An Amazing Summer!

Hellooooooo!! How are youuuu!! Wow God is good all the time, all the time God is good! What a challenge to say that in moments of trials, but it is in those moments that we have to remind ourselves that He is good, and He loves us and God can and will use those difficulties to mold us and draw us and even others closer to Him!

So Spain was amazing! It was so hard to leave, I was very excited to go to the coaching tour, I’ve missed being with kids, but I knew it was going to be hard to go through all the goodbyes again, it never gets easy for me, I love people and there is always this part inside of you that wants to keep it all =) One really sweet story is of Claudia one of the girls from our team, she is 12 and she loves the team, we had good opportunities to talk to her about who Jesus is and one day she came excited saying she was going to try-out for another team, I told her I was happy for her but we were sure going to miss her and that we love her, the next day she surprised me coming to the house, she said she didn’t want to go to the try-outs because there was something different in us, in our team, and that this was her team and that she loved it, she said “Plus, you are leaving and I had to come say goodbye!” She probably came to the house every day on my last week in Spain, how beautiful what God can do!

Spain taught me so much, to use every opportunity to love people, its not always about words and treating people like another number, another soul, but more like another unique person, that God loves, designed the way they are with purpose and He placed me in their life for a season to love them, its not up to me for people to get saved, but it is up to me that they can see His love through me! Intentionally love and serve those God puts in your life!

So again another chapter and another season! And somehow I know that the work with Spain will continue somehow! I am so thankful for all of you, thank you for also believing in me (when even I was doubting), and investing in me financially, emotionally and spiritually! Thank you for being my family, it makes all the difference to know its not only me serving but I have this army of godly loving people with me! Thank you!

It was such a blessing to go to the US and do the coaching tour, it was funny to go back to English mode =), I was sooo grateful that I got to see some of you, but some I didn’t even got a chance to talk on the phone, I’m sorry about that! I met wonderful kids, coaches and families! God truly blessed this trip, so many children opening their hearts to Jesus and learning more about this amazing relationship! The Coaching Tour consists on 5 weeks...

SMTC, OH (First Week) - Training week, in our soccer skills and specially spiritually, also meeting the coaches, creating harmony and unity in the team.


Parkside camp, OH (Second Week) - Meet my host family and my team of the week, the Champions of the junior division, Brazilian Tigers!


Scranton Rd camp, OH (Third Week) - Amazing camp, I adopted a mom =), meet my host mom and my team, Colombian Lubsters!


Boulder Valley camp, CO (Fourth Week) - Meet my great hosts and my energetic team, German Fireflies!


Crossroads camp, CA (Fifth Week) - Meet my crazy hosts and my even crazier team, Mexican Chihuahuas!!


One final note, very important news, IM ENGAGED!!
Yeeees!! It’s crazy, here are pics…

LOVE YOU! And thank you so much for being such an example to me, God has allowed me to meet and even live with godly families, strong in the Lord, and it has given me hope to know I can too be a light in my marriage like you!

LIFE TO GIVE

Jesus said, "Real life is not measured by how much you own" (Luke 12:15 NLT) but by how you live. That's why it's always wise to challenge yourself and examine how you spend your time. Jesus said that in order to follow Him, we "must give up the things we want" (Luke 9:23 NCV). Reach out to others. The smallest good deed is worth more than the biggest intention. The enemy doesn't mind you talking about your faith as long as you don't practice it. God never teaches us anything without giving us an opportunity to put it to work. That's why Jesus said, "Blessed… are those who hear the Word… and obey" (Luke 11:28 NIV). May we choose to obey!

PRAYER

Praise God for
- His salvation, being here has given me such an appreciation and awareness of the responsibility of the hope we have and can share!
- The way He is revealing himself to the people around me, what I joy that I get to see that.
- All of you, this amazing loving family God has given me, for your support in everything and especially with Pepe and His family!

