Week 5 Seville

We have come to discover that a land that is very dry. is also a land that is very thirsty and we have got to witness that first hand.  Countless of times we have seen people walk away during the message, but unlike the United States, there is something that draws them back to hear more of the message just like that of the roots of a willow tree searching for water, This has been an exciting part of the trip to see God at work in the hearts of the people.

As we close week five of teaching puppets, drama, and sketch board at the church where Paul preached Sunday evening, we are grateful that the congregation were very enthusiastic and encouraged that many decided to return for the training after witnessing the drama, "Set Free", and the message from Hebrews, chapter two, which mirrored the drama with the Gospel of forgiveness and redemption. Following the training sessions each night we went to the streets of Seville and shared the Gospel with drama and sketch board messages..

The believers in España have such beautiful hearts which are reflected in their music, praise and worship and we will miss them so much! The gratitude they show us is genuine and touching and causes us to wish we could do more! But there is prayer and we can lift them up to Jesus from anywhere. Together we serve a mighty God!

  

Our thanks and much gratitude also goes out to Carey and Sharon Owen for hosting us these past two weeks.  They willingly opened up their house to a bunch of teenagers (and three old people), fed us, nurtured us and gave us a place a place to lay our heads each night.Carey and Sharon have been a great example to us all for their gracious, servant hearts and will always have a special place in our hearts.

The End of Five Amazing Weeks

For the fourth week of ministry in Spain, we started with a kids club in a small park. When we got there, we set up and while we waited for kids to show up we had an amazing time of fellowship with the people we were working with. We taught them how to polka dance, waltz, and we talked with a lot of the study abroad students. The area we were in didn't have many kids, so after we waited awhile we decided it would be good idea to move. We then had to pick up everything (including the easily, broken puppet stage) and carry it to another part of the park where there were kids. While we were in the middle of puppets, there were minor technical issues with the sound system. So we had to go right into the kids message that I was giving that night. With Gods help, somehow the message of the Gospel was spoken through me. 

On Monday, we started another three days of training a church for open air ministry. We didn't have as many translators but somehow with our little Spanish and their little English, they learned Sketchboard, drama and puppets. When we went out Monday night, we prayed beforehand that God would open the hearts of the people we would talk to. The amount of amazing conversations we all had proves that God really does answer prayer. 

These five weeks have been amazing, so thank you to anyone who has supported us financially or with prayer because we wouldn't be here experiencing these amazing things without you. - Lauren Hollidge

One Country, One Body, One God

This past week we have been working with two Spanish churches. It's been amazing getting to know the people of the church, working with and training them for ministry. One night when we were out doing a kids/family ministry in the park two, separate, older ladies were sitting on park benches listening to the message. After the program was over and it was time to talk to the people sitting around, Carey went and talked to one and Sharon the other. They were very responsive to everything they talked about and heard.They were both invited to the church on Sunday and guess what?.......They both showed up at church on Sunday morning! The older lady she loved the message really wanted to start coming to an evangelical church.  She said that she felt empty 

empty inside and said, "What do I need to do to have someone come and visit me to tell me more about these things that are new to me?" What an awesome response!  We all know that Jesus's love is the best way to be fulfilled! It was amazing seeing the change of heart that happened from just starting off as a friendly conversation. 

Throughout the two services we went to that Sunday, the worship was incredible. It was like we all gathered as one giant body through Christ, praising Him through singing and praying together. Even though the service and songs were in Spanish it was so cool connecting with other believers from a totally different way of life. It's so awesome to be one team with the church and as believers, come together as one body through Christ to help minister in the parks and to continually praise God throughout the day. 

