Trasformate: Uncovering Lost Treasures

TEAM - The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Dec 07, 2015

In Italy, Ruthi Brucato and Vite Trasformate are seeing lives changed through outreach to women exploited on Bologna's streets. Photo courtesy of Ruthi Brucato

Vite Trasformate reaches out to marginalized and exploited women on the streets of Bologna. They provide holistic support, including a place to stay and the message of the gospel. This story was originally written by Cara Davis and published in Horizons Magazine. Facts have been updated.

Ruthi Brucato, a TEAM missionary in Italy, walks the street toward home with her son, Gabriel, 6, and daughter, Elianna, 7. On the corner stands a prostitute. Gabriel points and says, “Mommy, a treasure!”

“That’s right, Gabriel,” Brucato says. “She is a treasure.”

Ruthi and her husband Mark moved to Italy six years ago to join Nuova Vita (New Life) Church in Bologna, where Mark serves as a pastoral intern and elder.

In 2011, Ruthi also started ministering to prostitutes and victims of human trafficking.

Referring to the women as “treasures,” she builds relationships through a ministry called Vite Trasformate, meaning “transformed lives.”

The ministry seeks to meet the physical, relational and emotional needs of the women through practical help, friendship building and networking with local social services to provide exit strategies.

“There are hundreds, hundreds and hundreds of prostitutes on the streets every single night in Bologna, a city of 400,000 people,” Brucato says. “There are daytime prostitutes as well. The burden was overwhelming.

Our primary objective is to see their lives transformed by Jesus Christ to the glory of God.”

The burden is one that was birthed more than 20 years ago when Mark’s parents planted the Nuova Vita Church. “My father-in-law, Andy Brucato, had been praying for many years for the unreached women (forced into prostitution) in Italy,” Brucato says. “He had been asking God to send people to reach out to these women.”

Along with Brucato, the Lord also sent Priscilla Natale, who was obtaining her master’s degree in human rights. Brucato met Natale and found that they shared the same passion and burden for these women. They started praying and searching for other ministries reaching out to prostitutes in Italy. They found none.

After a lot of prayer and research, and under the counsel and guidance of pastoral leadership, Brucato and Natale started street outreaches in December of 2011. In just a few short years, they have established life-changing relationships with several women.

Ruthi Brucato and Vita Trasformate gather for an outreach.

Two of those women are Romanian sisters named Kacie* and Megan*. As prostitutes, they stood right in front of the Nuova Vita Church sign each evening. One particularly cold winter night, Brucato and Natale offered them hot tea and cookies. “They warmly accepted our act of kindness and gave us their phone number saying they would love to meet up for a coffee,” Brucato says.

Brucato and Natale were surprised by the sisters’ request to meet together, but soon found out they were the first people who had ever offered friendship to the women.

“They were very lonely and starving for relationships,”

Brucato says. “We met up with them in the city center and talked for several hours. Megan broke down in tears as she spoke of her life and of her hatred for her ‘work’. From that first meeting, we started meeting together with them weekly to have coffee, chat and read the Bible together. We were amazed as they treasured God’s word and sought to understand more of it.”

The Word of God has transformed Megan’s life. She officially denounced her spot on the street corner in front of their church and began working for a job assistance program started by Brucato and Natale.

Pulita 100% (100% Clean) is a cleaning business that provides training and employment to women who have chosen to leave their life of prostitution behind. Providing an alternative job in a country with a 12 percent unemployment rate (45 percent of young people are unemployed) is becoming an increasingly important part of the Vite Trasformate ministry.

“We help women write job resumes, and we take them to interviews, but it is difficult to find jobs for them when they do not have any work experience,” Brucato says. So the goal is to expand the Pulita 100% cleaning business so they can help more women. “This project will provide an opportunity for these women to escape from slavery and prostitution and provide for themselves and their children.”

