November 2007 Update

Hi from Kentucky! I hope you're busy saving up some stomach room for Thanksgiving--I'm thinking of eating cereal all week util Thursday. Here's a quick update on the life and times of Kelly Wills.

In This Issue
Where in the world is Kelly Wills?
Support raising update
Now you can donate online! Here's how...


Where in the world is Kelly Wills?
Kelly and sistersYep, still in Kentucky (in case you didn't infer that from the "Hello from Kentucky!") I still have quite a bit of support to raise, and I want to do a good job of it rather than go back to Spain underfunded and end up in the same situation next year. So I've decided that I'm going to stay here and raise support through the holidays. If the funds are there, I'll return to Spain at the beginning of the new year.

While I miss Spain, my friends, my work, and my own bed like crazy, I think this is the right decision. Also, I'm happy to be able to spend Christmas with my family. I've been hanging out with my sisters a ton, and three sisters this good looking should be together as much as possible :).

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for my health--I'm feeling good and am hopfully done with being sick!


Support raising update
Thanks to all of you who have donated towards what God is doing in Madrid. I've made a little headway against the $7500 in one time donations that I needed to raise, but the amount needed is still around $6,000. In monthly support, I'm still a few hundred a month short of being at 100%.

This is definitely an exercise in learning to trust God--some days I'm better at it than others! But I'm convinced that God will provide for what He has called me to. Please continue to pray with me that God will provide.

If you have any questions about donating, about what's going on in Madrid, or about specific needs, please email me, or you can call me.
A new, easier way to donate--IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

Great news--now you can donate online!

Christian Associates now has a new option for donating--a secure web page where you can donate online! You can click here to go to the page, create an account, and donate directly to my support account (there will be a section that asks whether you want to donate to missionaries or projects. Select missionaries, and then scroll down to my name--Wills, Kelly--almost at the bottom.) How cool is that?

If you're already donating by check but would like to save on stamps (not to mention use less paper), you can switch to donating online through this page. Or, if you've never donated but would like to begin, this is the easiest and quickest way!

*If the link above didn't work for some reason, copy and paste this link into your browser: https://dlq4.donatelinq.net/donatelinq4/default.aspx?MerchantID=ChrisAssoInter&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
**If you experience technical problems with the donate online page, email any questions to tech-help@caimail.net.

October 2007 Update

Special Furlough Update
Dear Oasis Madrid Team,

Hi from Kentucky! Autumn in the Appalachian Mountains is one of the most beautiful things in the world. I had forgotten how much I loved the fall colors and am glad I get to be here to see them! It has been wonderful to spend so much time with family and friends, and to reconnect with my supporting churches and individuals. I have felt loved while I'm here! It has also been great to be able to share the vision for Madrid--I've had so many great conversations with people here about what God is doing.

Almost daily I'm asked when I'll be heading back to Spain. My current answer is "Mid-October, hopefully." There are still a few things up in the air. Here's why....

I should be hearing back about my residency papers any day now--hopefully I'll be able to go to Chicago quickly before I leave for Spain to pick up what I need and have it all done (at least the Stateside part)!

On the financial side of things, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that I have been able to raise some new support while I'm here, and while I'm still a few hundred a month short of my monthly goal, I feel like I'm on the last stretch of a marathon. I'm trusting God that when I go back to Spain, I will be at 100% support.

The bad news is that I do still have a defecit in my account from one-time expenses that needs to be built up. I had hoped to build that up while I'm in the States, but for some reason less than normal the amount of support has come in for the past two months. This is definitely a lesson in trusting God!

Thanks to all of you who have been supporting me and to those of you who have committed to start supporting me. I would like to ask you to pray for me as well--that God would provide the necessary monthly and one-time finances for me to return to Spain on time, and that I would trust Him completely in this.

In next month's newsletter, I'll update you more on all that's going on in Madrid, Serve the City, etc, so stay tuned!