That Sunday night we performed the drama in front of church for them all to see. They loved it and applauded so much when we finished! Afterwards Paul did the message for the service that night on the paint board. The pastor was so nice and thanked us multiple times for coming and being there with everyone. He thanked us for the message that we shared and really appreciated how we didn't water down the gospel. He told us how the Gospel message is so clear through our ministry and how sometimes some people make it seem weak. He explained how the entire church really wanted us to come back to be with them and was praying that one day some of us would come back as missionaries in Spain! I'm very excited to strongly

finish out this week and to continue to proclaim the Gospel as much as possible hoping it will inspire other believers to do the same. - Seneca Bradley 

God Working In Lives

This week we are had the opportunity to work with another church doing more training and night ministry. Monday was our first day of training and a lot of people came. Everyone seemed really interested in learning. Also, we did night ministry at a fountain just outside the metro entrance for Puerta Jerez. We had a lot of good conversations. There were a few people who stayed to watch multiple messages and dramas. The people seemed really receptive to the Gospel and no authorities told us to move, or gave us any trouble.

Thank you for your prayers. We have really seen God working in the lives of the people here, even though we were told not to expect much of a response. Please pray that God would give us the strength to finish out the week strong and that we would have a safe trip back and that we would not miss any of our flights. Thank you. - Nate Palmer

Nonbelievers 'n Rollerblades 

This week has been so amazing! Going into it, we did not know what the plans were, or if we even had a plan! We ended up training more people to use the sketchboard, puppets, and drama. Then, in the evenings we would do adult ministry in front of the metro station to Puerta Jerez. What was so amazing about this week was how God truly opened the eyes of those who either watched the drama, or listened to the Gospel message on the sketchboard. On our first night of ministry, Joan and I got to talk to four Asian students from the University of Toronto. I talked to two of them, Sabrina and Tina, about how God just absolutely loves them, and I explained the Gospel to them. After saying this, not only were they speechless, but their eyes lit up like Christmas trees! Never had I seen nonbelievers be so excited by the Good News, and it was so amazing to see the Holy Spirit working in their hearts right before my eyes. Additionally, Joan was talking to the other two, Iko and Vicky. These girls were persistent in proving that science was the answer to everything, and that they didn't have any religious beliefs. Also, watching Joan talk to and question them about God, and also seeing the conviction in their hearts as their "smart-alec" responses withered away, was so amazing and such a God thing! On our second night of ministry, Seneca, Bethany, and I got into a great, yet brief, conversation with three girls: Keira, Maritza, and Gisella. Keira was the only one who spoke English, and was so enthusiastic about what we had to say about God and His love. She even questioned us "How can you do this? How did you know this was the right thing to do?". She was so excited to talk to us about this, and seemed genuinely eager to truly seek and find more about God. Just as there were so many highlights about our nighttime ministry, we had some distractions and downfalls. In the middle of Joel's message, "If Only" on the sketchboard, a large group of rollerbladers came through and waited, very LOUDLY, in front of sketchboard (Joel is a Swiss missionary we met in Spain). Rather than paying attention to what was being preached, they all socialized with one another. They stayed for the duration of the message, and eventually left afterwards. In addition, our first day of ministry, there was a group of break dancers who were blasting their music. Let's just say, we've had our fair share of boomboxes and rollerbladers! 

Thank you all so much for your consistent prayers and keeping in touch with what God has done in our lives this summer! God bless you all, and those we talked to! - Erica Feagans

Sketch Board Training

God Touching Hearts on the Streets

Fun with Family Ministry

Fun at Park Ministry

Week 4 Seville

To a nation that often times does not like to talk about death; hiding from it as if people just disappear and avoid the realization that 10 out of 10 people die, God has changed our plans from teaching ESL classes to equipping the saints this week in Seville and in turn passing the baton to speak life. 

The ministry has been great here is Seville. We have now successfully adjusted to the Spanish cultural day and dry heat of around 106 - 109 degrees. In the evenings during non training times, we have been out on the streets sharing the Gospel and getting back to our lodgings at around 12:30 am. In the mornings we have been conducting training seminars from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm.  Even though there are times that we are tired, the Lord continues to give us the energy to keep pressing on.

