Monthly Ministry Updates

Here you can check out how things are moving along in our ministry.  Our ministry vision is centered around 5 "p"s:  Prayer, People, Planting, Partnering, and Parting.  Click here to see the Extremadura annual ministry plan, which shows our overall vision for the region.  You can also read past ministry updates clicking here.

May 2011

We are officially on a leave of absence from our mission as of the end of April. We are so thankful for their and your generosity as they have extended our health insurance coverage through the end of June.

Because of Cathie’s roller coaster health issues, we have not sensed the Lord allowing us to return to Spain at this time, though we hope someday to be able to return to the international mission field. However, if and when that will happen is in His hands.

Second Baptist Church has graciously allowed us to remain in their mission house until mid- July. We are so grateful to have been here these past 16 months and so grateful for all that God has provided through Second Baptist.

While Cathie has been on several medications and even had surgery, her health remains about the same- which to say the least- is very frustrating. Her endometriosis came back almost exactly as before her surgery last March and we may be dealing with another surgery in the future.

As our time comes to a close here in the mission house, we will begin yet another chapter of our lives with many unknowns. We know that through it all our Lord has been faithful and will continue to be so. In the meantime, God has provided income through two part-time jobs that Chris has been able to be involved with this past month – one being the school where Chris has been working. However, we ask that you pray with us for Chris to find a full-time job in the next month or so to provide more stability for our family.

August 2010 

We are currently in Kingwood, TX on medical stateside assignment for an undetermined amount of time.  Thank you for your prayers as we continue to seek God's direction for our future plans.    

Check out our 2010 family pictures added to our website: www.byhisgrace.cc/harvest/pictures_2010.htm

I (Chris) have recently accepted a position of High School Principal at the Christian School of Kingwood.  I'll be teaching Spanish and Bible and serving as a type of counselor in the newly expanded high school program starting at the end of August.  We are still on medical stateside assignment with the IMB, so it will be part-time.  Check out their website:  www.cskw.org While we continue to miss the work in Spain, we feel it is part of God's plan for us to be in the Houston area during this time. 

I was able to go to Spain in June 2010 and pack up our things for storage and meet a new missionary family who are going through language school and plan on serving their first term in Cáceres.  My time in Spain allowed me to say goodbyes for now as well as distribute The Great Commission in the Land of Conquerors book in English and Spanish.  You can purchase the book here at lulu.com and for a 15% discount use this code: BEACHREAD305.  The book is about how to fulfill the great commission and incorporate mission strategy in Extremadura and beyond. 

This last year has been both exciting and challenging.  Just last month, two students through the student ministry accepted Christ.  We've also recently found out that our Spanish partners in ministry David and Cristina are going to move back to Cáceres to continue the church planting vision.  Our son Cayleb accepted Christ on July 23rd and was baptized on August 31st.  He has been going through the process of making this decision for some time now.

October 2009 

Prayer

We have had a prayer time before our Sunday services which has been encouraging time to pray for the service and for the city of Cáceres.  We’ve also broken out into small groups after the sermon and prayed specifically that God would work in our lives in the areas we talked about.  During our weekly student meetings we have a time of prayer for each other and did a prayer walk around the church at the beginning of one of our meetings.

People

I (Chris) have had several opportunities to talk about faith with one of Caylee’s classmates.  Recently we talked for about an hour while our kids were playing in the park.  He is a historian and teaches high school in one of the smaller towns nearby.  I asked him if he had studied Bible history and we had a great spiritual conversation about the Bible.  He said that he had read the whole Bible.  We are getting to know the guys we play basketball with better and the other day one of the guys asked me how things with the evangelical church were going and we talked more about what we do.  We pray that God would grow these spiritual seeds we’ve planted and we would see many come to know Christ.

Planting

Some of our more regular visitors have been away this last month, so our Sunday meetings have been smaller, but also more personal where we have been able to focus on certain individuals and pray for specific needs.  The church plant has been challenging lately because we lack a continual presence of Spanish believers who actually live in Cáceres.  David and Cristina have been a great help on Sundays, but they are limited to helping out from time to time because they live in Badajoz.  The student team has had more opportunities lately to connect with unbelievers as we have seen some doors open with English club and cultural exchanges at the university.

