FROM BROOK AND TARYN IN VALENCIA

It has certainly been a time of learning since we set out for Valencia from Madrid. Taryn and I (Brook) arrived without knowing anyone here, and with no foresight as to what we would find (although what we were hoping to find is the Truth being spread). It became evident the first night we were here that the Father had been preparing the way already. We had set out to search for a Latino restaurant for dinner that night, and so we stopped and asked a local vendor for a suggestion. While we were talking with him a woman, "L", stopped on the street and asked if she could help. In perfect English she began to tell us that her mother attends an Evangelical church just around the corner. It was obvious that L is very pregnant, but she openly shared with us that she doesn't attend church anymore because she had been "too naughty" (to put it in her words). That Sunday we attended her mother's church where we met some Workers of the Kingdom. It is because of our first encounter with L that we have been able to meet and talk with many people who have been able to give us sound insight as to the condition of the Valencian community of Latinos. Sadly, only .5% of this city is Evangelical, and many of the immigrants here struggle to assimilate into their new home country. In our time here we've walked all over the streets of Valencia, seeking out people who are willing to share the struggles that come with immigrating away from the home they've always known. It's evident that this city is in need of some Workers to come and share the Truth and love with the lost. Please pray with us for the lost people of Valencia, and for the ministries that are already present here, but also for L, that she'll see the Church is a place of grace who rejoice in the Truth of salvation. Thank you for your prayers! Brook

FROM THE SPIKES: LONDON UPDATE AUGUST 2010

We want to thank all of you for praying for us during these days of adjustment and ministry as we adapt to living in the United Kingdom. God has given us an appropriate introduction to life here in London. August has been characterized by rain, rain, a little bit of sun and warmth and more rain. Folks here say this has been a very abnormal August, but it does give a good picture of what is coming as we move toward Fall and Winter.

God has already given our team several blessings. The Halls arrived this week safely and without problems and for now, our team is complete. The Woodsons arrived about three weeks ago and are living near us and adjusting well. We praise the Lord for the way He has already answered several of our prayers.

Praises:

1. Everyone has arrived without problems and we are in the process of developing our team strategies and ministry plans.

2. The Lord has already opened a relationship with several key leaders among the London Latin American Pastors Fraternity that could bring significant fruit.

3. God has also opened the doors to seeing up to three home groups started in the next few weeks. One prayer group has already started. These groups are primarily looking at Spanish-speakers. We are excited to see what God is going to do through the Halls as they begin to network with the Portuguese-speaking community and churches.

4. In addition, the Lord has confirmed the rightness of this course through a variety of unexpected surprises and blessings that would be too numerous to list in this short note. If you would like to know the details, please let us know and we can share them with you.

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray that God would give us the wisdom as a team we will need to understand His will and develop our ministry plans in keeping with what He desires.

2. Please pray for G. y L., an Ecuadorian/English Christian couple who have already opened their home as potential ministry partners for a group in the Palmers Green area and for E. and A. (Brazilian and Romanian) who are roommates and neighbors of the Woodsons and who desire to have a group meeting in their home as well.

3. Please pray for the developing contact between the Woodsons and M. S. and her husband. We are asking that God move this Colombian couple to be willing to host a group in their home in the Seven Sisters area.

4. Please pray that the Lord would guide our contacts and growing friendships with pastors Samuel C., Francisco C., Gonzalo A. and others and fulfill the purpose God has for them.

5. Please pray for the Hall family and the friendships and contacts God has already prepared for them among the Brazilian community and congregations.

We continually thank the Lord for all of you and ask you to continue to remember us in your prayer.

Jim y Lori Spikes

UPDATES FROM SHEILAH

BROOK and TARYN – are now both here in Spain! Monday they will begin a new month-long round of Spanish classes designed to equip them more completely for the challenging research task that they will be doing for our cluster! They continue with details of getting set up here in Spain and are meeting regularly now with Nolen to plan details of their work. Thank you for praying for them.

CARMEN – Please pray for Carmen as she hosts an extremely important get together for ladies from her neighborhood tomorrow, Monday the 3^rd! One more important step toward sharing Jesus’ love!

WOODSONS AND HALLS – Pray for these couples headed for London as they are now in intensive training for that work. They will arrive in Europe in late Summer.

SPIKES – Jim and Lori will be arriving in Barcelona prior to May 15!! Praise the Lord! Finally this wait is over!

