THIS WEEK'S PRAYER REQUESTS:
*Please pray for protection for our family from illness. There seems to be a lot of ick going around right now and we don't want it! However, we are all fighting a bit of congestion and coughs the worst has not made it into our home. Please send prayers for the families that are continually battling the illness cycle in their homes.
*Please pray for Laila to be brave as she is set to loose her first tooth. The tooth is loose but needs to come out NOW...the new tooth is already in behind the loose tooth and another tooth that shows no sign of budging. We are working hard to get those two teeth out asap. The movement of the tooth is limited and painful because of the new tooth coming in behind. Good news is she keeps having Jara work on it, and she knows Mommy has already gotten her a surprise for when the first tooth comes out. You pray for the first tooth lose experience to be pleasant. She's excited but afraid. She keeps reminding us, "This is my first time, ya know!"
THIS IS MONTH'S PRAYER REQUESTS:
* Please pray as the Parque Victoria Christian Church has begun church assembly meetings to establish some order to the church... membership roles (not done for over 10 years), voting for elders (currently only one), decisions on a pastor (been without one for over 2 years), and the general vision and purpose for the church and its ministries (currently a lack of leadership which results in confusion and lack of direction for most of congregation). The first of these meetings was very strained and difficult, the second meeting was a structured and orderly discussion though nothing decided upon except to schedule another assembly for the end of the month. We are lifting up this congregation, this leadership, this building, this ministry in much prayer....please join us.
* Please pray as we begin preparations for a group of students from the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Indianapolis to spend their annual practicum with us. We are currently making out their daily itinerary for their three week stay with us. We are VERY much looking forward to this group of friends and fellow CCBCi brothers and sisters to visit and minister alongside of us. This group will be our FIRST visitors in Spain and upon their arrival at the end of April we will have been here for 10 months!!!
* Please pray for our "tent making" opportunities here in Spain and God's discernment, guidance and wisdom.
* Please pray to find forgiveness in your hearts for us. We pray for your forgiveness. We use this page to send out the burdens, concerns and activities that God has placed on our heart for a each specific week. These are things that our family are praying for in our lives personally and in ministry. For the past two weeks, our family has been praying about financial things, and we shared these prayers with all of you. We apologize for sharing these personal prayers with you and are grieved if they offended you in any way. These prayers were requested not as any form of solicitation but just in sharing how we were praying that week and how you could join us. Due to the sensitivity of sharing these types of personal prayers concerning financial things for our family or the ministry here, we will no longer send out prayers concerning these matters. We will share them with you individually if questioned regarding them but will no longer use this weekly prayer blog to ask for prayers for finances for needs here in Spain. Again, we apologize for any unease that these financial prayer requests have given you. Our desire was to be open in sharing our prayer needs and having our faithful prayer warriors join us in those prayers no matter the subject. We pray that we have your forgiveness and that you will continue to join us on this amazing journey God has us on in Spain. Thank you.
PRAISE REPORTS:
*Praise for a great day of family worship, time in the Word and in prayer, and relaxation on the beach yesterday. A much needed time together as a family and God provided a beautiful day for us to enjoy His Word, His creation, and His blessing of our family.
*Praise for the amazing time of fellowship and encouragement given to us from our God through the visiting Calvary Chapel Upland pastor and his wife, Randy and Jeanette, SEND Magazine representative, Lisa, and some of Calvary Chapel Upland's congregation, Paul and Cory, Hailey, and Nash. This group came to see the work and ministry of the Calvary Chapel church plant that they have in Rincon de la Victoria (about 10-15 minutes from us in La Cala del Moral) pastored by our beloved friends, Ivan and Eunice. We were able to spend much time with the group during their visit in fun and in ministry and hosted them for a very successful pizza night in our home. They provided many wonderful words of encouragement, love, and blessing for us and our work here in Spain. Their prayers for our family and ministry, their insights and observations of God's calling upon our lives, and their love poured out upon us have ministered to our hearts and blessed us beyond measure during this time in our ministry here. God used their visit, their words, and their hearts towards us in a big way. Thank you, our new friends, for being instruments in the Lord's hands!
