¡Saludos! The journey continues as the Lord works in us and through us in España.

Yesterday…We caught the train into Barcelona to meet Maria. We went into a somewhat seedy neighborhood, called El Raval. In the heart of this place that is famous for prostitutes, drug use, and other illegal activity, we met Maria. After standing out in the rain for a few minutes, wondering if we had knocked at the wrong door, we were quickly ushered into a warm meeting room that looked something similar to a hangout place for college kids to do slam poetry. (No wonder, later I found out the Barcelona team of Campus Crusade is based out of this building). There were lots of comfy chairs, a few couches, and a small stage with some wooden stools. This informal meeting area is used to reach out to girls who are enslaved to prostitution, either by choice or by force. We got right to the heart of the matter and started asking questions like, “How do you train someone to go out to the girls?, How long have you been doing this?, What types of risks are involved?, How do you try and gain their confidence and trust?” We were given a lot to digest and think on, but more than anything, we were left with the idea of commitment. Just like all ministry, in order for there to be a relationship, there must be trust. These girls have a really hard time trusting anyone so this isn’t the type of ministry that you go out once every now and then or bring new people with you every week. Maria has been going out with her team to build relationships and share the Gospel with these girls every Wednesday evening, for the past four years.

It was a short time together but well worth it. God is working in the heart of this place and is making Himself known! We will be praying for this ministry and considering how we can reach out to the girls that are close to us.

 On Monday…I (Krista) have a weekly English conversation class, (i.e. intentional conversation about spiritual things in English) with a friend. My friend is a few years older than Edu and was introduced to me by someone I know from church. My friend and their family have become good friends of ours. The conversations we have together are incredible, many times they ask me questions about faith, or other times I ask them questions about why they pray to a virgin. In one of our latest conversations, I asked them if the virgin that they pray to to knows them personally. “No, I don’t think so”, they answered. My heart broke, but they’re exactly right. We continued talking about how it’s possible to know God, how He cares for us and loves us. How He died for us and rose from the dead.

 Last Friday…We began a new study with our pastor. Apart from small groups, and Sundays, every other Friday our church offers a spiritual formation class that is open to anyone. We finished our “Basic Bible Doctrine” class (hip hip hooray!) which was good, but very long. This class was really enjoyable, it ended up being a smaller group with good comments and debate. Our new study is “The Gospel Centered Life” and we’re looking forward to it. As you can tell by the picture, this group is going to be much larger. More than 20 people came the first night! We have this study every other Friday, and then small group afterwards. These Fridays usually make for very long days, often times beginning at 7:00AM with ministry at the seminary and getting home well after midnight from church and small group. We’re grateful, but we need extra endurance for these days : )

Praises & Petitions:

• Praise Him for providing us a flat in Vilassar. It seems like just a month ago Edu was consoling me because I was worried we didn’t know where we were going to live when we return to Spain from the US, and now we have two options! The flat belongs to a couple from the church and they have offered us a steal of a deal for the rent.
• Praise Him for teaching us daily lessons of humility. By living in community (the seminary) and with each other (marriage) we see more and more how despicable our sin (Read our sin, not the sin of others) is and how we have such lessons to learn about forgiveness*.
• Please pray for our relationship with our sending agency, that we would be sensitive to the Lord’s leading and open to change.
• Pray for our future ministry plans, the pastors of our church have approached us with some ideas that on one hand make us tremble (because of inadequacy) and on the other make us want to shout and jump for joy (because these things are our passions).
• Praise and pray for our trip to the US! Pray that this trip would serve to solidify things with our sending agency, raise sufficient support to continue to serve in Spain, and to be a blessing as we bring good news from Spain to you, the Saints at home!

*In closing, I (Krista) wanted to share what I am personally learning about forgiveness. I just finished a book called, “Well-Intentioned Dragons, Ministering to Problem People in the Church”. By the title, I think you can tell what some of my ministry struggles have been : ) Without emphasizing the conflict, but focusing on the things redeemed, I would like to share a few things that I’m processing on the topic of forgiveness.

