Blessings from Andalucia, Spain

We sincerely hope all is well with you and that we are now moving forward into a fresh move with the Lord.

What is happening here?

We have been so busy that we haven´t made time to keep in touch as often as we would like to and that is not as we should be. I´m sorry if you feel a little remote from what is going on here. Please pray with us for workers to work in the harvest field here. We need help. To be honest it´s a bit of a struggle to keep up with everything.

Like a lot of churches, we have been under pressure these last few years, especially during 2022 as we have fewer folks coming together. It seems some folks have a ‘habit’ of staying home and no longer want to join together for fellowship which is very sad. We are missing some who over the past few years because of the pandemic and Brexit have moved away.

We are going through quite a difficult time as our congregation has become smaller, however we still have a big vision. With the Lord all things are possible however He commissions His church, and we need more people. Please continue to pray for people to come.

DISCIPLESHIP

Coming out of Lockdowns, restrictions of movement etc. we wanted to know what church should ‘look like’ and knew it wouldn’t be the same as before. The needs of the believer hadn't changed, but with everything being on-line for so long we needed wisdom to know how to move forward.

Jesus’ instructions to the church are very clear (Matt 28), so we initiated a new discipleship group who meet together every Saturday. Our aim is to build up each believer in the things and ways of the Lord, to encourage them and help them to take their place in the body of Christ, enabled to serve from their passion for the Lord. It is encouraging that now, some who are shy are beginning to serve in the church. Please pray that they will all continue to grow and mature together. Being isolated from one another and still not being able to be together mask free has left its mark. People here definitely find commitment a challenge.

AT LAST!!!

Our news outlets here are saying that after Holy Week the mandatory wearing of masks indoors will be lifted except for in public transport, hospitals, care homes and when with vulnerable people. This is great news especially for the children aged 6 and over in school who have had to wear a mask every day and all day.

FEDERACION ELIM PENTECOSTAL

Howard is the President of the movement of Elim here in Spain and I am the Secretary and as such we gather our churches together. Because of the distance between the North and the South we have separate gatherings throughout the year in the two regions and come together at our national conference, which we hope will be in person this year.

Howard and I travel to Catalonia to Elim North every 3 months to encourage our pastors and ministers in training which with travel restrictions etc has been a bit of a challenge. The Lord is growing His church up there at a great rate as so many South American Latinos join the different groups we have, and we rejoice with them as they are experiencing great prosperity in all areas.

In the South, growth is slower however the demographics are different and we rejoice that we in Benalmadena have been able to establish a NEW CHURCH in Almuñécar, Granada which is about 1 ½ hours drive from us. We have a small building there now with a group of about 10 being led by Pastora Patricia and pray for growth, spiritually and numerically.

This year we formally accepted and commissioned our Elim Church in Calahonda which is pastored by Dave and Naomi, our son- in-law and daughter, into the Federacíon, which gave us great pleasure.

We are currently walking with a church in Tenerife who have applied for membership into the Federacíon which brings our churches up to four in Elim South.

This February we held our first Elim South Pastors Seminar in person which built strong relationships between the pastors.

RADIO & TV-MEDIA BROADCASTS

We continue to reach out to the believer and non-believer as much as we can. Howard continues his weekly Christian radio broadcast on a local secular station.

The Gospel Channel continue to broadcast our weekly TV programme free of charge to us which is a blessing because Christian TV normally charge to broadcast. Many years ago, the founder of Gospel Channel, Erik Erikson said that he would sponsor our programmes broadcasting fees for the future and he still does. He is a great example to us of faithful integrity. All our radio and tv productions and more are available on our website and hopefully are a blessing.

UKRAINE

Along with you, we are horrified at the news we see and hear. We were contacted for help and have two Ukrainian families that we are helping and caring for, 3 adults and 5 children.

Their needs are many, they arrived with very little, just what they could fit in a small bag each. However, day by day the Lord strengthens them. Of course, the trauma is there, the children play at building a bomb shelter, a safe space, we trust the Lord to give them His peace. We have been able to provide food, gas, clothing, helps with transport etc. It is so nice to see how Spain has made it possible for them to be here, including legal advice with a lawyer in Ukrainian, the children are already accepted into the schools and the adults have Spanish lessons.

We are still waiting for an appointment with the police in Malaga to do the necessary paperwork of registration, however it should all be straightforward.

This Saturday we will have our first Ukrainian Social Time in our church for a couple of hours at 18.00 to provide a safe space for those who speak Ukrainian to be able to gather together for fellowship and we shall have help there for the children with their schoolwork which we hope will assist them to settle into school. We know from experience how difficult it can be to be in a new culture not understanding what anyone is saying to you.

CONFERENCE IN HARROGATE, UK

This year Howard and I are pleased that we can attend. We have managed to block off 5 days and expect to receive a refreshing from the Lord. We have been a long time here with no physical contact/input and need His help spiritually, emotionally, practically and financially. We are running low in so many areas as the pressures have been getting stronger.

We would love to meet up with you if you will be at the conference too. Please let us know if you will be there.

THANK YOU

From our hearts we thank you for being there for us. Thank you for your giving to the work here in Spain, there truly are not many who respond to the call for Europe. As you know this people group need to hear the gospel, on the surface it looks religious but there needs to be a mighty move of God here to bring salvation. We are seeing growth within the expat communities both in the North and the South, however we must reach the Spanish people also.

Please pray to see how you can help. Please share with us any words you receive from the Lord as we continue to move forward together. Over and above all things we must remember that it is the Lord who will build His church, but He works through His people, we work with Him.

God bless you
With love from
Sue and Howard
Hope to see you soon, either in Harrogate or here in Spain.

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