news

METAS Funding Project Completed

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST

For many years, missionaries in Spain have faced a major hurdle—Spaniards see evangelical churches as cults. So how do you start churches in such an environment? You build trust in the community.

So when SEND missionaries entered Guadalajara, Spain, they looked for ways to build that trust. Eventually the idea for METAS was born.

METAS Association is a non-profit NGO created to build bridges from the church into the community. In Spanish METAS means goals and the goal of the organization is to establish community-based outreach ministries that will meet essential needs and demonstrate Christ-like love. Current activities include English classes, German classes, guitar lessons, job skills training, international reading room and social assistance.

METAS and the Guadalajara Church Plant work closely together. METAS builds bridges of opportunity to share the gospel, drawing people into the Guadalajara Church.

Several years ago, the organization leased a store front in a great location to carry out its growing ministry and began a campaign to raise the $500,000 needed to purchase the building.

Through a matching gift and many generous donations over several years, God supplied the money. On Friday, December 16, paperwork was submitted to register the purchase of the building with the government. And that Sunday the building was dedicated at a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Praise the Lord for His faithfulness in completing this project. And thank you to everyone who prayed and gave to METAS. Please continue to pray that many lives will be reached through this community outreach.

"Mi Esperanza" Evangelistic Outreach

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST

The single biggest evangelistic outreach ever in Spain, called "Mi Esperanza" ("My Hope"), is taking place right now. It centers around three 30-minute television programs to be broadcast on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening (December 15-17). Nearly 1,300 churches throughout Spain have encouraged their members to be "Matthews" by inviting people into their homes to see the programs and learn about Jesus through the preaching of Billy Graham and the testimonies of various people, some famous and some not. After watching the program, the host will share his own brief testimony, pray for those who have come, and then invite his guests to make a decision for Christ. Please pray for the five families in the Sigüenza church who will be host families, and also that the people who have been invited would come and that God would touch their hearts through the programs and our own testimonies.

Language School and Salvation

Fri, 2 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST

At language school Scott has made friends with several of the students, but "Y" and he have really connected. They were able to spend a day sightseeing together and have had many spiritual conversations. We hosted him in our home for lunch and he accompanied Scott to street preaching that happens at a square in the center of Madrid. During the evening he professed faith in Christ and is now desiring to study the Bible with Scott.

Relationship Leads to Life Change

Wed, 2 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST

God’s goodness and his faithfulness never fail to astound us as He manifests His love through His mighty works here in Guadalajara, where He brought us to minister to the lost.

Mercedes was one of the first fruits of God’s ministry here in Guadalajara. She came to know us through the gospel track her son received during our track distribution on the street. A few weeks later, she showed up in our Bible study with her mother. At that time, she was 5 months pregnant of her live-in partner. We had begun to deepen our friendship with her whole family as they continued to come to our weekly Bible studies. Three months after giving birth to her baby girl, Leonor, the doctor found out that the baby was blind. But God was about to show her His love when He gave Leonor her sight after a few months of prayers.

Through the years, we continued to disciple Mercedes and even got to babysit Leonor a few times. Developing a special relationship with this family was worth all the wait when Mercedes expressed her desire to follow Christ at the expense of her relationship with her live-in partner. In September, she took a step that left us overjoyed. Declaring her faith in Christ, she was baptized in a river in Humanes, Guadalajara. The church, Cristo Vive Hoy, rejoiced sharing this special day with her and her family.

Looking back through the years, we see how God’s promises have been fulfilled remembering testimonies like Mercedes’. Every Sunday we deal with an overflowing number of souls filling the empty seats and every time we are reminded that God is forever true to His word. No time, no effort, no sacrifice is ever in vain when we obey His commands. He promised He would show us many great things and Mercedes’ life is just one amongst many.

Contagious Happiness

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:26:00 EST

Elena attended our English conversation class all of last year. Spiritual things come up now and then in the class and she always seems quite open.

In March I invited her to come to one of our church women's breakfasts. Although she seemed genuinely interested she wasn't able to come, but did ask me to invite her again if we had another breakfast. The next one was in June, and Elena came!