*Praise for blessed time of fellowship for Lora's birthday the first weekend of February. We had a great dinner out with some friends from the gym, community center, and church. A group of us foreigners got lost walking in the middle of downtown Malaga trying to find the restaurant on a colder than normal evening, but it was a great evening of great food and fun.
*Praise that God used Lora's birthday celebration as an opportunity for Jared to have some one on one time with a friend traveling to and from the dinner. This time together allowed an opportunity for private conversation, questions, and Jared to share the Gospel Message of God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ!!! We pray. Jared was humbled by his response. Something such as... I have never heard that before. I can't wait until you can communicate that in Spanish because I think it's something that these people have never heard before. It's makes so much sense. So we say... Praise God for calling and sending and using these humble servants and prisoners of Christ!!!
* Praise for the ability and approval that we were given to hire a new monitor for the fitness center. He came highly recommended by several other gym owners in the area for his excellent work ethic, customer relations, training style, and personal life. He has been wonderful new addition to our gym staff. The patrons of the gym have really taken to him and his training style just in these first two weeks. We are excited about having him as part of our team and the opportunity for expansion that having him brings with his client base following him. Jared also is excited about getting to know him better personally. We are excited about the ministry the Lord is giving us with our gym staff.
* Praise for the blessing of good friends and good gifts. Our friends, Martin and Maria Daland, have traveled back home to Norway for two weeks and have left us their new car for use while they are away. We are so excited to have some transportation to do some exploring of some nearby cities. (Since we have only been able to travel and site see where our two feet can take us or several other people can drive us, we have not been able to visit nearby cities that are only 30 minutes drive.) This blessing of a car is doubled by the fact that arrangements were able to be made to find a substitute worker for some of our work shifts in the gym over the next two weeks which enables us to have whole days to explore. We are excited to have our friends, Ivan and Eunice, join us for a day trip to Granada this Friday and we are still undecided where we are going next Friday. We give praise that Marta, our friend and the girls school tutor, will be picking the girls up and spending the day and evening with them. (Marta's mother is VERY excited about having the girls to her home for a couple of afternoons.) This blessing is even more compounded with the receipt of birthday money from home for Jared (Jan. 7) and Lora (Feb.1) and some late receipt of Christmas gift money that provides the financial means for us to take full advantage of this opportunity.
*Praise to God for the community of evangelical churches and believers in and around Malaga who gathered together every evening this last week for a time of worship, teaching, and prayer. We were so blessed to be able to be a part of a couple of these events. It was wonderful to see the Holy Spirit present and uniting us in His name and for His Glory.
*Praise that God used our attendance at the community wide prayer meetings to make new connections to other evangelical group leaders who minister to the same age group (18-30 something singles) that we do. We are excited about connecting our groups in service and social activities.
*Praise that we may have some new members joining our Sanificado Bible study group within the next few weeks. We have established a blessed friendship with Ivan and Eunice who pastor a Calvary Chapel Church approximately 15 minutes from the church and community center where we are serving. They have a very small, growing church and their workers are few; therefore, they do not have a ministry person or group to specifically reach the 4 or 5 young adults that they have in their congregation. Each of these individuals are getting a personal invite from Jared and Lora and an encouragement from Ivan and Eunice to attend our weekly study. We are blessed to have more sheep in our flock. We are humbled that the Lord and Ivan and Eunice have entrusted these sheep to our care.
*Praise that our meeting with Pablo (and Rosa) was blessed by the Lord. God provided the right words to say hard things in love. While there were no definitive answers provided at the meeting, we know that our hearts were revealed, our words fell on receptive ears, and our burden is shared. We wait in anticipation to see what the Lord is doing within this church- within the hearts and minds of this flock and its leaders.
