Hello All,
If you are on the Spain Chain, this just came out today and thought I would share it here for the benefit of those not on the Chain. Thanks for checking in.
Dear Friends,
This is a bittersweet moment for me. I write knowing that it is our last Spain Chain email. I have sincerely enjoyed writing these, and I am thankful that they have been received by such supportive and loving people with a love for the work of the Lord in Spain and our family. Much has happened this month that I want to make you aware of as we finish this chapter in our lives.
Family First!
First, on the family front. I did not remember how long it took to set up one’s house! When Lela and I did that 10 years ago this June, it did not seem to take as long as it does now! And then there are the millions of choices for various services. Add to these difficulties our recent problems with a water leak in our kitchen and you have a semi-chaotic month. At present, we are home and have finally begun to feel a sense of settlement.
In the midst of that, Renae has truly enjoyed her time at the Packinghouse Academy. It helps that she is speaking her native language exclusively, has a wonderful, nurturing teacher in Miss Dana Shedd and that Grandma Sanchez is ever present with the Kindergarten class! The Packinghouse Academy has provided a great haven of stability for our oldest daughter and we are thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to send Renae there for this season of time.
This last month has been a slow re-adjustment to American life. The pace of life, though familiar, is always difficult to re-emerge in. Thankfully, we feel that much more adjusted and are ready to face the mission before us.
Choosing To Accept It!
During the struggles of the last month, the concurrent question has involved where we would minister next. Two weeks after we returned home, Pastor Chris Norman called me unexpectedly. Chris is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Laguna, located in Irvine and a long time family friend. He explained that Pastor Ed Rea had recommended me for some staff vacancies that had recently come up, so he called to inquire about our interest in joining the ministry team of Calvary Laguna.
At first, Lela and I were skeptical and were pretty sure that we would not want to move immediately, especially with Renae so content in her new school. After meeting with Chris and his wife Tatum, they assured us that they would be willing to work with us on a commute basis until June, when we could make a move into the Irvine area. At that time, they would re-adjust our salary needs, including the cost of moving into an Orange County dwelling place.
After this meeting with Pastor Chris, we met with the Board of Director for Calvary Laguna and they approved us. February 27th I began to move into my new office and meet the staff. They are delightful people! March 6th officially marks the beginning of my tenure at Calvary Laguna as the Assistant Pastor to Senior Pastor Chris Norman. It is an exciting opportunity and I am ready to get going on what I believe will be a wonderful partnership in ministry.
We ask for your prayers to continue to be with us as we join this church. They have had a difficult past and a lot of instability in the past several months with staff turnover. Pray that Lela and I and our family would be a blessing to Pastor Chris and his family, the staff and the body of Calvary Laguna.
Closing A Chapter
Wow, my last Spain Chain section! Thank you all for your profound support over the course of this ministry to Jerez. It has been the experience of a lifetime and would not have been possible without you. In this last email, it has been impossible to tell you of all the things that the Lord has done and is doing without making this into a small booklet! In that spirit, we want to invite you to a final Spain Chain meeting. It will take place Friday, March 23rd at 6:30pm. Scott and Jessica Washburn, faithful Packinghouse members, have graciously offered to let us use their home for that evening to share with you our adventures over the last three months. Here is how you get to their Redlands home.
(Directions have been deleted from this net release but are included in the Spain Chain Email. For information, directions or questions about this event, email us at lelafrank@aol.com or call us at 909 904 5891.)
Even as this is the end of our physical ministry to Spain and our ICM account is now closed, please know that we remain as dedicated as ever to the cause of Christ reaching the heart of Spaniards. We have been keeping in touch with the Casco family through email and phone calls, checking in on their website (www.carloscasco.blogspot.com) and remembering them in our finances. We intend to continue to do what we can to further the work of God in Spain. I pray that you might consider doing the same.
I want to close this email now with one final thought. I have mentioned over and over again that this mission was a dream come true. It has not ended as I thought or hoped that it would in one regard. I had imagined many years, many churches and many more Spanish words in my vocabulary. Instead I lived a lesson with my family that I taught before I left to a few churches in a message called “The Search For Significance.” It was based out of Genesis chapter 12, where God tells Abraham to go to a land that He would show him. I mentioned that the place was not significant; rather, it is the person who calls us on the journey to walk with Him and discover what makes Him worth speaking about to the Nations. In this time, I have discovered that the Lord is the dream, the vision and significance that I long for. Following Him IS the journey and where I end up with my family in tow is inconsequential, because in all situations, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has called me to walk with and introduce to others, is the dream that everyone desires. It is not the place, it is the Person who beckons us to come.
I leave the mission field fulfilled and satisfied knowing that we followed Jesus for the time that He called us. I leave with a clear testimony of His providing hand and His gentle comfort. I leave with a knowledge that His love for His church is so great, that He would move a family overseas to bring healing and care to just a few, the lone sheep if you will. The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised!
I hope that you will be able to meet us on the 23rd. It will be a fun time of sharing and it will be wonderful to see you all.
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.” Jude 24,25
Blessings,
Frank Sanchez, Author
Lela Sanchez, Editor-In-Chief
Renae, Caleb & Elizabeth Sanchez, Orange County Bound Babies!
