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God gave me his word from Hebrews 11:6 as direction for 2015. „And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. „ God taught me that faith in him is the most important thing for serving the pioneering of Spain and helped me to come to him by faith. I would like to report how God led and filled us with his grace this year.

1. God filled the worship hall

A Chinese student who had been attending worship service since October 2013 finished her masters studies and went back to China in December 2014. We thought that her friend, who attended worship with her would not come anymore, because her friend returned home and she had no motivation to come alone. To our surprise she developed more of a serving attitude and invited her friends (Ani, Ypan, Vitoria, Huirin) to worship service. And so the worship hall was filled. God sent Hanna Park, a second generation missionary from St. Louis UBF in the US, as an exchange student for five months to Madrid. Even if it was difficult to invite Spanish students worship service, God filled the worship hall with sheep and helped us to keep Sunday holy and worship God in Spain.

2. God helped us to study his word from Matthew's gospel and Hebrews

This year God helped us to follow in Jesus' footsteps through Matthew's gospel study. We learned about Jesus as our guide, who overcame the temptations and hardships of the world and to seek God's will and fulfill God's mission instead of searching for our own advantages and security. God helped us to renew his grace and love by his forgiveness of our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus' death on the cross and promised us the resurrection and eternal life. God helped us to study Hebrews 11 in 18 lessons, and we have accomplished eight lessons til now. We learned about the practical faith of the ancestors of faith. God helped us to learn about faith through  Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They did not do any great works according to worldly standards but walked with God and lived according to his will. I thank God who comforted us through the lives of the ancestors of faith and at the same time challenged us, even when I was ashamed in light of our situation that our practical lives are far from our calling as missionaries. 

3. Direction for 2016

God gave me his word from Hebrews 11:1-2 as new direction for 2016. „Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.„ When I reflect on 2015, I realize that I often limited God and his ministry because of my human thinking and limitations. God's work is a work for which we hope for even if we do not see it. But I could not serve God's work and experience his ministry because I only thought about what I saw and did what I could do. While writing this report I only thought of what I did not accomplish this year and that I could bring nothing to God. I felt so defeated and was ashamed before God instead of rejoicing and thinking of what he had done for us. God encouraged me to believe in him anew and to hope and see what he would do. God helped me to confess that he  would make our faith seen. I pray that I please God by faith this year as the ancestors of faith did. I pray to lead my struggle in faith by faith, that God will work beyond my strength, if I live by faith. I pray that I look up to God and fight the battle of faith as did Noah who built the ark of salvation even when he did not see God's judgment, and like Abraham did, who left his country, when God called him to be a source of blessing and a father of many nations. 

I pray practically that I will visit the campus once a week in the new year and build an altar of prayer and have fellowship with the students. I pray to struggle to master Spanish quickly. Moreover, I pray that I will overcome my negligence and pray to God daily.

Joshua Kang