*Praise that the Lord has been working in our hearts concerning our ministry here. We are looking forward to starting a couple new personal projects to "enlarge our territory" and are feeling a sense of reconfirmation in purpose despite some confusion we are experiencing within the community center and church. Jared and Lora are both going to start hosting a weekly "coffee break" time in our home where we can invite acquaintances from church, school and community center to start building more intimate relationships getting to know these new friends better. Lora is also going to start a free walking club on Tuesday and Thursday mornings where friends can encourage one another in some health and fitness and in life. (Our friends, Martin and Maria Daland, from Norway will be joining us in "hosting" these activities as they are desiring more interaction and connection to new acquaintances and the community as well.) We are prayerful that these new personal activities will bring glory to God and open doors to speak Love ad Truth into the lives of the men and women we have come to know here in Spain. We also continue to give the Lord praise for our Santificado group (our weekly Bible study group). We look forward to being more involved and focused on shepherding this group of people as we find more and better ways to grow and encourage them in their walks with the Lord, like scheduling serving teams to help in several ministries in need of servants at the church and providing more opportunities for time together whether serving, studying, or socializing.
*Praise that God answers small prayers of his child. I wrote about this on the Christmas blog, but felt is was worth the repeat of praise and reminder of how much our God cares for us. Laila desired a toy for Christmas and had proceeded to circle many in the store catalog but stated that she most desired Barbies. At first, we rejected the idea of any toys but then God gently reminded us that she is only 6 years old and has but only one doll and DS here with which to play (after selling everything else to move to Spain). We decided we could afford one Barbie that we had found on special (not the many expensive sets and accessory items that Laila circled) and felt that she would be grateful for it. On our way into the mall to purchase her Barbie, our friend (also, Laila's best friend's mom) stopped us stating that she was about to call. She said that neighbor had come over the night before and dropped off a bag of gently used Barbie dolls and a Barbie RV. The neighbor wanted her to find someone to give them to for the holidays, and Rachel remembered my comment to her about how Laila was really wanting some toys. Rachel had no idea that Laila had requested above all other toys, Barbies, or that she had circled the very RV she was giving. It was such a blessing to receive such a gift from our Heavenly Father through our friends and strangers here in Spain. It was an even bigger blessing to share with Laila the Christmas miracle the Lord performed on her behalf.
*PRAISE for Jara and Laila who both received all A's and B's on their report cards for the first half of the year!!! Laila was scored in every area as she has been held accountable as all the other children in her class. (We do ask for prayer that she would speak more in class. They are having a hard time getting her to talk. We think that she is embarrassed to speak in Spanish or this is a lingering effect form the bullying that occurred earlier in the year.) Jara didn't receive a grade in two areas (Spanish/Literature-obviously her language and literature skills are not up to grade level as of yet, and Science/History). However, her professor stated on her report card that upon her return to school next week she will be responsible for all the work as every other student in her class. He knows that at first this work load and completing the work will be difficult, but he strongly believes that she has the ability, skill, and language to complete it. We know that their success in school has only come from God guiding, protecting, and empowering them to learn, grow and flourish in their new school environment.
*Praise that God continues to increase our territory and be an advocate for us. We are excited to watch Him move in our lives and the lives of those around us. We wait in anticipation to see what He has planned for us in this new year. To God be ALL the glory each day of our lives in 2012! Lord, let Your light shining through us be anything but little!
*Praise that God provides. Jared's injury has been an expensive sidebar to our lives and work. However, the Lord knows what we need and when we need it. Last month, we received a generous financial gift. We thought that the extra money would be set aside and used for an upcoming expected expense. :) These extra funds allowed us to pay for the care Jared needed...without these funds we would not have had the money to get the diagnosis or treatment for his broken wrist. We have to pay for all of our medical care out of pocket and once expenses rise above the deductible we get reimbursed by our catastrophic medical insurance coverage. God is ever faithful to provide for our needs, even when we don't know what those needs are!
*Praise for blessings in wrapped in trails. God has used Jared's broken wrist to bless us and encourage us in our ministry. He has used this trial to bring into the light things that were in the dark and has used this trial to stand in our defense. God has used this trial to open doors, open eyes and open hearts! We praise You in the storm!
*Praise that Lora is now certified to teach English as a foreign language. God blessed her weekend certification training class. She was able to meet and get to know a great group of people. She was able to hear and learn a large amount of information that will be very useful in a classroom setting. Praise God for another opportunity and avenue to work for His glory.
