November 26, 2007

Season’s greetings from the Roses in Spain!         

The verse “All things work together for good” was demonstrated in our lives on October 29, 2007.  The boys’ paperwork had been delayed again and they told us we needed yet another stamp on their papers.  Though I was sent to the wrong place, it was the right place, and after spending 9 hours on the bus I arrived in Madrid.  At the bus station a man with a suitcase asked me for a euro.  Before I gave “Tony” the euro with a tract, I asked him where he was from and what language he spoke.  He explained his situation . . .he was from Nigeria and was working at a paper stand to earn money for food.  As he knew the street where I needed to go, I decided to pay him the taxi money, if he could guide me to the office.  Tony agreed, and during this time I began sharing the gospel with him.  After an hour or so, we arrived at the office, but the best part was that before we arrived Tony prayed and asked the Lord to save him from his sins and be his Savior.  Praise God!  After giving Tony my contact information, I went in to the office to take care of my business and was told that I couldn’t get my papers stamped there; the stamp had to be done in Michigan.  Although I was unable to fulfill what I thought was my main objective, I fulfilled exactly what God desired me to do in Madrid, and we will see Tony in heaven some day.  Now I had 15 days to get the paperwork taken care of, or we would not be able to return to Spain.  With the help of a lawyer who did not charge us, we were able to get an extension to allow us the time to accomplish this task.  We ordered new birth certificates, my father, Rev Mike Rose paid for them, and Pastor Kevin from our home church took the certificates to the state capital to have the required stamp, the apostil of Hague put on them.  We appreciate their help so much!  After we received the new documents we promptly turned them in to the office here and the boys’ paperwork has already been approved!!!  At this time we are still waiting for the official documentation to arrive in the mail.  It is our desire that we would be able to complete the final step, the finger printing before we leave Spain on December 24 to insure that there are no further problems.  Please pray with us about this.

            A ministry highlight:  October 21, 2007 was the first time that both churches together had over 100 people who heard the Word of God on the same day.  There were 76 people at the African church for a special service, and 52 in attendance at the Spanish church.

            Preparations for our furlough:  Dena has recorded over 50 hymns on our piano that will be staying at the Spanish church and she is finishing recording hymns on the African church’s piano this week.  On Sunday Bill heard two men preach and teach at the African church.  Though not everything was “homiletically” correct, it was doctrinally correct and Bill is confident they will do a good job filling in when Bro McDonald cannot be there.  The laptop we are leaving for the use of the ministry at the Spanish church is having problems with the screen.  Please pray that we will be able to get it fixed at a low cost.  In addition to ministry preparations and preparing our presentation video and prayer cards, we also have many other things to do this month to prepare to be away for six months.  The exchange rate is the worst in history and we are glad we are able to come home to raise new support for the many needs of our family and also the ministry here.  Please continue to pray for us that God will provide the vehicle the He wants us to use during our furlough.  We wish you all a Merry Christmas and thank God for your faithful support through prayers and finances.

For His glory,

Bill and Dena Rose, with Brianna, Kelsey, Jordan, Joshua, Josiah, and JohnPaul
Sent by: Temple Baptist Church; 55437 Wilbur Rd; Three Rivers, MI 49093
Sent through: World Baptist Fellowship; PO Box 13459; Arlington, TX 76094