God is moving in Oviedo! - Last Day

 Tonight we returned to the first church we visited, Evangelica Evangelista, for their regular Sunday service, and tonight this church was filled with around 80 people, and the people were ready to meet with God!  

After the worshipful song service, we had a real treat.  The pastor introduced a member of his church who is of gypsy origin.  He shared that this man has played his guitar all over the world, even before royalty in England.  Well, all we can say is, WOW, can this guy play Spanish guitar!  He was strumming a melody while picking notes out, while drumming on the side of his guitar with his hand - all at the same time.  He was singing a song from Psalms, lifting up the Lord.  What a talented individual, using His gift to glorify God.  Please pray at home everyone, because Pastor Rubiales wants to bring him to our conference!  :)

I ministered on “The Word of God”, using John 1:1-3.  I talked about how our entire life has been destined by the Word of God, and if we walk with God and stay filled with the Holy Spirit, everything in His plan will come to pass.  There is nothing that God will withhold from us if we walk according to His Word.  The church responded tremendously to the Word of God!

When I gave the call for salvation, two souls answered, and I had Pastor and an elder pray with them.  I gave another call to anyone who wanted to walk with God according to His Word, and 20-30 people came.  Glory to God!

One young man came with his wife, and through the interpreter, he told me that he had gotten away from God, and he wanted to renew his life.  We prayed for him and God began to restore him, he began repenting and crying, and his wife was crying and praising God.  I asked him how he felt & he said "I got Jesus back in my life!"  I asked him about their work, and found out that she is a doctor, and he is an architect, but he is unemployed at this time.  We joined hands and prayed together that God would bless him with a job.  We know God is going to move on this because of this young man’s decision to walk with God again!

Meanwhile, elders were praying for others, and the Pastor brought several people to us for prayer for special needs.  At this time I sat at the altar, praying for their needs.  I felt as Jesus must have felt when they brought people to Him for pray; how humbling and truly blessed I felt.  I know God surely met many needs.

This whole week we felt that we were walking in the footsteps of Jesus.  I often thought of the great apostle Paul’s desire to come here to minister, and now I know why he had a burden.  These people are so sincere to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pastor Rubiales was so grateful for our visit, and will continue to keep in touch with us.

He personally drove us to the airport the next day so he could talk some more with us.  We had a chance to chat more about the gypsy church, so we would have a greater understanding about them.  He explained about why they worship the way they do, why the men and women sit separately.  It is due solely to the customs of their gypsy heritage.   He said that the pastor of that church really has a heart for God and apologized that we did not have more time, and that he appreciated the message that was brought.  It was hard to say goodbye to Pastor Rubiales and Pastor Ros, who also drove the Robles family.  We know that our hearts will be together in prayer and in the work of God no matter how many miles separate us.

Matt and I would like to once again, with a grateful heart like thank our pastor, Pastor Kalinsky, and our church in Manchester and all the other prayer warriors who have read this blog.  Your prayers and giving made a difference in the Oviedo area.  Please continue to pray for this pastor and these great people that God will continue to move and use them to win the lost!

God Bless you with heart-felt thanks,

Rev. Mancini

God is moving in Gihon, Spain!

When we arrived, Pastor Rubiales took us on a tour of the church.  The sanctuary holds about 150 people.  It is a beautiful church, nicely decorated, very inviting.  The musicians were on the platform playing, people were very happy and worshiping God.  He took us to the hall next door, almost as big as the church, where we saw the Sunday School rooms, and his office, and men's/lady's rooms.  This space he rents, and he is asking for prayer that they are able to purchase this space, because they need to expand the church sanctuary.  The Sunday School rooms look like ours back home, even down to the little chairs!  It is a beautiful facility!  He was so proud to show us around and you can see the great vision that is alive here in Gihon.

