Wisdom from Widow in Malaga

After a 12 hour drive from Barcelona to Malaga we made it to our hotel where there was lots of hot water for a shower and, a soft bed and a real good nights sleep. In the morning we made our way to church. One of the first things I saw in Malaga was parks with kids and there were whole families. They were out together and we did not see that in Barcelona. We did not see a lot of kids in Barcelona but, the ones we did see were not in the parks or with family. Malaga just has a feel about it that we did not get in north Spain. The town feels like a place you would like to live. Once at church it was hard to find a parking spot, we had to walk a little ways. There were two things that hit me about today one was the Lord’s Supper. It was as if it was the first time I took of the Bread and the Wine. I am in a land that I do not know, with a people I do not know and, we cannot talk with one another. But today as I took of the Bread and the Wine I could see I am part of one body. There is one God and there is one body not just our church body but the body of Christ. To worship with people that from 1975 and before could go to jail or be killed for being a Christian and see them worship with the doors open, to hear them sing so not only God can hear them but the outside world and, then to take the Lord Supper with them I have no words to say how it made me feel to be a Christian. We have so much and give so little, they are so few but with a love so big for Jesus. My heart hurts for them even with the love they have for Jesus there were no kids or teen in church today. When we asked about the kids and teens they said they do not come to church. A church without children will not last. My prayer for them is to find a way to reach the teens and grow as a church family. The second thing about today was the fellowship dinner they had for us. The food was so good all home cooked, the smell of all that food made my mouth water. I am eating things that I have never seen before I have even been drinking coffee. For those of you who know me you know I am not one to drink coffee. It was a real good time of fellowship, not only was the food not like what we would have at home they did not serve tea or water with our meal they served soda and with the soda there was also wine and beer. Yes I said wine and beer in the church fellowship hall, oh, and coffee too. I think I like coffee. Please be in pray for the youth of Spain. – Charlie Matlock

Sunday, like every day, was a great day. As we drove into Malaga close to midnight, I noticed that this city was extremely quiet. There was not the hustle and bustle that there was in Barcelona. (I felt that Barcelona is a town that never sleeps) It was a feeling of a small town. After a long day of driving and trying not to get lost, we arrived and found the hotel and went to sleep. In the morning on the way to church, walking the streets there were actual families with children and parents together (unlike Barcelona). As we entered the church, there was a warm sense of welcome and a feeling of love which surrounded us. A little lady, who made a tremendous impact on us all shared her story with us after church. She is beyond doubt a living breathing example of the Gospel. Her presence had a glow of Love that I have not experienced very much in my life. She is truly the example that I dream of following the rest of my days. As we conversed and dined with her, I felt that we were walking and worshiping with an angel who is walking among us.
On the business side of my mission, we met with 3 pastors who are working on a very large project which probably has great vision and is out of my league. The project they are working on consists of a four acre tract of land, which the government has ‘given’ to them for a period of 90 years. In this time they need to raise approximately $27,000,000 for a complex which will integrate several facets and also be a part of a government project. While they do have an excellent business plan and have much enthusiasm, I do not believe we fit with this one. What a Blessing to be a part of this missions project. We have so much potential here in Spain. I pray that God will pave the way for TRBC to be integrated in this great movement. Rene de la Garza – Rene de la Garza

As the worship service started I noticed sitting in the front row an elderly lady, 74 year old widow by the name of Concha to be precise, raising her small wrinkled hands as we sang our praises to God in Spanish, not noticing that she was the only one of 28 worshipers that gave herself the freedom to worship with her hands raised up high. Her enjoyment for the Lord at that moment was not encumbered by any of her 6 cracked discs that seem from an outside observer not to bother her or by the harsh life that had once marked her journey before and after she embraced the Lord as her Savior. As she described after the service her often and frequent enjoyment of Jesus’ presence, wherever she found herself, she embodied the essence of what it means to be the gospel, good news in the flesh. As she pointed to her front teeth to show us where they had once been shattered by her husband’s frequent physical abuse she smiled and shared with us that she had become a believer 36 years prior and when she did, her prayer to God was, “Help me love my husband because I hate him and change his heart” and so that started a journey for her in which God gave her that love for him. When he would beat her, she would pray, “Lord, please forgive him and love the man that I love”. Two days before he died, he became a believer, she had prayed for him for 34 years and while this is amazing, what is even more astonishing is that while she shared this she was giving God the glory because she learned to enjoy God, to enjoy him when times were good and when times were bad. She did not seem to have an ounce of resentment but a heart full of love for the Savior and a keen awareness of Jesus’ presence in her life; she was good news in the flesh in the way that she described her intimate walk with God, “enjoy God and you will enjoy life” she said. – Jesse Elizondo