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

Praise the Lord for a great year!

Hello friends, I trust you are all doing well and that the Lord is using you in your area of ministry. The Lord is ever faithful, and this past year (yes, I started writing this back at the beginning of 2018!) we’ve been able to see His hand at work in countless ways. The church ministry in Irun is going well, and we are seeing the fruits of the seed sown by several generations here. If I had to choose the area our church has grown the most in this year, it would be in the depth and frequency of the prayer ministry. Like perhaps never before the church is united in our desire to see God at work through our prayers. This whole year in Wednesday prayer meetings I have been teaching through the psalms, and we have enjoyed studying the prayers of David and other servants of God. It’s been exciting to see many of the believers giving up time for prayer and fasting.

We had our Christmas cantata in January this year (since the last couple Sundays in December were holidays) and I believe the Lord really used it! There were about a dozen unsaved listeners in church to hear the cantata, and all of them heard the Gospel presented clearly. As a church we have committed to praying this entire year for each of the nine unsaved people who came that Sunday as visitors. It would be wonderful to know that you are praying with us for their salvation. I hope that some of them will be saved this year through your prayers. Recently, Raquel and I met and had dinner with two of the visitors who are coworkers of several of our church members. We’re praying for more chances to give them the gospel.

Dinner with ministry contacts

Dinner with ministry contacts

Since coming back to Spain after our USA trip, I have resumed playing soccer with young people from town. It is the best way I know to make contacts and form friendships with unbelievers, and I believe the Lord has been blessing my efforts. One of the young men I met playing told me that he’s a barber, so I went to his house for a haircut. We were able to talk quite a bit and he came to church with me soon after. Please pray for him as well as several other young men I’m trying to reach on the soccer field. Some of the soccer contacts who quit coming to church last year have started coming back to church, and I believe that’s mostly due to my finding opportunities to meet them throughout the week. Please pray that the Lord would use me to make a difference in the lives of the unsaved guys I play soccer with.

Playing soccer with people from town

Playing soccer with people from town

Youth activity at church

Youth activity at church

We’re taking every opportunity to be with one of the new couples in church, and I believe the Lord is blessing our efforts. This family invited us to their house to celebrate New Years, and the Lord gave me a good opportunity to share the Gospel with the husband. He is very sensitive spiritually, and I believe he is not far away from salvation. Pray that the Holy Spirit would complete the work necessary in his heart! Raquel has also had some good opportunities for fellowship with his wife. She was saved before coming to Spain, and she’s showing signs of growth. Raquel had a great opportunity to talk with her at a recent ladies’ meeting (where I’m told, Raquel “preached” a great message!).

New Year's dinner with ministry contacts

New Year’s dinner with ministry contacts

Raquel at a ladies' reunion

Raquel at a ladies’ reunion

Right now, we are preparing two different Easter cantatas. One is for our church here in Irun, and it will be presented on March 25. The other one is with Raquel’s family’s church in Gandia. Raquel is leading the small choir there from a distance, and Lord willing, they’ll be doing the cantata there on April 8th. We’re praying for unsaved visitors in both cases, and it’s great to know that many of you will be praying as well!

Preaching at the Gandia church

Preaching at the Gandia church

Thank you all so much for being part of the ministry here, and I trust the Lord will bless your efforts to serve Him.

David
Ps. 34:3

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This winter we had a (very rare) snow day!

This winter we had a (very rare) snow day!

Most of the married couples in church

Most of the married couples in church

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Raquel in the snow

Raquel in the snow

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God bless, and thank you for your prayers!

God bless, and thank you for your prayers!