January chit chat, get to know each other.Come and join me everyone!

I'm preaching at church tomorrow afternoon. Got my sermon all ready (mindmap style, that's how I like to have my notes!) No idea whether lots of people will be there, or less because of it being new years day.

I'm preaching on some verses that have really been my verses over the last couple of years (since my husband was critically ill and in intensive care for 5 weeks in the summer of 2010)

2 Corinthians 4:7-9.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

DH and I work as missionaries in Spain, but we're in Puerto Rico (where my DH is from) on home assignment at the moment. So, I'm preaching at DH's church. I'm English, so we have to do some home assignment in the UK too, but we did that already in September.

we had quite a good crowd, but I think there were less people than usual because of it being new years day. We just have one more week left in Puerto Rico then we go back to Spain. DH and I work there as missionaries. We've had a really horrible ministry situation there though and are having to leave the place we've been working. Not sure exactly where we'll be moving to or what fellowship we'll be able to have in the next couple of months. Definitely looking forward to being able to settle somewhere new though. Right now we're thinking we may move to Puerto Rico. We have a lot of ideas for doing stuff to support Spanish people, but from Puerto Rico. Now, I just need a visa!

I've lived and worked in Spain for nearly 10 years (with a three year break in the middle to do more studies) Many people are not receptive, but there are always some that are and that makes it all worth while. We're having to leave our place of ministry because of problems with our co-workers. I still don't really understand how it all happened. They accused us of all sorts of things and weren't open to discussing it. They basically put my DH in church discipline (for no justifiable reason) although they called it a 'sabbatical" and then they asked us to leave. I still wake up every morning wondering why this is happening. My DH and I are pretty stressed about it.

We've been working with a mission organisation called European Christian Mission, so just works in Europe. I'd say that much of Europe is pretty secular. Although lots of European Countries have state religion, I'm not sure that that's always a good thing. Some people may consider themselves Christian because they were baptised as infants, even though they've never set foot in a church since and have no interest in it all. People are maybe interested in spiritual experiences (new age etc) but not in having to conform to a particular religion.
The Alpha course has had quite a good response in the UK though and people are still converting, so it's not all bad.

I'm not sure whether I'll be a missionary all my life, it's looking like I may not be right now. It depends what it means to be a missionary though. DH and I are considering moving to Puerto Rico (where DH would work in the family Christian bookshop and I'd help) but from there, we'd support Spanish missionaries and pastors. We could help them find financial support, raise mission awareness and take teams out to Spain to help. Since we'd be working in the family business that would give us more flexibility to travel We're still finding the thought of leaving Spain tough, but we just don't see other options for us in our mission right now. If we do move to Puerto Rico, it will depend how long it would take me to get a visa.