*Praise to God for church family. Jose Antonio (a nurse who was also playing basketball) was able to take Jared to the emergency clinic in Rincon de la Victoria and then back in to Malaga to the hospital emergency room for diagnosis and treatment of his broken wrist. Jose Antonio speaks very little English but it is easier communicating with him than trying to understand and communicate with the hospital doctors and staff His knowledge of procedures and the system came in handy. He knew what questions to ask and understood the answers...explaining to us in slow Spanish and using translating apps (when necessary) afterwards. He took a whole Sunday evening away from his pregnant wife (Gracias, Raquel!) and two small children to help get Jared around for the best care (driving to different locations for treatment and medication, making phone calls to Dr. Elias (also from church), and even going by his own house to get some over the counter meds for J so we didn't have to purchase them)! Praise for God surrounding us with great friends here in Spain who could help out in the emergency last night (Dr. Elias, Jose Antonio, Talin, Pricilia... to name the major players!).
* Praise that God has blessed us with many new friendships and acquaintances in Spain. Jared had a busy morning with visitors and well wishes from people in the gym. God has given us some rays of sunshine through cloudy skies. Gracias, Dios!
*Praise that our friend, Manolo, from the gym (whom we went out for tapas with a week ago) accepted the invitation to come to our Bible study group's social event this past weekend (a cookout). He came and enjoyed the food and the fellowship. Praise God has he continues to build and grow relationships.
*Praise for the encouragement received from our Bible Study Group, Santificado, that Jared and I lead. We are blessed as they continually tell us that God is using us abundantly in their lives. They are learning more about the Word and growing closer in their relationship with the Lord. We are blessed as they seek us out for Godly and Biblical counsel for things in their lives and are humbled that the Lord uses us in this way.
* Praise God for the current attacks and schemes of the Enemy. We praise that God has already declared us victorious. Praising God for the confirmation of His call. These attacks only confirm that we are exactly where God wants us to be, doing exactly what He wants us to do which angers, frustrates, and engages the Enemy. Praising God that He calls us to arms and we answer (Eph.6:10-20). Praising God that we have prayer warriors who cover us in prayer (Thank you!).
*Praise God for the encouragement we receive in God's perfect timing. It has been a VERY rough week. However, in the midst of this week, GOD REIGNS...
First, we received a suitcase filled with love, gifts and encouragement from our home church, Horizon Christian Fellowship. The suitcase was brought to us by our elder church leader and his family here in Spain who were returning from a 6 week visit to the States. (The suitcase was packed and given to him in the first week and a half of the State side visit. We needed the suitcase NOW not then!) The suitcase contained cards and letters- stacks and stacks and stacks for some of us individually and for as as a family, as well as, candies, peanut butter, gluten free items (for Lora) and ranch dressing (for the girls). We are so blessed to have an amazing church family and friends. It blesses and encourages us so much to receive even the shortest note saying that prayers are being lifted up for us. We were overwhelmed in gratitude and every word written touched our hearts. Praising God for stirring the hearts of others to touch our hearts!
Second, we received several invitations from gym attendees to accompany them on Saturday night outings. We were able to take one guy up on his offer. Such a blessing! Jared and I really enjoyed the 6 friends that he introduced us to . We were able to open doors of discussion about our call to ministry here. We even invited our friend to church which he says he'd like to do! We are looking forward to spending more time with this group of people. We are encouraged and praising God as the Lord continues to open the doors of relationships that extend far out into the community by using the ministry of the fitness center.
Third, several guys took Jared up on his offer to come play basketball at the open gym time the church has on Sunday evenings...even better they brought someone else! (One of the guys who came is also one wanting to go out for tapas with Jared and I.) Jared is never excited about taking several hours every Sunday evening to play a sport that he really isn't all that into but he sees how the Lord is using the time to make more connections and bridge divides. Praising God for his obedience to going and using it as outreach.
* Praising God that Jara's obedience to attend and use the Fun Friday Youth Events as outreach ministry has resulted in one friend attending every Friday since it started one month ago!! We are still uncertain of her relationship with the Lord (one of those language things for Jara), but we are excited that she is coming and able to have social time with the youth of the church and to be ministered to by the adult leadership in attendance. She is also connecting with our family as she comes about an hour and half before the youth start to hang out the Jara in our home.
