February 16-21

I was greatly encouraged by my time with Antonio this week. God is truly doing a work of grace in his heart. These are difficult days for him, but God is upholding him. This week at our Bible study on campus we had a visitor. This is the first visitor we have had this year! He is one of my students who has shown interest in the Bible. We have talked on several occasions, but this week in the study on Romans I was able to share the gospel with him. He is very interested in returning next week! On Saturday I spent several hours with a man from our town who is a believer. We have had sporadic contact over these past few years, but God continues to give me opportunity to encourage him spiritually and help him. Yesterday we had good services with complete attendance. In the morning Israel preached on the message to the church in Pergamos. In the afternoon study we looked at Christ's second temptation.

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Para Antonio esta semana ha sido muy difícil, pero Dios está haciendo una obra maravillosa en su corazón. Hay momentos difíciles, pero está confiando en el Señor. Tuve un buen tiempo de estudio con él el viernes, por el cual doy gracias a Dios. En nuestro estudio bíblico en el campus esta semana tuvimos un alumno nuevo. Se trata de uno de mis alumnos que ha mostrado interés en la Biblia. Hemos hablado en varias ocasiones, pero así con el estudio de Romanos pude compartir claramente el evangelio. Dios mediante volverá esta semana. El sábado pasé un par de horas con un creyente de nuestra ciudad. En los últimos tres años he tenido contacto esporádico con él, y una vez más Dios lo ha traído a nuestra casa y me ha dado la oportunidad de animarlo y ser una ayuda. Ayer tuvimos buenos cultos con una asistencia completa. Por la mañana predicó Israel del mensaje a la iglesia de Pérgamo y por la tarde estudiamos la segunda tentación de Cristo.

David & Maribel
"servabis pacem pacem quia in te speravimus; sperastis in Domino in saeculis aeternis" Is 26.3-4

February 9-15

The Lord is good. Early Thursday morning Gloria went to be with her Lord. She opened her eyes and saw her mother and husband and friends in the hospital room and then closed her eyes again to look on her Savior. On Friday we had the funeral with a huge number of family and friends who loved Gloria and had been moved by her life. Antonio got up to say a few words about his wife, but surprised all of us by preaching the good news of Jesus Christ! The strength of what he said was amazing. We have truly witnessed God's transforming power in lives, not only in Gloria but also in Antonio. Yesterday in for our service, Antonio brought his mother-in-law and Gloria's niece. I preached about the message to the church in Smyrna and was able to share the Good News about how we can avoid the second death. Antonio and his mother-in-law and niece stayed for lunch with us. In the evening we continued our series on the temptations of Christ.

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El Señor es bueno. El jueves por la madrugada Gloria nos dejó para ir con su Señor. Abrió los ojos por última vez en esta tierra y vio a su madre, esposo y amigas, luego los cerró otra vez para contemplar su Salvador. El viernes tuvimos el funeral con un gran número de familiares y amigos. Antonio se levantó para decir algunas palabras sobre su esposa, pero nos sorprendió a todos al anunciar las Buenas Nuevas de Jesucristo. La fuerza de sus palabras no me deja de sorprender. De verdad hemos sido testigos del poder transformador de Dios en una vida, no sólo la de Gloria sino también la de Antonio. Ayer en nuestro culto, Antonio trajo a su suegra y la sobrina de Gloria. Prediqué del mensaje a la iglesia de Esmirna y pude compartir el secreto de poder escapar la segunda muerte. Antonio con su suegra y sobrina se quedaron para comer con nosotros. Por la tarde continuamos nuestra serie sobre las tentaciones de Cristo.

David & Maribel

"servabis pacem pacem quia in te speravimus; sperastis in Domino in saeculis aeternis" Is 26.3-4

February 1-8

This has been an emotional week for us. On Wednesday I was supposed to eat with Antonio and Gloria, but it did not work out. The next morning, however, she suffered a hemorrhage in her brain and has been unconscious since. She is hanging in the balance and the doctors are not expecting her to make it more than a few more days. It was a hard Sunday for us to meet together knowing that Gloria is in such a delicate situation. But we needed the time to focus on the Lord, and then take some time to pray as a congregation for Antonio and Gloria.