 "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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners,so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  Hebrews 12:1-3 

Ella es fotogenica

This week of ministry has been so amazing! It has been so cool to sit back and watch God provide for us in so many ways and redirect our paths of ministry to bring glory to Him. With our last couple of days in Madrid, we all were anticipating our first week of ministry in Seville to be ESL, teaching Spaniards how to speak English. While we were packing up all of our belongings for our early morning flight, we questioned as to why we had so much surplus sketch board paper and paint, as we thought we wouldn't need it for the rest of the trip. Little did we know, Carey Owen would call Paul to say ESL classes had been cancelled due to a lack in registration, and we would be teaching others how to use the sketch board, puppets, drama, and balloon animals to preach the Gospel. How amazing God is! Seeing how God is going to use all the tools we had prepared, and didn't anticipate using for the remainder of our stay in Spain, is so cool! His divine appointments are really showing through this ministry, as we can see who He wants to have learn a variety of different ways to preach His Word.His divine appointments are really showing through this ministry, as we can see who He wants to have learn a variety of different ways to preach His Word. In addition to our evangelism training classes, we have been doing late night ministry for children/families. On our second night of ministry, we (Mission Possible, Carey Owen, and some teenagers we have been training) travelled to "Las Vegas". In all honesty, this was the most spiritually tense, distraught, and filthy place I have encountered as a Christian. Everywhere you walked, there was broken glass, gypsies, and we even drove past a dumpster that was on fire. However, in our devotion that morning, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20:35. As a group, we gave up our comfort and evening to preach the Gospel to the spiritually dehydrated children and parents. The result was the largest crowd of people I have witnessed to ever come to a children's club! God has worked in amazing ways, and though I am upset that it has been our second to last week, I cannot wait to see what other amazing things He has in store! - Erica Feagans

 Extending God's love to Las Vegas

This week, in the evenings, we went out to different communities doing family/kids ministry. We went to the gypsy community of Las Vegas in Spain, one of the poorest areas. As we drove in we saw trash and broken glass all over the ground as well as several buildings that were falling apart. For our kids club we were joined by some of the people we had been training to evangelize throughout the week. The kids really seemed to listen to what we had to say about the gospel and you could see a thirst they had for it although they still didn't fully understand. So many of us had amazing and moving conversations with the people after our kids club. The people there are so lost and broken and it was so amazing to see God working though us, speaking to the people's hearts. 

Some of the Spanish people are prejudice, and even afraid to go into the community. On the way home from ministry, one of the girls who had been coming to our training talked about how moved she was by this experience and how Christians shouldn't prejudge people. Even though it was one of the worst neighborhoods in the area, the gypsies were so accepting and open to us. Being able to love on the children was such a blessing and it was an experience that I will never forget. Please pray for the people in this neighborhood, so many of them have such heavy struggles in their life and a great need for the message of the gospel. - Renee Trageser

Now Go and Make Disciples of All Nations

This week we had the opportunity to run workshops. On Sunday we got the chance to go to two different churches, one in the morning and one at night. This is great because it gave us the opportunity to connect with people, and when they came to the workshops they were a familiar face.

During these workshops, we've had the opportunity to train others on how to evangelize. I think this has given them a boost in creativity and maybe inspired some additional ways in how to share the gospel. It has also encouraged them and their spiritual journeys as well. We found out that an evangelism training conference had been canceled and the youth in this area were disappointed. Before our arrival they had been praying for an opportunity to evangelize and learn more about how to do it. It's amazing that God used us to fulfill that for them and it's been a blessing as we can both grow in our relationships with God and each other. We've been able to teach them our "Set Free" drama (Carmiña, Lauren, and Renée), how to use the sketch board (Paul, Matt, Nate, and Erica), and skits/songs with puppets (Joan, Seneca, and I). There are even a couple men who are so passionate about the sketchboard that they want to buy it from Paul. It's cool to see how God has used the situation to further His kingdom and spread the gospel even after we leave here in just 9 short days (WOW I can't believe I'm saying that). God has also blessed us with missionaries Evelyn and Mark from the Netherlands who have lived here in Spain for 4 months. They do really cool things with balloon animals to share the gospel and you can IMAGINE how many kiddos that draws! They're also just great people to be around and such an encouragement. I look forward to see how our last week of ministry will go. - Bethany Ford

