I just got back from Barcelona, Spain. Among other things, I was there to also do a wedding for two of our students, Marcos and Priscilla. Talk about exciting! These two students are a wonderful representation of the essence of the ministry that you and we are involved in. They are deeply in love with each other. But more importantly they are absolutely immersed in a vision of greatness about serving the Lord for the rest of their lives!

Their enthusiasm is obvious as they are not only elated about making their marriage a reality, but also because they are fully aware that they are on God’s side. They have made a life commitment to serve Him as a lifelong career and in turn they feel God is on their side with all the promises for life and ministry.

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Thank you for being part of that with your prayers and your support! Thinking back on the many wonderful young people who have come through the program and are now in fruitful ministries increases my joy at this time of year.

Let me tell you about one of those students, Jose Luis from Galicia.

I’ll confess to you, I sometimes wondered if this young man would ever escape his troubled past.  He used to roam the streets searching for car radios or stereos to steal to support his daily cocaine habit.  He had several serious brushes with the law including the time he tried to kill a member of the “Guardia Civil”, each time narrowly escaping a prison sentence.

Jose Luis eventually tried to turn his life around with God’s help, entering seminary with us. But training was checkered with conflicts, revealing a continuing struggle with his very stormy past.

There were occasions when one more word out of his mouth would have landed him back on the street.  Once, in the middle of the night (about 3:00 a.m.), I got a call from a roommate of Jose Luis’s complaining of a fistfight in the student housing.  Fortunately for Jose Luis, our investigation revealed that the caller, a student from Tunisia, was actually the instigator, and he was dismissed; Jose Luis narrowly escaped trouble once again. After much work and turmoil, Jose Luis finally reached his goal when he graduated.

And thank God he did!

Today, Jose Luis is married, the proud father of two beautiful children, and the senior pastor of a leading church in a city called Ciudad Real.  What’s more, he has a daily radio program, which proclaims the Gospel to the entire region.  Jose Luis is a respectable citizen and a highly effective ambassador for Christ!

Was it worth the traumatic episodes in his training, the sleepless nights, the investment in his education?  It most certainly was!  Jose Luis is living proof of God’s power to transform even the most troubled life . . . and a powerful reminder of how every student is absolutely worth the investment!

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