Spain, January 13, 2012
Dear Friends and Family:
This update is coming to you from Spain. That’s
right. We returned to Spain on January 3rd. That was
because we had to meet one of the requirements for our
residency...not to be out of Spain more than one year at a
time. Since we went to the States last February, we needed
to get back to be in under the year mark. Plus Sam needed
to pick up his residency card that had been waiting for him
since last summer. In fact, he did go get it the day after
we arrived and had his card in-hand within 5 minutes. No
lines. No questions. God is good.
We will be in Spain until February and will return to the
States for Sam to finish out his work as Interim Director
of Development, and especially as he is heading up the work
of the World Missions Offering between now and the last
Sunday in April. We have our tickets to return May 3rd. And
that is because we have another requirement we have to meet
to keep our residencies current...not to be gone from Spain
longer than 2 1/2 years out of 5 years. When we return in
May, June will be within a week of that 2 1/2 years. She
will turn in her papers for her residency renewal in
August, so the 5 years start over then.
Maybe you heard about the Mission Board’s decision in
December that is affecting several missionaries. A news
release “Board Postpones Missionary
Deployments” is a must read. Some missionaries
won’t be able to return to their fields of service
until the mission’s cash reserves reach a sustainable
level of 10% of the operational budget. A second news
release “Board Seeks to Move Forward While Halting
Losses” is also important to read. And a third news
release, “Open Letter From IM’s CFO”, is
also available to explain further about the financial
situation. You can read the entire news releases
here: http://www.fwbgo.com/news/.
We were in the States at that time, but because of the
legal status of our residencies, we were given permission
to return in January, and then again in May. We are
thankful for that, as we would have lost our residencies if
not, and they are too precious to lose. Please pray for
those who did have to stay longer than they had planned.
This is a discouraging time, but we know that God is able
to supply the needed funds so that all missionaries can do
the work that He has called them to do.
We’d like to ask all of
our supporters to consider increasing your gifts to the
mission...even by just $5 or $10 dollars a month. And for
those of you who aren’t involved in giving to
missions, we’d like to ask you to consider supporting
Free Will Baptist International Missions. You can mail
donations to FWBIM, PO Box 5002, Antioch, TN 37013, or you
can give on-line, http://www.fwbgo.com/giving.html.
This weekend, we will be honoring the 3 pastors of the
churches here with a banquet meal...all cooked and served
by the missionaries here. Each of the pastors are
struggling financially, but they are committed to their
churches and are happy to serve. They get very little
encouragement in their lives, so we hold this special event
for them, hoping to give them the encouragement they need
to continue in their ministries. Please continue to pray
for José, Jhon Fredy, and Juan Carlos.
We have seen several of the believers from three of our
churches since we’ve been back. We’ve enjoyed
sweet fellowship and have had good conversations. One even
helped us find the right refrigerator repairman so we could
get ours repaired and not have to buy a new one. We have
many dear friends here, and we are enjoying being with them
again.
Before we left the States, we were able to be with family
during Thanksgiving (with the McVays) and Christmas (with
the Picirillis). We even had both daughters, our
son-in-law, and our two adorable grandsons. Elijah is
getting close to three years old, and Josiah is almost 8
months old. They were so precious and we enjoyed being with
them so much. A family picture is attached for you to see
our cute little boys!!!
We would like for you to help us pray for our mothers.
Sam’s mom is having surgery on January 24 to take a
nodule off her thyroid that has been giving her problems.
June’s mom is having problems with two valves in her
heart. She is on medication now and waiting to see if she
will need a valve replacement. Thanks for your prayers.
We appreciate all you do for us...for your prayers, for
your financial support, and for your encouraging words. We
are so thankful for you and for your partnership with us.
Blessings!
Your missionaries to Spain,
Sam and June McVay
Spain address:
Sam and June McVay
Avenida de Madrid, 30-H
28450 Collado Mediano (Madrid) España
smcvay@fwbgo.com