MAY-JUNE 2013

Proverbs 29:16 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. In our last letter, I asked you all to pray for the mens retreat we had planned for the 20-21st of April. We would like you all to praise the Lord with us for the great results. There were 11 of us, a mix of older and younger men. I challenged the men to have a vision to reach Zaragoza, the towns of Aragn, Spain, and the rest of the world through the multiplication process of Biblical discipleship. All of the men participated in the ministry during the retreat: Marius and Oscar ministered to us from the Word, Mihail led the music, Paco planned all the details, and everyone actively participated in the workshops. Three of the men (Gerson, Charlie and Samuel) have since joined our Sunday group, realizing that they shared the same vision. There were another half a dozen men who didnt attend the retreat, and upon hearing how things went, immediately asked when we are going to have the next one. Please pray for these men, that God would help them to put discipleship into practice in their daily lives so that they might see God using them to bless others. Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. A couple of weeks ago, the Lord gave me the opportunity to visit a man in Tauste who was dying from inoperable lung cancer. Ramn, who was a friend of Azucena, had always been extremely antagonistic towards anything related to God, mocking her and blaspheming His name whenever she tried to talk about the Lord. The day we went to visit him, he was quite quiet and subdued, and Azucena commented to me how surprised she was that he behaved himself. Although he allowed us to pray for him, he didnt seem very open to the gospel, asking Azucena as we left, You only brought him here to preach a sermon to me? We found out from Azucena that he died the very next day. She was with him as they rushed him off to the hospital, vomiting blood. The truth is that his death has made a noticeable impact on Azucenas family. She has renewed her commitment to the Lord, and her daughters Jesica and Azucena have started listening to our Bible studies again after having been totally uninterested for several months. The following week I found out that one of Azucenas neighbors, whom we had witnessed to several times but refused to surrender his bitterness towards God, also died recently. He was only forty years old, showing us once again that our life is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14) These events have reminded all of us who continue to minister in Tauste and other villages of the urgency we need to have in doing all we can to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person so that they might have a chance to hear and be saved. There are so many in the villages and even in the city who have never heard, to whom the true gospel is totally unknown.

Acts 2:46-47 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Since our last letter, our little house church is averaging 25-30 in attendance, and we have been forced to find a new place to meet. We met a few times in parks, but are most often renting out a meeting room in a hotel near the University. We are thrilled that God has blessed us by bringing us physically closer to the University. One of the main reasons that I believe the group has grown is because of the sweet time of fellowship we have every Sunday, sharing a meal together after the services, just as the first church did in Jerusalem. It has created a singleness of heart.

We would ask you to pray for three specific things for our group: 1. Since we have been at the hotel, Matias and Erminia (Marians parents) and Ruben and Mihaela (Marius brother and girlfriend) have been regularly attending. They are not saved, please pray they would understand their need to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour. 2. Please pray for the unity of our group. We need to be sensitive to the Spirit of God so that He can guide us in maintaining the unity that He has blessed us with. 3. Marius and his family are returning to their village in Romania in a couple of weeks. They have a burden for their lost families, and believe God would have them go there and minister to them. Please pray for them, and also for our church. Personally, we are sad to have to say goodbye, but thrilled that the Lord continues to move in the hearts of men to serve Him.

Jim Taglialatela and family Sent by First Bible Baptist Church Rochester New York Pastor George Grace