October Update

Hello praying friends & family! 

World Team Spain let me know that I will be joining the team in Cáceres! Tim & Paula Tjernagel and their kids (who Gibbsville Reformed Church supports) have been serving in Cáceres for over 13 years.

They serve with Betsy, a single woman their age, and Kristin, a single woman a little older than me. Betsy has been serving in Cáceres for 12 years, and Kristin has been in Spain full-time since this summer. 

Cáceres is a city of 90,000 people and located 3 hours southwest of Madrid. In this city of 90,000 people, there are 2 evangelical churches. That’s right 2. One of those churches is the one Tim, Paula and Betsy have been leaders in starting. The church now has Spaniards in leadership, and they are working on planting another church in a nearby town called Arroyo de la Luz. I will work with the Spaniards in this church-planting effort through evangelism and outreach events. 

Part of my job in Cáceres will also be to reach university students with the gospel and connect them with the local church.  There is a university in Cáceres that has roughly 12,000 students, and there is no Christian ministry present. My job will probably also include teaching English to small groups of students, and I may even coach basketball! These outreach activities in the community will all be done in an effort to share the gospel and connect people with the local church.

I am very excited to join the team in Spain, and it’s beginning to feel real now. Up until this point, it’s felt like a far-off goal. While I am excited, I’m also sad as this reality that I’ll be leaving family, friends, and home is sinking in. Thankfully, I have the promise that God is always with me and will never leave me. I believe God will provide friends and “family” in Spain, but I just can’t see it now and that’s what makes it hard. So I have to prayerfully focus on the good and continue to trust God’s character. Having said that, finding a balance between moving forward in partnership development to get to Spain and soaking up memories with family is hard. Please pray that I trust God’s timing for getting to Spain and serving there and trust His leading for my current moments and memories with family and friends. 

Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, and support. I thank God for you daily and am just in awe of how we’ve all been united for the purpose of brining the gospel to Spain. Thank you so much for following God’s leading to do so. You are a great encouragement to me, and I pray you are blessed in this ministry too. 

With all my love,

Kelsey

Spain video

Thanks to Carrie Vick for all her hard work in creating this video! It is intended to share about the need in Spain and invite others into the ministry to reach Spain with the gospel.  Please use this video as another avenue to invite your friends, small group, or church into the ministry in Spain. Click this link to view the video:
http://vimeo.com/75544789

100%

WOW! God has provided 100% of the $31,000 out-going costs! His provision is amazing! Thank you to each one of you who have helped make this possible. Thank you for giving to God in this way and being part of bringing the gospel to Spain. It seems unreal, and it’s a little hard to stop and take in how amazing that is as I continue to pray for 100% monthly. But when I take the time to think about all that God has already provided, I am amazed and so very grateful. His provision in this way affirms that He is calling me to Spain and will continue to provide. Praise God! 

67%

We’re at 67% monthly, and the training in January is fast approaching. I need 75% monthly to sign up for the training. If I miss this training in January, I will have to wait until July for the next one. Please help us reach the goal of 75%. Roughly $50/month is 1% of the monthly need, so if there are 8 people who feel God leading them to invest in bringing the gospel to Spain with $50/month, we will have 75%! 

You may be praying for the ministry already, have given a one-time gift, or are hearing about the need in Spain for the first time. And maybe now God is leading you to invest monthly in the ministry in Spain? If so, please don’t hesitate to contact me for more information on how you can make an eternal difference in the lives of Spanish people.