NEHEMIAH PROJECT UPDATE #5
October 29, 2007


Unanimous, unanimous, unanimous.
Those were the outcomes of the votes taken during the Villalba Church business meeting last night. You’d have to know the individuals and the history of the Villalba Church, but believe me, that was another miracle. It was something for which we give thanks to God, and from the depths of our hearts.

Loan for the construction: Accepted unanimously.
Builder recommended by the Church Council: Accepted unanimously.
Church budget for the next fiscal year (which includes interest on the construction loan): Accepted unanimously.

You already know about the details of the loan from the last update. The builder the Church Council recommended to the church is Felician Frone, a member of the Villalba Church. Felician is originally from Romania. Like many other people from Romania, Felician and his family of five came to Spain seeking a better life. The Lord has blessed them in many ways. He has built his own construction company, and has been successful. Several years ago, the Lord led them to join the Villalba Church. Not only was Felician’s bid the lowest, as a member of the church, he wants the best for the church. Even more important, he sees this project as an opportunity to use his talents for the Lord. We see the hand of the Lord in so many details, leading us to choose Felician as the builder. In a country where immigrants are not always welcome, what a blessing it was to see Spanish believers walk up to Felician last night to congratulate him and offer him their assistance —as BROTHERS in Christ! Praise the Lord! Once again, the Lord has answered our (your!) prayers. As one of the local believers prayed during the meeting last night: “While we truly want a church building, what we desire even more is a body of believers who are united, helping one another, being a testimony to a lost world, and one that brings honor and glory to the Lord.” Without a doubt, what happened in that little storefront building last night was the work of God, and we give Him glory for every detail, both large and small.

There are a couple of things that wasn't mentioned in our last update about the loan. The bank is giving the church 500,000 euros, period. With construction costs, loan charges, taxes, architectural fees, etc., that 500,000 euros will not pay for the whole project. However, when we add in the gifts that many of you in the USA have pledged to give, we have just enough to complete the building! (Yes, we need to furnish the new building too!) As we looked at the numbers together, I think there were “collective goose bumps.” God is working through YOU to bless His work in Spain. In addition to that, the official appraisal for the project also surprised us all. Fifteen years ago the church paid $130,000 for this property. Adding the building, the bank appraised the property at 1.5 million euros (at today’s exchange rate, that’s 2.1 million US dollars). While we are certainly not in this for the money, that’s not a bad investment or return on God’s money. All for the glory of God and His Kingdom.

For many years, we said that if Nehemiah Project happens, it will be nothing short of a miracle, something that make everyone who sees it say, “That HAS to be something GOD did!” Well, I don’t think anyone in the Villalba church doubts for a second that what is happening here is a work of God. And, YOU have a big part in it all. YOU are making a MAJOR difference in God’s work in Spain! We are convinced that this construction project will be a proverbial “shot in the arm” not only for this local church, but for our work here in general. Jhon, Chairman of the church board and pastor-in-training, ended our meeting last night by saying: “If the Lord should tarry His coming, what we are doing here TOGETHER today by faith, will impact many, many people for many years to come, for God’s Kingdom work and for His glory... What a tremendous privilege to be a part of what is so obviously God’s work in this place!”

It goes without saying that we continue to need your faithful prayers. The first Evangelical church of the Sierra Region of the Madrid Province (the Villalba FWB Church) has stepped out on faith to do something BIG. The enemy will not let this happen without a battle. We must continue to deal with the City Council, inspectors, individual needs, etc., etc. Please continue to pray. At the same time, as you pray, PRAISE THE LORD.