We had a very special Sunday afternoon, because Antonio asked me to hold a special ceremony to renew their wedding vows before God. A year ago he told me that he wanted to do it when she was free of cancer, but the Lord had other plans. So with the room full of family members, I shared the Gospel and then went through the marriage vows with them. It was an emotional ceremony which displayed the deep love that Antonio feels for Gloria. We are all praying for them now, waiting to see what the Lord will do. After the hospital we had our evening study at the home of one of our families. We were thankful for some neighbors who came as well.

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Esta semana ha sido muy emocional para nosotros. El miércoles iba a comer con Antonio y Gloria, pero por una complicación no pude ir. El jueves por la mañana Gloria sufrió una hemorragia del cerebro y entró en un estado crítico. Los doctores han dicho que no puede aguantar mucho en este estado. Nos costó tener nuestro culto el domingo porque todos estábamos pensando en Gloria. Pero después del sermón tuvimos un tiempo precioso de oración juntos.

El domingo por la tarde antes de nuestro estudio bíblico fuimos al hospital para un tiempo muy especial con Antonio y Gloria. Hace un año me comentaron que un día querían tomar sus votos matrimoniales delante de Dios. El sábado Antonio me lo recordó y me pidió que tuviéramos una ceremonia en el hospital el domingo. Así que el domingo en su habitación llena de familiares y amigos, hablé del matrimonio y compartí el evangelio. Luego hicimos los votos matrimoniales. Fue una ceremonia corta, pero muy poderosa. Todos notamos el fuerte amor que existe entre Antonio y Gloria y creo que todos lloramos con ellos. Seguimos orando por la voluntad de Dios y esperando. Después del hospital, tuvimos nuestro estudio sobre las tentaciones de Jesús en casa de una de las familias de la congregación. Damos gracias que pudimos también conocer a algunos de sus vecinos. Deseamos que Dios nos dé otro contacto con ellos con el evangelio.

David & Maribel

"servabis pacem pacem quia in te speravimus; sperastis in Domino in saeculis aeternis" Is 26.3-4

January 25-31

On Tuesday I spent some time with Antonio and Gloria once again. It was the first Bible study we have had since Christmas. It was an encouraging time for them. Please pray for them as Gloria continues to fight the cancer. My Bible institute class continues to go well too. This past week we spent some time talking about the broad context of Philippians. Maribel and I had a special weekend together. The families of her students gave her a free night in a hotel to enjoy some time away, and I am thankful that she allowed me to come along! :-) It was a wonderful little get-away for us. Yesterday in the services the Lord blessed out small group. We were missing two families, but we had good services. In the morning I preached from Revelation 1 to begin a series of sermons on the letters to the seven churches of Revelation. And in the afternoon we continued our study on the temptations of Christ.

El martes pasé un poco de tiempo con A&G, el primer estudio bíblico desde las navidades. Fue un tiempo de ánimo para ellos y de gran bendición para mí. Seguid orando por Gloria en su lucha con el cáncer. En las clases del instituto bíblico esta semana ha sido una bendición especial poner la hermenéutica en práctica y establecer un poco del contexto de Filipenses. Maribel y yo tuvimos un fin de semana muy especial. Los padres de sus alumnos le regalaron un vale para un hotel, así que pudimos escapar juntos para un tiempo especial juntos. Ayer el Señor bendijo nuestra pequeña congregación. Nos faltaron dos familias, pero pudimos empezar una nueva serie de sermones sobre las cartas a las siete iglesias de Apocalipsis. Por la tarde estudiamos más sobre la tentación, preparando el camino para que podamos estudiar las tentaciones de Cristo.

David & Maribel

"servabis pacem pacem quia in te speravimus; sperastis in Domino in saeculis aeternis" Is 26.3-4

January 19-24

The class on Biblical interpretation in the Bible Institute has been going well. Lord willing next week we will be able to work with some more practical examples which will help nail down the truths we have been studying. On Tuesday I met with Antonio and Gloria at the hospital. She has been in extreme pain with her cancer, but this week she started on pain killers and then a new round of chemotherapy. The blessing has been to see Antonio's strength throughout these hard times. The Lord gave us a good Sunday. In the morning I preached a summary message of our series "Conversations with the Master", and in the evening we began a study on the temptations of Christ.

La clase sobre la interpretación bíblica en el instituto bíblico sigue bien. Dios mediante la semana que viene podremos trabajar con algunos ejemplos prácticos para reafirmar la base teórico que estamos estableciendo. El martes me reuní con A&G en el hospital. Ella ha tenido mucho dolor, pero esta semana le han dado algo para el dolor y el jueves empezó de nuevo la quimioterapia. Ha sido una bendición ver el apoyo y sabiduría espiritual que ha mostrado su marido en medio de estas dificultades. Nos dio el Señor un buen domingo. Por la mañana prediqué un mensaje de resumen sobre las conversaciones del Maestro. Por la tarde tuvimos nuestro estudio en casa de una de la familias y empecé una nueva serie sobre las tentaciones de Cristo.