 ”Forgiveness at bottom is a new beginning, starting at the present moment, the present situation. You don’t start where you wish you were but at the place where you are. Together, you begin again… True forgiveness, is saying, “I don’t completely understand you. I can’t excuse what’s happened, and I can’t forget what you’ve done. But here’s my hand. I want to be your friend again. I still want to work with you. Let’s begin over.” p.145-146

Sometimes we think it’s better to build walls to defend ourselves. Not letting others in, not giving them the chance to hurt us. But we would never learn, we would never be molded, and we would certainly never grow were we to do that.

“How can you learn forgiveness is no one else is around? How can you learn humility living alone? How can you learn kindness or gentleness or goodness in isolation? How can you learn patience unless someone puts yours to the test? To save souls, you must bring them together.” p. 148

Through adversity and interpersonal relationships, I am able to put into practice what God does daily with me. He restores that which has been broken and gives me the opportunity to experience His grace. It is life among people, “that develops the qualities God requires.”

 ”It is good that we at times endure oppostition and that we are evilly and untruly judged when our actions and intentions are good. Often such expereinces promote humility and protect us from vainglory. For then we seek God’s witness in the heart.” -Thomas á Kempis

Thank you for partnering with us, we count it as no small thing! We have your names written on paper so that we can be praying for you. We truly enjoy giving thanks for you and your ministry to us as well as praying for your needs!

Your Servants in Christ,

Edu & Krista

⁷La ley del SEÑOR es perfecta, que restaura el alma;
el testimonio del SEÑOR es seguro, que hace sabio al sencillo.

⁸Los preceptos del SEÑOR son rectos, que alegran el corazón;
el mandamiento del SEÑOR es puro, que alumbra los ojos.

⁹El temor del SEÑOR es limpio, que permanece para siempre;
los juicios del SEÑOR son verdaderos, todos ellos justos.

¹⁰deseables más que el oro; sí, más que mucho oro fino,
más dulces que la miel y que el destilar del panal.

¹¹Además, tu siervo es amonestado por ellos;
en guardarlos hay gran recompensa.

¹²¿Quién puede discernir sus propios errores?
Absuélveme de los que me son ocultos.

¹³Guarda también a tu siervo de pecados de soberbia;
que no se enseñoreen de mí.
Entonces seré íntegro,
y seré absuelto de gran transgresión.

¹⁴Sean gratas las palabras de mi boca y la meditación de mi corazón delante de ti,
oh SEÑOR, roca mía y redentor mío.

by Paul Tripp

Many ways to say, "Merry Christmas"

Traditional clothes from northern Spain...

Dear friends & family,

First we want to say Happy New Year! We hope you have enjoyed this Christmas season and have been able to consider the blessing it is that Christ comes to us not only at Christmas, but every single day.

So much has happened since our last update; Just to give you an idea of recent happenings: IBSTE has become accredited as an official Spanish university (Huge praise!), we went to the Canary Islands for a youth retreat, we made visits to Bilbao (northern Spain) and to Nice (southern France), the Generalitat de Catalunya approved a new law restricting religious freedom, we have welcomed five new students and Spain has elected a new prime minister. Just thinking about all of it makes our jaw drop!

Artisan candies

Mmm...café con leche!

Street sign in Bilbao

The Apostle Paul wrote to his son (in Christ) Timothy, the following words: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Ti. 4:7) Paul comes to the end of his life and is able to say with joy that he has completed the mission that God has commended him with. His pride is not in his achievements but in the doing and following of the will of his beloved Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of this he is able to encourage Timothy, so that he does the same, so that he would fight the good fight of faith that he has before him. This fight is for the Gospel. To live, to grow, to give fruit and then part from this world into the loving hands of his God.

These same words encourage us. We are just beginning to understand and value what this looks like in marriage and ministry. Living together, fellowship, communication, to serve, to love, and to live out the Gospel with unity in Christ. The words of the Apostle Paul comfort and strengthen us. His message is just as significant today as it was 2,000 years ago. It’s worth it to fight the good fight of marriage, family, and friendship. I (Krista) have learned that a seminary is just as tough as serving in any other job. It’s worth it to work together for honesty, purity, grace and forgiveness. In reality, it’s an honor to fight this battle and  we feel very fortunate to be able to do it together. Our objective is clear, reach the goal, “finish the course” and be received into the presence of our Lord. In the meantime, we’d love to share what fighting the good fight has looked like for us over the past month or so. Our story in España continues…

