Photo Report: Spain 2024

A selection of photos from Harold's recent mission trip to Orihuela, Spain, where the local church are seeking to plant a new church in Beniel.

A PowerPoint containing all the photos is available to download at the bottom of the page.

Laura was the minister at Great Ashby Community Church in Stevenage for a few years up until November 2020.

Laura was exploring the possibility of moving into a more missional role in Spain (her husband Rob has dual nationality). She has been working with the Orihuela Church.

ORIHUELA BAPTIST CHURCH; the interior when we arrived. One of our tasks would be to redecorate the building.

The people of Orihuela Baptist Church. Manolo is 3rd from the left in front, Oscar in row 3.

Sunday lunch for the fellowship and we were invited. Most of the team at this end; Laura is behind me.

Unlike the UK, many churches are rented or bought from places like this – commercial buildings, like shop fronts. The T-shirt was to be our ‘marker’ for the trip.

Day 2 and the main work begins in Beniel. Outside we set up crafts and invited children to engage, while others went round the streets offering introduction cards to the presence of the church.

The other part of the day was the first stage of re-painting the church main area – masking-tape, moving pews and getting the first coat on. Good progress.

We also got to visit some other areas on Day 3. This was the coast area east of Orihuela. I chose to explore the park, which was being renewed, and found the beach.

Day 4 and we were showing the church’s willingness to help the community in a land reclamation ecology project. Note the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures.

The evening saw us explore more of Orihuela, guided at high speed by Manolo who lives here and knows every inch!

Back to the church next day for next painting stage, with some old guy over-reaching himself as usual. The young man is David, training as pastor and leading much of the church work – a good preacher.

In the afternoon we went again to Beniel for crafts and card-handouts. In the evening we joined a prayer meeting in the upper room of Orihuela church. This houses the other activities including children’s work.

By Thursday the decorating was done and the church put back together again. David and Laura seemed very pleased.

In the afternoon we visited Murcia, the town that houses a Baptist church that is “mother” church to Orihuela. A chance to look round the city and climb the bell-tower (over 300 feet).

The Baptist church in Murcia. We were received warmly with supper and then a worship time together. A chance to meet and share. I was able to communicate adequately in Spanish at times through the trip, having tried to learn some (for the first time) since offering to join the trip in May.

The last full day took us to an arid area to the south, where another ecology project, which the church hopes to support, is taking place.

We were able to help with a bit of tree-planting, and were shown the area. It is not far from an ‘official’ desert – which indicates how short the south is of water.

The evening saw one last chance to hit the streets with crafts and a message of greetings to the people. The man on the left leads the music group at Orihuela.

The land in the south of Spain is demanding and needs work, but can produce the most delicious fruit. It is somehow a good metaphor for the position of the church there.

Out in Beniel on the last day. Witness, crafts and prayer.

Mission to Orihuela, Spain, October 2024; the English group.

Orihuela Spain Mission Trip 2024.pptx

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