We took off for the first half of November to visit our coworkers, Jon and Lorena Templeton, in Spain. Our goals were to: 1) Spend time with the Templetons; 2) Help them move into their new apartment in Ponferrada; 3) Strategize with other Christian leaders on the best way to begin ministry in Ponferrada.

Kent Albright, one of the veteran missionaries in Spain, and Jon’s pastor from Pennsylvania, were able to accompany us to Ponferrada and share both pastoral and cultural insights. We are thankful for their involvement in this endeavor.

We also stopped by Bembibre, a town of 20,000 just outside of Ponferrada. There is no evangelical church in the city. We asked various people around the city to point us to the evangelical church, and all the fingers pointed to the Catholic church. “That is the church for everybody” was their reply.

The opportunities in Ponferrada are great. I am very excited about the possibilities of getting involved in the community through various means and I truly believe that we will be able to make many contacts and share the Gospel. I can’t wait to watch Jon’s first few months there. He is a huge encouragement to me in his interaction with others, and I am excited to partner with him and learn from him.

Will you be in prayer for Ponferrada? It is a city desperately in need of the Gospel.