Partnering

I (Chris) continue to meet with the local evangelical pastors in Cáceres once a month which has been an encouraging time of prayer and visioning together.  I also was able to attend the annual Baptist convention and missions retreat where I was able to spend extra time with local Baptist leaders as well as meet other pastors from all over Spain.  My role as the education and cultural director for all of the evangelical churches in Extremadura has given me a voice in the community and has enabled me to do things to impact the whole region of Extremadura.  For example, I am finishing up my book that was translated into Spanish titled “The Great Commission in the Land of the Conquerors.”  The book is an adaptation of my D.Min. project and will help all of the evangelical believers to think strategically about how to best reach Extremadura for Christ.    

                  (2009 Spanish Baptist Convention)

Preparing (Leadership Development)/Parting

A youth who comes to our church regularly has grown in her faith and has been active in helping out with the kids on Sunday.  She has shown a great deal of commitment to the church plant and comes by herself which is amazing because she is only 18 years old.  Cathie was able to have coffee with her and encourage her to be involved in church through using her spiritual gifts.

August/September 2009 

Prayer

We continue to see God answer our prayers through bringing new people to our Sunday worship services and blessing us through partners in ministry.  We have started to pray before our Sunday service as well as have a special prayer response time after the service.  People are opening up their hearts and responding to what God is speaking to them about during and after the Sunday service.    

People

Summer is great because we have extra time to hang out and get together with friends/contacts.  We went over to our neighbors’ summer house and had coffee together and talked about where she went to church in the neighborhood.  We also went swimming with one of Cayleb’s classmates and hung out with the mother most of the afternoon.  I (Chris) was able to share the gospel with a van driver on the way to the airport.  His mother just had surgery and at the end of the conversation he said he wanted to really mediate on everything we had talked about.  We talked about church, religion, and what it means to have a personal relationship with God.  I also had a good spiritual conversation with one of the guys we play basketball with during one of the games we were sitting out.  He asked me why I had some many American friends with me playing.  Paul, Daniel, Emily, and David have been coming to play, which has been a great support for me personally since for the last eight years I’ve almost always gone by myself.  Another recent development happened just a few days ago when I was asked to teach the conversational English class for some of the parents of the kids at Caylee and Cayleb’s school. 

(Our Extremadura IMB Team)

Planting

Summer tends to slow things down and give us time to think, vision, and pray about what is to come and where we’ve been.  We’ve had those moments but at other times this summer has  been full of activity and growth in the church plant.  We had a steady flow of visitors including a few who felt that Luz de Vida should be their church home.  Among them is a youth who grew up in Spain and a young doctor who is doing his residency in Cáceres for the next four years.  We spent time with these two and feel they share our missionary vision for Cáceres and Extremadura.  Others have visited regularly which has given us a full house on some Sundays.  People are starting to catch the vision that the church plant goes way beyond what we are doing on Sunday as they take the gospel to their friends, work, and school.

(Our two "Hands On" students who arrived in August)

Partnering

Our IMB team continues to grow which is such a blessing because we see how God is using us to extend ministry opportunities beyond what we could ever accomplish alone.  The university team has five students who are taking classes and through being an incarnational witness on campus are able to share God’s light through everyday life.  We’ve been able to spend more time with our YWAM friends, and they want to partner together on several joint evangelistic efforts.  Our vision is very similar and their team leader comes from a Baptist church in Brazil. 

Preparing (Leadership Development)/Parting

I (Chris) continue to meet with the youth leader of the Badajoz Baptist Church via Skype and he has taken on the challenge of being at the forefront of evangelism in the church.  Inspired by the King’s Kids group, the youth went to a nearby park in Badajoz and did some skits and shared testimonies, which has also allowed them to be more open in their daily witness.  Another youth from the Badajoz church came to Luz de Vida and shared about her missions experience in Equatorial Guinea in Africa.  We challenge her to continue to work in Extremadura as she fulfills her call to missions.

