Last week was an incredibly fulfilling experience of seeing how God is working in smaller towns in the center of Spain, in Extremadura state and in the province of Cordoba.  I've always believed it's strategic to work in and near larger cities to try to develop church planting movements in a country.  But it's exciting to see people called by God to work in and through the smaller towns.  As a friend likes to say, Paul was called to the larger cities but Jesus went to the small towns of Judah.  A highlight was going to Miramontes Castle (actually the ruins of a castle) on a mountaintop overlooking many small towns and praying over them.

Yesterday I met with Mariano Blasquez, a key evangelical leader in Spain.  He shared his vision to reach an urbanization of Madrid called Puente de Vallecas, with a population of more than 100,000.  There is no shortage of need in Spain in the towns or the cities.  There are about 2700 evangelical churches for a population of 50 million.  If one figured an average of 100 per church, which is high, that works out to an evangelical population in Spain of about one half of one percent. There are 7000 towns and cities that have no church at all.  Cities like Madrid have huge sections with no church, like Puente de Vallecas, Sanchinarro and Las Tablas.  There are needs all over. As we investigate possibilities where TEAM Spain might next send church planting teams we all need God's perspective to determine where He is working and where He wants us to join Him.

At the same time our family is now under about as much financial stress as I can remember.   Of course many can say the same in this world economic crisis, including many of our Spanish friends.  In our case we are blessed by our faithful financial supporters.  We've just had a number of hits in one month that usually are more spread out: both cars needing major repairs, medical expenses not covered by insurance, our son in college needing help, moving expenses and furniture needed in the new home.  There are more, but you get the idea.  Our savings are pretty much wiped out.  

We don't look for demons under every rock, but the way these mini-crises have accumulated, about one a day lately along with other frustrations, leads us to believe we may be under a form of spiritual attack.  You can imagine this saps emotional energy even at a time when we have had good evangelistic opportunities with neighbors, good discipleship meetings with leaders in our church and the tremendous opportunities mentioned  above.

If God leads you to help financially, let us know and we'll tell you how.  But our greatest need right now is for prayer.  Thank you for continuing to lift us up, we depend on your prayers.

In Christ,

Mark and Kay