Michael and Nina Schaafsma are full-time missionaries with Justice & Mercy International, serving in the greater Milan area, home to more than 3 million people from many nations. Their passion is to see the church in Italy grow through Bible teaching, discipleship, and community outreach.

Both Michael and Nina felt called to overseas ministry during their teenage years. They met on a mission trip to Honduras while students at Wheaton College and married after graduating—Michael with a degree in Biology and Nina in Elementary Education.

After college, they spent four years in Alaska, where Michael served as a U.S. Army officer and Nina taught in a high-risk school. During this time, they also served in their local church, ministering to young couples and children. Through prayer, God led them to Italy to pursue their lifelong calling.

Michael and Nina began serving alongside Nina’s parents in Milan, helping a growing church expand into a daughter congregation, Punto Luce, in San Giuliano Milanese. Today, Michael serves as pastor and elder, and together they lead a thriving congregation known for its welcoming spirit, community events, and children’s day camp ministry.

Their ministry focuses on:

• Preaching, teaching, and discipleship
• Youth and family ministry
• Community outreaches such as meals, sporting events, and camps
• Broadcasting the Gospel through a Christian radio station reaching 6 million people
• Building relationships through everyday life

Michael’s gifts as a handball coach, mountaineer, and soccer player open doors for friendship and discipleship. Nina, who grew up in Milan as the daughter of full-time Christian workers, brings deep cultural understanding and relational warmth to their ministry.

Michael and Nina delight in giving themselves fully to God’s work in Italy. They long to see lives transformed by the Gospel and to see the light of Christ shine in Milan’s diverse communities.