Sprinting to the Finish Line

In an earlier post I made mention of how, as the time for me to go home came closer and closer, I was reminded of Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." I added that I felt like I had paced my running up until this point, and now it was the time to sprint to that finish line. As I look at the calendar, it has become more and more apparent that I am in the middle of my sprint. From the end of April until June 8th when I leave, there is an event on the calendar each weekend. Each week then, is spent preparing for the weekend event.

One event that took place on Saturday night (May 8th) was the dedication of a new church building in Málaga. This church has spent years trying to find a good building for their church and have finally found one. Our congregation, Iglesia Cristiana Arroyo de la Miel, joined together in support of this other church. My first indication of the surprise I was about to received was the name of the church: Vida Abundante (Abundant Life). I thought it was kind of funny that this church had the same name as a church I had been to on my missions trip to Mexico in 2008. However, I quickly forgot about it and did not think of it again until the guest speaker was introduced.

By the time the service started, the church was completely packed!
The speaker, John Spyker, is the found of Vida Abundante in Morelia, Mexico and the father of the current senior pastor of Vida Abundante, Mexico - the very same church I had been based out of with my youth ministry on that missions trip! Turns out that the church in Málaga was a church plant that came out of the church in Morelia. When I realized the connection, it made me want to jump up and start singing, "It's a Small World After All." Don't worry, I contained myself. ; )

We have also been hosting a number of different guest speakers at our church. In fact, next Monday a couple from New Zealand are coming to minister and since they will be here for a whole week, they will be staying in my room. I in turn will be living with a Spanish couple from the church. I am looking forward to it, as I'm sure it will be a really good experience, and I absolutely love this couple. They are as Spanish as Spanish can get, speaking no English at all, and speaking faster than I have ever heard anyone speak. It will be a fun time! The only downside to living with them, is that they do not have internet. So while I am there, I most likely will not be able to reply to emails and other such forms of communication. That being said, it will be a great total immersion experience.

Praise Reports:

• We have all recovered for the most part from the nasty virus we had.
• The church is really growing spiritually and drawing closer to God; it's amazing to see and to be a part of it.

Prayer Requests:

• Please continue to pray for my uncle's healing from cancer. The reports I have heard have not been encouraging. It's such a comfort to know that God has a plan!

¡Dios te bendiga!
~ Grace