RoFMI Visit to Spain June 19 to 22 2009

What shall we do on the longest days of the year? I know – let’s go to Spain. Let’s go back to see those lovely people in Murcia once more. So it was that our 7th visit to Murcia was birthed, and that’s why Peter, Jonathan, and Chris set out on a dazzlingly ordinary Friday evening in the middle of June to visit a country and region not renowned for its summer icebergs and snow. Another thrilling adventure in faith had begun. The ‘plan’ was to simply meet with as many of the people as we could at a personal level and to fellowship and love them.

We arrived at Alicante airport at around 23:30 – late for some but not our wonderful hosts Armand and Neumi who cheerfully pitched up to pick us all up. Jonathan was taken poste haste to Pastor David’s house in Murcia while Peter and I were taken a little further to Alcantarilla where Armand & Neumi live. We actually managed to exchange all the news and views and get to bed by 3:00a.m. – quite an impressive start all in all.

Up by something vaguely early o’clock next morning, we still had no real idea what our itinerary was and, praise the Lord, it was not to be as intense nor as full as the previous week in Denmark. Neumi had to go to school – she is studying to become a hospital administrator – so off she went at 08:30 leaving Peter & I in the tender care of Armand. So where are all those icebergs I wondered? Well it was 23C in the shade at 08:00 so I guess they were hiding somewhere cool. Then Armand came up with a terrible idea – let’s go to Mama Mia’s for breakfast. Let it be clear here that this Mama Mia’s is a wonderfully sinful establishment in sore need of a couple of good prophets sorting it out. We immediately set about their hot chocolate stock reducing it quickly by one portion “Prophets Ambrosia” and some coffee, juices, and pain au chocolat and tomato & mozzarella slices. Hmm – not bad – temperature is about 30+ by now so no chance of an iceberg sighting.

After much relaxation and planning picked up Jonathan and set out to find Ruben & Tracey together with Tracey’s Mum & Dad over for a holiday. The idea was that we have lunch together. Another excellent relaxing time ensued and an excellent lunch was dutifully consumed. Just a quick by the way here – the temperature on Saturday (or was it Sunday) reached 46C – 115F. That is a tad warm.

I expect you’re all wondering if we did any work at all this trip?? Hmm?? Well yes as it’s important to us to make as many people as possible there know that our ministry is different..We don’t just pitch up, preach, and run. We want to be available to the people and to show them even just a little bit of Christ’s love for them.

So a little later on we did go to Pastor David’s house for their Friday evening Bible study. Pastor David spoke about Acts 1:3-17 and we found ourselves back at the scripture Peter spoke on last week about the woman who broke the alabaster box of perfume over Jesus’ feet then dried it all with her hair. This all led to the presence of the Lord and the fact that His presence affects us in different ways. David gave a very powerful talk on the fragrance of our praises and the fact that faith is a risk. Moses risked his faith to part the Red Sea. Joshua risked his faith to fight battles. Faith is risk and if Satan cannot steal our praise & worship, then he cannot steal your salvation or destiny in Christ. Prayer and ministry time was both anointed and powerful as we found ourselves delivering precious words of confirmation and encouragement to the whole company assembled there – including cousins Miguel & Maria visiting from Australia. Back to the apartment in Alcantarilla and an early night at 02:00 – after ice-cream in a place almost next to Mama Mia’s.

Sunday morning saw a great change for us – no church meeting! SO instead we went back to Pastor David’s home and did some serious planning for a prophetic worship conference we are holding over there in October. More of that another time.

For lunch on Sunday we went to Orihuella, another nearby town, for lunch with one of the families from David’s church. About 16 of us sat down to eat and we were all truly blessed. Peter was fulfilling a promise he made to them on an earlier trip and they were all so very pleased to have us there and minister to us through a meal. About 3 hours and several prophecies later, we came away and made our way back to Murcia for the Sunday evening service at Pastor David’s church.

Pastor David preached on Genesis 28:10-22 where Jacob wrestled the angel of the Lord. David’s theme was that we can all have an encounter with God so powerful that it changes the DNA of the land. There are also those encounters when God is present and we don’t even know it until later. On the main theme, if we had such a powerful encounter as Jacob there, Murcia would no longer be a place of lemon trees. It would be known as a place where god inhabited the church and a place where you can have your own encounter with God. Once again a very anointed and powerful ministry time followed and many people were greatly blessed and had their own encounter with God.

We finally managed to get to bed by 1a.m. in order to be on the road by 07:30 and at the airport by 08:30 for our return flight. On the way back home we realised just how tiring consecutive weeks of overseas travel and ministry can be and we slept a good part of the way home. I finally left Peter snoozing happily in his own home – a posture he maintained for quite a while apparently.

So – what did this very short trip actually achieve? Unknown at the moment – all I can say is that we are regarded, and regard our hosts in return, as family and it is sometimes just good to visit and encourage them (and ourselves) by fellowshipping with everyone in the church and not just the pastors and their families. We love them and we know we are loved by them – do we need any other reason to keep going back? OK – maybe we do but what do you think the October conference is intended to be for if not to move them on and help them get really established, ready for revival in their country.

Highlight for me was the ministry time in church on Sunday evening when so many received a touch from the Lord. Also to hear David preaching was a revelation and I received much from his teaching.

Peter - As for me I have been finding over the last 2 visits that the lord has been changing my perspective of ministry The Lord has been directing me to relationship more than just teaching or preaching. It was such a joy for me to be released in that way especially in Denmark and now in Spain. I am very fortunate to have a team developing around our ministry that are seasoned teachers and preachers such as Keith Turner and Keith and Jean Perrin. Although I still teach / preach I am being released more into spending time with the leaders and their congregation on a more personal level which to me is very important.

Highlights for Spain have to include David's teaching. This is my first time of hearing first hand as part of a congregation .Other times I would be doing the teaching myself as a guest speaker. David has a way of getting deep into the nuggets and bringing out the things in the word that most other people miss. Had it not been for the fact that we were released just to spend time building up personal relationships I would have missed all of that for myself and my team.

Another highlight has to be the change I have seen in Armando our host. When I first met him the Lord seemed to join us at the hips and I could see such promising future for him with the Lord. Over the last couple of visits I have been getting to know him better. This last visit Chris and I had the pleasure of staying with him and his lovely wife Neumi I can only say that after a weekend together Armando has become just as crazy as we are. He is a true friend indeed and I will be throwing him deeper in the water in our future ministry in Europe.

I think the best highlight for me was perhaps the meal we had together with the family from Orihuella on Sunday afternoon I had been wanting to visit their home for the last 3 trips to Spain. Sunday was fathers day in UK and I had a card from Ruth with a present. I opened these at the table with my own family in Spain and it was so precious. Far from home, but also being at home.