Merry Christmas in Arabic

Merry Christmas Message

A Christmas Benediction

Well as you know, it's time for my birthday again. Last year, they had a really big party for me and it seems like they will again this year. After all they've been shopping and preparing for it for months now, and there have been announcements and advertisements almost every day about how soon it's coming!

They really do go overboard about it, but it's nice to know that at least one day of the year some people are thinking about me a little. You know, it's been many years now since they first started celebrating my birthday. Back then they seemed to realize and appreciate how much fun it is for the little children. Just the same, it seems that most folks are missing the point of it all. Like last year, for example, when my birthday came around, they threw a big party, but can you believe it? I wasn't even invited! Imagine! The guest of honor, and they forgot all about me?

Here they had begun preparing for the festivities months in advance, but when the big day came, I was left out in the cold.  Well, it happened so many times in recent years, I wasn't even surprised.

Even though I wasn't invited, I thought I'd just quietly slip in anyway. So I came in and stood off to the side.  Everyone was drinking, laughing and having a grand time, when all of a sudden in came this fat fellow in a bright red suit, wearing a phony white beard and shouting, "Ho, Ho, Ho!"  He looked like he had more than enough to drink. When he collapsed into a big armchair, all the little children went running over to him excitedly yelling, "Santa, Santa!" I mean, you'd have thought he was the guest of honor and the whole holiday was just for him.

The little manger scene you put in the corner of your living room is really touching. It's good that people commemorate my birthday like that. Did you know that nowadays, in some countries, the authorities won't even allow manger scenes to be placed in parks, streets, or public places anymore? Not to mention their schools? I'm not talking about Communist countries. I'm talking about the good old USA. Imagine! What could be more innocent than a
manger scene to remind people of my birthday?

Yes, it is banned! They've actually passed laws against it and made it illegal. What is this world coming to?

Another thing that amazes me is how, on my birthday, instead of giving me presents, most people give gifts to each other?  And to top it all off, it's usually all kinds of stuff they don't even need!

Let me ask you, wouldn't you find it odd if when your birthday came along, all your friends decided to celebrate it by giving each other presents and never gave you a thing?

Someone once told me, "Well, it's because you're not around like other people are, so how can we give you a present?" You know my answer to that one. Give gifts of food and clothing to the poor, help those who need it. Go visit the lonely. Any gift you give to your needy fellow man, I'll count as if you gave it to me personally. (See Matthew 25:34-40)

Well there is an end even to my patience. So I'm going to let you in on a secret. Now this is something I've been planning on doing for quite sometime. I'll have my own party! How about that?

It's going to be the most fantastic feast you could possibly imagine. It might not happen this year, but I'm sending out the invitations now. I know you'll want to come. There is going to be room for billions, for everyone who wants to come! Some really famous old timers and celebrities are going to be there, and I'll reserve you a seat of honor right there with them! (Matthew 8:11)

So hold on to your hat, because when everything is ready, I'm going to spring it as a big surprise. Many people are going to be left out in the cold, because they did not answer my invitation. Let me know right away if you'd like to come. I'll reserve you a place and write your name in large golden letters in my great big Guest Book!

Much Love,
Jesus

Tercer Cielo

(Third Heaven)

Musical Concert

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR YOUTH MINISTRIES

"Tercer Cielo" - the third musical put on by the music band (Rock) of our Youth Ministry in an evangelistic outreach to the youth of Cáceres December 4, 2010, to be held in the santuary of our church, "Nuevo Amanecer".

Nuevo Amanecer Youth Services

Please pray for the youth of Cáceres

Beto, one of our youth workers praying with a Carlos, a young man that has started to come to our youth services here in Cáceres.

August - October 2010 Praise Report

Prince and Gina's Praise Report from Spain

August – October 2010

 

Dear Prayer Partners,

 

Youth Outreach & Ministry

We are now well into our fifth year of our labor to plant a new church in this province and region of Spain. We've made a lot of advances and have had a few setbacks. We have a strong congregation of young married couples and a good children's ministry. Even though there have been many efforts to establish a solid youth ministry, until recently, we had not made much headway in this area.

