New year 2016 | english

Prayer letter - Happy New Year 2016

Barcelona, January 4th, 2016

Greetings

Happy New Year 2016 to you all!

After not writing to you in December, because of the exams and works from different subjects at the end of the semester, I have found a short time in this holiday time of Christmas for writing you.

I think it is important to begin the year by praying, so I would like that you consider the exposed topics in your prayer times. I thank you in advance for praying, and I thank you that you have been praying all this time for me and the things at the letters.

The evangelism project is taking shape and they have already started to give instructions to the members who want to be part of it about what they can help with to start executing it. I would like that you pray for all the people who are involved in the project so we can do it for God, and not for ourselves. I also ask you to pray for the people who arrive to the church so they can meet and know God here.

ICEA

We are still praying for Sefovan's situation and the possibility of having its own place where Sefovan could be established and its own campus could be developed as well, so this ministry can grow up and improve the face-to-face classes, and also integrate the students' housing inside the campus.

What is more, Sefovan wants to make community services, such as a soup kitchen, and some other social works directly over the zone in which it would be established.

We have to still thank the Lord and pray for the teachers who teach us. Recently, because of ministry reasons, José Hutter, alongside with his wife Úrsula, have decided to not teach at Sefovan. We ask you to pray for this married couple and their ministry.

We, the students, are doing good. We still need you to pray for us and what each of us are doing, in our different ministry works at our different churches. We also want to thank God because He is giving to us all what we need in many unbelievable ways. As I wrote in the last letter, I want to remember Daniel's and Erika's ministry.

During the last month, Daniel has seen how his prayers were answered overwhelmingly. He has started a music band as him as the signer and composer, together with other volunteer musicians. He could not believe how, it just three days, all fitted in perfectly! And I want to thank you for your prayers for him (he is very thankful as well) and we would like that you thank the Lord for this group and to pray for Him to guide Daniel and his project. You may follow him on social media (Daniel Lozano) and in his webpage: http://daniellozano.wix.com/daniellozano (in Spanish).
Erika continues working with the youth group at «Cristo Vive» church at San Fernando de Henares, but she needs prayer specially for her ministry at Chueca neighbourhood at Madrid establishing bonds with people and preparing the way to the Gospel in this complicated neighbourhood. Likewise, after 15 months, she could go and visit her family at her hometown, in Germany, and we want to thank God for it and ask Him to encourage her to continue working in Spain.

The prayer topics are the same they were on the last letter, as the objectives are still the same:

To be able to serve correctly in every place, and to be humble.
My work with the youth group and the evangelism ministry at Aluche church.
For the souls who meet Jesus.
Wisdom for I can apply all what I study at Sefovan and do not forget it as just theory.
Thank God for all what He does.
My ministry contract (Read it here).
The different ministries:
- Social work at "Cristo Vive": Every Friday the gospel is shared and food is given to needed people.
- OnTheRedBox®: From Monday to Saturday, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. they share the gospel in many different ways at Puerta del Sol.
- Barajas Biblical Church (IBB): Its opening will be within the next weeks. They need you to pray for the Gospel impact in the neighbourhood.
- Sefovan evangelism campaigns: This course, evangelism campaigns continue. The last of the past year was on December 19th, at Cabanillas del Campo, were Sefovan helped the local church. Continue praying for the evangelism made by Sefovan.
- Iglesia Cristiana Evangélica de Aluche (ICEA):
  - ICEA is about to start shortly a new evangelism ministry in which I would like to work. Pray for it.
  - The pastors want us to pray so they find a young (not youth) pastor that is prepared for the leadership at church..

Prayer topics

Farewell

After all what is written, after wishing you a happy new year, only the verse that usually ends up my letter remains. And this time, my farewell is summarised in these two verses from 2 Thessalonians.

The Lord be blessing you as He has already been doing;

Josuè Blasco Vernedas.

«As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honoured, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith.» 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

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Sefovan

Sumarising the semester

I would like to summarise the subjects and topics we have been studying during this first semester of the course. We started in October with José Martin and a hard – but very interesting – subject about 1 Corinthians and Ephesians. To study them, we made a development chapter per chapter alongside with monographic works about different related topics, to choose between spiritual gifts, the communion, or the offerings (I chose the second one).

We continued with something less hard, but equally interesting, and essential subject in any seminary: Evangelism, with Bruno. We could see different ways to share the Gospel in the Bible and practical ways to do it nowadays, and we prepared our testimony for sharing it quickly. And we participated as a group with OnTheRedBox® one evening there.

Another vital subject, by Manny Fernández (Jr.), for any Bible student followed that one: Methods for the Bible study. We could see the best way to understand, observe and analyse a text to prepare it to preach. How? By writing more than seventy observations about the same verse (every one of us), and making the outline for preaching a text in small groups.

After that we learnt, with Úrsula Hutter, in teaching process subject, how to prepare and give a class suitable to every age group, and specially to kids, teens and youth people, at church or any other activity. Each one of us had to prepare a lesson suitable for an assigned age group, and we could study the characters of the different groups and the class suitability to each one.

And we finished up the semester with the cornerstone of the seminary: Apologetics (defence of the faith), with the seminary principal, Manuel Fernández. We could see what I consider the most powerful and useful tools I have ever learnt to defend what we believe in a truthful and irrefutable way. We also learnt how science falsified many studies about evolution, and how scientists demonstrated Bible's truthfulness and faithfulness of the New Testament Scriptures, and therefore what Jesus said.

My family

And once the semester was over, I went back home. And the situation is hopeless. Totally hopeless. The real situation is that my parents are in a very bad economic situation. They get the food from relatives and friends, and from church. They are looking for a job, but they find nothing. And with a very little aid from the government.

We need you to pray for us, and specially for them. And I ask you to pray for a job for me so I can send them money every month to help them so they can pay their bills and so.

And I want to thank God because mi mother received a grant for her dentures after she lost almost all her dentition because of diabetes and other causes. She will be operated on January 7th, in Madrid (so she will have to travel from Barcelona to Madrid and come back the same day), so I want you to pray for her and the operation.

About my situation

The petitions about myself are the same as in the last letters. I need God to continue showing me what I have to do at my church, and how to relate it with my call and with what I am studying.

My economic situation, which you know from the other letters, is at the same point. I have enough money to live until the end of this course in Madrid, but I need a job to save money for the next courses and to help my family, as I said above.

And I want to make a very personal petition to you. From some time now I have been getting to know a girl, Elisabet, and we started our courtship (or dating, I am not sure of the name in English) relationship in December. I would like that you could pray for us and for our growing in our relationship and in our personal relationship with God.