Thanks so much for your support and prayers. I'm confident that God wants me in Madrid, and that He will provide for me to be there. You're an important part of God's work around the world!

September 2007 Update

Greetings from Kentucky! It's hot here--way too hot for September. I'm daily reminded of what a bad job I did of packing to come back to the U.S. Not enough summer clothes!

By the way, like the snazzy new email format?

I've been back 2 1/2 weeks, and already I've visited four churches, filed visa papers in Chicago, gone fishing, dislocated my toe (don't ask), and gone through two boxes of Multi Grain Cheerios. It's great to spend time with family and friends who I dearly miss, but at the same time I'm starting to itch to get back to Madrid already. Pray for me to be content where I am and get the most out of this time.

So far I've had some great meetings with potential supporters, but I still have a lot to raise. I'm convinced that God wants me in Madrid and that He will provide for me to live there. Pray that the support comes in and that I will rest in the assurance that God is my provider. And while we're talking about support, email me if you'd like more info about becoming a member of my monthly support team!

Ok, with that shameless plug out of the way, here is some news about what's been going on in Spain in August and what's coming up in Madrid while I'm away.

Thanks for reading!

Connect 2007

I joined fellow CAI missionaries, board members and guests in Sopron, Hungary for our annual staff conference, which is now called Connect. As usual, we had a wonderful time. Our new venue was the beautiful Hotel Fagus. As usual, my favorite part of the conference was the community I experienced with other people who love Jesus and who live in Europe. It's one of my favorite weeks of the year.

We were privileged to be able to spend Monday, August 13 in Vienna serving in various projects. Many of CAI's churches around Europe have been doing these service projects, and we are actually having our own later this month. It was a joy to be able to serve the people of Vienna en mass.

We were encouraged by our speaker Gerard Kelly; he encouraged us that God is not done with the church in Europe yet. Also were encouraged by worship and prayer together. I led worship for one of the sessions, but otherwise I was able to relax and worship without worrying about leading--a much needed refreshment for me!

Shani Kilasi

Shani is one of my first friends from Madrid. She has been helping out a ton with the church and now it's official! I'm happy to announce that Shani is now on staff with Christian Associates and will be serving a one-year internship with us at Oasis Madrid to start with. We're thrilled to have her officially on board. She has been practically staff already!

Serve the City

Oasis Madrid are really excited to be part of Madrid's very own Serve the City, coming up from September 26th until the 29th. They'll be passing out drinks and snacks to immigrants standing in long immigration lines, doing some work at a center for troubled youth, passing out additional supplies (like socks, toiletries, sleeping bags) to our homeless friends, and doing clean-up in a couple areas in Madrid. I'm hopeful that they'll be able to have lots of conversations with people about why we are serving. For more information, check out Serve the City Madrid online.

I have been involved in the planning of this event and am VERY sad that I can't be there for the actual service. But I'm glad it's happening anyway!

Things to Pray About

Things to Pray About
1. Pray for new contacts and new financial supporters, and that I will be ready to head back to Spain, fully supported, in early October.
2. Pray that my visa/immigration papers go through smoothly and efficiently.
3. Pray for safety as I drive all over the place here! (keep in mind I haven't driven in a year!)
4. Pray for God to use Serve the City in Madrid in big ways
5. Pray for new people interested in the worship ministry that will plug into Oasis.
6. Praise God that Shani is sticking around and working with us!

With love and thanks for all you do for me,

Kelly

July 2007 Update

Hello All,

For all you Americans, happy Independence Day! For once, I can't complain to all of you in the U.S. about how hot it is here--it's actually hotter there! I don't know why, but this has been the most pleasant (a.k.a. not miserably hot) summer yet in Madrid. On my birthday (June 20), we went to the park for a picnic and actually got cold! It's heating up now (in the 90's every day), but still not close to the normal Madrid summer. Then again, if you are reading this in the States, you have an air conditioner, so maybe I can still whine a little :).

