ITALY — Hallie’s heart softened as the faces of her six-year-old daughter’s friends — and their mothers — flitted through her mind. Valentine’s Day was coming up. How could she best share the Lord’s invitation to “Be Mine”?

Crossworld workers Hallie and her husband Tyler make their home in Italy. “Many Italians are interested in American culture and  holidays,” she says. “If we say, ‘This event is an American thing,’ they will come.”

Valentine’s Day isn’t usually celebrated in Italy. But Hallie was about to change that, with the enthusiastic endorsement of five little girls.

The day of the party, everyone was animated, including the mothers, who decided to stay. “Ti amo (love you)! Sei carino (you’re cute)!” The girls giggled, translating English conversation hearts. “They’re first-graders and love to use their writing and reading skills,  so they wrote Valentines to each other in English and Italian.” The pink cupcakes — a very American treat — were a hit all around.

Then Hallie handed out Italian New Testaments with 1 Corinthians 13 highlighted in pink, and read L’amore Capitolo (“The Love Chapter”). “This is our Valentine to you,” she told their smiling guests. “We want to tell you about the greatest Valentine ever given.”

As everyone headed home, Hallie felt a deep assurance that the party would open the door to sharing more about their faith in the future.

And so it has. Walking their children to school a few days later, one of the mothers who attended the party nudged Hallie and said, “My daughter wants me to read the Bible to her like you do with your daughter, and listen to her read it too.”

How could you share God’s love during this month of love? How might you frame this life-changing valentine to your circle of influence?

Italicized names were changed to protect identities.