There were 14 women in attendance, and the ladies of the church took Elena in as if she were a long-lost cousin. I gave a devotional about our identity in Christ: that we are deeply loved, fully pleasing, totally forgiven, accepted and complete because of Christ's work on the cross. It was so cool because as I was sharing what I had prepared, several of the women asked key questions to clarify - not because they didn't understand, but so that Elena would hear the gospel clearly explained! And Elena herself asked some great questions.

She really enjoyed the morning and as she left she said to me, "You all are so encouraging and so happy….it's contagious." It is a huge step for Elena to have come to a church-sponsored event, and wonderful that she had the opportunity to connect with so many other believers. Best yet, she got to hear the gospel clearly presented, and took home a gospel tract to read.

Elena and I will get together soon to talk over all she has heard and read and to see where that “fits” in her life. Please pray for Elena, that the seeds of the gospel that have been planted would take root and grow, and she would make the decision to accept Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Re-entry in the USA

Fri, 1 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST

Sophia has completed two years of serving at Evangelical Christian Academy (ECA), and she has returned to the USA to begin partnership development to return to Spain. Pray for her adjustment as she reintegrates into American culture and leaves her ECA and SEND Spain family for a time.

A Day of Answered Prayers

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 09:20:00 EST

When was the last time that you were so overwhelmed with God that you could not sit still or be quiet about it? For me it was today. I have been busting all morning to have time to sit down at the computer and blog cause I just wanted everyone else to be as blown away by God as I have been today.

And before you keep reading, no we have not sold the house, but I am still dancing with praise.

Morning started out great! Had errands to do here in town and then was going to clean house until translator called (and was just praying she would actually call). Headed out for errands and here is how the day continued to evolve...

Stopped at the bank to get money orders for our VISA applications. I was thrilled to find out they were free because of the type of account we had - praise God! When I told the teller who to make the money orders payable to she says "were you the one that came in here awhile back and was planning a move to Spain?" I told her yes and gave her a prayer card. She then pulled out her wallet and gave us $20 - said it was just a little something for coffee and muffins or lunch out - just a little blessing from God. Oh my goodness! Who does that? And at a bank with a long line behind us? Can only be the nudging of the Holy Spirit!
Left the bank to go to Wal-mart. Before we pulled in the parking lot my cell phone rang and it was the translator (this was 10:00 - documents weren't to be ready before 2:00) and said our documents were ready and could I come in and go over with them. Oh my goodness! I was praying and praising and my daughter Hannah was just looking at me.
We flew through our errands in Wal-mart so I could get home and grab paperwork and drop Hannah off so I could go to the translators. Before we even got home my cell phone rang again. It is a gentleman we had shared the details of partnership with nearly a month ago and he was calling with some logistical questions and to let us know he and his wife have decided to partner. Woo Hoo!

Now don't get me wrong - I am not just praising God for the things He did - I am praising God for the character of God that I saw displayed this morning. He is compassionate. He cares for our every need. He equips and He provides. He delights in His followers. He is perfectly on time. He is bigger than anything my mind can imagine. He is truly God!

It's been a rough emotional week and I would rather stay on the mountain top a little longer, but what lesson did I learn today? If it had been smooth sailing all week I would have missed the joy and excitement of today. Made it all worth it. Now back to singing and dancing His praises!

Open Air Evangelism Service

Fri, 27 May 2011 04:18:00 EST

On Saturday evening, May 28, we will join several other churches in the provincial capital of Guadalajara to hold an open-air service/campaign in a park in the center of the city. Kevin will be doing one or more sketchboard presentations, and others from our church may share their testimonies. Please pray that God would touch hearts among the many unbelievers who will be in the park at this time.