July 2009 

Prayer

We have seen God answer the prayers of bringing more people to the church plant.  Some have been non believers, others are new to the area and are looking for a church, and others left another church and have not attended for a long time.  Pray we can disciple all of these different church attendees, and they would share the vision of reaching Extremadura for Christ. 

People

We had a volunteer group called Kings Kids made up of mostly Spanish youth come to Extremadura.  The 60 youth were with YWAM (their webpage is www.kingskids.es) and consisted of 3 teams of 20.  One team came to Cáceres for a week and did evangelistic skits and shared their testimonies in two different parks in the city.  One of the parks was close to Life Light Church (Luz de Vida) and they were able to connect to several youth, families, and older people.  Not only did their presence give a positive view of the church, but the youth from the group talked to several people in the park about how Jesus changed their life.  They talked to people in the park before and after the skits.  Also the president of the neighborhood association was welcoming and even asked us if we could help out the following Monday with the neighborhood party.  We got the contact information for several people and a few of the youth showed genuine interest in knowing more about God and the church.  We passed out the Waiting Room pamphlet to the people in the park and overall gave a positive public testimony of who we are as evangelical believers.

(Kings Kids Group who came to Cáceres)

Planting

We continue to have different visitors for our Sunday meetings.  The last Sunday of the month we had 28 people (10 children) come for worship.  One youth came after attending the King’s Kids skits and talking with us during the week.  Three of the Kings Kids also participated in the service through explaining what they had done during the week and did a couple of skits.  One lesson we learned through the time with the Kings Kids is that sometimes it is better to go small to get big.  They could have done their skits in the main park in the Cáceres and reached a larger number of people, but we saw the advantages of doing everything close to the church at a smaller park.  Even though there were less people, it was more personal and those watching could connect what was being done to a place and a people.  We want to continue to do activities in the park and have more opportunities to share Christ and have a positive public image of the church.

Partnering

We have some new IMB team members that have arrived this month.  We now have three single guys that will be serving for two years with a focus on university ministry and helping the church plants in Cáceres and Trujillo.  God has blessed us through the Extremadura council of churches as we have been able to partner with different leaders throughout the region.  This month we were able to publish the Extremadura wide evangelical newspaper called Hay Poder (there is power).  We pray that God can use the newspaper among believers and unbelievers to show what the evangelical churches are doing in the different communities in Extremadura. 

Preparing (Leadership Development)/Parting

I (Chris) continue to meet with the youth leader of the Badajoz Baptist Church via Skype.  Last month we talked about how the youth in Extremadura can be more missional and specifically what they could do in Cáceres and other mission points in the region.  Cathie has been meeting weekly with one of the ladies who have attended the Sunday services for discipleship.   

June 2009

Prayer

Our personal prayer time has been encouraging, and we have seen God answer some of our prayers through bringing some new people to our Sunday worship services.  We are also encouraged by the many people around the world praying for the work in Extremadura.  Because of our extended time in the states we were able to connect with previous prayer supporters as well as develop a new prayer support team.    

People

We have pass out several copies of the pamphlet “Waiting Room” (Sala de Espera) in the local hospitals, clinics, and other public places.  The pamphlet has short stories that offer a message of hope during difficult times.  On the back it has the church information for Cáceres and Trujillo.  As we visited the main public places in Cáceres and put the pamphlet in the waiting areas, several people asked for one and others asked what it was about.  I (Chris) was able to talk with a lady about what it means to have a personal relationship with God and share a little bit about who evangelicals are.  I also have been playing basketball every week and had a good spiritual conversation with one of the guys.  I shared part of my testimony and talked about why we were in Extremadura.  I asked if he believed in God and he said he didn’t and has never been involved in “religion”.  We talked about the importance of a personal walk with God and what that means.  We were waiting to play basketball and talked for about 30 min. and not only was I able to share with him, but other players were nearby listening in on our conversation.   

(Sala de Espera - "Waiting Room" Pamphlet)

Planting

Our weekly meetings on Sunday continue to go well.  We have had several visitors this last month.  One lady with her son has come every Sunday during the month of June and a couple of weeks ago she brought several of her friends and family.  One of the families attended another local church before, but has not been to any church for over three years.  We were able to visit the Trujillo church plant as a family.  God continues to bless that group and work through the Jolley family.  The summer months allow us to get together with more families as the kids are out of school.  Pray that God will bless these times with the believers and non believers we meet with.