A few months ago, Megan came to Brucato after church and shared what a difference the offer of friendship had made in her life: “I felt like a wilted, dying flower, and you all put me back into a vase of living water. I have found new life.”

*Names have been changed.

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Exploring The Creative Power of Creative Arts Ministry

By Lorena de la Rosa • 16 May, 2024

Creative Arts Ministries focus on using the arts to provide new avenues for Gospel reach and discipleship around the world. Ever felt the urge to channel your creative talents into a higher purpose but were unsure where to start? Whether your passion lies in art, music, or another creative endeavor, God is opening doors where creativity meets ministry, where the journey of expression takes on new meaning with eternal significance. Creative Arts Ministry is all about using your creative side to share the Gospel, encourage the global Church, and build disciples all around the world. Made with a Purpose At TEAM, Creative Arts Ministry encompasses a variety of initiatives and global workers on multiple continents, all focused on using the arts to provide avenues for the Gospel. Jon Tello, TEAM’s Global Arts Ministry Coordinator is a creative person who was first called to ministry when he was in 9th grade, even though he had no idea what that meant. “I talked to my pastors, and they said, ‘Hey, this is awesome, you’re going to be a pastor. You’re going to preach and teach God’s word,’” Jon recalls. He wasn’t sure how his love and gifting for art fit into this. Yet in his heart, Jon knew, “God made me into an artist for a purpose.” Jon says his experience is not unique. Many who feel called to global missions feel that their passion for the arts must take a back seat. They are left with the question, “As an artist, how do I fit into the bigger framework of this thing that we call the global Church?” Luke, a TEAM global worker in Japan, concurs. “A lot of people get into [cross-cultural work] just adjacent to where their skill is,” says Luke. He goes on to explain a great metaphor for what happens next. “In music, there’s a term called ‘dissonance.’ It’s when there are two notes very close together, but they clash.” Being near to one’s true calling and giftedness, yet not quite able to express it can lead to frustration and burnout. For Jon, Luke, and many others in TEAM, God is helping them find a “sweet spot” where they can use their creative gifts for Kingdom work, particularly in areas where traditional church planting and direct evangelism are difficult if not impossible. A Call to Creatives In a world teeming with creativity and a growing desire for missions, many find themselves at a crossroads, wondering how to blend their artistic talents with the call to serve. Picture this: a vast landscape of possibilities, where your creativity isn't just a skill, but a powerful tool waiting to be unleashed in the mission field. Jon’s role in TEAM allows him to help global workers tap into this potential. Jon remarks that the concept of art for ministry is anything but new. During the Renaissance period, the literary rate was so low that the Church commissioned artists to create beautiful images to communicate with the people. Jon says Creative Arts ministry today works very much the same way to reach and impact believers and unbelievers alike in ways that words alone cannot. “In a sense, we are artists commissioned by the Church that are going out across the globe, doing just that: creating imagery, creating music, creating a story to tell,” Jon says. Though once a TEAM Italy global worker, Jon now works alongside other artists to help them use their skills in ministry. “They need somebody to help them embrace who God has created them to be and for what purpose,” Jon said. “And once we’re able to do that, it’s a beautiful thing to see these artists truly thrive.”

Loving Like Jesus Cross-Culturally (Part 1)