12 Believers Baptized

Mon, 23 May 2011 01:43:00 EST

On Sunday, May 22, twelve believers from two different churches in Spain followed their Lord in believers’ baptism. Five believers from Siguenza participated in that church’s first ever baptismal service, and seven believers from Centro Evangelico-Cristo Vivo Hoy in Guadalajara were baptized as well. The churches held a combined outdoor service at the river near Guadalajara. This was a big day of celebration acknowledging God’s faithfulness in their midst. Please pray that these believers would have a strong witness in their communities. Pray also for their friends and families that came to the service, that they would give their lives to Jesus as well.

Mision Posible - A Roaring Success

Thu, 12 May 2011 05:07:00 EST

Mision Posible (MP) was a roaring success, in a million, unimagined ways. The Lord took the nearly 1000 youth to places that He wanted them to go, with worship, Bible Study, plenary sessions, bread and water solidarity meals, prayer vigils, workshops on missions, and "tours" of opportunities from around God's globe. We have heard numerous times that this is the best edition of MP yet…and not because of the lovely beds, and delicious food. Not even because of the terrific music. Rather the comment that we hear over and over again, is that the organization this year moved students to learn how to dig into the Word. For that we are humbled and appreciative. The Lord's desires were met. And the youth noticed!

You can take a glimpse at the links belowto see a bit of each day's activities. Each video is only a few minutes long and does a great job of letting you experience a bit of what went on, although it is in Spanish. You will see the impact in the eyes of those who attended. And I hope you will sense the Lord's calling to make MP 2013 rock, too!

Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Spain needs this event to keep going! Spain needs a missions perspective! Spain needs to become active for Christ, and win people for Him, and that’s what Misión Posible was (and is). That’s why the Lord has laid it clearly on my heart to continue with the next edition, Misión Posible 2013. I invite you to pray not just for it as an event. Rather for the lives that were impacted at the event. For the future missionaries and pastors that would grow out of it. For the marriages that will take place in years to come. For the walls that are being broken between cultures (Madrid vs Barcelona, Immigrants, Gypsies, Europeans, age barriers, north/south, mainland/Islands). For the hearts that were broken for helping the poor, for the hearts that were moved to consider the missions trip to India this summer, for the hearts that were lonely when they came but met Jesus through others.

A Mother's Testimony Reaches Her Daughter

Mon, 9 May 2011 04:10:00 EST

This past Sunday the leaders of the Centro Evangelico-Cristo Vivo Hoy met with seven candidates who will be baptized on May 22 to hear their testimonies and affirm their decisions to follow Christ in obedience. One of the candidates' daughters was listening in as her mother and the other candidates shared from the heart what Christ has done in their lives. After the meeting she and her mother pulled Steve Diaz, our youth leader, aside and she said “I want to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior.” We have been praying for this young lady ever since she started attending youth group some months ago and we are dancing with joy to see God answer these prayers. Pray that "S" would understand the significance of the decision she has made, and would grow in her relationship with Christ.

Divorce

Mon, 2 May 2011 09:27:00 EST

No, I am not getting a divorce. One of our assignments before we can leave for Spain is to read 400 pages relating to the culture of Spain. Needing to check something off my list and Scott knowing that he has a seminary class to go, we decided to tackle the reading. I was dreading it, but instead am overwhelmed by what has happened in my lifetime that I totally missed.

Divorce was not legal in Spain until 1981. Franco and Catholicism insured that. It was one of the by-products of their sort of democracy. Interestingly enough, however, that by 2007 Spain had the highest divorce rate of all of the European Union countries.

As I was reading this history book (I know for many of you that is a surprise in itself) I really saw how God had once again been preparing me for Spain. Scott and I are happily married today, but there were days when I thought we too would be a statistic. I'm sure most of us can say that. The difference for us is a commitment to our Lord and to our vows. We believed in forgiveness. We knew a love that was greater than any of our faults. We had something to hold on other than the faults of the other.

I pray today that God will continue to send His Holy Spirit to protect our marriage. I pray that our eyes will remain on Him. I pray that our dependence on Him will shine through as we prepare to meet couples in Spain who may have walked the exact same steps we have walked yet believe the freedom to walk away is greater than the faith to stay. Just one more reason the light of Christ is needed to be shown in Spain.