CLUSTER UPDATE

- Taryn is walking, gaining strength and healing with speed which amazes her doctors. She will have one more week of training in March, and will hopefully join us soon afterward! Go Taryn!!
- Brook is adapting well to Spain and learning Spanish in an intensive course which meets daily. She is always looking for someone she can tell about Jesus. Go Brook!
- Pablo and Carmen are already building relationships, conducting Bible studies, meeting with church leaders in Madrid, and of course, telling all around them of their faith with their natural ability to shine for Jesus! So many open doors - pray for them to know which ones to enter!
- As team leader for our Madrid team, Gary and Julie are involved in research, both short and long range planning, and work on projects and materials. Pray for the Lord's wisdom and direction.
- Halls and Woodsons, currently in training, will be joining us later this coming Summer. Pray for this intense preparation.
- Spikes should be in Spain within the next few weeks. Pray that details of their move to Barcelona will be worked out quickly. They are already involved in planning for leading out in work with the Spanish speakers among the South American immigrants in Europe. We look forward to having them with us soon!
- Please pray for all of us as we prepare for sharing more and more the light of Christ's love! May we be in every way obedient to His guidance and prepared to spread His joy!

Brook arrives Monday!

Our Journey Girl, Brook Johnson, arrives in Europe on Monday! Please pray for her flight and for a smooth adjustment as she begins working with us in Spain. We are so thankful for her healing from the accident she and Taryn had while in Richmond. She will live with 2 other Journey Girls until Taryn arrives sometime in the Spring. We are excited to have her here and will be keeping her very busy until Taryn arrives! Once they are both here the girls will be traveling and researching in Western Europe. As always, thank you for your prayers! - Sheilah

Taryn is walking! (Written by her mother, Kristine)

Hello All...last Thursday Taryn began physical therapy and they began with her walking! It is humbling and amazing to see her walking again. It takes effort and is not easy. Her knees and especially her ankles are tight. But each day she improves a little more and feels more stable on her feet. She has PT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It wears her out right now but we know that it is only making her stronger. We've laughed that this reminds us when she was learning to walk as a baby...we'd hold out our hands for her to take hold as we walk backwards encouraging her to move forward. She uses a walker on her own to get
around in the house. She uses the wheelchair still if we go out to conserve energy and she just isn't that steady on her feet. When she is out she also has to wear large boots that brace her legs. We call them moon boots! You've each been such a huge part of her healing both physically and emotionally. She is getting better each day. Her jaw has healed nicely and all the hardware is now out of her mouth. This has made her so much more comfortable. Please pray that her healing continues to accelerate. Her goal is to make it to complete her job training in Virginia mid March. That is 2 months away and we can see that it is going to happen! Hopefully soon after that she'll be on her way to Spain. She posted a video of her walking on her blog: www.tarynaroundtheglobe.blogspot.com Again we are so thankful for each of you! Blessings Kristine

Good News From Betty Jo and Dan Hall

Praise for Betty Jo's recent good medical evaluation at the Mayo Clinic.
Praise for their son, Sam, passing his dental boards at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry.
Praise and Prayer as they are in their final week in south Florida of "a time to keep (pack) and a time to throw away (or put in storage)" (Ecclesiastes 3:6).
Prayer as they participate in the Field Personnel Orientation at the International Learning Center (ILC) in Rockville, Virginia January 26 - March 25 and the Urban Life Institute (ULI) in Vancouver, Canada April 7 - July 28 in preparation for their ministry in the UK. They plan to arrive in London the first of August.

Jan. 2 urgent requests!

1. Pray for Taryn Blocker, our teammate who was seriously injured in a car accident while in training, to begin to gain strength and have a better appetite. Until a few days ago her jaw was wired shut. Pray also for complete healing for broken legs. We are praying that she will be able to finish training in March and come to the field shortly thereafter. She and her partner, Brook Johnson, are needed for very critical on-site research in Western Europe. Brook needs prayer for her Spanish visa paperwork to be expedited! She needs to get to Spain as soon as possible. Despite the accident and delays, both Brook and Taryn are still very committed to coming to work with the team here and feel a definite call to this task.

2. Please pray for Jim and Lori Spikes who, for reasons totally beyond their control, are having to wait much longer than normal for their visas to Spain. The Spikes are extremely important to the organization and implementation of our Diaspora cluster work in Western Europe.

3. The Diaspora cluster in its initial location in Madrid is at the point of final decision making in the starting of specific new church plants. Pray for God to lead in all aspects of this phase of our work. We praise God for His guidance and remarkable open doors! Pray for new contacts from Peru, Brazil, the Caribbean, and Argentina!

Check out Gary's pic of the cheery Christmas tree at the Plaza Sol!

Christmas is definitely in the air in Spain! And we get to celebrate here until January 6, the day of the Kings, celebrating the arrival of the wise men to see Jesus. This beautiful Christmas tree stands stories tall in the middle of the Sol Plaza in the center of Madrid.

Pachalians bring special language abilities to team -

Can you imagine walking through a crowd in Madrid and recognizing the South American country people are from just by the way they speak Spanish? Pablo and Carmen can do that! Native Spanish speakers with vast South American experience and years of work with imigrants in the US, they are just what THE doctor ordered up for our cluster. Nolen and I have decided that one of the best ways to improve our Spanish is to be around them. They are good Spanish coaches too!