 

Even still, a good group of the children of families that have been saved have grown and are now pre-adolescents. They have begun to bring other young people their age to church and without really much effort on our behalf a youth church has been born.

 

This summer we had several evangelistic concerts focused to reach the youth of our city. These concerts brought in about 60 first time visitors and at least ten new people have begun our Saturday youth services and our regular Sunday morning services.

Baptisms 2010

In September we baptized seven new converts; our largest group of new converts we have baptized at one time since we first arrived in Spain to plant new churches in 1988!

 

We also praise God because all seven are in discipleship and cells and are now actively involved in some ministry of the church!

Theological Seminary in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands is one place in Spain where we have been seeing a really good move of God and where Spaniards are coming to Christ in fairly large numbers. Even though percentage wise, on these islands there a many more Evangelical churches per capita than are found on the Iberian Peninsula there is no official Evangelical theological seminary established on the islands.  

 

For this reason we have been working to help establish a seminary on the islands so that serious minded disciples that want to prepare themselves theologically don't have to come all the way to mainland [Spain] to study. The seminary will be under the Assemblies of God (AG) for the Canary Island. I am working together with Pastor/Apostle Sergio Zubillaga; an excellent Bible teacher and pastor of a fantastic church on the island of Gran Canarias. I am really please to be collaborating with Sergio for we have a deep mutual appreciation for our distinct ministerial gifts.

 

I am also alternately giving extension classes for the "Centro Superior de Teología" (AG) and have been asked to be a part of their permanent staff – which offer I am weighing.

(Unknowingly) Preaching To the Whole World

About six months ago I ministered on a Sunday morning in Sergio's church in Gran Canarias. A few months later I begin to receive puzzling emails and messages via Skype and Facebook from people in different countries I have never been to telling how much I have ministered to them. I had no idea what they were talking about. It turns out that the church submitted the video of the sermon to TBN (Enlace) Madrid, and they, in turn, sent it to TBN Costa Rica and the rest is history. I don't even have a TV, so I  would never have known about it.  

 

Thank You & Please Keep Us in Your Prayers

We want to thank every one of you that so faithfully pray for us and support us financially every month. But what Gina and I are praying for is for ten new churches to pick us up and support us for $100 a month. We need at least this much increase in our support in order to consistently make ends meet every month and to reach specific ministry goals. You are a matchless BLESSING to our lives and the lives of countless others that you help us to reach for Christ! We love and deeply appreciate you all!

      

H.M.S., 

 

Your Missionaries in Spain

Dr. & Mrs. Prince M. Parker

Baptisms September 2010
The seven baptismal candidates proudly holding their Baptismal Certificates while being presented to the congregation as new members of the iglesia. This has been the largest number of new converts that we have baptised at one time in our many years of ministry here in Spain.

(Above) Six of these new Believers are from our congregation and one in this photo is from another congregation that was to be baptised at the same time in the same event.

(Above) Left to Right: Freddy, Jorge, Roli, Carlos, Jonathan
(Above) The last orientation on the obligations of a disciple of Christ the Lord and to the Body of Christ as a baptised Believer.

(Above) Jorge testifying of his new life in Christ before being submerged in identification with Christ as his Risen Lord.

(Above) Carlos, a lonely and troubled 18 year old testifies of his new life in Christ.

The seven new Believers are about to partake of their first communion - or participation of the Lord's Supper. We hold that if a person doesn't have a conscience that is clear enough to be baptised, then their conscience is not clear enough to partake of the Lord's Supper.The newly baptised Believers proudly hold their Baptismal Certificates as they are received as new members of the congregation.

Summer Outreach

Summer Ministry Youth Outreach

The last month of our Summer Evangelistic youth outreach was entitled "Identifícate" (Identify Yourself). It was a call to be identified with Christ and not with the world.

Eva López & Yesenia Weston - Part of our youth ministry and worship group