Seasons of Change

Thank you for your prayers! My back and neck are doing much better. Your health is so important! It is amazing how much I feel like doing when I’m feeling better. Although, after hearing from my friend Cecilia who is spending some time in India, I thanked God for his protection over my health. She wrote me and told me about stomach pains that send her to her knees, lice and other health issues. Her friends are praying over her for restoration of health. I realized how difficult access to clean water and safe food is where she is. It was good to hear from her- we have been encouraging one another during our time away from our family and friends.

We continue to meet with Loli (Equatorial Guinea-Spanish colony) on Friday mornings to study the Bible. She has a special attachment to Anita and was so worried about her when she was sick last week. This week she brought names of people that she knew who did know Jesus personally. We prayed that God would give her opportunities to share the Gospel with them throughout her week. Loli asked Anita when she would come to her country to teach the young people how to study the Bible. Perhaps Loli will return to her country and teach them what we have taught her… Until then, does anyone want to go to Equatorial Guinea and teach the people about Jesus?

After Loli left, we had Gerson (pronounced Hair-sone), the Lawyer who helps the people at the mission with their immigration papers and Emilio, the director of the Mission, over for lunch. It was interesting to hear about the difficulties that the immigrants go through when they come to Spain. Lying is such a huge part of getting anything done with the Spanish government. It is extremely frustrating when we are trying to teach the people to follow God’s commands and tell the Truth. Today the new Spanish President Mariano Rajoy Brey takes his office. Pray that God will direct this man to reverse the corruption that the former government has brought in.

Yesterday was a tough day for Mission Urbana. We found out that the Mission will be closed for the next two weeks and that the Casa de Acogida will be closing at the first of the year. It seems that the economic crisis in Spain has extended itself to yet another part of the Mission. I had heard that they were out of money for awhile but I wasn’t expecting them to close down the Piso (apartment/house). This is currently where our friend Marek is staying and where many other potential disciples come to live until they find jobs and obtain residency papers to stay in the country. Thankfully, Marek told us a few weeks ago that the Lord had provided a job for him in a town a few hours away. God is so good to provide for us at just the right moment! He truly does know each of our needs before we have need of them.

Later that night we went to the language exchange with Rebecca (fellow missionary here in Spain for 20 years) and her parents who recently moved to Valencia from Phoenix, AZ. Paul and Diane are so sweet and we are thrilled that they have decided to come to Spain to preach the Gospel—did I mention they are in their mid-70’s?? Truly, Amazing! They have shown me that it is never too late to follow the Lord is obedience and that our entire lives are meant to be an offering to the Lord- not just the days of our youth. Please pray for them as they look for an apartment and adjust to life in Spain.

The language exchange wasn’t as busy as it normally is and for that I was thankful. It is difficult to have meaningful conversations with people when there are so many people trying to practice their English. Last night there were about 5 or 6 men who sat at my table. They usually range in age from early 20’s to mid-50’s. I try to choose a topic or theme for them to talk about because it makes it easier for them to practice their English. Carlos, a usual speaker, enjoys controversial conversations so I like to encourage topics involving things I know he feels passionately about. We talked about bull fighting in Spain and differences in socialized and private healthcare (he works for an insurance company) and politics… so after we finished these topics I decided we had covered the usual controversial subjects except Religion. Throughout the evening I can usually tell those who believe in God and those who don’t before we begin talking about these things. Tonight there were 3 at my table who didn’t believe in God. I don’t like to press the topic but rather let it flow and see how the people respond to it. Surprisingly, when we would drift into another subject, Carlos (atheist) was the one who directed the conversation back to religion and God. However, tonight Alfredo, a believer and Spaniard, was sitting at my table. We talked about the differences between religion and a true relationship with God. Then, Alfredo began to speak about how he became a Christian. I had never heard his testimony so it was a pleasant surprise to hear him speak. I was so thankful that he was there because the men who claimed to be Atheists really connected with him. He told us that he had not grown up as a Christian and that his parents were not Christians either (this is rare in Spain because usually most of the true believers are only believers because their parents come from generations of “rebellious” Protestants). He was tired of religion and the Church but said that one day he thought that although religious institutions in Spain were corrupt, maybe God was not. He began researching different religions, read the Qur’an and the New Testament, and the Lord began to speak to him. It is interesting to note that he found a relationship with God because he read the Word of God. This is the only thing that changes us. When we allow the Word of God to speak to us instead of man, then our lives are changed. I know that those men will go away thinking about what he said. Pray that Alfredo’s words would sift through every corner of their hearts and minds so that they might find Eternal Life in Jesus Christ.

