Update, Summer 2008

Dear friends,

Greetings again from Mallorca! It's hot here! But this is not causing us to down tools and head for the beach. We are preparing for a summer outreach in Zaragoza, as well as continuing with all the usual activities of daily life – including at this time of year the occasional evening outing to the beach. Wish you were here? Well, perhaps at least you can work up a sweat in prayer for us!

Over the past months we were involved in the Azuqueca Easter campaign, co-led by Ken Barrett. It's always fun to work together and this was no exception. Alison provided excellent hospitality as well as being thoroughly involved in the outreach activities.

Then in May we were off to Canada, for the 4-yearly OAC international conference. Decisions were taken affecting the way we work together, but most important was to meet together and feel part of each other's contribution to world mission. For a number it was also their first time at such an event. For example there were staff from Fiji, Mexico, Norway and Uganda (Romans). The work in India has grown over the past four years to be almost the largest work in the world, while more gentle growth in Europe has kept our focus on the world's most pagan continent. We returned home encouraged to continue in and extend the work as we can, each in our own way. Other staff have also returned home to an intense month of outreach this July, particularly in Europe. Pray for 'Reach The City' in Cardiff and Vienna.

Meanwhile, we have also been keeping our webs up to date and staying in touch with the growing band of OAC staff around Europe. I was recording secretary in Canada, so once back home it was up to me to get out the minutes and post-conference documents - including some in Spanish.

However, as we move into July our attention is called to that most wonderful of cooling elements, water. Yes, the World Water Expo is on this summer in Zaragoza, half way between Madrid and Barcelona. The evangelicals have a pavilion on the Expo site and during the first ten days already had 20,000 visitors through it. But in addition to the pavilion, the city's churches have decided to hold a three month ongoing campaign for the duration of the Expo. This is to involve open air ministry in four districts. Ken has already been up there a couple of times to train people in sketchboard, as well as organising 15 folding boards to be built in southern Spain, while Alan Jenner was preparing tonnes of paint to be delivered. Several other people we have trained will be involved in leading evangelism over the coming months.

Hilde and I will be helping in Zaragoza from 17th July to 4th August. We look forward to presenting many people with Jesus, the Living Water. Do pray for us as we reach out on the streets of this city of half a million – and to the 6 million plus visitors who will be at the Expo. Pray too, even if our time is over, since others will keep up the work until the end of the Expo in mid-September.. and then the churches will be continuing to follow up the local contacts.

Thank you for your prayer and ongoing fellowship. We appreciate it!

Much love from us both, Chris & Hilde

Slide report

Pending a full report of our time at the Expo, here is a 'light' version (6MB) of the Quicktime movie I have made. Sound track is the 'Agua Viva' original featuring Francesca Patiño from the evangelistic video. The slides show Zaragoza, the cathedral marking the place where Mary met Apostle James!... the Expo site and the Agua Viva pavilion, as well as us in action in the pavilion and in parks.

Here's a recent report from the BBC on the water crisis: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7569022.stm