Summer 2018

Hello friends! I’m sorry this update has been quite a while in coming. We’ve been kept quite busy these past months at church. Not nearly as busy as the Lord has been though, bringing new people to the church ministry and working in the hearts of existing believers. I’ll try to keep this update simple, posting some pictures and accompanying prayer requests from the past couple months. Then I’ll talk a little about our planned upcoming quick trip to the States in September.

Many of you know that much of Raquel’s family is unsaved. Her parents were the first believers in the family. To tell the truth, it’s a new experience for me to have close unsaved relatives, as the Lord has been very, very good to my family. Practically all my family for the past several generations has known the Lord. In April we had the chance to visit Raquel’s grandparents. They live in the Spanish Canary Islands off the western coast of Africa. We were able to spend a couple of days with them, sharing the Gospel in every way possible. We praise the Lord for what we believe was a profitable time with Raquel’s family. Please pray especially for Gregorio and Carmen’s salvation.

Us with Raquel's grandparents

Us with Raquel’s grandparents

In June my mother organized an end-of-school year recital for all of her English students. Close to 100 people (almost all of them unsaved Basque people) were at the Aierdi farmhouse for the recital. It was a wonderful opportunity to be with people from town. Raquel and I went to help out, and I got to see people I hadn’t talked to in 15 years or so from when I lived in Zegama. Pray for the people my mother has had the chance to witness to in Zegama, and pray that all the time she invests in those students would bring fruit to God’s glory.

In July, a new Nigerian couple in church told us they wanted to dedicate their daughter to the Lord, so we prayed for them and their girl and had a time of fellowship afterwards in church. They were believers before joining our church, but they have shown a lot of growth, and are always a blessing to the rest of the church!

Baby dedication at church

Baby dedication at church

Later in July, I went to Guadalajara, Spain to help as a counselor at a young teen camp. It was full and busy week, and the Lord gave some very good opportunities to pray with and counsel a great group of kids. Several of them took important steps forward, and please pray with me for them and their continued growth.

Young teen camp

Young teen camp

As always, pray with me that the Lord would use both of us as we try to lead our congregation closer to Christ. Please keep praying for the contacts I’ve mentioned in previous updates. Many of these contacts have not been saved yet, but some of them seem receptive to teaching and we believe the Holy Spirit is working in their hearts. Pray as well for another contact, a single mother Raquel met at the pharmacy where she works. Raquel has befriended her and this Sunday she came to church with us for the first time and heard the Gospel. She’s a young lady who desperately needs the Lord.

Trip to the mountain with church people

Trip to the mountain with church people

Me with Carlos, Amadeo, and Lucho

Me with Carlos, Amadeo, and Lucho

Me preaching at "Seaport Baptist Church" (Iglesia Bautista del Puerto) in nearby Renteria

Me preaching at “Seaport Baptist Church” (Iglesia Bautista del Puerto) in nearby Renteria

Us with believers at the Baptist Church of Gandia, where Raquel's father is pastor

Us with believers at the Baptist Church of Gandia, where Raquel’s father is pastor

Celebrating our city's annual festival this summer

Celebrating our city’s annual festival this summer

Us with Roger and Mary Bergman, veteran missionaries in the region

Us with Roger and Mary Bergman, veteran missionaries in the region

Success's baptism

Recent baptism

Regional church gathering at the Aierdi farmhouse

Regional church gathering at the Aierdi farmhouse

Youth activity/adventure

Youth activity/adventure

Church volleyball after our evening service at the nearby beach

Church volleyball after our evening service at the nearby beach

In September Raquel and I will be making a quick visit to the States to hopefully raise some additional support for the ministry here. God has given us the opportunity to visit two churches, Brookside Baptist Church in Brookfield, WI, and Victory Baptist Church in Peterborough, Ontario on the 2th and 9th of September. After that we will be making the long drive down to Greenville to visit family for a few days before returning to Spain. The Lord has been very good to us in the past year since our previous visit, increasing our monthly support substantially. Raquel and I still need to work at secular jobs here as well, but it has been a huge blessing to receive the prayers and monetary support that many of you reading this are faithfully giving. We want to thank you so much for your generosity and faithfulness, and keep asking for your prayers for the Lord’s provision for Raquel and me, as well as His continued blessing on our ministry in Spain. We could not be doing what we do without your help!

God bless you richly,

David & Raquel
Ps. 34:3

One Response to “Summer 2018”

  1. Charles Dicks says:

    very interesting to hear you will be in Peterborough. That is where my family is from but I don’t think I have any living relatives there now. My dad was born there and immigrated to the states in the 1920’s. When I was born in the US he was still a Canadian citizen so I have dual citizenship with Canada/US.