* God continues to answer our prayers in His ways and in His timing.
*Praise for the fruit of our morning family devotion time. Since mid September, our family has been reading and studying Psalm 139. Every morning we read through this Psalm before the girls walk to school and we go to work, the Holy Spirit has been using this Psalm to encourage, refresh, inspire and minister to each of us. God has truly blessed this time of study and prayer for our family. God gives us holy inspired devotions to reflect on, to act on, and to pray about from this Psalm. We can all now recite this Psalm by memory. Nothing brings such joy to our hearts than to hear our children speaking God's Word that He has written on their hearts!
*Praise that your prayers uplifting Laila and the bullying situation are being answered. The meeting with the Jefa de Estudios was God planned. When we went to the meet the teacher night, Laila's teacher was not there but instead she was! It gave us a great opportunity to share our concerns about these two boys. We were blessed to know that she was already aware of the situation and a meeting had already been scheduled with one of the boys (the main source of problems), his parents, school directors, and social services. (Please pray the little boy and his family. His actions at school are a result of his troubled home life. Not an excuse but definitely a cause for extra prayers.) Also at the meeting, we were made aware of another troubling situation in the classroom concerning the teacher physically assaulting some of the students (slaps across the face, pulling hair, and dragging by the ears). We are thankful that the Lord has protected Laila from this abuse as well. I do believe it says a lot about the bullying she is receiving when I asked if she was afraid of her teacher and she said, "He can be mean sometimes, but I'm more afraid of the boys." WOW! The bullying did escalate on Monday before the meeting to physical assaults. The boys pushed and tripped Laila a couple of times. However, after the meeting, they have left her alone. It helped abundantly that the school administration placed another adult assistant in the classroom for helping and observing. Laila has a new teacher which should also help with the classroom chaos. Her teacher was already retiring the end of this month but his situation has taken him out of the classroom and unfortunately under investigation. His lack luster teaching and running of the classroom we and the administration feel has come from his looking forward to retiring instead of finishing well. Laila prays everyday for her teacher and these school bullies to learn about Jesus and have Him in their lives! What a blessing that the Lord uses trials in our lives to lead us to pray and reveal to us the health of our hearts.
*Praise for funding received from a generous donor to cover the cost of Lora attending a weekend certification class to have the necessary paperwork to officially teach English as a foreign language. We are excited about the doors that this certification will open for her especially in the area providing some means of financial support for us as we continue to try to find ways to be more self supported and furthering contact with people to be a light for the Lord.
*Praise for the girls' rapid learning of the Spanish language. They are speaking and understanding more and more and are quickly gaining and overtaking us in their ability to communicate. Jara is understanding people as they talk to us on the first time they say something whereas we have to ask them to repeat sometimes....instead Jara translates! Jara and Laila have been overheard several times after school and at night after being tucked into bed talking to one another in Spanish. Jara and Laila both communicate with the cat and her kittens at our apartment in Spanish. (Laila says, "They are Spanish cats and don't know English!") Laila has been playing alone singing and talking to herself in Spanish. Both the girls are picking up mannerisms and expressions that are very Spanish... not many American children in frustration say, "AYAYAY!" or in surprise say, "OY!" We are enjoying these fun changes. We know that God is answering the continued prayers that you are sending their way.
* Our new work schedule is providing a better function to our daily routine and giving us more and much better quality of time as a family. We work at the gym as monitors and training from 9am-3pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri and 3-11pm on Wed. Lora also teaches 4 classes outside these hours at 6-7pm and 9-10pm on Tues and Thurs. We work every Saturday in the gym from 9-10:30am and every other Saturday we cover the entire day until 2pm. We have our Sanctified Bible Study on Monday nights from 9:30-11:30pm and every Sat that we work until 2pm we also have a social event for the Bible study group. On this same weekend, Jared plays drums on the praise team on Sunday for church. This gives us a "working " weekend and an "off" weekend which we need to recharge and connect as a family. The girls have at least 2 activities every afternoon for a couple of hours which gives them some diversity in their lives aside from school and home. It is a FULL schedule but it really does provide for some great family time and one on one time with each of the girls when the other is attending a daily activity. We praise God for giving us the opportunity to make the most out of every minute of every day for His purposes and His glory!
