Bell Nouvelles in short:
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Praises:
-Good Men's Retreat
-Good Children's Camp
-Salvation Decision
Prayer Requests:
-Summer camps
-Preparations for a trip to the States
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Dear praying friends,
Let me start with one of the biggest blessings of the month. One of our families invited a neighbor, and after three Sundays of attendance, she has accepted Christ as her Savior. What a blessing it is to see how the Lord has been working in her heart and that she is responding. Her son is also responsive to the Gospel! Praise the Lord for this new believer. We still have some others who have attended services recently who need Christ as Savior. Please continue to pray.
June began for us with a men's retreat. We have been holding two retreats a year for the past four years or so with the goal of strengthening the spiritual lives of the men in our church. Many times, they are too busy with work to get involved in other activities, so it is important to have a time organized for them when they can be together and grow in the Word. We invited missionary Juan Álvarez from up north in Spain to come down and give the studies. We had a wonderful time at a camp grounds up in the mountains. How I praise the Lord for what He is doing in the lives of these men!
The last weekend of June, we had a special service to recognize all of the students who have taken a class in the Bible Institute this year. We were also able to give out six certificates for those who have completed the first level of studies. Once again, we thank the Lord for the lives that He is building through this effort. Plans are already under way for our next academic year, as these young people continue learning and growing in the Word.
The first week of July was children's camp up in Guadalajara, near Madrid. We had two young people from the church who went to help as counselors, and two children who went as campers. For our son David, it was his first time at camp. He was so excited about going! Maribel also went to do the driving, to help in the kitchen, and to teach the Bible lessons each morning. She taught about Noah and the ark. Meanwhile I stayed home with Andrea and Daniel. We had a good week together and managed to survive the week without Maribel! Needless to say, we were all glad to have her back when camp was over!
As we look forward, we still have one more camp! I will be going up with the young people from the church the first week of August. I would really appreciate your prayers for that camp. This summer we have had several visitors. Two students from Bob Jones have come to Alicante to study Spanish at the University here. We also had a visit from Amos who teaches Spanish at Bob Jones Academy. Finally, we have a missionary's daughter from Austria who is visiting with us for a few weeks to practice her Spanish. All of these visitors are always a blessing and an encouragement for the Church.
On the homefront, last month was also very special because Maribel and I celebrated our tenth anniversary. We were able to get away for a few days together for some much needed relaxation. When we got back, it seemed like the kids had grown so much, especially Daniel!
The date is approaching quickly for our short trip to the USA. We have many details that we need to work on before we leave, but we are looking forward to being able to see many of you and share some of the many blessings the Lord has given us.
David and Maribel
En MMV civitatem fundamenta habentem expectans