Pastoral Internship
From the last letter that we sent my (Edu) ministry activities have multiplied! I continue to have the opportunity to teach in our church and other churches that have invited us. Krista and I went to my home church in the Canary Islands to lead a youth retreat. We were there the last weekend in October and I was asked to teach on the topic of our identity in Christ. In November, we were invited to preach at a church in Terrassa (what Ft. Worth is to Dallas) this time teaching from the book of Proverbs about laziness and diligence. I have also been teaching in our church, Vilassar, and am currently preparing a four week sermon series on the book of Ruth for February. We recently received an invitation to teach in Málaga (southern Spain) in January with a church that is without a pastor. Right after we return from Málaga, I will accompany our pastor to a conference in Madrid. This leads me to my next point. Our pastor and I have a weekly discipleship and meeting time.  We have just finished reading a book together called, “The Prodigal God” by Tim Keller. Beginning this month, we will be studying this book in the small groups of the church. This weekly time together is serving as great blessing and encouragement for both of us.

Small Group
Krista and I are also leading a small group, it is mainly young adults in their 20’s-30’s. Our heart for the small group is that in community we share practical and dynamic ways to live and communicate the Gospel to others. We meet every two weeks on Friday nights. Group starts at about 9:30 with dinner and ends around midnight after our time of discussion or activity. Lately, our church has been teaching a series on the book of Proverbs. One of the most recent sermons was on the topic of “compassion” in Proverbs. Three weeks ago, six members of our group made “picnics” and went out to the parks and bridges of a major city to serve the homeless a special dinner and hot chocolate. We spoke with many individuals and I got to know a man who lost everything in a matter of years, his job, his family, and in other terms, he had lost all hope. We will start our small group up this next week and will hopefully be able to go out again and serve those who are in need.

Community
Living in community is often difficult, it stretches you, you are asked to lay down your rights, and to consider others better than yourself. A seminary is made up of many people from various churches. In the church there are differences which unfortunately lead us to conflict, poor communication, bad decisions, hardened hearts, etc. But in the family of believers there is also the opportunity to live and practice the Gospel in our actions, our speech, our thoughts, our attitude. It’s not the problem per se that is most important, it is our response. I (Krista) can say that I am learning a lot and being challenged to grow in many ways. There are many exciting moments when you see the Lord working in the lives of His people, myself included. He draws them closer to Him and exchanges their pride for humility, their self-dependence for Godly reliance. We have been able to take advantage of some vacation days and visit friends before Christmas in Bilbao and later in Nice for New Year’s. Both of the trips were very much enjoyed, connecting with good friends and encouraging one another.

Petitions & Praises:

• Praise the Lord for meeting our needs every month, we continually see His provision for us above and beyond what we deserve. Please pray for our future. We are unsure of what our next steps will be but are confident He will show us the way. We are considering some changes but really need wisdom to choose the best option.
• Praise God for our great church home, Vilassar, and for the “family” we feel that we have there. Please pray for our ministry in the local church. Planning intentional time for our small group, sermon preparation, etc.
• Seminary, it has been nice to have a break and we are ready to start up this new semester. Please pray for both of us as we live and serve here at the seminary.
• Marriage, it’s better than what we ever dreamed or expected. That doesn’t mean it isn’t challenging, it is, but it’s worth it. Please pray for unity between us and that we would continue to enjoy the “newness” of marriage.

Edu leading the way...

In the beginning we spoke of fighting the good fight, and finishing the course. However, the Apostle Paul said something more, “I have kept the faith.” This is the crown of righteousness laid up for us (1 Tim. 4:8) that the Lord has given us to fight the good fight that we have before us, arriving at the end with many others to see Him face to face. We want to thank you for your prayers and offerings. These gifts help us to seek the Lord, humbling ourselves before His presence and recognizing that by ourselves we can’t make it. We depend on His grace and mercy. Faith in itself can sometimes falter or feel weak, but you and your commitment to us continues to pick us up and give us hope. Thank you for collaborating in our fight for keeping the faith. Thank you for being a blessing to us.