Partnering

We went to an event done by the different evangelical churches in Extremadura and the theme was “Who cuts the barber’s hair?”.  It was done for the ministers and leaders in Extremadura and was a refreshing time of connecting with other believers in the region as well as talk about the practical issues of ministering to ministers.  We continue to strengthen our relationship with the evangelical churches in Cáceres.  The pastors and church leaders meet together once a month to pray and plan for events we can do on a city level.  This last month has also been positive in that we have been able to get to know the new missionaries from YWAM.  Two couples have moved to Cáceres and we have spent time with them sharing the vision for Extremadura and talking about how we can work together as they reach youth for Christ. 

Preparing (Leadership Development)/Parting

My (Chris) time with the youth leader of the Badajoz Baptist Church via Skype has been good.  He preached his first sermon about a week ago for youth Sunday and I was able to talk with him about the message.  We have also been discussing the Omega material which highlights key issues in missions and church planting.  We have talked about the need to look beyond just the youth ministry of the church and how as a leader he can challenge others to reach Extremadura for Christ.  Another youth from the Badajoz church has felt a call to missions since she was child.  She used to babysit our kids when we were in Badajoz, and we’ve seen how her heart for the nations has grown even stronger through the years. This summer she went to the Spanish speaking country of Equatorial Guinea in Africa to serve alongside Spanish Baptist international missionaries.    

May 2009

Prayer

This last month we were able to set up our prayer updates through a bulk email delivery service.  Praise God that our prayer support system has grown to the point where we needed to make the switch over to an better system to send out updates.  We continue to meet together with our IMB team and other believers to pray for Cáceres, Trujillo, and Extremadura.

People

We are more integrated into our neighborhood and are beginning to feel part of the community.  I (Chris) talk most every day to one neighborhood dad who’s daughter is Caylee’s classmate.  We have even taken turns walking each other’s children to school when I’ve had to travel or one of their daughter’s is sick.  We are entering into a new level of trust and have had opportunities here and there to share about what God is doing in our lives. 

Planting

Our weekly meetings on Sunday continue to go well.  We will notice a big difference now that the Hands On students will be leaving next week.  They have been a tremendous help during a time when we’ve basically had to start over with the church plant.  The storefront has proven to be a useful tool for informal times to get together, meetings, and Sunday worship. 

(University Monday Night Meeting)

Partnering

I (Chris) went to the Mérida Baptist Church one Sunday for Baptisms.  It was an encouraging time to see 11 people being baptized and how the church continues to grow.   We also hosted a meeting at the church storefront with the executive committee of the Extremadura Evangelical Council of churches which was a great time of sharing the vision for reaching all of the Extremadura for Christ.  As the new cultural and education advisor, I’m able to have a voice into the council of church being able to implement a unified strategy for making disciples throughout the region on a wider level.

Preparing (Leadership Development)/Parting

I (Chris) have been meeting via Skype with the youth leader of the Badajoz Baptist Church, continuing the leadership training we were doing before we went to the states.  We have talked three different times and it has been a mixture of sharing ideas, talking about specific subjects like hermeneutics, Bible study, etc. , encouraging him, and answering his questions.  I have seen how he continues to grow and get a vision not only for the youth in his church, but for all of Extremadura.

April 2009

Prayer

We have seen the need for more personal prayer.  Our daily quite times and prayer times with other believers have been foundational to everything we do.  We continue to meet together with our IMB team and other believers to pray for Cáceres, Trujillo, and Extremadura.

People

I (Chris) had a good spiritual conversation with the director of the Spanish language program through the University of Extremadura.  We talked for over an hour about future students coming to study Spanish, church life, and what it means to have a personal relationship with God.  He was happy about the various students I have introduced to the program and has given any students we bring in a 20% discount.  We have been able to develop credibility through bringing the American students to Cáceres that will help us with future ministry.  For example, I asked him about the possibly of doing a cultural exchange where some of the American students could meet once a week with some of the Spanish students and talk for half of the time in Spanish and half of the time in English.  He liked the idea so much that he said he would do all of the publicity, put it on the university webpage, make posters, and contact the professors at the university.  We have seen how God can use people with resources so that we do not have to spend extra time and effort trying to create something ourselves.   

