Packed out Gospel concert in Spain
In recent years, two Fellowship churches have sent two missionary couples to Spain through Fellowship International. In fact, to a region in Spain which has very little Gospel witness. The Extremadura (“very hard” in English) region has no Gospel witness in many of its cities and towns.
Ken and Kathy Yinger (Knollwood Baptist, London, ON) and Ricardo and Ingrid Castro (d’Ahunsic, Montréal, QC) are making a difference in Spain. Mission groups have started in several towns with new and established believers. I had the joy of seeing Salvo, a new convert, baptized in a public pool with town’s people watching in amazement. These people had never seen anything like it.
In the town of Zafra, the Castros recently undertook a large creative outreach event. A sold-out Gospel concert.
I’ll let Ricardo Castro share what happened:
“After months of intense work, the Gospel concert became a reality! We give thanks to the Lord because during the entire process of preparation, we saw His hand in everything from the response and perseverance of the people, to the many doors that God opened among the local civic authorities.
“We want to emphasize that the majority of singers were local people who do not yet know Christ. Many of them were touched by the lyrics of the songs and the biographies of the composers that were presented during the rehearsals. We have seen our network of contacts multiply tremendously! During the concert, the transitions between the songs consisted of dramatizations of the lives of people like John Newton and Horatio Spafford, who told the audience their stories of their experiences of faith.
“The mayor of the city of Zafra had told us that we were not allowed to “proselytize” and we respected his decision. However, it was one of the choir members who wrote the script of the dramatizations. His heart having been touched by the songs, he began to do his own research. When he showed us the script, it was a clear presentation of the Gospel. This man was so moved that he wanted to act out the life of Spafford (“It is Well with my Soul”) during the concert! We will be having dinner with him and his wife soon, so please pray that the Lord opens his eyes, so that he not only understands the truth of the Gospel, but also opens his heart to Christ as his Saviour.
“I also want to mention another man who has agreed to meet with me to read the Bible together. He was the one who directed the weekly rehearsals (Don came from France one weekend per month.) He told us that he would like to begin an organization, so that the choir can continue! This would be a great answer to prayer, because we would be able to continue our work with this group and even include new people. After all, the objective of everything that took place was to develop relationships in order to have more opportunities to share Christ.
“The choir members were so enthusiastic, that every ticket sold out, 360 seats! There were a number of people that were standing outside, unable to get a ticket. We want to express our appreciation to Don Grigg, who directed the choir with enthusiasm and contagious energy! The whole theatre was singing along at times. Also, we want to thank the group of singers from France who came to sing in the concert along with the Spanish members of the choir. Their participation was a huge help.”
Keep praying for the Castros and the Yingers as local churches are established throughout the Extremadura region of Spain. If the Lord is calling you to cross-cultural ministry overseas, please pray about joining the team in Spain. Fellowship International is actively looking for missionaries to send. You can contact Fellowship International Associate Director Luc Tétreault HERE for more information.
Consider supporting the Cultivating a Community FAIR Project
Unemployment is rampant in Spain. The Castros and Yingers frequently encounter people and families struggling due to under-employment. One way to address this need has been FAIR’s Cultivating a Community project. Through the funds raised for this project, the Castros are overseeing the establishing of a community garden to meet this need in a practical and sustainable way. Please click HERE to find out more information and prayerfully consider giving a gift toward Cultivating a Community. Thank you.