Here are some of the big things that have happened in the past month or so:
THE BIG HIKE
My friend Leisl and I took a week at the end of May and did the last week of the Camino de Santiago (a beautiful hike in the north of Spain. Click HERE for pictures.) 166 km (103 miles), six days, lots of blisters, and a beautiful view. It was definitely one of the most challenging experiences ever but also one of the most rewarding. I have to admit I'm pretty proud of myself!

SAYING GOODBYE
June is always a bittersweet month for me, since many of the short termers here are leaving to go back to their home country. The good part of this June is that several of them are just leaving for the summer and then coming back in the Autumn!

SLOWING DOWN AND GEARING UP
July is typically a slow month for us here, so I'm looking forward to having a looser schedule. This summer, though, it seems like the slow-down time is being used to gear up for what comes next! I'm making plans for my furlough to the U.S. this Autumn (you'll be getting another update just about that tomorrow), as well as meeting with a friend here to help her gear up for a community-wide service project called Serve the City--Oasis Madrid will be working with them especially on ministering to the homeless people that we've come to know in our area. Still, even with things to work on, things move slower here in the summer, and I'm thankful for that!

HOMELESS MINISTRY
The community living under the tunnel at Plaza España has grown very quickly in the past couple months. This means that it's now overcrowded, not as sanitary, and sometimes can get tense between people in a desperate situation and a cramped space. One of the guys there that we were getting to know died suddenly in late May, which threw the community, and us, for a loop. As we're getting to know some of the people who live under the tunnel, we're realizing that problems run deeper than hunger and solutions bigger than we can give are needed. A core group of us has been continuing to take lunch on Friday, but also meeting on Sunday to pray and ask for direction about what to do next. We'd appreciate your prayers as we spend this time figuring out just why God has put us in this place and just what we are supposed to do. Pray also for good connections with other social agencies and with other churches.

COMMUNITY GROUP
I just wanted to write here how thankful I am for my Monday night group. Last Monday, we spent lots of time praying for each other and worshipping together, and I was reminded how blessed I am to have a community here that I love so much. I love the caring community that this group is becoming.

That pretty much wraps up the last month in a nutshell (well, a big nutshell, but still...) Here are some things you can be praying about:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
*Pray for our staff to have a refreshing time of rest this summer after a very busy and sometimes very hard first year and a half as a new church!

*I need a car to drive while I'm on furlough (for 6-8 weeks). Pray that God provides (and if you have an extra car, ask God if He wants to use you to do the providing).

*I'm in the process of applying for a more long-term visa in Spain. Pray that it goes smoothly and quickly!

*Pray for financial provision in monthly support and one-time costs.

*Pray for the people who live in the tunnel at Plaza España, and for those of us who are getting to know them, that God will show us how to best show them His love and His grace.

*Ask God to help me live out my faith with grace, love, integrity, and boldness with my friends who aren't Christians

Thanks for your encouragement, prayers, and support. I thank God for you!

Peace,
Kelly

May 2007 Update

For this month's update, rather than updating you on events, I want to share some of what God has been doing in my heart and what I believe He's doing in my neighborhood. The article below is also posted on my blog.


A couple of Tuesdays ago my friend Victoria and I went out in our neighborhood. We've been going to a specific corner a couple times a month and have just barely started to get to know the people who are there at night, but since it was a holiday weekend (yes, in Spain sometimes Tuesday is still part of the weekend!), we knew they would be busy--(the corner is part of an unofficial red light district). So instead of our normal trip to Pans for coffee and back to the corner, we decided to walk and pray in the neighborhood.

We didn't really have a plan for the evening, but we started out by confessing, to each other and to God, how we've screwed up lately. Then after a few minutes we turned into Plaza Luna. The working girls (most of them girls, anyway) were already lined up and it wasn't totally dark yet. We walked in silence and took in what we saw around us, not even knowing what to pray for this neighborhood or how to start. Finally, words came in broken phrases:

"God, help."