English Bible Study

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 01:30:00 EST

There are now five young men and two young women that attend the English Bible study. They are so thrilled to be in a church and a small group where they can worship and grow in their faith that they invite everyone that they have the opportunity to talk to about God. In fact, two weeks ago a young Spanish man named Paco came to the Bible Study. Paco has been going through an extremely difficult time in his life and the men have been encouraging him to stay strong and to turn to God for strength. I had a chance to share Scripture with Paco and to pray with him during the Bible study. This week Paco got my cell phone number from one of the guys and called me, because he has a friend Jose who is also going through a very difficult time. He shared with Jose about the Bible study and some of the things that I had shared with him the week before, and wanted Jose to meet me and to have me pray for Jose. It's exciting to see these young men growing and sharing their faith on a weekly basis!

Maybe I Should Read the Bible

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 04:14:00 EST

A few weeks ago at the Advanced Conversation Class our topic was “encouragement.” I had placed the participants into small groups to discuss several questions. Elena (Spaniard), Hebbe (Bolivian who attends our church), and Mary Lane (Julie´s mom) were placed together. One of the questions was “What book has encouraged you the most?” Julie’s mom shared that she enjoys books by Max Lucado, who shares encouraging thoughts from the Bible. Hebbe jumped in, “The Bible encourages me the most. I love reading it every day.” Elena replied, “The Bible? “Really? I don't read the Bible...but maybe I should!” These are the opportunities that we pray for with every METAS activity that we offer: to see members of the church, volunteers coming from the States, and Spaniards participating in activities that lead to a spiritual challenge or thought, building the possibility of sharing the gospel.

English Ministries Workshop

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST

Great ESL workshop Saturday with Wally Cirafesi at the Asociacion METAS building in Guadalajara. There were 26 at the workshop from various missions and super positive comments from everyone. The information was so well done and appliciable to what each of us are doing that everyone walked away with at least one new tool to put in their teaching English tool belt.

Mision Posible--Conference for Spanish Youth

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:45:00 EST

Misión Posible is a Spanish youth event held every two years emphasizing missions and a vision for the world. This year’s MP will be held April 20-24 in Madrid with the theme It’s You Who Writes the Story. The event draws over a thousand youth from all across Spain and around the world. This year, Spanish students will mix with volunteers, speakers, missionaries and students from several European countries as well as Brazil, South Africa, India and others.

SEND missionary, Deb Davis, who is part of the MP planning team, has put out a call for volunteers to help with all areas of the event from security to translation to kids program to runners. Yes, Spanish is helpful but not a requirement. They need people with a heart for the Lord and a willingness to serve. Volunteers will also be able to attend sessions and have an opportunity to experience the event.

For more info on Misión Posible, check out the MP website.

Creativity

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 07:41:00 EST

Scott and I are taking this online class to learn to better share our journey and to understand support raising/partnership development from a Biblical perspective. The teacher described the purpose of this process as:

My ministry is to connect believers with the blessing, the joy and the eternal reward of becoming the expression of Christ to the nations.

Been thinking about that all week. And then Wednesday, in walks a friend to my office. I had cancelled our meeting but she didn't get the message, probably because God wanted to use her to encourage me and I didn't know it.

She was carrying a massive Hershey chocolate syrup bank. It was more than half full of change and getting very heavy. She was afraid to hold on to it (I think God just nudged her to bring it knowing I needed an ounce of encouragement) in case it got too heavy to carry. My first thought was how in the world would I ever eat that much chocolate syrup, but it wasn't full of syrup.

Pause in the story - just in case you do not know, I am a chocolate. I believe every day chocolate should be included in the diet. It is definitely one of the major food groups. I really see no need for dessert if it doesn't involve chocolate.

This dear friend is one of my most faithful prayer partners. (I have been blessed with several ladies who stop life on a regular basis to not only pray for me and my family, but to meet with me and pray with me.) Her husband is at a different place in his walk with Christ and them financially partnering with us just isn't part of the picture and it has been a burden on her heart. She has wanted to be more of an expression to the people of Spain than prayer (although she does understand the great power and need for prayer). So through prayer she found a way to be creative. She collected her change. There was more than $115 in the jar.

