Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Northern Europe Update


We started the month of August with a wonderful virtual prayer walk in Portugal.  We thank God for the team of workers who are serving the Lord in Portugal.  It was a wonderful turn out of prayer warriors from at least 6 countries. 

(You may wonder why we are speaking about prayer walks in places other than Northern Europe.  Sis. Kelley leads the Regional Prayer Commission and these virtual prayer walks are spear-headed by the Prayer Commission.) 

OUR NEXT VIRTUAL PRAYER WALK IS TO JORDAN ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4.  If you are interested in this time of intercession via Zoom, please write to this address to register.  It will start at 12 noon Central Standard time in USA. 

We thank God for His blessings on the Nordic General Conference that took place on-line.  It was a blessed time with some excellent preaching by Bro. Jack Cunningham.  Pictured above is Bro. Kelley leading the ministers’ business session and the Nordic Virtual Praise Team.

EME YOUTH CONGRESS

Even though we are not young, it was wonderful to be a part of the Europe/Middle East Youth Congress.  The Regional Youth Commission did outstanding organising this.  We enjoyed seeing our own Glasgow girl and Bible School alumna, Christine Patterson who is now a missionary to Romania, take part in one of the sessions.  She is pictured in the top left. The next picture shows Sis. Gertrude Riguer from Paris, France speaking in the Thursday evening service.  She is also a Harvest Bible College Graduate.



Although the official graduation is planned for next year, Harvest Bible College did honor those students who completed their course this year.  We thank God for 16 harvesters that have proved their diligence for the work of God by completing their course in a very chaotic year. 


BIBLE QUIZZING

What a blessing to see youth from various churches in Great Britain & Ireland participate in on-line Bible Quizzing.  Our son-in-law, Missionary James Beek, is the National Youth Director and he and Mary Catherine did a great job organising and conducting this wonderful ministry.








 

Monday, August 17, 2020

Spain Update



  • July passed in a flash! We still spent a lot of our time settling-in, but God is faithful! We moved forward in the Spirit, praying and planning.
  • We stayed connected through virtual worship services, and the Youth connected through virtual teaching and prayer. 
  • The Youth held its 1 in-person worship service since the quarantine began in mid-March. We were honored to preach that service; the atmosphere was electric!  
  • July presented numerous opportunities to connect 1-on-1 with members of the youth, and God has open doors to connect us with several families living close to us. Sam has also started his first Bible study (in Spanglish). 

Be still…

And know that I am God. (Ps. 46:10) July came and went quickly. We spent a lot of our time settling-in, but God is faithful! As COVID-19 resurged in Barcelona and the surround region (Catalonia), the government reinstituted some of its previous quarantine restrictions, albeit in milder forms. Bro. & Sis. Harrod anticipated this, and the church seamlessly transitioned back to online services—what a blessing to be led of the Spirit and have Spirit-led leadership! While we wanted a faster start, the Lord used this time to help us plan for a busy August and autumn.  

We remained connected with the youth through weekly Zoom sessions with teaching and prayer. Most often it is the youth giving these teachings. Practical and on-point they prepare the way for the prayer which follows. On several occasions the prayer has moved into periods of intercession for the church, the city of Barcelona, and Spain. It blesses us to watch the youth minister to each other and be ministered to. 

Our 1st Youth Service!  

This month we held our first in-person youth service! The last youth service predates the beginning of the quarantine in Spain, over five months ago.  The Spirit electrified the atmosphere as we began to pray and worship. Kristen and I were honored to preach about “Coming out of The Valley.” We believe God is calling us to be spiritually prepared for moving beyond COVID-19, perhaps in different ways than we ever imagined. 

Thirty attended that service, not including those who tuned-in online. God moved upon many hearts with a spirit of repentance. This was a huge encouragement to both us and the youth. We were also grateful for 5 new youth contacts that came to worship, some of which continue to stay connected to the church.  

It was the first, but it won’t be the last. The last week of August is the annual La Semana de Jóvenes (Youth Week). Three youth services are scheduled for August, including an evangelistic outreach at a main plaza and park. We’re takin’ things slowly, one day at a time, but we’re also takin’ it to the streets!  


Building relationships 

Our first desire in pastoring the youth is to get to know them. Because of July’s restrictions on groups greater than 10, we’ve used 1-on-1 meetings, usually over coffee, to start building relationships. We have so enjoyed these times of fellowship. In early August, we revived a longstanding event here known as Charlas Intimas (Intimate Conversations)—Sam with the boys (chicos) and Kristen with the girls (chicas). The charlas always include a devotion, but more importantly, a time of Q&A, sharing, and prayer with the youth. We hope to do these meetings with some frequency as new youth come into the church.  

Benaiah finished kindergarten this month. He is the smartest dinosaur (see picture below) we know, maintaining his focus amid a move across the U.S. and a protracted transition overseas. Congrats buddy! We’ve taken advantage of the extra time and used it to see some of the beautiful sights and fun attractions here in Barcelona.  Xander entered the perilous world of potty training and perfected the art of photobombing his own family’s family picture. Congrats to you too buddy!  

Prayer requests 

  • Continued revival and harvest in Spain.
  • Direction for the Youth as we close out 2020 and look toward 2021.
  • Wisdom in choosing the proper school for Benaiah and Xander in the Fall, and favor in receiving a space at our top-rated schools.  
  • That Sam would be effective in learning to listen, speak, and read and write Spanish. (He has entered a five-week, intensive course.) For Kristen to further hone her language skills. 







Thursday, August 13, 2020

Luxembourg Update


Greetings from Luxembourg In the Name of Jesus! 

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:7 - 8).

The King Of Glory is still mighty in battle. He is still revealing Himself, still filling hungry hearts with His Spirit, and still establishing His Kingdom in earth as it is in heaven!

Cristina Ramirez Medina is the mother of one of the ladies that received the Holy Ghost in Luxembourg last year. Wednesday, July 15, she received the baptism of the Holy Ghost in one of our on-line Bible studies! (pictured below: top photo).

Sara Perez (pictured above: lower) is originally from Colombia and has an Apostolic background from childhood. She had been away from God for many years, found herself in abusive relationships, and was looking for that Door of Hope. She moved to Luxembourg about a year ago and God brought us together, so we adopted her into our church family. On Tuesday, July 28, Sara prayed back through to the Holy Ghost in an on-line Bible study! Today, she is firmly established in God’s family.






We truly appreciate your faithful support in this work in Luxembourg. All of the prayers, every dollar, and the time invested in this endeavor is well worth it to see lives like these changed for eternity. With your help and the grace of God, we are making a difference.

In His Service,
Jeremy & Khrista Favors