I want to take a moment to talk to those of you who are reading from Russia, France, Bulgaria, and any other countries that may be reading this. I pray that these words would change your hearts as well. If you want to talk more about a relationship with Jesus Christ rather than a life of religion that you may have always known- please do not hesitate to e-mail me. A relationship with Jesus is free. Jesus paid for our sins once for all when he died on the cross. He is our great high priest and if you ask him to cleanse you from your sins and come to live in your heart- He will! He wants you to experience his forgiveness and love so that you can begin to live abundantly with him. Truly, there is no greater love and no greater freedom that you will ever experience.

Hola de Espana!

I arrived in Spain on Thursday afternoon- just in time for a siesta :-)
Every day from 2-5 the Spaniards go home for lunch and a nap. I found out that most of the businesses do not reopen after siesta so there is only a short window for making purchases. Friday was a very busy day. Anita and I went to the city to get various items that I will need while I am here. Lots of walking...I'm still not over the jet-lag. Life here is similar and yet very different. The streets are littered with trash at the end of the day and every morning machines are used to sweep and clean them. Apparently, there are no laws against littering here. The city was very intriguing but it was a little much to take into my sleepy brain.
       The Lord has shown much favor to me on my journey. On my flight to Madrid, I was fortunate to find myself sitting next to a very jovial Frenchman. I know what you're thinking...I didn't know such things existed either. He was very kind. I learned that he loved the US and was returning home from a vacation in- get this- Oklahoma City and Kansas.... Not exactly my idea of a vacation but oh well. He spoke well but there were many words that we needed a translating tool in order to understand each other. He said that he loved Country Westerns and Country music. He also informed me that he was the president of a country dance club in his local village in France. Needless to say, he was an anomaly. He completely shattered every preconceived idea that I have every had about the French. I was delighted to talk with him. He shared that Europe was a dark place and that his country frowned upon patriotism. I was heart-broken when he said he longed to live in the US to one day openly practice patriotism. He also surprised me by saying that the primary religion in France is Christianity. He said that he followed Jesus but I knew from his words that he did not have a relationship with him. He said that it was the religion of his parents and that he did not believe that Jesus was the only way to God. Sadly, he believes that respecting others and doing good things will "hopefully" grant his safe passage to heaven. I told him the story of Creation and with the help of an electronic translator, I believe he understood. I tried to explain that even though sin entered the world, God made a plan to save all men from an eternal death. I also explained God's holiness and that even our best could never measure up. This is the part where I knew I was losing him. These were English words that he had not heard before. Please pray that the seed that I planted will be watered by other believers. He gave me his card and invited me to visit he and his wife in France anytime. He is a retired baker of 21 years...I wish he could taste the bread of life.
        My flight to Valencia was only 45 minutes and ironically, I sat by a Pakistani American. He was returning home from NY. He moved to Valencia recently with his wife (a native Valencian) and was very kind to help me with information about the city. Finally, I arrived and met with Chris and Anita. They took me to Lydia's and we had lunch. By this time I was really feeling the time change (2pm Valencia time=7am Central time) so I took a shower and hit the rack.

          Thank you all for praying while I traveled. I asked the Lord- as I always do when traveling- to lift up the plane and put it down where it needed to be. He answered me :-) Pray for revival in Valencia. As I traveled around the city yesterday I was awakened to the hopelessness and desperation these people are experiencing. They wear many masks of happiness but they have no real joy. Many faces are somber in the streets. Remember the hope that you have and treasure it. There is no life without hope. There is much noise here and very few places to find quietness and rest. Amidst the noise the people of Valencia need to be still and know that he is God. Below is photo of the flower stands in the plaza- they are beautiful, no?