 Blessings in Disguise

This week we were all prepared for ESL classes in Seville, but God changed our plans. Just as we were ready and excited for that, He changed courses fast and we thank the Lord for all He's allowed us to experience.  After our first day here, one of the things we found out after training people for evangelism is that the youth had been praying for a heart for evangelism and we were glad to show what we have learned. I was with the sketch board crew and everyone picked up sketch boarding so well.  We even found somebody who might wanna buy the sketch board kit to carry on the ministry while we're gone, which for us is an answer to prayer.  It's funny how God works in mysterious ways. And it's not just with sketch board all the teams are really excited and on fire for God, I feel like our disciples will preserver for the Lord. - Matt Mallet

Week 3 Cobeña, Spain

This week we have been working in the 10th century town of Cobeña conducting two hour long English classes followed by Gospel presentations in the park. We have seen how just like in the book of Acts chapter 11 where the Lord's hand was on the people and then the people believed and turned to the Lord, we have seen the Lord's hand on this little town of Cobeña.  For some people their demeanor has changed towards us, some have been broken over their sin, and some peoples hearts have been changed.  We have also seen the power of prayer in that when no one showed up at the beginning of English class, after praying people just turned up out of no where.

"Oh that's called a cooking table!" 

This week is the first week that we are openly teaching English to anyone who's interested in a little town called Cobeña, Spain. Paul put me in charge of all of the planning and the organizing for this 3 day class. I had about a day to organize everything for the first day of classes. Sunday we went around and handed out fliers to people on the street and we hung them up on the windows of any restaurant that wouldn't mind. Monday came around and we had everything ready. We weren't sure who was coming and who would know some English and who wouldn't, so we had to be prepared to be flexible. We started at 6:30 and for about an hour there wasn't anyone coming in. It was honestly a big discouragement from working so hard to get everything ready for that afternoon. Some of us went into one of the classrooms and just prayed for God to bring people out of their homes and to come ready to learn. I didn't figure this out until later that night, but at the same time the pastor we are working with walked back home and prayed for people to come out and another guy, Peter, walked up to the church and prayed by the door for God to bring people out. When we were done praying and came out of the classroom there were actually people waiting to be taught! It was incredible that God answered our prayers immediately. After the classes we gave out refreshments and everyone sat in the park outside. We then set up the paint board and gave a Gospel presentation along with a Gospel trick. All of them listened including some of the older guys who were just there hanging out.

From teaching the kids that a stove is not called a cooking table, to drinking warm Coca Cola in the park, it was awesome to just sit around and laugh and have fellowship with people who were actually open and interested in talking about the Gospel. Some of the guys who were just hanging out there are even coming back today for the English class! It was a very successful day even though it was slow at the beginning and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for my team and me for the remaining of this week and the rest of the summer! - Seneca Bradley 

Big God, Little Town

For our second week of ministry in Spain we

were working in a little town called Cobeña to teach English classes. We walked around on Sunday handing out fliers to anyone that would take them. The class was supposed to start at 6:30pm on Monday but it had been about an hour and no one was there. We were discouraged because of all the effort that was put into the class, but we knew that God had a plan. We prayed asking God to send the people that he wanted to the class and when we finished we walked out of the classroom and there were people waiting! The class was successful but we were told we couldn't share the Gospel during it, so as soon as it was over we had everyone come out to the park for snacks and drinks and we set up a sketch board. 

There were a group of college students sitting at the park that didn't want to go to the English class, but Paul walked over to them anyway and shared a bit of his testimony. It was amazing to see them hang on his every word and ask a ton of questions. Another guy with very long hair and his dog (we all fell in love with the dog) were there the first day. He sat with all the kids during the message and was really open to everything that we had to say. The next day he came back and had a lot of his friends with him. Honestly, it was pretty funny to see him and his friends sitting with all the kids listening intently to Bethany give her message. Praise God for all the people that showed up throughout the 3 classes that we had in Cobeña, I think God is definitely working throughout that little town.