By Megan Lunsford • 23 Apr, 2024

When seeking to serve cross-culturally with an authentic love for others, there’s no better example for us than Jesus. If we sat around a table and threw out the question, “How do we love like Jesus?” I think we would have several commonalities as we respond. For example, Jesus loved all people right where they were. He loved those who were deemed the least, those hardest to love, or those who were His enemies. These are all beautiful realities of the heart of Jesus. When we step into relationships, it can be easier to take on the warmer, more gracious gestures of Jesus’ love, especially in cross-cultural relationships. Think about it––when doing life with those who look and act differently than us, we are already out of our comfort zones and would rather keep things as simple and familiar as possible. But there are other facets of Jesus’ heart we often overlook that can transform us and others even more into His likeness. Jesus is love because God is love. Everything Jesus did was out of love; it’s the mere definition of who He is. As followers of Jesus, He calls us to the same: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John:7-12) Every display of love we offer to others is an opportunity for them to encounter the ultimate love of the Father. That’s a pretty big deal! In this article, we’ll look at three expressions of Jesus’ love that we tend to overlook when engaging others cross-culturally. (Next month, we’ll look at three more.) 1. Jesus loved sacrificially. Everywhere Jesus went, crowds followed Him. We even see times in Scripture where Jesus had plans to step away for time alone but those who were hurting found Him and He had compassion on them and stayed with them. Can you imagine rarely having any time to yourself but, instead, constantly being surrounded by crowds of people wanting help from you? Jesus loved sacrificially. He welcomed all who came to Him with love and compassion, never turning anyone away. “When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) In the same way, we can make room in our lives for Jesus to bring sacrificial interruptions which, in His eyes, are orchestrated encounters to transfer His love to others. It can be tempting to be so “on mission” that we are full steam ahead and find ourselves frustrated when the Holy Spirit sends an interruption into our path that we feel we don’t have time for. Or, perhaps, we have scheduled a meet-up but it’s the norm in another culture to be 30 minutes or an hour late. We anxiously think through how it will affect whatever we have planned next. While it’s normal to feel a little stressed, what if the very "interruption” standing in front of you was really a divine appointment sent by God? Or what if that person running late experiences how peaceful and gracious you are in adapting to their culture and therefore, they can encounter a beautiful display of Jesus’ love? To truly represent Christ, we should remain ready and willing for each assignment the Lord sends into our path, no matter the cost or how much we will have to re-route our day. He is always a hundred steps ahead and will work all things for His glory and our good. 2. Jesus loved by discerning each situation well. Think about how many situations Jesus had to respond to on a daily basis. We read in Scripture that there were lines of people waiting to be healed by Him, talk to Him, hear His teachings, or simply touch the hem of His robe. Jesus was fully dependent on His Father to discern each situation before addressing it. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) Another temptation we can have when in a relationship with those God has sent us to is to think we already know the solution or what God wants to do before we’ve even asked Him. We believe we are full of knowledge, so we just pull from the bank we have stored within and go with it. However, when we access what is familiar to us as our default, we risk missing out on a God-given solution that might truly be the key to unlocking whatever challenge is in front of us. What does this look like when interacting with others? We can simply ask, “God, what is on Your heart for the person standing in front of me?” Then we listen and respond as He speaks. When we make it a daily habit to pause and hear God’s heart for each situation before responding, we are guaranteed to be effective in loving those around us. He knows the heart of every person that will cross our paths. Imagine how impactful we can be if we first lean on His wisdom and discernment before moving forward. 3. Jesus loved by speaking truth. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. If we are honest, this conversation makes us a bit nervous as none of us would be comfortable with Jesus calling out intimate details of our lives that we would prefer to hide. But Jesus went further than just airing her dirty laundry. He offered her the hope of the Gospel and a relationship with Him - a divine fulfillment that could never be found in an earthly relationship. Jesus modeled a powerful example of loving others well cross-culturally. He took the low place and spoke truth, truly out of love––speaking to her heart from His. Like Jesus, our goal in sharing the truths about Him and His Word is to bring hope and satisfaction through Him alone. When we speak truth from Scripture, we are calling others higher into all God has for them. The tricky part here is we should avoid speaking truth if it isn’t first fueled by compassion. If it merely comes from a place of judgment, condemnation, or self-righteousness, it will fall flat 100% of the time. But if it truly comes from love, you are likely to not only win a heart back to the Father but, like the story of the Samaritan woman, even an entire village! If you see someone living outside of God’s best for their lives, ask God to show you your heart before engaging theirs. Once your heart is properly postured, you can speak truth out of an overflow of God’s love and trust Him for a transformation in their lives.