Decisions, Decisions

Wisdom from the Bible states this in Proverbs 20:24: "A man's steps are of the Lord; how then can a man understand his own way?" I have learned and continue to learn that right when you think you have the will of God perfectly figured out, you don't. It is great to plan, it is wise and Biblical. God himself has plans. Salvation being the greatest plan of all! Talk about being really thought out! However, we cannot be proud and have to be willing to adjust our plans. It is so important to truly ask Jesus what the plan is. The month of November was a time of planning...

At my going away party back in July 2007, I announced as in other instances that my minimum commitment to Spain would be 5 years. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, God had pressed this on my heart. This vow and commitment to Him and myself I continue to take seriously. Most of you know that Pastor Raf does one year increments of commitment, and I am committed here until August 2010. This will mark 3 years...

I really sense it is time to make another firm/final decision regarding where I serve in Spain. Taking advantage of going home for the holidays and seeing Church Leadership in person, I will be making a final decision in January. Lord willing, one of two things can happen by August of next year. I will either move on to serve alongside with Ivan & Eunice in Malaga, or just stay here in Mallorca until the 5 year mark. Someone might ask: "Will you then go to Malaga or stay in Spain even longer?" To this I say "One step/decision at a time." I will cross that bridge when I get there. This coming February will be two and a half years I have been serving here.

I called Ivan this past month and had a great conversation with him as we discussed my future in this country. He was very honest and open, not to mention sincerely wanting what the Lord wanted. I plan on giving him another call here in the month of December. I also spoke with Raf at the end of the month. This conversation also went better than I anticipated. He was very understanding, as well as assuring me that I have already been here longer than I originally planned. It is nice to know I have the "blessing" of both pastors whatever my choice. I want my heart and head to be clear so I can hear the Lord's voice in my life. Please pray as the time draws near for the decision to be made...

The youth ministry at the church is in a transition period right now. Jimmy has put a rotation in effect until our new youth leader arrives in January. I was privileged to teach two Sunday mornings. Due to the youth having doubts and many questions regarding the Christian faith and the Bible, Jimmy asked me to share my series: "Why the Bible?" It was so awesome to have the kids really pay attention, and have some of their questions answered.

Due to almost the whole student body at the Bible college being American, we had a Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone dressed up nice and did a great job contributing tasty dishes. We had prayers of thanksgiving to Jesus, worship, and fellowship.

On Saturday November 28th, we did our first Q&A at Module #9. Every first week of the month we are having the prisoners write down questions. Questions regarding the Bible, Christianity, creation, God, Jesus, church, religion, etc. Then every last week of the month, Raf and I will make a session out of their questions instead of doing a regular Bible Study. We genuinely want to know what they are thinking. We had 5 questions from the group this time around. They ranged from prayer for souls, to how do I get more faith, to why does God allow pain and suffering in the world.

In closing, I appreciate all of you who read these blogs. It is nice to know that many, if not all who read these newsletters will be praying for me...

By His Grace,
Eric