Your Servants in Christ,
    Edu & Krista García

El primer recuerdo que tengo de ella es su sonrisa. Es tan hermosa, lo pude comprobar desde que el Señor quiso que visitara el seminario donde yo estudio, y creo, que desde ese instante sentí amor por ella, aunque ciertamente, me dije a mí mismo “no puede ser”.

Sin embargo, Dios siempre nos sorprende; y un día, estando en Canarias al final de mi tercer año de seminario, recibí un correo de “Ibste” donde al final aparecía su nombre. Fue increíble, aunque esto no cambiaba la realidad “no puede ser”. Luego me fue a recoger al aeropuerto, para iniciar el curso y me seguía diciendo “no puede ser”. Más tarde, durante el primer trimestre, pasamos mucho tiempo riendo, molestándonos y aunque me estaba enamorando de ella me seguía diciendo “no puede ser” Recuerdo el ir caminando por la arena o corriendo y pensar en ella, pero una y otra vez, todo parecía indicar “que no podía ser”. Así se marchó a Estados Unidos por navidades. Lo mejor viene ahora. En navidades nos escribimos algunos E-mail, y ella fue notando que estaba interesado por ella, y ella me contestó “que le gustaría conocer más” y yo seguía creyendo “que no podía ser”. Regresamos de las vacaciones de navidad y fue ella quién me fue a recoger al aeropuerto. Yo me moría por decirle lo que sentía, pero seguía pensando “no puede ser”. Pero un maravilloso día en el que salimos a caminar…

Fuimos a una pequeña playa de Castelldefels y allí, mirando al cielo estrellado y escuchando el ruido de las olas rompiendo en la orilla, rompí el silencio, la miré a los ojos y le dije ¿sabes qué? Me gustas y me gustaría salir contigo… y ella me respondió ¿por qué?… a partir de ese momento comenzamos una nueva etapa en nuestras vidas. Pronto anunciamos nuestro noviazgo, y poco tiempo después nuestro compromiso. Todo está siendo una gran aventura, una hermosa aventura, donde Dios nos guió hacía el matrimonio. Ese es nuestro deseo, formar una familia. Es increíble, Dios transformó un “no puede ser” en “para Dios no hay nada imposible”. Lo cierto, es que ambos damos gracias al cielo, por su bondad para con nosotros y dos palabras están en nuestro vocabulario. Gracia y esperanza; esto es un recuerdo inamovible de lo que Dios hizo, hace y hará.

———————————

The first memory that I have of her, is her smile. It’s so beautiful, it was something I noticed about her the first time we met. I think the Lord planned things so that we would meet when she came to visit the seminary where I studied. I believe from that instant, I loved her, even though I told myself, “It’s not possible”. None the less – God always surprises us – one day, while I was at home in Gran Canaria and at the end of my third year of studying in seminary, I received an e-mail from IBSTE, and at the end of the message, her name was signed. I could hardly believe it! While I was away on Summer break, she had come to work at the seminary. However, this still didn’t change the reality of, “It’s not possible.” After beginning the next semester, I still kept telling myself, “It’s not possible.” When we saw one another around the school we spent a lot of time laughing together, playing, and I began to think I was falling in love with her, I kept telling myself, “It’s not possible.” I remember when I went walking on the beach or running, I would think about her, but time and again, everything seemed to indicate that it “Just couldn’t be possible.” She left in December to spend Christmas with her family. But here’s the best part… During Christmas break, I wrote her e-mails, and she started to realize that I was interested in her and one day she answered an e-mail saying, “I would like to get to know you better.” I still continued to believe that it wasn’t possible. We returned from Christmas break and she came to pick me up at the airport. I was dying to tell her how I felt, but I still thought, “It’s not possible”. A few weeks later, I asked her to go for a walk…

We went to a small beach in Castelldefels and there, looking up at the star studded sky and listening to the sound of the waves breaking on the sand, I broke the silence. I looked into her eyes and said, “You know what,  I like you, and I would like to have a relationship with you…” and she said, “Why?”. After this moment, we began a new stage in our lives. We soon announced our relationship, and a short time after, our engagement. Everything has been a great adventure, a beautiful adventure, where God led us to marriage. This is our desire, to form a family. It is incredible, God transformed an, “It’s not possible” to a “For God, all things are possible”. We both thank God for His kindness to us and these two words continue to season our conversations: grace and hope. This is an unforgetable reminder  of what God has done, is doing, and will do in the future.