-Lauren Hollidge 

English & Evangelism

This has been a great third week of ministry! We were in the small town of Cobeña,and worked with this amazing family.  They were from the small church we went to last Sunday, that helped us pass out fliers regarding our ESL classes. They were so gracious, with feeding us "dinner" and materials we needed for our ESL classes. The classes were so successful! Going into the week, we were all nervous about how many people would show up, as we had so much preparation into what English material we were going to teach. It was so great to see that people from the community showed up! Since we weren't allowed to preach the Gospel in the building, we set up our paint boards outside so we could talk to those who attended, and those at the park outside, about God. Paul got into so many great conversations, as well as us teens! It was so amazing to see how God is doing such great big things in such a tiny community. By the end of the week, we had eleven people in attendance, which may not be a lot, but there is no doubt that God has great plans in store for those who came! Though it makes me upset to think we are already half way through the trip, God has really opened my eyes to see how great His world is! From working in such a large city (Madrid, La Puerta de Sol) to a little community (Cobeña), I cannot wait to see what great plans God has in store for us as we fly to Seville! - Erica Feagans 

Group Devotions in Segovia

Week 2 Madrid

We have settled into our new home and have been working with a great ministry organization called On the RED Box.  We have been conducting out reaches everyday in Madrid by sharing testimonies and using object lessons to show the law, teach repentance and share the Good News.  Everyone of the teens have done a tremendous job and really stepped up to the plate.  They are just as good, if not better, than many adults in our generation; boldly proclaiming Christ and we are so proud of them.  The Lord has not only been at work in our hearts, but we can also see that He is at work here in Porta del Sol, Madrid. We know this because of the distractions that we have been facing from mariachi bands to political protests, but Gods word in going forth and the Holy Spirit has been working on people's consciences.  God has provided opportunities to have some really good conversations from people of all nations: Holland, Romania, Dominica, Puerto Rico, Jordan, Syria, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, France and Spain.  The man from Jordan was Muslim and talked with Paul for an extended amount of time. He genuinely had some great questions, so at the end of their conversation Paul prayed for him and then man also prayed, "Jesus, I'm sorry if you are the son of God and I don't know it."

Preachin' through Protests 

As this first week is coming to a close, I've realized it went

by too fast! After flying for the first time and being in La Plaza, Puerto del Sol, God has done so many amazing things and has led me into so many great conversations, some even in all Spanish! Whether the conversation be with another believer, or someone who has no religious beliefs, God has always filled me with His Spirit and I feel at peace speaking to others about what I believe. One great instance is with this guy named Alex. He's only 19 years old, and had crazy beliefs! He said that being a Christian meant only being a good citizen, and that the Bible was a wonderful book. Also, that there was no way God could be real, but that Jesus seemed like a practical belief.  Joan and I were able to talk to him for about 45 minutes, and gave him various tracts about the Gospel. What's crazy, is he ended up riding our same train home that night! We got to meet his mother, who was raised with Christian beliefs, and best friend Candy, who shared the same beliefs as he did. What's even MORE crazy, is that on our last day of ministry, he was passing through the La Plaza again! I asked him how he had been doing, and he said he was in such peace about what we talked about, and that he was currently studying for exams, and it has definitely been on his mind. How great God is! Please keep him in your prayers, as he is still seeking God and has not yet accepted Him. 

This week, we worked with ONTHEREDBOX, an amazing ministry established here in Madrid. They have people publicly share their testimonies, give visual Gospel lessons, hand out tracts about the Gospel, and even lead some worship songs to intrigue people to stay and listen. 

On Wednesday, Carmiña, Seneca, and I gave our testimonies on this red box. It was the most terrifying yet spiritual experience I have ever encountered. Standing and talking about what God has done in my life and how being a Christian has changed my life really was a step in my faith. In our workshop on Thursday, the instructor, Daniel, had us brainstorm and create our own visual Gospel messages. Little did we know he would have us all preach them on the red box that night! This also was an immense leap of faith as we had to use our own creativity, yet it was so cool to see how God used each and every one of us in such different ways to preach His Word in a manner we had never done before. This has been an amazing week, and I cannot wait to see what the next three have in store!! - Erica Feagans 

Standing On a Red Box

Hello everyone,

This was our first week working in Spain and we had an amazing time, minus the jet lag. We have spent the last week working with OnTheRedBox. We had an amazing time working with them and everyone would agree that we learned new ways to evangelize from them. The first day, we did not have a class from them so we went into the prayer room only. The prayer room is this room with instruments and chairs where we could just sit, listen to some music, and pray to God without many interruptions. It was very peaceful. 