* God continues to knit us more tightly into the weaving of this church, this community and this country.
* God has blessed Lora's teaching of fitness classes with growing relationships among the women in the community.
*Praise to our Provider and Comforter for the girls continual adjustment to their new school environment and their classmates. Jara attended a birthday party on Saturday for 3 hours with about 10 kids from her class who speak little to no English. Laila comes home each day having made yet another friend and tells stories of how the children are seeking interaction with her during the school day. Both girls are understanding more and more Spanish and are developing great accents in what they are able to say. Jara's teacher introduced himself to Jared and I this morning at drop off saying that he was impressed with Jara's intellegence and ability to learn quickly and feels that within a couple months she'll be in class without any difficulties in her language skills. (Our Spanish tutor has said the same things of both girls.) We are excited and know that all of this has come as answers to your continued prayers for the girls. Thank you for your intercession. Praise to Him who makes all things possible.
*Praise that the center will be paying Lora a small amount monthly for teaching the fitness classes. This money will not have to take a hit in the exchange rate (which causes us to lose money> $1 = 0.70Euros) and will be a help in our finances.
*Praise that Laila had a great birthday thanks to a donor from the States, some packages and cards arriving in the mail, a few fun emails, and several friends to join her in the celebration.
*Praise that the girls first week of school went as smoothly as could be expected. They are adjusting well, liking school (as much as most kids like school) and making friends. Thank you for your continued prayers as we know that they will faces many challenges these next few months adjusting. We are thankful and praise God for the peace and joy that He is giving them through this time.
*Praise to God for a financial donor to pay for the new flooring needed in the remodeled aerobics/dance studio room! God delivered the provision at the last hour. We had materials ordered and set to be delivered...Now, we can pay for them in full upon delivery tomorrow. The floor is set to be completed this week. (Another blog coming about all the work we have been doing in and around the community center in the last couple of months...CHANGES.)
*Praise that God is using us to be examples of His love and service to others within the church. The Lord has enabled us to share our hearts and the vision He has given us for our work here to many couples in the church. From these conversations, the Lord has brought church members into the fitness center (who normally don't use the facilities) to help us in this work of forming relationships with the people of the community through the community center to shine His light, to give His love, and to share His salvation. We were also encouraged and humbled to have the youth pastor during his teaching on Sunday list Jared and I (in a group of 3 others) as people that are examples of Christ in his life that he can follow! God is so amazing to be using us like this in the lives of people that have only known us for 2 months! Praise (and Pray) to Him for continuing His work in us daily that we are HIS and not our own.
*Praise that Jara's Birthday was a success, and she was blessed.
*Praise that the stray cat that the Lord brought to our door a little over a month ago (to give our girls a friend) has successfully delivered 6 kittens a couple days ago. Cora (short for corazon, the Spanish word for heart, because she has a spot on her side in the shape of a heart!) and the kittens are inside our apartment in a basket and doing well. Pray that we will be able to find homes for the kittens. If you know my daughters, they had to get rid of their cats that they had in the States (each had one they received on their 2nd birthday). Jara and Laila are beside themselves with EXCITEMENT!!! (Again God's perfect timing as the girls are needing a bit of a distraction this week are their nerves are high with school starting.)
*Praise that the immediate changes to the community and fitness center are almost complete. The physical transformation has gained much attention from church members and center customers alike. We have received many compliments and are encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive responses. We give praise to God for using us!
