July Update

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The Next Phase

Contreras School 2009 - 5th grade and 3rd grade

Even though, we gave away almost all the boys' homeschool materials to missionaries, there were still many books, photo albums, clothes and personal items that we stored away in a storage unit when we packed up our apartment. Danielle is still teaching phonics, and doing reading help at school, and Joseph is preaching and teaching as well, so there is not a day that goes by that we don't pray to get our study materials, and books. 

Fellow missionaries, the Grants, living in Asturias, have been so gracious to help disperse our furniture and electronics to others in need. Now comes the difficult task of separating and deciding what is personal and what we don't actually need anymore. 

We have found two companies who will ship based on volume, shipping door to door. We need to measure the volume and then get an exact quote. We received one quote for ten boxes at $1,600, but it looks like we still have more than 10 boxes.

 Of course, our treasure is stored up in Heaven and not here on Earth. These are just things, however, it is hard to not be concerned we won't ever see our precious memories again. 

Please pray for this next phase of our ministry. 

Would you consider giving to this project? Click here to give. 

Is there anything more?

To go to the ends of the Earth...this was the call we answered 15 years ago when we went to Spain in February of 2000, . We knew that Spain would be our home for the rest of our lives. After all, it has been called the "the graveyard for missionaries". The adventure and the fields white for the harvest were before us! We were finally fulfilling the great commission. There wasn't anything more on the list.

We still have a great burden for Spain, but this past year God closed the door for us to return to our home of 14 years. It has become clear through many different circumstances and time, that there is definitely something more ahead for us. We thought that we would settle in, get jobs and serve in our local church, but that isn't the only something "more" God had in store.

God has continued to show us glimpses of that "more" for our lives. Gradually, through the healing of reverse culture shock and all the transition, we have become more burdened for our home country! We have seen how secularism and materialism is just as prevalent here in our so called Christian nation as it was in Spain. Oh how it saddened us to find areas in our home states without gospel preaching churches!

It is our desire to continue planting churches and working with the Spanish speaking communities. Using our vision of Be Strong Evangelism Ministries, we will continue to help reach people for Christ through teaching English, sports, music and Bible studies.

As we begin the application process with Baptist Church Planters mission board, whose main goal is planting churches across America, we continue to serve in our home church, Starkey Road Baptist Church playing music, teaching, and preaching wherever needed in the Spanish ministry as well as in the youth group and young adults group. There is more ministry ahead!

There is "more" for you as well! Maybe God is calling you to pack up your house and move to the ends of the Earth, or  maybe, you too can help start and grow churches across America. Maybe He is calling you to stay and give your "more" to help those who are in need.

We need your "MORE". We still have all of our things in storage, as well as other ministry expenses there in Spain. Our needs keep growing here in the USA, with our boy's braces, schooling and everyday living.  We are finding it impossible to send funds over to Spain.  In order for us to move on, we must ship all of our belongings home and close all of our accounts. We pray to use a door to door shipping company.

Would you pray about giving toward bringing our family's belongings home?

This is a link to give online HERE (tax deductable through our clearinghouse)

or by Paypal (directly)

Remember, whether to the ends of the Earth, or here at home, there is always "MORE" to missions!

Valor!

Chocolate Valor! (with a Spanish accent)

One of the many products known to Spain, is it´s chocolate. Maybe you only know of Belgium chocolate, but I tell you that Valor chocolate is just as good, if not better. 

I will miss it! 

Especially the Cacao Puro and the sugar free line. It is cheaper than any of the sugar free chocolates in the States and much more available. 

Many of you may not know yet, but we are taking an extended leave from Gijón, Spain. We missionaries call it a furlough. We are already starting the packing process. Sigh.... 

What kind of fruit do you like?

 Happy 2014!

What a kick off I had with 50 plus stitches in my legs. Everything went really well, and my guys couldn't have spoiled me more. They took such good care of me. Joseph cooking and doing dishes, the boys cleaning and doing laundry, I hardly had to do anything but rest. It was the perfect time to have the varicose vein surgery, really. With our English classes suspended for the holidays, we had a week of rest and recuperation. Thank you for praying for us during this time.

Now to the fruit. 