Vamos a Celebrar!

Let's Celebrate together :-)
My Father has gathered all of the money that I need to go to Valencia! He has given me the cattle on a thousand hills.
Thank you for praying and giving! He has given weight to His name- Jehovah Jireh- Yahweh Provides.
Just wanted to share that with you- be encouraged and praise him for answering prayer!

Cae Lluvia...The Rain Falls

This week has been a little hectic. I am scheduled to leave during the first week in October so September is crunch time. So much to do and so little time! All support has to be in ASAP so that I can book my flight. Thankfully, all of the flight information looks promising and everything is falling into place. I am still not to 100% support so I have had to cut the duration of the trip down to three months so that I can leave in time to submit my final paperwork to my internship adviser at Liberty. Although this time frame is not set in stone, it is nice to have some kind of idea about my time limitations prior to departure rather than not knowing until mid-trip. Let's just say that I am a recovering control freak...still trying to maintain control...with absolutely none! Ha- but at least I can admit it and laugh about it.

I do want to share something amazing that happened to me today. I was driving home from picking up a support check and I thought about how easily the Lord had brought this check to my fingertips. I thought about the events that surrounded its arrival and the goodness of the One who saw fit to give it to me. Of course, I was grateful to the person who decided to give. But I was so in awe of the One to whom it truly belonged. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about the careful thoughts that my Father must have had towards me to bring this about. I had trusted his heart months and weeks and days before I could trust the evidence of his hand but I was dumbfounded. I was overwhelmed...A song played in the background of my thoughts describing the strength it takes to wait for Him to act.

-----I wrote the above last week - below are some updates-----

I found out last week that I will only be able to go for 3 months. Last minute surprises are always part of the adventure. I was, however, able to book my plane ticket! So that is excellent news :-)
GEM crunched some numbers for me with the new dates and after a few support cards clear the system, I will only need $900.00.

I have to look at the calendar to think about the day that I asked the Lord how he wanted to send me...August 15. He specifically answered with a Word...August 26.

Even on August 26th it looked pretty hopeless. I had about 19K that needed to come in in less than a month. There are no words. There are no words. Did I mention, there are NO WORDS that describe how that has changed. I went from 19K to 900 in a few weeks. More than anything else I wanted what I said about His character- he provides- to be mirrored in my life. I wanted my life to agree with what I was saying about him. He is more than capable of giving weight to his name: Jehovah Jireh.
It's overwhelming.

Thursday evening I was getting together with some friends from church to share about what the Lord has been doing in my life during my college years. I wasn't feeling very well before I went but I didn't want to cancel. We spent hours talking, when I finally came face to face with the reality that I had food poisoning. So here I am...with food poisoning...and all that comes with having food poisoning...trying to talk. It's funny now but it wasn't then. Thankfully, I was able to finished my story. Before I left, they handed me a card with mention of a small gift they had wanted to give to me for Spain. I was so sick when I got home that I went straight to bed and left everything in my car. Finally, I was cleaning out my car yesterday and opened the card. When they said a, "small gift" I was thinking a "small gift," right? Wrong! My jaw hit the floor. Not one word left my mouth except what God had put in my heart to do for the people of Valencia and the Lord had kept his promise. If I would tell the story of his work in my life- he would take care of the rest. Spiritual rain fell on me in that moment. I felt so cherished and cared for. So loved.

If you are reading this and you have not experienced the kind of love I am speaking of, you can. I am not any different than you. I am a sinner. I've made mistakes. But God made a way for all men to erase their mistakes through the death of his son Jesus. Jesus' death satisfied the payment necessary for our sins...FOREVER. If you know that you are a sinner and want to be right with God, tell him. Agree with God that you have sinned against him and that you cannot please him on your own. Tell him that you want to accept that Jesus' death as the only thing that can save you from your sins.
This is a decision I know you will never regret. I would rather be a slave forever in the House of God than a slave for a day to sin and it's master, Satan.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about my time in Valencia or want to share what He is doing in your life- I would love to hear about it.