We went out that night from 7 till 10 and watched other people share their testimonies and give object lessons while we were handing out tracks. It was really interesting to see people not use the sketchboard while preaching and giving a personal testimony instead. The other days were a little more interesting. The next day we got a lesson by David, one of the employees with OnTheRedBox. He gave us a general overview of the gospel. Again, none of us gave our testimony or preached, but we watched and handed out tracks again.

On Wednesday, we had a class which led by the director of ministry Jacob. He told us about the four pillars that OnTheRedBox uses. They are the law, eternity, Jesus, and redemption and faith. These are the four things they told us to go through when we gave our testimony and when we were doing an object lesson. You start out by telling people how we have all broken God's laws. Then you explain what breaking God's law means, that we have to go to Hell for our sins. Next, we explain the good news that Jesus died for us so that we don't have to go to Hell and can go to Heaven. Finally, we explain how to accept Jesus into your life and trust him as your Lord and savior.

That was also the day that we got a 10 minute crash course on how to give a personal testimony. We went out that night and a few people gave their testimony. We also brought out our sketchboard to show how we use it to the people with OnTheRedBox. On Thurday, another worker with OnTheRedBox, Dan, gave us a lesson on how to use and object to preach. You start with a story and then lead into the four pillars. Similar to the Wednesday, some people gave their testimony on the red box and others used an object to preach. We did not use the sketchboard that day as we wanted to try using an object. We were also able to put on the drama without the police shutting us down for using sound equipment. It drew a large crowd and many people stayed to listen to the object lesson that followed.

On Friday, we had our last lesson by Jacob where he gave demonstrations of illustrated messages. There was also another group helping out that day so the lesson was also a review of the previous days. That day, we did a little bit of everything. We did the drama, though we could not use music, some people gave testimonies, and other people gave object lessons. All in all, it was a very good week. Although we had heard most of the lessons before, it was really nice to hear them in such a structured order and they presented slightly different methods than we had previously used.

On the last day I was able to have a really good conversation with someone from Syria. He and his family are not Muslim so they have a hard time living there. He was willing to talk to me, Paul, and another person there that day, Gabe. I think we were able to talk to him for over an hour and in that time we were able to share the Gospel with him. He did not make any profession of faith but Gabe was able to get his contact on Facebook so he can talk to him more. Please pray that God would plant a seed of forgiveness in his heart and that Gabe would be able to communicate with him.- Nate Palmer

Where the Autobús At? Whoops There it Goes.

This week has been great. We're finally starting to adjust to the Spanish schedule. We're also learning to be flexible in our plans for ministry, which for me at least, has been a great experience. I'm learning to follow Gods plan even though it might not always go with what man is planning. As you can tell from the title, we've missed the autobús like 4 times now... But it's also given us a chance to bond in all of the time we spend waiting for the next one, haha. We went to Alcala on Sunday and that was our first real taste of Spain. I know all of the girls just fell in love with this beautiful country! In Renée's post, she talks about our God experience at the produce store... God has continued to show himself in little ways like that! Sharing in the streets of Madrid has been a stretching experience. There is a lady who plays the piano, guitar, and sings with a beautiful voice who is probably my favorite part of ONTHEREDBOX. She leads us through worship and prayer for an hour before we go out on the streets and we all just feel so refreshed and filled with the Holy Spirit through the talent God has blessed her with! Also, the coffee shop there has some fantastic coffee (my parents are smiling reading that... Hey mom and dad (: haha) - Bethany Ford

Group Devotions

The Spanish Princesses