Sinterklaas

When I (Krista) was growing up, I had a collection of Santa figures. I have hardly ever collected anything, but I liked my Santa’s. Each year my mom would buy me one or two new Santa’s from a department store. The Santa’s were special because they were from different countries. For example, the Santa for the US was (and still is) called “Santa Claus” and in the box there was a little booklet that described the Christmas tradition of Santa Claus in the American culture. I don’t remember exactly how many I collected or even where they are now (if I had to guess, I’d say in my parent’s attic in Texas). But I do remember that what I loved most was learning the story of the Christmas tradition in other countries.

We have some good friends who are from Holland and they recently shared their Christmas traditions with us. We went over to their apartment to watch their three little girls so the parents could go out. When we arrived the girls were putting their little boots next to the door and putting a carrot in each boot.

The family explained to us that the 5th of December is when Christmas is typically celebrated in Holland in addition to the 25th. Tradition says that Sinterklaas sails all the way from Spain to the Netherlands. He arrives on a big boat in a different dutch port each year. He wears red bishop robes and when he comes ashore all the church-bells ring. During the night, he visits the home of each child and may leave presents for them. The children leave carrots or hay in their boots for his horse and maybe candy or a cookie for him in the kitchen.

Hadassah is the youngest of the three little girls and might have had to borrow a carrot from one of her sisters…

I (Krista) love this time of year. I like the cold feeling of being outside then coming into a warm place. I also love the homemade goodness that soups and stews serve up on cold days. As most people these days, we are on a budget, so that means you’ve gotta get creative to not sacrifice quality for cost. Most of these recipes have several winning points for me, which can be summed up briefly.

• Quantity – It makes plenty to be able to feed others and yourself. It’s great to be able to invite others over without much prep because you know there will be enough. If you have leftovers they can be sealed and frozen for another day, saves time and money.
• Quality – Nutritious, most of these recipes contain lots of fresh vegetables and not many preservatives, there is no can of mushroom, no cream of chicken, etc. (Note – I am not against these things, but 1) There’s no availability and 2) I’m old fashioned.) The most processed it gets is the chicken broth. I like eating and knowing exactly what I am eating, not looking at labels on things and not only not knowing what it is but not even being able to pronounce the word. After all, are we cooking here or learning a foreign language?

I thought I would share some of my favorite, and so easy, winter recipes for soups and stews…

Ribollita by Ina Garten

I make mental note after mental note to soak the beans overnight, but I always seem to forget. I bought the pancetta and made it with the first time around, but ever since, I opt for saving a few precious monies and don’t include it. Instead of using 4 cups of cabbage and another 4 cups of kale (I can’t get that here anyway) I opt for 8 cups of superfood spinach. It’s super healthy and gives great flavor.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup by Ina Garten

This recipe is as easy as chopping the butternut squash, apples, and onion, seasoning them with salt, pepper, olive oil, and then roasting in the oven. I roast until there are a just a few charred pieces and then mix it all together in my stockpot with the chicken broth. A little curry, salt and pepper to taste, and a few clicks of the immersion blender and that’s it. I think it’s hearty and delicious without the nuts and scallions but feel free to jazz it up!

Ratatouille Soup by FN Mag

Another delicious, simple, and budget friendly soup. The whole meal, with parmesano reggiano cheese, cost me about 1,40€/per person. It’s vegetables, herbs, olive oil, and voilá!  I use a red bell pepper rather than a yellow one (cheaper) and instead of a baguette, I made croutons from ciabatta bread. Also, instead of canned tomatoes, I chopped up some fresh (about 5 small tomatoes), put them in a skillet on a medium flame for about 5-7 minutes and added a little salt and pepper. When they were juicy and delicious, I poured them into the stockpot.

Bacon & Egg Soup  by FN Mag (Trust me, it’s delicious.)