"God, this is too big. There are too many problems. We can't do anything."

"There is so much prostitution, and drugs, and poverty. All around us it's like everything and everyone is worshipping the gods of sex and money."

"This is too big. We can't do this."

And then we turned a corner, onto a street that I know I've been down before (after all, we were only about a 5 minute walk from my flat at this point). Right in front of us, with lights shining on it to be sure we noticed, was a sign I had never noticed. It read:

The Holy Ground

After a few seconds of stunned silence we realized that it was the name of an Irish pub, but we were still dumbstruck. We turned onto Gran Via and Victoria grabbed my arm. "Hey Kelly, I think I need to take off my shoes." And she did. We kept walking, onto calle Monteras, down to Sol, and back up into our neighborhood, Victoria in her lime green sock feet. Our prayers still came in broken phrases:

"God, you're already working here. You love Madrid more than we do."

"God, we don't deserve to hand out sandwiches or coffee. It's not charity or something we're entitled to. It's grace that you let us do this."

"Help us see Madrid the way you see it."

"Thank You that you're already working here, before us."

We walked past our usual corner, past the street where I live, weaving around towards the Plaza Dos de Mayo. We spent lots of time in silence. We sang a little. We were weird and didn't care. We arrived home, Victorias feet disgusting but surprisingly having avoided all the broken glass. We were excited and reassured that God has us in this neighborhood for a reason, that He is already working here. That this is Holy Ground because He is here.

Later that night, not long after I had gone to bed, things got a bit crazy in my neighborhood, on the same street where we had walked and prayed. Here's a news clip explaining what happened:

"Violent clashes occurred in Madrid's Malasaña neighborhood in the early morning hours of 2 May 2007. Hundreds of people erected barricades with burning debris, set trashcans on fire and knocked down telephone booths. The protesters also attacked police officers with rocks and other objects, while officers used rubber bullets and tear gas to control the crowd. At least 65 people -- including 21 police officers -- were injured in the clashes, while eight others were arrested. Similar violent clashes occurred on 1 May, when police officers attempted to prevent a group of youths from celebrating the anniversary of the 2 May 1808 rebellion against the invader French army. Celebrations typically occur on 1 and 2 May, which are designated public holidays in the city, and involve drinking parties, a situation that police officers attempted to prevent."

This is not exactly the kind of Holy Ground that I had in mind. Riots? Rubber bullets and tear gas? Prostitutes, drugs, all night drunken parties? As I read the news story the next morning, something in the back of my head was saying "Come on, God, you've got to be kidding! How on earth can you tell us you're working here? How on earth is this holy ground? Everything I see is the opposite of holy."

It's been a couple weeks and these two contrasting incidents keep clashing in my mind--I can't quit thinking about it. More than anything, it makes me realize how God's perspective is different than mine.

I love Madrid. More specifically, I love Malasaña, my neighborhood, more than any place since my home town. I see the dirt, the prostitution, the drugs, and, well, you name a vice, it's within reach. But I love the diversity in this neighborhood. I love how (for the most part) people of all different ages and ethnicities get along. I love that it's ok to be weird in this neighborhood. I love the fun atmosphere, the laid-back pace. I love these windy little streets. I want my neighborhood to be better, not because I don't like it now, but because I love it so much. I want to help my neighborhood's good qualities really shine because I love it and I want the best for it. It's illogical looking around, loving Malasaña this much doesn't make sense.

Then again, maybe it makes all the sense in the world. God sees how much I screw up, whether I admit it or not. He knows I'm a mess and He loves me enough that He wants to see me be better--not out of guilt or condemnation, not because He hates me, but because He loves me enough to see what I can be under all the garbage. He wants what's best for me because He loves me, even when there is no logical reason.