David & Maribel

"servabis pacem pacem quia in te speravimus; sperastis in Domino in saeculis aeternis" Is 26.3-4

January 12-18

This week we began Bible Institute. I am teaching a class on Biblical interpretation to eight students. This weekend we had good services. On Sunday morning I preached from 2 Corinthians 10 about the battle for the mind. On Sunday morning we also began learning a new hymn. It is one of our goals this year to begin to learn new hymns as a congregation. In the evening we had a good group out for our study. We get back to our study in Romans that we were doing before the holidays. We are especially in prayer for Gloria. She has been in a lot of pain over the past few weeks, and yesterday the doctors confirmed that her cancer has come back. She will begin treatment this week.

Esta semana tuvimos el comienzo del nuevo trimestre de instituto bíblico. Este año enseñaré una clase de interpretación bíblica a oche alumnos. Damos gracias a Dios por los buenos cultos este fin de semana. Por la mañana prediqué de 2 Corintios 10 y la batalla por la mente. También aprendimos un himno nuevo como congregación. Es una de nuestras metas este año como congregación, poder aprender himnos nuevos. Por la tarde tuvimos un buen grupo para nuestro estudio sobre Romanos. Ayer recibimos noticias sobre la salud de Gloria. Ha tenido dolores desde hace semanas, pero ayer confirmaron que el cáncer había vuelto. La recordamos en oración y buscamos apoyarla todo lo que podamos. Dios mediante empezará a recibir tratamiento esta semana.

David & Maribel

"servabis pacem pacem quia in te speravimus; sperastis in Domino in saeculis aeternis" Is 26.3-4

January 5-11

We had the last of the holidays this week (Kings' day) and now things are back to normal. I had an extra busy weekend. On Friday I travelled up to Madrid and on Saturday I taught an all-day seminar entitled "The Charismatic Movement: In the light of the New Testament". There were almost 60 people in attendance, and the Lord blessed throughout the day. I was starting to come down with a cold, but my voice held out throughout the different lectures. On Sunday, back at home we had good services. In the morning I preached about music in worship, and after the sermon we celebrated the Lord's table. It was a special blessing to hear as Antonio shared with us from God's word what the Lord has been teaching him. In the evening we had Antonio and Michelle Moyano from the church in Cerdanyola (Barcelona) with us. He shared some thoughts about Biblical faith with us.

Esta semana tuvimos los últimos días de vacaciones del cole y ahora todo ha vuelto a la normalidad. Yo tuve un fin de semana bastante completo. El vienes subí a Madrid y el sábado enseñé un curso intensivo en la iglesia de Móstoles: "El movimiento carismático a la luz del Nuevo Testamento". Había casi 60 en asistencia, y el Señor bendijo a lo largo del día. Había buen espíritu en la reunión y buenas preguntas y discusiones. Al principio, parecía que no tenía la voz muy fuerte por un pequeño resfriado que estaba arrastrando, pero gracias a Dios no tuve ningún problema con la voz. El domingo, una vez más en casa, prediqué sobre la importancia de la música en nuestra adoración. Después del sermón celebramos la mesa del Señor. Fue una bendición especial escuchar a Antonio compartir de las Escrituras lo que el Señor le había estado enseñando. Por la tarde tuvimos con nosotros a Antonio Moyano y su esposa Michelle de la iglesia de Cerdanyola. Antonio enseñó sobre el concepto bíblico de la fe.

David & Maribel

"servabis pacem pacem quia in te speravimus; sperastis in Domino in saeculis aeternis" Is 26.3-4

December 29-January 4

With the holidays come special activities. On Tuesday we hosted a gathering of some of the "old young people" from Maribel's church in Elche. There were several who no longer go to church, so it was a good opportunity to continue the contact. After the meal I gave a devotional about knowing God. Yesterday in our services we were down in number. Gloria has been fighting some new physical battles so she and her husband were not able to be in the service. I preached about the sufficiency of Scripture and challenged our people with being diligent to spend time in the word daily. We also distributed our first church newsletter with several short articles. This is an opportunity to put our message in print as well as involve the people in yet another way in the ministry. In the evening one of the families hosted the study. We looked at the star of Bethlehem from Matthew 2, since King's day is coming up on Wednesday!