* Praise God for equipping and using Lora on Monday to bring healing and comfort to the daughter of our friends (and Laila's best buddy), Jada. Jada fell on Sunday night hurting her arm. After three visits to doctors and hospitals and over 24 hours, where the family was given xrays, told is was broken, not broken, dislocated, not dislocated, all of this with no treatment because the final diagnosis was that nothing was wrong! Jada didn't sleep, couldn't move her arm, and was tearful being in great pain. Lora happen to catch Rachel's (Jada's mom) post on Facebook concerning Jada and gave her a call. Lora has fixed a dislocated elbow MANY times. Laila easily dislocates her elbow. The first happened when she was 2 and it has occurred many times (so many Lora finally asked our doctor how to pop it back in herself). This knowledge has come in very handy for us...the last time Laila's elbow came out was a year ago this month when we were in Disney World...at the pool, Jared pulled Laila up onto a water tube and it popped out, Laila screaming, Lora took her aside and popped it back in and within 2 minutes all was well. God was able to use His healing hands again through Lora yesterday as Jada (given no help by the doctors) came over and, through His works, Lora was able to pop her elbow back into place and within 2 minutes she she playing and giving high fives with an arm she couldn't move before! Laila was able to pray for and hold her best buddy's hand giving compassion and care for events that she herself is very familiar. Praise God for the trials and the events in our lives that teach us, equip us, and give us His knowledge and power to use in those Divine appointments!!
*Praise for a new addition to the Stayton Family! On Friday, August 12th, Samuel Joseph was welcomed as the fourth child of Josh (Jared's brother) and Megan Stayton. Samuel's big sisters, Emma and Andi, and his big brother, William, shared their excitement with us on Thursday via Skype about the scheduled event for the following day. We are so excited for their family...our family!
*Praise that Jared has started several weekly social outings with guys from the church and the community. He plays Paddle Ball (a mix between tennis and racquet ball) every Friday morning with Pablo and Francis from church and an invited guest. He is also playing basketball every Sunday evening from about 6:30-8:30pm with a group from the church and the community. He also continues to meet guys in the gym who desire to get together weekly for conversation to practice language skills and has started to get together with some of them.
* Praise that Laila learned how to ride her bicyle without training wheels this last weekend!
* Praise that our introduction as the new fitness directors and the changes we are making are being met with enthusiasm and optimism among patrons and staff.
* Praise that God has opened the doors in our relationships to share His love, grace and mercy avaiable to all through Jesus Christ and the fulfilling life available living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
* Praise that our understanding of written and spoken Spanish is greatly increasing. Lora especially has seen a significant increase in ability being able to take general notes on Sundays and be a listener of conversations (even out of surrounding context) with good understanding. The girls are starting to use everyday phrases and words without giving any thought to speaking in Spanish, not English, and they are also starting to demonstrate some Spanish mannerisms, which we are certain they have picked up at camp from the other children. Jared's trudging along in lessons and his spoken language skills are improving daily.
* Jara had her first slumber party here in Spain with several girls from her Sunday school class and her Sunday school leaders. This is a HUGE deal considering Jara has never spent the night anywhere other than grandparents houses, not because of lack of invitations but because she was unwilling to the point of tears!! This action is a sign of her maturity, her willingness to be submitted to God's call, and her strengthening through your prayers. She had fabulous time and we are excited about the friends she is starting to have around her.
* Laila has started developing some friendships with a couple little girls who are bilingual at church. She has also made a friend at camp. God is providing the opportunity for her to make several new friends as well as the people we are meeting and are scheduling outings together are will families that have at least one daughter Laila's age who either is learning English or the parents desire them to learn some English.
* Jared's first week on the praise team was difficult but blessed. NO ONE speaks English , not even a little, so communicating the details of songs (especially ones that were not familiar to Jared) was a challenge. Jared is excited to use this gift to serve this church and bring glory to God.
* The girls are enrolled in Spanish public school for the fall without any difficulties and were welcomed with much love and enoucragement.
* The girls are attending (free of charge) and having much fun in a summer bi-lingual camp located at the Parque Victoria community center. It is providing them a wonderful opportunity to meet children their own ages and to learn and navigate the Spanish language on their own.
* Jared has been able to jump right into serving at the church through his musical gift of playing the drums. He has played with the praise team on our first weekend here at a retreat and starts practicing with them this week to be put into the rotation with one other drummer for Sunday morning worship.
* Lora has been able to use her gift of arts through being put in charge of decorating the stage for church. Jared assists her in creating a backdrop used for Sunday services once every 6 weeks. She has also been given the opportunity to decorate the stage for a local out reach event and has been consulted on some other designing as well.