This is how He must feel about my neighborhood. It's the only way that I can reconcile what I feel God telling my heart--this is Holy Ground--to what I see with my eyes. Somehow He manages to see the sex workers, the drugs, the dirt, the street parties gone too far, and He still loves Madrid, enough to let us know that He's still working here. He can still call it holy ground because He is here. That blows my mind, that He can still love this neighborhood, this city. He wants Madrid to be better because He loves it.

I'm convinced that this is why God has me here. Not just me, but our church in Madrid. And I'm convinced that this is why He keeps seeming to move people into this neighborhood, Malasaña. As the body of Christ--His hands and feet and physical presence, we can love Madrid the way that God loves us, impractically, illogically. I'm convinced that we will see Madrid change--it may take a while, maybe even longer than I'm here. But we will see people freed from slavery to the sex industry, freed from addiction, following Jesus, loving their neighbors and taking care of those around them that don't have enough. Madrid will be a place of refuge, a place of peace.

I'm excited, grateful, and not a little scared to be part of what God's doing here.

Pray for God's Kingdom to come in Madrid, or better yet, pray for God's Kingdom to become visible in Madrid.

Thanks for your encouragement, prayers, and support.

Peace,
Kelly

April 2007 Update

Hello All,

Happy Spring!

Things are gearing up for Easter here. This Thursday (wow--tomorrow!), a bunch of us from Oasis Madrid are heading to the mountains for our second annual Easter Retreat. (That's fun to type--second annual Easter Retreat. Second annual anything for that matter) I love that we are able to spend the whole weekend really digging into the meaning of Easter. We've got lots of stuff planned for the retreat: a Maundy Thursday service, lots of worship time, time to really dig into the story of Christ's death and resurrection through scripture, fun kids' times, a passover supper, a prayer room, and of course, lots of time for hiking, games, and getting to know each other better. We'll cap of the weekend with a baptism service on Easter Sunday. Needless to say, the past couple weeks have been busy with preparations, but this year has been easier than last since we know what to expect a little more. Everyone who is coming to the retreat is super excited!

Here are some specific things you can pray about for the retreat:
1--Pray for safety in getting there.

2--Pray that God will be preparing people's hearts--that people will really dig into the meaning of each of the different elements of the weekend.

3--Pray for heath--it's spring and all the colds and stuff are going around, and we'll all be close together and possibly cold and wet. Pray that we stay healthy!

4--Speaking of cold and wet, pray for decent weather! We've had lots of rain this spring, and I can't complain because we really needed it. But I am praying that it will let up for this weekend so we can enjoy the mountains!

5--Pray for good times of community building--that people would develop new friendships within the church. Some people who are new to the church are coming along, so pray that they are able to join in quickly and not feel left out!

6--Praise God for Shani's baptism on Sunday! We have to do this outdoors, so again, pray that it's not too cold!

7--Pray for two of our members--Phill and Lydia. They were planning to come to the retreat, but Lydia's father passed away and they're back in The Netherlands this week with family.

Here are a few other things (not related to the retreat) that you can pray about as well:
1--Tonight (Wednesday), Victoria and Jonathan--2 members of our church--are hosting a "God night" at their university. They got permission to use a classroom and are offering pizza (the international language of university students). They're hoping to develop a regular meeting out of this night--discussing questions people have about God and faith, and building friendships with the students. Pray that the people who have committed will come tonight, and that they'll be able to discuss and think openly about Jesus.

2--Kelly and April Crull, some friends who lived in Madrid when I first moved here, are back in Madrid--they found an apartment right across the street from me! Kelly is on staff with our team, and April will be doing volunteer work in Madrid. Pray that they are able to adjust to being back in Madrid (and being new parents to boot!) quickly.

3--I'm preparing to come back to the U.S. for financial support raising in August, but I'm trying to get a head start from here now since my support level has fallen in the past year. Pray for God's provision for immediate needs (like taxes!), and for new contacts with churches and individuals that would be interested in financially partnering with me. As you pray, if any names of contacts come to mind, let me know!