Con los días festivos vienen actividades especiales. El martes tuvimos en casa un pequeño grupo de amigos que iban al grupo de jóvenes con Maribel. Después de la comida tuvimos un tiempo devocional y compartí unos pensamientos sobre conocer a Dios. Ayer tuvimos menos gente en los cultos. Gloria está luchando con una nueva batalla física, así que ella y su marido no estuvieron. Prediqué de la suficiencia de las Escrituras y nuestra necesidad de estar en contacto diaria con ellas. Por la tarde tuvimos el estudio en casa de una de las familias. Miramos Mateo 2 sobre la estrella de Belén, puesto que tenemos el día de reyes el miércoles.

David & Maribel

"servabis pacem pacem quia in te speravimus; sperastis in Domino in saeculis aeternis" Is 26.3-4

December 15-21

I met with Antonio and Gloria this week for the Bible study. It was an especially good study, because the passage we talked about dealt perfectly with a need they were facing. The Lord is so good to use His word like that. On a different note, it has been very cold over the past few days, and this weekend we got a lot of rain. So on Saturday morning when we woke up, we found that all of the mountains around our city were covered with snow. It made for a nice excursion with the kids to go and play in the snow. This weekend we planned a series of special meetings for christmas. On Saturday evening we met with the majority of the believers for a time of fellowship and teaching about the person and work of Jesus. Then we continued on Sunday with an all day activity including lunch. It was a wonderful time of fellowship for our little congregation, and the people responded very well to the preaching.

December 8-14

The day after we got back from the retreat, I had a Bible study at the university. We once again had a good group. I continue to encourage them to invite friends and fellow students, but so far we have not had any new attenders. For the weekend we had a special guest. I invited a Spanish pastor from Guadalajara to be with us on Sunday. He spoke to the students from Bible institute on Saturday evening, and then preached for us on Sunday morning. We enjoyed a good time of fellowship with his family, and the Lord blessed the different activities of the weekend.

December 1-7

This week there were two holidays, one day apart from each other, so we had a little extra time off from school and work. A few weeks ago, a church in Barcelona called me to ask me if I would speak at a special church retreat which would take advantage of those days, so our major activity this week was that retreat. Our family with a couple from our church spent four days with a group of about 50 representing several churches. The Lord gave us a wonderful time of fellowship in the word. I preached six sessions from James chapter one about dealing with difficulties. Back at home, Israel held the service with the remaining believers.

November 24-30

The different activities of this week went well. I had a good study with Antonio and Gloria on Tuesday, and a good group for the university Bible study on Wednesday. For our prayer time this week it was just our family, but we had a good time of study and prayer together. We did not celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday because we were busy with work and school. So instead we planned to celebrate it on Sunday at church. Of course we focused on the spiritual side of the holiday instead of the cultural aspect of the pilgrims and indians (not to mention football). Since we normally have a church meal once a month, we all stayed and had a big Thanksgiving dinner together. It was a wonderful blessing to share that time of special fellowship. But it was extra special because one of the ladies who hosted a student from BJU last year came to the service. She participated in all the activities of the day and was the last one to leave our house. What a blessing to see the Lord work in this way. She is the first person from our town to visit more than one service in the two and a half years we have lived here!

November 17-23

Since Antonio and Gloria missed the service last week because of illness, I took the time at our study to look at the passage I had preached on Sunday. We had a good time of conversation together about the story of Zacchaeus. Israel was able to make it to our prayer meeting this week, so he joined our family as we looked at a psalm and then spent time together in prayer. On Wednesday at the university we had a good group. I am still trusting that some of my students will come and that the other students will be able to invite some of their friends. But we have been having good studies with the young people from church who have been faithful. I had a special weekend because I attended a prayer conference in Alcalá de Henares. It was a special blessing because I took Emilio with me. We enjoyed the train ride up to Madrid together, and I even was able to witness to the lady who sat across from us. We spent Friday evening and all day Saturday with believers from all over Spain. Yesterday in our morning service Israel preached from Jesus' conversation with Pilate. Then in the evening I led the Bible study from Romans.

