Hello everyone, this is the first update I’ve sent to those we met during our 2-month trip to the US. I’ve been trying to get this update out since we came back at the end of October, and I guess it has finally made its way to you! For those of you who are new to our ministry and would like to know more from recent years, I encourage you to visit bonikowsky.org to read some of our previous ministry reports. I generally edit my letters before posting them online to remove personal details, but they will still give a good overview of what the Lord has been doing here in the Basque Region.

After 2 months, 7,000 miles of driving, and 20 churches visited in the USA, we made it back to Spain and the Puerto church ministry we love. We’re so grateful for the missionaries and nationals who led our church services while we were away. Immediately after we arrived I set up and started my English classes again (I had had to push off the beginning of the teaching year because of our trip), and this year I have new classes and more hours than ever.

Of course, by the time we got back, Raquel was almost in the final month of her pregnancy. And in fact, one week early, on December 2nd, Sofia Bonikowsky was born! We are so grateful for a quick and healthy birth. Leire loves her little sister and we couldn’t be prouder of them both. We were able to introduce her to our church members and of course they love her. One way or another, our church is growing!

Our trip to the US was a huge blessing. The lord provided transportation for us while we were there, and He kept us safe on the roads as we traveled. We had opportunities to visit many new places in between church visits. Among them was Jamestown, where Raquel was fascinated to find out that Pocahontas was a historic person and not just a Disney character! Of course, the highlights of the trip were meeting new people who promised to pray for us and reconnecting with friends who have followed the ministry for many years. There was so much outpouring of love and generosity everywhere we went, and for that, we are tremendously grateful.

So far, as a result of our trip, we have had 6 new churches take us on for missionary support. This is a tremendous blessing as it will cover some of the income Raquel was earning by working at the pharmacy up until our trip. We are confident it was God’s plan for her to leave her job to work full-time in the house and the church ministry, and we believe God will continue to bring in support as it is needed. We thank all the churches and individuals who are so involved in our ministry here, both through prayers and support.

As far as the ministry here, church matters are moving forward well. I continue to meet with believers for one-on-one discipleship as often as I can, and I believe the members are continuing to grow. I especially see growth in Iñaki and Juan, our two recent baptisms. In particular, it is great to see them getting more involved in the prayer ministry at church. In addition, a new couple has been coming for some time now. They came to church a few services before we went to the US, and they have been coming faithfully ever since we got back. We recently went to their house for a wonderful time of conversation around the dinner table.

One thing to mention. I plan to start sending, in addition to these online updates, an updated prayer card every time I write a report. All of those who have supported us financially should receive a prayer card soon at their mailing addresses, and I would love to send them to anyone else who would like to start receiving them. They’re postcard-sized and easy to fit inside a Bible so you always have our up-to-date prayer requests. If you would like to start receiving them, just give me your mailing address and I’ll send one each time I write an update. Thanks for your prayers!

Please keep us in your prayers. We need them!

God bless,
David
Ps. 34:3