4--Lunch on Friday isn't a big deal to us, but I have a feeling it's a bigger deal to the people that we take sandwiches to on Friday. Since we'll be out of town this weekend, pray that God provides a good meal on Friday to the people on our "sandwich route."

5--Pray for my roommate / teammate Amy Swacina. She's in the U.S. working on getting her resident visa and support raising. Pray that she'll have a great time in the States and be able to come back energized and with her visa. (And those of you who know my lack of organizational skills, pray that our apartment doesn't fall apart while she's gone!)

I hope that you have a great Easter weekend and are able to celebrate Christ's death and resurrection to the fullest. Thanks for all your love, encouragement, and support. I thank God for you.

March 2007 Update

Happy (almost) spring!

It's amazing the places that you can make friends here, and the conversations that God can bring your way. This month, I'm going to highlight one of those conversations. For this story and lots more writing about whatever is in my head or whatever is going on here, you can always check out my website. Below the story, don't forget to look at a list of things you can pray for.

This was posted on my blog on 7 February:


This has been a "light" week. After three crazy weeks where I felt like I collapsed into bed every night for a short coma before starting over the next day, there's nothing really pressing. I can take my time on things and not feel rushed. The past three days have been a much needed medicine for body and soul.

As part of my "light" week, I've been going to the gym later than usual because I don't have a pressing reason to get out of bed early. So I've been meeting people there that I don't usually see.

On Monday I met a girl from another country in Europe, who speaks very little Spanish but pretty good English. We walk the same direction for about 5 minutes when we leave the gym. Here was our conversation today.

"So you work for a church?"

"I work with a church, yeah."

"Do you do it because you have to or because you want to."

It's a good thing she asked me this during a relaxing week! "I want to. I actually love my job," I answered

"So you're serious about..um...belief, then?"

"Yeah, I am."

"But all Americans are, aren't they? I mean they all believe? It's a very Christian state?"

How on Earth was I supposed to answer that one? "Um, no, I wouldn't say that. Lots of Americans really are Christians, and lots of Americans say they are Christians but it's more of a cultural thing. But it's a really big country with lots of different people, so I don't think I would say it's a Christian state, no."

"So they all say that you shouldn't have sex before you are married and you should save that for one person, right? That's what it is?"

Man, she gets right to the point, I thought. Ok, then so will I.

"Well, that's not really what it's all about. I mean, I do agree with that, but that's only about how we behave, and Christianity isn't really just about how we behave." I answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. It's about a person, Jesus."

We had reached the corner where we go separate directions.

"We should talk more. I have your number, so I'll call you this week."

"Ok, cool. Let's get together for coffee or something. See you soon!"

"Yeah, we can do that. See you!"

For all of that packed into a 5 minute conversation, I'm interested to see where the next five will go.

That was written a few weeks ago. As a quick update, her schedule has changed to an earlier day so now we're still at the gym at the same time even though I'm back on my normal schedule. She came to one of our church services this month and also went out ice skating with a group from the church, and even came over to the pastor's house for pizza afterward! She's only in Spain until the summer, so I"m excited to see what God will do in her life in these five months.