Please Pray For
- Pepe, his family and friends! Pray for Hugo so he can have opportunities to share with them!
- The girls in soccer, may we grow even deeper in our conversations and point them to Jesus
- Alba's family, Estefania and Espe, may God reveal himself now even more in their life, and may they open their hearts to Him.

Hello my strong prayer warrior family! Thank you so much for your prayers! Pepe and his family are so thankful, they are doing well and I know God touched their lives through you, Hugo and I are so grateful because of that!! Please do keep me informed also on how you are and how I can also be praying for you!


This time in Spain has been of great blessing! I have been able to take advantage of my situation here, being the new girl, I get to ask all the good questions about them and their life, and I get to answer their wonderful questions about what I think and my testimony and God has given me great opportunities to love, bond and share with the people here, with the girls in the soccer team and even with their families!


In the prison ministry, we were able to go in with some girls from the soccer team and play a soccer game with them, and it was a good opportunity for both the prison girls to know we care and value them, and also for the team girls to witness a bit more of our testimony in other situations, hopefully they can see consistency and God’s love that moves us to do these things!


In the soccer team God has blessed us with other christian girls that are here studying Spanish for a few months, and have been of great blessing to the team, by their consistency, their commitment, their joy and just their testimony! And there has never been so many christian girls on the team, so we pray that the other girls can see the common factor in the fruit that comes from a true relationship with God, because here the danger is that they can admire you and see you are different, but don’t give God the credit, but now that they can see the common factor is Jesus, we pray it is a stronger impact!


Another great tool God was able to use and I pray he continues to use is the movie Fireproof, we were able to watch it with one of my adopted families (Alba's family) which I love very much and spend much time with, and with another girl from soccer (Estefania), let’s just say we even had tears in the audience and for Alba's dad it was the first movie he didn't fall asleep! So please continue to pray for them, because I do believe this movie can be very challenging and very clear about the gospel, so we were very excited about this!

Espe was able to come last year to Guatemala for the women’s tour, and she has been really excited to raise funds to built a house for one of the poor families she was able to meet in Guatemala, so her idea was to sell things in the church, I just loved the fact of having her in church, and she came, that was my greatest joy! We didn’t really sell much, and we are far from raising the funds, but I love how God is using this in her life and in our friendship!

There are so many more things I would love to share, God has just been amazing and it has really been great even in the little things, like God providing for special ways to bless and visit others and allow that to be a small example of how much God loves them and how He is showing that love to them! Thank you so much for all your prayers and support, you are so loving!

PRAISE REPORT!

THEY FOUND PEPE!!!! We praise God for protecting Pepe and answering all of our prayers!! We are sooo thankful to all of you for your prayers and your response in this very ugly situation! Wow God is just amazing and we saw His faithfulness even from the beginning when I saw your quick responses to this and willingness to pray!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!

I don't have specific details on how they found him, all I know is that it was in a small town away from the city and that he is ok, the best thing is that Pepe and his family are giving God all the glory! I will continue to keep you informed, I know deep inside God is doing far more in Pepe's heart and that is exciting!

Several of his friends gathered in his house to welcome him, God was pouring His love on Pepe and his family!! Thank you so much for all your constant prayers!!! We will continue to pray for Pepe's heart to be open to what God has in store for him! Also for God to deliver Pepe, his family and friends from fear, but to use this situation to increase faith and dependance in God.

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:9

Thank you God, thank you Father!! We pray that Pepe and his family and those around him be exposed to your amazing grace and be transformed by it!

Love youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!

Breaking Chains

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:21
Don't be affraid of conflict, conflict can be healthy. No conflict means the worst will always prevail. We have to fight for what's right! Everything in life is a result of conflict and compromise, If we refuse to have any conflict nothing will change and worst will always prevail. All that evil needs to win is for good men to do nothing. We have weapons, we are warriors, we must exercise our faith and become participants in this great battle, and if God is for us who can be against us! Let us use all that God has given us to fight!

SPAIN!