Planting

Our weekly meetings on Sunday are going well.  Not only do we worship together, but many times we end up eating lunch and spending the whole day with each other.  The Jolleys have joined us several times for Sunday, which has been a blessing.  The weekly Monday night student meetings have gone well, and we made some changes in the format to make it more inviting for the students’ friends who are unbelievers.  For example, we are going to have a movie night where we watch “End of the Spear” and talk about forgiveness and sacrifice.  We are working to make the storefront a place of activities as well as having our weekly services there. 

Partnering

We went to the Badajoz Baptist Church one Sunday for Baptisms and had a picnic with the church after the service.  I (Chris) have talked with Julio about being more active in the Cáceres church plant and how they could be more involved.  The Easter break gave us the opportunity to catch up with some of our ministry partners.  We spent the day with a British family who serve as leaders in one of the churches in Badajoz.  We also went to Badajoz and had coffee with a family in the morning and then had lunch with Antonio and Concha and their two sons who we have not seen in a long time.  Antonio and Concha accepted Christ and were baptized during our first term when we lived in Badajoz, so it was good to reconnect with them and share about the work in Cáceres.    

Preparing (Leadership Development)/Parting

I (Chris) have been talking with the youth leader of the Badajoz Baptist Church about continuing the leadership training that we were doing before we went to the states.  We have agreed to meet via Skype once every two weeks for about an hour to go over the basics of leadership development and missions.  This youth leader looks to be one of the up and coming Christian leaders for all of Extremadura.

March 2009

Prayer

We have been encouraged by the many Spanish believers who have been praying for us while we’ve been the States.  As the team prayer advocate, this last month Cathie was able to catch up on sending out our team and personal ministry updates.  We have also enjoyed the time with our IMB team as this is the first time we’ve had other IMB missionaries in our same city.  Even though the Hands On students are short-term personal, they have helped us out during these first months in Spain.  Their prayer support and practical help in various areas has lightened the load and furthered the work in Cáceres and Trujillo.  

(Our visit to the Badajoz Baptist Church after we first got back to Spain.)

People

We continue to build on the relationships we’ve established through Caylee and Cayleb’s classmates.  Taking the kids to school and going to the park have been great times to talk with the parents of Caylee and Cayleb’s school friends.  Last Friday we went to the park close to our house which is right beside a mall (the only one in Extremadura) and talked with one of Caylee’s school friend’s mom for over an hour.  The kids had a wonderful time and Caytlin did not pass up the opportunity to entertain everybody who passed by.  We’ve decided to make the Friday afternoon park journey a regular thing. 

Also our neighbor got robbed and stabbed in our garage which has allowed us to get to know them even more.  We told her we were praying for her and tried to be a source of encouragement during this difficult time.  I made a birthday cake for Cathie and we took over some to our neighbors’ house.  Cayleb and Caylee made a card for the mother of the family.  When I picked up the card, I noticed it was a little heavy.  Cayleb had put some change in the card and when I asked why he said that he wanted to give our neighbor some of his money from his allowance because she lost hers to the robbers.  It wasn’t much, but our neighbor was really touched by his thoughtfulness.   

Planting

The student group has gone well.  Each student takes turns doing the study and it has been a good source of encouragement for the believers.  We continue to have our weekly services and feel encouraged about our core group.  What we desperately need is two or three Spanish families who are strong believers who will become part of the church planting team.  Of course, we would like some new believers amongst this initial group, but pray we can have a least a few families who are believers to help with the church plant. 

(We continue to be a mission point of the Badajoz Baptist Church.)

Partnering

I (Chris) was able to preach at a local church this past Sunday which was a great opportunity to share about what God has been teaching us this last year as well as cast a vision for Cáceres and Extremadura.  The church, El Puente, has been very supportive of our church plant and has even sent a family once a month to come a visit us.  We had a missionary couple from the church over for coffee and prayed for each other and the work in Extremadura.