Missionary Interview

We discussed everthing from homeschooling on the foreign field to sports in missions. Here is a preview of the interview. 

 Missionary Michael Andrzejewski: "Most of our readers know that we made the decision to put our kids into the public school system here. It was a tough decision, but one that we feel like was right for them. You guys have been on the field a good bit longer than we have, and homeschool your three boys. From both Joe's and Dani's perspective what are the biggest challenges you have faced with homeschooling on a foreign field rather than in the United States?"

Danielle - I totally understand the difficulty of this decision. Each family has to do as God leads them in this area. Homeschooling was something the Lord put on my heart when I was an undergraduate studying to be an elementary teacher. To me there was no greater ambition than to teach my own children to read and write. When we came to Spain and had our babies, we learned that homeschooling was not illigal but nor was it a legal. There were no laws for or against it. We decided not to put our boys into the school system at all here in Spain, so that we wouldn´t have to pull them out to homeschool later on. We had heard that many familys who have chosen to pull their children out after being in the school system inorder to homeschool have had much more negative attention and often court hearings. I often wish we could have put our children into kindergarden and primary school for the language sake, but they are getting Spanish down with tutors, extra class work, and extracurricular activities in the city such as sports and music. Homeschooling in Spain is becoming more recognized, however there are still many strikes against it as it is not  the norm. We are so excited to have started our 9th year of homeschooling.

Missionary Michael Andrzejewski: Last summer we took a short, three month furlough, that in some respects was about 2 months too long for me. Given all of the factors involved (being absent from the Spanish ministry, travel costs, need for rest, need to see stateside family, etc.) how do you feel about furlough in general and what do you think is the best way to do it?
 

Joseph - Honestly at this point I would love to go back to the States for a furlough.  I can´t wait to do it again.  I feel as the years go by, the more I need to take a step back and seek God´s face, and find some refreshment in the ministry.  I love our city, Gijón, Spain, I love the way the work in the community is going, as a missionary /pastor, the lack of spiritual interest, of course among the lost people but more so among those who profess to be saved, weighs heavy on me and messes with the mind, it causes struggles with doubt.  So furloughs for me are welcomed =).  I guess I would say furlough´s are best done when there is a strong two to three family team of pastors or missionaries working together.  There is no need to worry about who will continue the work, there would be minimal change-up for the work since the families staying would be regular workers, not new ones coming in just for the furlough, etc.  A team of two to three families who are in every true sense of the phrase "of one mind" I believe definitely helps to have a smooth furlough.  That is something we need. 

Missionary Michael Andrzejewski: Tell us a little about your vision with Be Strong. The building itself is a place where the church meets, but it is also so much more than that. In telling us, be sure to include how the surrounding community has responded.

Joseph - We arrived in Spain in 2000.  We started our church planting effort in Gijón in 2005, in a small 35 square meter office.  God did bring a number of evangelical people and it wasn´t hard to outgrow our place.  We were terribly limited by space.  We needed room for a kitchen, nursery, and kid´s club activities.  But our small church could not afford a bigger place, so we were kind of in a "catch 22".

 Meanwhile, I needed to be honest with myself and admit I was trying to plant a church as if I was living between East TX to Northern FL.  I am not against handing out tracts, we handed out tens of thousands of tracts in mailboxes, streets, door to door, in towns, etc.  While noone ever responded, most people got annoyed, and there was no possibility for follow-up, I would routinely tell myself, "Well, I did my part, that´s all I can do, I´m suffering the reproach of Christ."  But deep down I knew that I couldn´t say that in spending some hours in my office, going out three to four days a week to pass out tracts, and having church services, that I was doing the work of a missionary.  Was I really having an impact in society?  Do my encounters with people always have to bring so much scorn?  Plus, I was only reaching "stray evangelicals", not the lost.  And many of those "stray evangelicals" quite honestly brought grief, divisions, and problems. 

It was through conversing with a missionary in Auschaffenburg, Germany, that I began to really identify barriers that needed to be removed in European mission fields. .... READ MORE  

We so appreciate Michael and Nina Andrzejewski and their ministry in Barcelos, Portugal. Please, take a moment to get to know them and pray for their ministry, as well.