November 10-16

One special highlight from this week was the fact that both Gloria's brother and niece came for the Bible study. We continued looking at James 1, and both asked good questions. Our family enjoyed a nice time of study from the Psalms and prayer on Tuesday evening. The study at the university continues to go well too. On Sunday I preached about Christ's conversation with Zacchaeus. We can only imagine the entire conversation around the table, but the result was that Zacchaeus became a son of Abraham anew that day as he placed his faith in God's promised Messiah. In the evening we had our study at Ángel and Patricia's house. Some friends of theirs came, so there was a good size group as we continued our study in Romans 3.

It was also Maribel's birthday this week. We were able to spend some special time together on the day and make plans for further celebration with friends and family. I thank the Lord for the wife He has given me and all she means to me in the ministry that God has called us to, both in our family and in the church.

November 3-9

This week at the study with Antonio and Gloria I was pleased to have Gloria's brother present. He participated in the study and later told her that he was going to make plans to be present every week at the Bible study. Our prayer meeting was back down to our family, but we had a good time of study and prayer together. I was also able to have a Bible study with another family in the congregation on Friday. On Sunday morning I preached from the story of the gentile woman who asked Christ to heal her daughter. This story once again stresses the importance of faith as we approach the Lord. In the evening we started looking at Romans 3.

October 27-November 2

I recently started studying the book of James with Antonio and Gloria. This week we looked at the necessity of wisdom to get through the trials of life. They both are very actively interested in the study. For our prayer time, Israel was able to join us this week as we continue to look at the Psalms and pray together. Also this week I was able to begin a Bible study at the university. This is something that I did last year for the first time. This year I trust that God will continue to use this time to encourage students who are believers and to reach unbelievers with the message of salvation. On Sunday Israel preached about the rich young ruler. After his sermon, there were good comments by different members. The Lord used the sermon to move our hearts! It was also the day we had our monthly church fellowship. So we enjoyed a good potluck meal together and then in the afternoon, a study from Romans 2.

October 20-26

On Tuesday we had our midweek study on the Psalms and a time of prayer. We looked at Psalm 8 this week, the first psalm which is truly a worship psalm. Maria Eugenia was out of town on Tuesday so she did not make it to the study. The Bible study with Antonio and Gloria continues to go well. We are studying the book of James. Yesterday in the morning service I continued our series of sermons on the conversations with the Master. We looked at the short interchange between Jesus and the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus emphasized the importance of faith, a necessary quality if we are to draw near to God. In the evening we continued our study in Romans. We looked at chapter 2 last night, where Paul points to how God will judge the human race. Without the saving work of Christ, all will fall under condemnation. He continues to prepare the path for the good news of the gospel.

October 13-19

Our activities this week were normal according to schedule. On Sunday Israel preached about the Samaritan at the well. After his sermon, there were many good thoughts expressed about the message, and a profitable time of meditation and reflection. In the evening we continue our Bible study on the book of Romans.

October 6-12

On Sunday I began a new series of sermons on Christ's conversations throughout the Gospels. We began with Nicodemus. Jesus taught him that a relationship with God was possible only through a new, spiritual birth. At first Nicodemus had difficulty understanding what Jesus was telling him, but as the conversation porgressed, Jesus clearly confronted him with his need to be born again. In the evening we spent some time looking at the introduction to the book of Romans. Lord willing we will spend the next few months studying an overview of this great epistle.

September 30-October 7

This week was a very special one for several reasons. First of all, we celebrated baptisms this week. I have had a series of studies with Antonio and Gloria since they asked to be baptised after we got back from the USA. Two of my children, David and Andrea expressed the desire to be baptised. So I had some studies with them as well to prepare them for baptism. Yesterday in our morning service, Israel preached about Christ's interaction with Mary and Martha. It was a blessing to see how the Lord used the message to stir hearts. After our morning service, the whole congregation went to Antonio and Gloria's house. We had a barbecue lunch, and then we had a special testimony service. All four candidates gave a clear salvation testimony and then were baptised publicly. There were several unsaved visitors present who heard a clear testimony to the Gospel.

It was also a special week because on Friday I taught the first class of my course on Biblical Hebrew. A Christian student at the university approached me some time back about learning Hebrew. It has been a long process to get the official recognition of this course, but it has finally happened. I have 12 students in the course. I trust that the Lord will open doors to share Christ through this class.

Our other activities of the week went as scheduled. Maria Eugenia was present at our midweek study and prayer meeting.

David & Maribel
"servabis pacem pacem quia in te speravimus; sperastis in Domino in saeculis aeternis" Is 26.3-4