Preparing (Leadership Development)/Parting

We continue to do leadership development with our Hands On students.  They have had many opportunities to share life with their lost friends and talk about spiritual things.  They seem to be more comfortable in their ministry and witness and God continues to use them to reach students in Cáceres and help out with the church plant in Trujillo.  David and Cristina have been coming to church every Sunday even though they still live in Badajoz.  David preached a couple of Sundays ago and they continue to grow spiritually as they are active in ministry.

February 2009

Prayer

We are finally back in Spain after being in Houston for over 8 months (Cathie for 10 months).  Over this last month we’ve almost had to pinch ourselves to make sure we were actually back in Spain.  It has been a rough year and prayer has been the driving force that gets us through each day.  We have been encouraged by the many emails and calls from people all over the world asking how things are going and sharing about how they have prayed for us.  Our ties to the States have been greatly strengthen as we have been about to speak in several churches and get even more prayer support.  Our prayer partner base has increased a great deal as we have had the opportunity to talk about what we do in Extremadura and also share on a personal level about what God has been teaching us this last year.

(Caylee and Cayleb back to Spanish schools again)

People

We have been warmly received back to Spain this last month.  Most everyone knew why we were in the States and people have gone out of their way to make us feel welcomed back.  Our next door neighbor (who is a great cook) fixed us lunch for the first couple of weeks we got back.  It was nice to have a “Spanish restaurant” deliver food to our door.  We talk with them most every day and Cayleb has gone over to play the Wii with one of the family’s older sons.  We have also gotten to get to know the kids school friends families better as they have ask about our time in the states.  During some of these times we have had good spiritual conversations where we have been able to share about having faith and trusting in God no matter what.  We were able to get together with one family whose daughter is in Caylee’s class.  I (Chris) talk to her dad most every day as we take our kids to school and pick them up.  They came over for coffee and we spent most of the afternoon together.

Planting

We have started our Sunday services with the Hands On students in English.  This first month has helped us cast the vision for reaching Cáceres and Extremadura for Christ.  We will start Spanish services next Sunday with the addition of David and Cristina who want to start coming to Cáceres for the services on Sunday even though they still live in Badajoz.  Last Monday we had our first dinner/meeting with Christian students in Cáceres.  We talked about having a weekly meeting/dinner where they could invite their friends who are unbelievers.  All of the thirteen students who came were very excited about the weekly time together and said they would come next week.  We plan on doing the study on Mere Christianity and also having a movie night once a month.  We also might show some of the videos from the Nooma series done by Rob Bell. 

Partnering

After being back in Spain for a week, I (Chris) went to the meeting of all of the evangelical churches in Extremadura which meets every two months.  The meeting happened to be in Cáceres and our whole family ate lunch with all the different leaders and pastors.  It was an encouraging time together as everyone welcomed us back and let us know that they have been praying for us.  I (Chris) was asked to be in charge of the culture division of the Council of Extremaduran Evangelical Churches, which is the main avenue for evangelism and influence on a regional level.  This position will allow me to have a significant voice in the council, as I will serve on the executive committee and represent all of the Extremaduran evangelical churches.  It will be a great opportunity to inspire the evangelical churches to reach all of Extremadura through the platform of “culture”.  I will oversee the evangelical newspaper and organize culture events that will help the society as a whole understand more who evangelicals are.  We also had a week of prayer where the evangelical church in Cáceres met in the different churches every night for a week to pray for Cáceres and Extremadura.  It was an encouraging time of unity and prayer for the city.

Preparing (Leadership Development)/Parting

Our main focus on leadership development this last month has been with the Hands On students.  This is a great program that allows students who are in school or have graduated to serve internationally for four months up to a year.  We have three serving with us and another study abroad student who is also partnering with us.  They live in a dorm with Spanish students and professionals and have already made an impact for Christ in such a short time.  I (Chris) have been meeting with them weekly for leadership training and discipleship.  They have been reading and learning more about missions in Extremadura and how to effectively reach other university students.  Not only will this leadership development time enhance the work in Extremadura, but the students are being prepared for Kingdom work outside of Extremadura for when they return back to the states or serve in other fields.