Small Steps. Big Faith.

As Ruben and Aaron and I drove across the north of Spain toward Galicia, hundreds of pilgrims, represented on the map above) were doing their own pilgramages from different points toward the city of Santiago, Spain. Chris Pratt, a fellow teammate from my days of planting the campus ministry at the University of Granada, and his wife Anna Pratt invited us to join them and two other families for a week in  Ligonde, Galicia, Spain  to serve the pilgrims who pass by Ágape's pilgrim house,  lafuentedelperegrino.com .     Below left we are pictured at our first team meeting where Chris explained the history of the house and the vision and mission of La Fuente del Peregrino.        For one week our team of 8 adults and 8 children served pilgrims walking along the Camino de Santiago, providing coffee and lemonade, clean bathrooms, cold water from our fountain and for a lucky few, dinner and bed to sleep in, all free of charge. We learned how thi...

  Remember when I went to Holland with Aaron and two other staff at the end of November? It was to become as a BPMT Facilitator. What is BPMT again? The Building Power Ministry Teams Assessment tool is based upon “ The Performance Factor: Unlocking the Secrets of Teamwork " by Pat MacMillan. This tool helps a team self assess six different aspects of teamwork (Common Purpose, Clear Roles, Accepted Leadership, Effective Processes, Solid Relationships and Excellent Communication). Teams can then see in which areas of their teamwork they are strong and in which areas they are weak. During the workshop the team creats action steps to address these areas. Now that we are officially certified, our goal is now to bring this important training to Spain. Rex Winn, Marc Fuentes and I make up the BPMT team in Spain. Our next steps include translating the material and casting vision for the various ministry teams in Agape Spain. There are already a couple of teams interested in re...

Ruben Rivera (second from the right) was a teenager with a dream. After a childhood filled with unknowns, he entered adolescence, dreaming about changing the world. He wanted to help children and others in great need. That feeling became a great fire that drove him to take steps. A good friend took a chance on him and discipled him with patience and faithfulness…and helped him to mold and shape his dream. His story is of one who has been changed by Jesus. His dream is to participate with Him in changing the world. His calling is to work among those who suffer most. Ruben is now the National Director of  Global Aid Network  in Spain. He´s working to raise up a team of staff and volunteers that can work with him to reach the hidden and hurting in our world. In just two years, GAiN is now sponsoring a recovery house for homeless men in Barcelona, hosting a program to reduce social exclusion for Moroccan women in Terrassa (Barcelona) and supporting the ...

The Good News: They found it! It was like striking gold. The workers on the construction site of the  Ça-Ira Children´s Home  in Haiti had found a new water source for a well. The Bad News: The water still needed to be treated to guarantee the health of the children and staff who currently live in the orphanage. Soon, this need will cease to be a concern. Within a few weeks, our children at the home will not need to worry about the quality of the water that they drink or bathe with. As we filed into the conference room at  Optima Renovables , a renewable energy company located in Terrassa, Spain, we were eager to hear their response to participate in the needs at the children´s home in Haiti. The directors were willing AND eager to donate a special water purification system to GAiN Spain to be used at the orphanage in Haiti. (pictured below) It´s a system with the latest technology and has the ability to purify 7000 liters of water a day, which is mo...

One day last week I was working "on location" on a mountain top. Yes...a literal mountain top. (Sometimes I just marvel at the opportunities I have and often wonder, "How in the world would I put what I do on a resumé?") At the end of May staff leaders from all over the world will come to Spain, actually to Montserrat (about 6 miles from my little pueblo), to an event hosted by Campus Crusade for Christ, Internationl. They are coming to discuss reaching the large cities around the globe with the gospel. "Global Cities Summit" (or something along those lines) is the title of the gathering. Their planning team, based in Orlando needed help with some preparation on the Spain side and somehow this job ended up on my desk. I've helped to facilitate letters of invitation and permission for visas for specific people coming from India and from Ghana. I don´t really mind. Events like these help keep alive my vision for reaching the world. They also help me...