The Reign in Spain

Homecoming

Dear Friends,

It took a full 24 straight hours of travel, but we arrived safely back in the U.S. last week.  We've spent the last few days getting ready for our impending tour of church visits, but also getting to see friends and family, many of whom we haven't seen in over two years!  The best example of this is Joshua, our first nephew, who arrived a few months after we left for the mission field.  He's now a lively, talkative, very bright two-year-old!  Please pray for his family, as his younger brother or sister is due any day now.

Vacation Bible school in Spain was a big success!  Although we had fewer children than last year, we were impressed by the growth we saw in those who did attend.  It was a very calm, enjoyable week for all of the children and volunteers who made the VBS come together.  And thanks to your prayers and a few timely phone calls, the power was restored at the church, just as we hoped.

Please pray for us as we have much to do before our church visits: getting our programs and displays ready, calling and confirming visits, getting the car ready, packing (again!), etc.  We hope to see many of you soon!

Blessings,

Michael and Carrie Hamley

Let There Be Light! (Today....Please!)

Dear Friends,

By the time you read this, we should be into our second day of VBS at Comunidad Cristiana Luz y Vida.  Well, we're a bit short on the "luz" (light) at the moment.  Our power has been out at the church for a week now, due to a banking error (since corrected) and the power company's continued failure to flip the switch to turn it back on.  Fortunately, we do have a generator, which the church purchased a few weeks back for park evangelism events.  After a cold, dark service we had back in November, we knew to have it on hand for such a time as this.  Even though it blows black smoke and makes a whole lot of noise, so far we have been blessed that none of the neighbors have come down to complain or called the cops.  The only real disadvantage is that the generator isn't quite powerful enough to run the air conditioner along with everything else.  And it's forecast to be almost 100 again tomorrow.  Please pray that the electricity will be restored muy pronto, and that the VBS continues to go well and grow!

On a brighter note, we did find a temporary home for Carrie's large aquarium.  A family from the church agreed to house the fish and plants in their own large, already established aquarium, and the tank itself in their garage.  This is the best possible scenario, so thanks to those of you who have been praying for a resolution.  Please pray that the move (Wednesday) goes well, and that none of the fish are lost in the heat.

Blessings,

Michael and Carrie (Caty) Hamley

Gearing Up for VBS

  It's been a while since you've heard from us, as we were hiding out in the Swiss Alps, but we have been back in Madrid for the past week, and we hit the ground running!  First, we helped host a VISA team from Mexico.  We took them around to evangelize and to help feed the homeless.  They spent evenings in the parks building relationships with local teams and sharing their faith one-on-one.

  Now we are gearing up to receive another VISA team, this time from England, who will be here July 14-26.  They will be participating in many activities, among which is the VBS program the church will host next week.  This is in lieu of the summer program we did last year.  The theme is "Avalanche Ranch," and the kids in the neighborhood couldn't be more excited!  Please pray for this event, that it will be well staffed, well attended, and well received in our community.  Also pray as we are getting ready to return to the US in two weeks for a time of partnership building and to obtain visas.

  Please pray for us this week as we prepare for the VBS...decorating, coming up with crafts and activities, and inviting children to attend.  Also pray for Carrie as she more than likely has to sell her large aquarium which a friend has been caring for since Jan. but can't past this month as they are also heading back to the US for home assignment.  She has put a large amount of time, money, and energy into it and is very sad to see it go.  Pray that someone would step up and volunteer to keep it for us until we return, or that we will find a buyer soon.

   As always, thanks for your prayers and support!  We hope to see you in person soon!

                   Michael and Carrie (Caty) Hamley