Hannah cried when I told her the story. I just sat and praised God for providing - not because I begged for money but because He touched lives and called them to obedience to the Great Commission. The excitement in this friend's eyes told the whole story - she had found the joy and the eternal reward of becoming the expression of Christ to the nations.

How about you? Have you discovered the blessing and the joy and the eternal reward of becoming the expression of Christ to the nations? I find it more and more every day!

The Language of Worship

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:55:00 EST

The Hunter family, preparing to go to Spain as missionaries, just returned from a vision trip to that country. Last week, they posted this story in their blog, ourmissionjourney.blogspot.com:

"Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend church in San Fernando. By Spanish standards the church was large - about 50 -60 people in attendance. The first hour was worship time followed by about an hour of teaching time. I understood next to nothing, but it was quite evident that the Holy Spirit was present. I was overwhelmed by the reminder that God is not an English speaking God, but a God that is not separated by language. That I could worship Him in English at the same time that my neighbor worshiped in Spanish and God would hear. I know that fact, but until you experience it you can't really "know" it.

"The people were precious and friendly and were truly there because they desired to worship the Lord together. The place was filled with the Holy Spirit and we were blessed to have the privilege to be a part.

"Last night we went to youth meeting. Not all churches have enough youth to have their own youth group so many churches gather together at the San Fernando church. Hannah was adopted by several college kids who spoke English and she was right at home. It was so neat to be in a group of 25 or more youth who were talking with Christ as if He was standing right there in the room. He was very real to the youth and they were seeking to know Him more deeply. What a cool experience! Hannah is ready to return (or perhaps stay)

"Every prayer that we had for our children God has answered in greater ways than we could have imagined. Makes me wonder why we ever doubt."

You can read more about the Hunters on their blog.

International Day of Worship

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:50:00 EST

God has done a lot of wonderful things in the past and for sure will be doing more in the future. Last December 19, the church Cristo Vive Hoy celebrated the birth of our Savior holding an International Day of Worship. We had different cultural presentations on how different countries celebrate Christmas in their own country. Most of the brethren, adults, youth and children, participated doing special number like skits, singing in different languages, encouragement through sharing the Word of God, and playing trumpet. We all brought food typical to each country represented to share in love to the brethren (love feast). It was an amazing celebration of God's love and faithfulness to us. Glory to our God alone!

God has brought a lot of new contacts to the church. We have new visitors almost every Sunday. Pray for wisdom as we help them grow in the knowledge and experience of God so that they too will get involved in God's ministries for the expansion of God's Kingdom here in Guadalajara.

Holy Spirit Encounter at Costco

Wed, 5 Jan 2011 09:37:00 EST

I had the opportunity to encounter the Holy Spirit in the parking lot of Costco. Yeah, I know it was two days before Christmas and I should have been avoiding Costco at all costs and that the Holy Spirit is the last thing you would expect to find in the parking lot - but our God is creative and perfect!

I got a call from a friend I haven't seen him in a few months, but the last time we had talked he had said he was praying for creative ways to involve his children in our going to Spain. Money was tight and he wanted it to be someway that his young boys (age 5 and 7) understood and were a part. What he had to say when he called left me overwhelmed with how much God loves me. You see, as a family they had been talking about our journey to Spain and how they could be a part. The boys decided to give up some presents in order to become financial partners.

We decided to meet in the Costco parking lot (half way between our homes) for them to bring me their gift and for me to give the boys prayer cards of their own. And on the outskirts of the parking lot, I encountered the presence of the Lord. I had never met the wife or boys, but instantly I knew that we were joined together through a love of Jesus. The boys drew us pictures. I gave the boys a letter telling about Spain and life there. As they left, the family promised to regularly pray for our family and for the people in Spain to want to hear about Jesus.

I didn't need any more presents, this was enough. It wasn't about the size of the check, but instead about the fact that the savior whose birth we celebrated brought two families together in a Costco parking lot for a moment of worship and an encounter with Him. There is nothing sweeter!