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Wednesday, 21 May 2008 |
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We praise God for His wisdom, direction, and faithfulness! We are excited about this next step and look forward to getting to Granada in July. Granada is a city of 238.000 which doubles to 472.000 counting its metropolitan area. The surrounding cities such as Armilla, Huetor Vega, Churriana, Maracena are known as "dormitory cities" since their inhabitants travel to work in Granada on a daily basis. Granada is also home to one of the largest universities in Spain with 60.000 students in the Granada campus alone.
From what we have been able to find, there is 1 baptist church and 1 evangelical church located in this area that is home to 472.000. Obviously there is much, much to be done and we are excited about what God has planned for us there. God's timing is always perfect and we praise God for the help that He is sending in Alberto and Ashley Puente (Lord willing, in the future you will hear much more from them on this website).
As many of you know, when we first came to Spain we had plans of starting in Santander, but God has changed those plans. We have been able to take many trips to Santander and God has seemingly closed the door for us there and directed us to the south.
God has been so gracious to us in allowing us to work with the Contreras, and cover for their furlough, here in Gijón, Asturias. God has given us a much greater understanding of the work and time it takes in building a church in Spain, and an appreciation for the faithfulness of a few.
There is an interesting historical connection between Asturias and Granada. From 711 to 1492, most all of Spain was under muslim rule. The reconquest of Spain began in Asturias, which had never surrendered to the muslim advances, and the last muslim city to fall in Spain was that of Granada in 1492. We pray for a conquering of Spain of a different sort, a surrender to the one way of salvation, ‘Neither is there salvation in any other (Acts 4:12)', ‘Jesus saith unto them, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6)'; and a complete turning to God.
PRAY FOR SPAIN!!!
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