If you are on the Spain Chain, this just came out today and thought I would share it here for the benefit of those not on the Chain. Thanks for checking in.
Dear Friends,
This is a bittersweet moment for me. I write knowing that it is our last Spain Chain email. I have sincerely enjoyed writing these, and I am thankful that they have been received by such supportive and loving people with a love for the work of the Lord in Spain and our family. Much has happened this month that I want to make you aware of as we finish this chapter in our lives.
Family First!
First, on the family front. I did not remember how long it took to set up one’s house! When Lela and I did that 10 years ago this June, it did not seem to take as long as it does now! And then there are the millions of choices for various services. Add to these difficulties our recent problems with a water leak in our kitchen and you have a semi-chaotic month. At present, we are home and have finally begun to feel a sense of settlement.
In the midst of that, Renae has truly enjoyed her time at the Packinghouse Academy. It helps that she is speaking her native language exclusively, has a wonderful, nurturing teacher in Miss Dana Shedd and that Grandma Sanchez is ever present with the Kindergarten class! The Packinghouse Academy has provided a great haven of stability for our oldest daughter and we are thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to send Renae there for this season of time.
This last month has been a slow re-adjustment to American life. The pace of life, though familiar, is always difficult to re-emerge in. Thankfully, we feel that much more adjusted and are ready to face the mission before us.
Choosing To Accept It!
During the struggles of the last month, the concurrent question has involved where we would minister next. Two weeks after we returned home, Pastor Chris Norman called me unexpectedly. Chris is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Laguna, located in Irvine and a long time family friend. He explained that Pastor Ed Rea had recommended me for some staff vacancies that had recently come up, so he called to inquire about our interest in joining the ministry team of Calvary Laguna.
At first, Lela and I were skeptical and were pretty sure that we would not want to move immediately, especially with Renae so content in her new school. After meeting with Chris and his wife Tatum, they assured us that they would be willing to work with us on a commute basis until June, when we could make a move into the Irvine area. At that time, they would re-adjust our salary needs, including the cost of moving into an Orange County dwelling place.
After this meeting with Pastor Chris, we met with the Board of Director for Calvary Laguna and they approved us. February 27th I began to move into my new office and meet the staff. They are delightful people! March 6th officially marks the beginning of my tenure at Calvary Laguna as the Assistant Pastor to Senior Pastor Chris Norman. It is an exciting opportunity and I am ready to get going on what I believe will be a wonderful partnership in ministry.
We ask for your prayers to continue to be with us as we join this church. They have had a difficult past and a lot of instability in the past several months with staff turnover. Pray that Lela and I and our family would be a blessing to Pastor Chris and his family, the staff and the body of Calvary Laguna.
Closing A Chapter
Wow, my last Spain Chain section! Thank you all for your profound support over the course of this ministry to Jerez. It has been the experience of a lifetime and would not have been possible without you. In this last email, it has been impossible to tell you of all the things that the Lord has done and is doing without making this into a small booklet! In that spirit, we want to invite you to a final Spain Chain meeting. It will take place Friday, March 23rd at 6:30pm. Scott and Jessica Washburn, faithful Packinghouse members, have graciously offered to let us use their home for that evening to share with you our adventures over the last three months. Here is how you get to their Redlands home.
(Directions have been deleted from this net release but are included in the Spain Chain Email. For information, directions or questions about this event, email us at lelafrank@aol.com or call us at 909 904 5891.)
Even as this is the end of our physical ministry to Spain and our ICM account is now closed, please know that we remain as dedicated as ever to the cause of Christ reaching the heart of Spaniards. We have been keeping in touch with the Casco family through email and phone calls, checking in on their website (www.carloscasco.blogspot.com) and remembering them in our finances. We intend to continue to do what we can to further the work of God in Spain. I pray that you might consider doing the same.
I want to close this email now with one final thought. I have mentioned over and over again that this mission was a dream come true. It has not ended as I thought or hoped that it would in one regard. I had imagined many years, many churches and many more Spanish words in my vocabulary. Instead I lived a lesson with my family that I taught before I left to a few churches in a message called “The Search For Significance.” It was based out of Genesis chapter 12, where God tells Abraham to go to a land that He would show him. I mentioned that the place was not significant; rather, it is the person who calls us on the journey to walk with Him and discover what makes Him worth speaking about to the Nations. In this time, I have discovered that the Lord is the dream, the vision and significance that I long for. Following Him IS the journey and where I end up with my family in tow is inconsequential, because in all situations, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has called me to walk with and introduce to others, is the dream that everyone desires. It is not the place, it is the Person who beckons us to come.
I leave the mission field fulfilled and satisfied knowing that we followed Jesus for the time that He called us. I leave with a clear testimony of His providing hand and His gentle comfort. I leave with a knowledge that His love for His church is so great, that He would move a family overseas to bring healing and care to just a few, the lone sheep if you will. The Lord is great, and greatly to be praised!
I hope that you will be able to meet us on the 23rd. It will be a fun time of sharing and it will be wonderful to see you all.
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.” Jude 24,25
Blessings,
Frank Sanchez, Author
Lela Sanchez, Editor-In-Chief
Renae, Caleb & Elizabeth Sanchez, Orange County Bound Babies!
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