I’ll admit, as I was halfway through, I thought about pouring it down the drain and making this instead. I’m so glad I didn’t. I added a little olive oil to the bacon pieces and 86ed the parsley. Next time I think I will throw in a little spinach. I did use the cheese rind but I didn’t pour in any extra cheese, just grated a little to put on top with the croutons when serving. I had my doubts, but the second I tasted the delicious flavors of the broken egg with the bacon, broth, cheese, and croutons, I was in heaven. Very tasty!

Cranberry Bean Pasta by FN Mag

This is a hearty delicious type of Minestrone Soup. Once again I used fresh tomatoes instead of the canned (soak them in boiling water for a few minutes to make them easier to peel). I also exchanged the kale for spinach, always looking to throw in an extra superfood where I can.

(Reuters) – Incoming Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will hammer home his commitment to austerity in Spain and is expected to back closer euro zone fiscal unity when he meets centre-right European counterparts this week in Marseille.

The meeting will mark Rajoy’s first major public appearance since winning election and is particularly important because he will not attend a summit in Brussels later this week, as he will not be sworn in until around December 20. Outgoing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will attend the Brussels gathering.

Rajoy, who won a solid parliamentary majority in Spain’s November 20 election, is due to meet one-on-one with France’s Nicolas Sarkozy, Germany’s Angela Merkel and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner at the Wednesday-Thursday event.

He will also address the European People’s Party meeting, which ends just before the summit of 27 European Union leaders in Brussels that could be decisive in producing a definitive solution to the euro zone debt crisis.

With investor doubts focused on Spain and Italy and forcing up their borrowing costs, Rajoy must impress on fellow conservative leaders that he can control the public deficit even though economic output and tax income are declining.

“We have to transmit the clear message that we are the Prussians of southern Europe, that we will meet all our commitments,” said political consultant Narciso Michavila, president of GAD3 in Madrid.

Rajoy has a unique opportunity to impose harsh measures, even though unemployment is painfully high, because Spaniards are convinced of the need, Michavila said.

“Spaniards are conscious that we lived beyond our means. The crisis has made us, for the first time in history, aware that the welfare state comes from our pockets, not from the Three Kings.”

LINGERING UNCERTAINTY

Spain, the euro zone’s fourth largest economy, has avoided the need for external aid due to a slew of spending cuts and reforms by the Socialist government, but risk premiums remain volatile as leaders bicker over a cross-border solution.

While euro zone leaders hammer out an agreement which many hope will mean a significant step toward closer fiscal union by Friday, Spain, under a prolonged attack by nervous debt markets, is struggling to keep afloat.

Optimism that an accord is imminent has brought Spain’s bond yields back down from last month’s spike that approached the 7 percent threshold seen as unsustainable. But at a December 1 auction bonds due in April 2015 were sold with a yield of 5.187 percent, a 14-year high, showing that uncertainty lingers.

Unemployment is more than double the EU average at over 21 percent, the public deficit is one of the highest in the euro zone, expected to top 6 percent of gross domestic product this year, and the economy is on the cusp of a recession.

In some ways Spain has anticipated the drive toward a euro zone fiscal union: last year the Socialists and the PP passed constitutional debt limits in a rare joint Parliamentary vote.

And Rajoy has said one of the first things he will do is to make those even stricter, giving the central government more power to intervene in regions’ finances should they go astray.

“We must be more German than the Germans in terms of austerity, discipline and correcting economic imbalances. More French than Sarkozy in economic governance and more Europeanist than (Jacques) Delors in finding new ways to stimulate growth,” said Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, a Spanish People’s Party member of the European Parliament.

Rajoy will reaffirm his commitment to the monetary union, Margallo told Reuters.

“Spain must be within the euro zone core and whatever level of discipline they ask, we will be the first to comply.”

Rajoy is likely to drop calls made previously by Spanish leaders for more help from the European Central Bank. The bank says it will not be lender of last resort for fear that would discourage necessary economic reforms.

Instead, Rajoy will focus on strengthening the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the funding of credit lines available from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a source close to the party said.

“He understands that speaking to Germany about quantitative easing by the ECB is like asking them to light a fire in the first floor of their own homes. Better to concentrate on the funds already under consideration,” the source said.

(Additional reporting by Elisabeth O’Leary; Editing by Fiona Ortiz and Peter Graff)