September 2015

Dear Pastors and praying friends,

We are all doing well and want to update you on recent news and prayer requests! As I write, three of us are in Michigan and four of us are in Spain. Bill had to make a return trip for paperwork with three of the boys. Praise God they were able to pick up their new residence cards this morning and now we all have “permanent residence” with ID cards good for 5 years! We are very thankful for a generous friend who allows us to use his Delta airlines standby passes. Even though it sometimes makes for some adventurous travel, the savings between standby and retail have been a huge blessing for us! Please be praying with us for the return trip from Spain scheduled for September 7th. Lord willing, they will arrive back to Michigan just in time for the boys to start school on September 9th!

We were blessed to be able to be stateside for a very special event last weekend: a party to celebrate Bill’s grandparent’s 70th wedding anniversary! It was a wonderful time to be able to share dessert and fellowship with so many friends and relatives and to be able to honor a couple that has lived their entire lives committed to each other. We’re thankful for their example to their family and community.

The church in Spain, Iglesia Bautista Renacer, celebrated the inauguration of a new (rental) building on July 11th with around 100 people in attendance, including the mayor of our town and another representative from city hall as well. The mayor even participated in the program sharing a few words and specifically mentioned that they desire us to return to Spain after our furlough. For the mayor to acknowledge our church’s presence is important toward “legitimizing” our presence in the community, in a secular manner of speaking. Summer camp this year was successful and one of the girls from the youth group brought a friend who made a salvation decision. We have been hearing good things from those who are in charge in our absence and Bill will be able to attend this Sunday. There are always a few that drop off when the pastor is away, but the majority of the people have been faithful and are bringing visitors. Last month they planned a dinner to celebrate an Ecuadorian holiday and actually had the Ecuadorian ambassador to Malaga attend! There are several attending that are considering baptism, so pray for them that God will work in their hearts and give them the courage to take that next step in their faith. Please pray for our interim pastor, youth leaders and Sunday school teachers and also for those facing family and financial difficulties. Many are still without work.

In other family news, the boys are super excited to have the opportunity to attend the Christian school where their Dad graduated and their cousins attend! They have already begun soccer practice for the first time ever on an official team. Jordan has scored his first goal and won his first three games. Please pray for them to make cultural adjustments and friends and for JohnPaul especially to master English phonics. We are also excited to be celebrating Brianna’s wedding to Evan LeVasseur this month! Those in the area on October 3rd are cordially invited to attend a reception in their honor at the Howardsville Christian School gym from 2-4PM. Thank you so much for your prayer and support for our family! God has been so good to take care of us and encourage us and so many times He uses YOU to do that!

Bill and Dena Rose with Kelsey, Jordan, Joshua, Josiah and JohnPaul