Here are some things you can pray about this month:
---Pray for María, the girl in this story, and that God will continue to use the time that she's here to show Himself to her. (Maria's not her real name since I don't have her permission to ask a bunch of people to pray for her, but God knows who you're talking about. :)
---Pray for Lydia and her father Peter. Lydia and Phill are a newly married couple in my small group--they're about my age. A tumor was discovered on Lydia's dad's brain less than a year ago, and it was malignant. Just a couple weeks ago the doctors said that the tumor is not shrinking, and that they can't do any more chemotherapy. Right now Lydia is back in The Netherlands with her family. Pray for Peter's healing and for their family during this time.
---Pray for Victoria. She has been an active member of Oasis Madrid since even before we launched as a church, and now she's in the process of applying to be involved in missions after she graduates.
---Praise God for more involvement in the homeless ministry within the church. Pray that God will continue to grow that ministry and develop an attitude of service in our church.
---Pray for wisdom and opportunity as a couple of us look for ways to start reaching out to some prostitutes in the area.
---Pray for my teammate (and roommate) Amy Swacina as she's in the U.S. for the next few months raising support and getting her resident visa to stay here long term.
---Praise God that more teammates, Kelly, April, and baby Alleke Crull have their support raised and are coming back to Spain in 2 weeks!
---Pray for Jonathan. He's a guy in our church that had an opportunity to share his story and what Jesus means to him in class. Now there may be an opportunity for him and Victoria to start a "God Night" Bible study with some students wanting to know more.
---Pray for Me. I'm still working on raising more financial support from Spain, which is a difficult thing to do. Pray for God to provide the one time gifts and monthly support needed for me to continue living here in Madrid.
---Pray for the relationships with Spanish friends that I've been able to start through the language exchange night I attend. Ask God to use those relationships to draw people to Him.


I hope this story and the prayer requests give you a bit of insight into parts of my life here. If you would like to know more personally about what's going on here in Madrid, feel free to email me and we'll get in touch!

Thanks for all of your support, encouragement, and prayers.

February 2007 Update

I hope you’re not freezing wherever you are. It’s just cold enough here to make me want snow, but not cold enough to actually do it. Winter is an annoying season that way! Anyway, here are a few things happening and things to pray about.

Sunday Dinner with our Friday Sandwich Friends

Each Friday a group of us has been taking lunch out to between 20 and 30 homeless people in the city center. We’ve been able to develop relationships with some of the regulars, and through these relationships we want to be able not only to feed them, but to share the gospel with them in words and actions.
Last Sunday, our church rented out a space in the city center, cooked up a hot dinner, and invited our friends to come eat with us. We invited 25 and only a few came, but the ones that did had a wonderful time. One of the guys, René, enjoyed chatting with new people and telling stories from his stranger than fiction life that keeps being proven to be true, no matter how crazy his stories are. Marcos came, left, and came back with his girlfriend. We were able to give both of them warm coats and lots of clothes. Pedro came and stayed for a little while, making sure we remembered to take food later to his wife and daughter. It was fun to get to sit down and eat a meal with these people rather than just meeting them on the street. It was encouraging watching our church jump in and get excited about service. I was tired at the end of the day to say the least, but I’m really glad we did it.

Still in Negotiations on a Permanent Space

We’re outgrowing the university snack bar where we hold our services, so we’re looking for a more permanent space. We’ve been in negotiations with an owner about a local (storefront) for the past couple months, and eventually we had to say no to him because he insisted on a 6 month deposit. Now that we’ve said no, they’re considering a letter of guarantee rather than the money, so negotiations are still on! Pray for God’s provision if this is the place for us.

Support Raising From Spain

2006 was an expensive year with more taxes than expected, a computer breakdown, and two weeks of field orientation—basically, it drained my account much more than I expected. 2007 looks to be about the same with fees to get my resident visa and furlough back in the States in August. I’ve also lost some of my support base in the U.S. over the past year and need to build that back up as quickly as possible. Pray that God will provide the contacts with churches and individuals that I need, and that He would provide the finances needed for me to stay here. Life here is definitely a constant lesson in trust!

New (ish) Website

I can’t remember if I’ve officially announced my website to all of my supporters, but just in case not, here it is! I used to have only a blog (kind of like an online journal), but now I have expanded it to include fun photos, artsy stuff, etc. There is even a section especially for my supporters! To check it out, visit http://web.mac.com/kellyinmadrid. Be sure to click the link called “supporters stuff” for current info, and my blog for stories about daily life here.


I think that's it for now. Or the tip of the iceburg, anyway, and I should stop before I get on a roll and write a novel. Thanks so much to all of you for your prayers and support. I thank God for you!

Peace,

Kelly