June Update

Well, here in Washington the saying must be changed - "April showers bring May....showers!" And June showers too! It has been WET! One thing we've learned living here, however, is that the rain doesn't change your plans. Also, umbrellas are optional. Very handy things to know.

Along with rain, April and May brought some exciting events that we'd like to tell you about. In April we held our first park outing with the Spanish ministry team members and most of the Spanish congregation. Our purpose was two-fold: to enjoy fellowship together as a group, and to meet other Spanish speakers at the park. The first purpose was achieved with great success and barely any effort! The second purpose needed some tweaking and fine-tuning in the planning. We were very thankful to enjoy sun that beautiful Sunday afternoon! One month later we held the second park outing, this time trying a different park, and were once again blessed by sun as God held back the rain for us. Some new Hispanic friends joined us and the fellowship we all had together made for a day rich with blessing. Later in the afternoon some other Spanish speakers from the community showed up at the park, and Jose with some other men were able to play a pick-up game of soccer with them. We plan to continue these Sunday, after-church park outings every month, hoping that as the summer progresses we'll be able to make more contacts and form more relationships with other Spanish speakers.

The greatest news we have to share since our last update brings so much joy that I'm told even angels celebrated in heaven! Angela, a young mother of three who has been coming to Spanish service for a few months with Teresa (see blog entry below), prayed to receive Christ as her Savior. Please pray for her, that her relationship with the Lord will grow, and that she will be able to bring Christ into her home with her husband and her little children.

In May Jose began a new and exciting ministry working together with N.I.C.E. He travels once a month to Salem, Oregon, to teach for the Hispanic School of Ministry. This school functions to prepare prospective pastors and church leaders for ministry. The Saturday classes are team-taught by Jose and four other Spanish speaking Bible school graduates.

June will bring a sad goodbye as our friends and ministry team members, the Zavala family, will be leaving us and heading back to their previous home in San Diego. We expect they just might not be as sad as we are, as they trade in their boat paddles and boots for sunglasses and flip-flops!

How to pray for the Spanish Ministry and for us as we move into the summer months:

• For June's Sunday park outing - that it would dry up long enough for us to go, that we would come in contact with more Spanish speakers
• Wisdom as we restructure our ministry team and continue to seek ways to grow and improve the ministry
• Stamina and encouragement for Jose as he keeps up with his work and ministry schedule, for financial provision so that his work load might be lightened
• For Alejandra, one of our members, whose husband just left for Korea with the armed forces and will be gone for one year. They have two small children.
• The Zavala family as they move and travel south
• For our family that we would find quality time to spend together and that God would be glorified in our home

Thanks to all of you, our dear friends and brothers in Christ, for coming alongside and lifting us up in prayer! We would love to hear from you. Feel free to leave a comment here or to contact us by email, phone, or even old-fashioned letter writing.