When we went into the service, the place was packed, and people were even standing outside!  We met the young girl that I prayed for at the Aunar church.  She was so happy and free, with the biggest smile on her face.  She and her parents were so happy to see us and shared how blessed they feel – God truly is working in their lives.  We also met another woman that we had prayed for at the Aunar church; this was the woman that was discouraged because she was having problems with her daughter.  Today when she saw us, she started jumping up and down.  I gave her the thumbs up and she said “Si!”, which means “YES!”  You could see all over that she got the victory, and had such joy on her face!  It was so neat to see these people again because often times when you preach from church to church, you don't get to see the fruit of your labor; but, today we got a glimpse of what God is accomplishing here in Spain and we are so excited.

When the worship started, we felt like we were home in Manchester!  Their musicians played skillfully, and you could feel the presence of God.  Our music ministry and our youth would be ecstatic if they could hear this group of young people worship God and bring down His presence.  There was no one over thirty years of age, and some were teenagers, but you could feel the power of God.  This church worships!

I ministered from Eph 3:20:  “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” focusing on the power that worketh in you.  I ministered on the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit, which empowers us to be effective Christians in every aspect of our life, and how God is going to raise the church in power to win the lost.  The church responded and was with me all throughout the message.  I gave an altar call for salvation first, and 3 people came & accepted the Lord as their Savior!  Then I gave the call to those who wanted to be more empowered by God, and many people started coming.  I started praying with people, and Pastor Rubiales asked for anyone who wanted to speak in tongues to come up now, and more people came.  One lady came and we began to pray, and she began speaking in tongues and fell out under the power of the Holy Ghost!  As we looked around, many people were speaking in tongues, and glorifying God.  The pastor and his leaders were praying for people everywhere, it was amazing!

I prayed for another young girl who had a desire to be filled with the Holy Ghost, and speak in tongues.  As I was praying, she was intently praising God and I asked her if she felt Jesus on the inside, and she said,  “Yes!”  I told her that means that she has the Spirit of God right now, and all she has to do is let it overflow.  I took a cup that was empty, and started filling it with water.  I said you can have this much of the Holy Ghost, filling it half way, or you can have this much, filling it to the top.  With permission from the pastor, I let the cup overflow onto the tile floor, and she understood that she could seek God for the overflow.  Hallelujah!  God continued to bless her as my interpreter continued to pray with her. 

Near the end of the altar call, Pastor asked the musicians to play my favorite song, Tu er es Todo Poderoso (You are Full of Power); which happens to be a song I learned in Peru.  I got a mic and sang with them, and the church got so excited.  The power of God was so strong, and His joy filled the church!  What a tremendous service we had!

In talking with Pastor we found out that this work in Gihon was a work he birthed.  It started with just a few souls, and it has grown over the last couple of years to approximately 150 in attendance.  The other church in Oviedo he took on as pastor after Sis. Mado's husband died.  He is working with that church to bring them to the same place that the Gihon church is. He also birthed the church in Aunar along with Pastor Cicho and sister Mili.  The Candas church was also birthed from his ministry.  You could see that the church at Gihon is where the vision goes forth from.  We have just fallen in love with this Pastor's heart and his work.

After the meeting, we met a Nigerian couple that attend this church and are so exuberant for God.  We also met a family from Australia who are members of his church, who have come here permanently, and have a great burden to reach out to the un-churched youth in this area and they are doing a fantastic job.

This church is multicultural, with lots of youth, middle-aged and elderly; all different kinds of people.  We felt like we were at home in Manchester!  Truly this Pastor's heart and the heart of our church are the same.

Thank you so much for your prayers ~ we have surely felt them throughout this trip.

We have one more meeting tonight, back at the Oviedo church.  We know God is going to do great things.

God Bless,

Rev Mancini

Saturday Night: Gypsy Church Service

Pastor Rubiales was needing a rest, so we went with Sister Mado and Rev. & Sis. Robles to this church called Evangelica Inglesia Filadelfia, of whom the pastor, Pastor Arturo is a ministry friend of Pastor Rubiales.

When we got to the church, we were warmly greeted by some of the elders.  The pastor had not yet arrived.  We were escorted in and seated on the men's side of the church.  This church believes in seating the men and women separately, which historically is what the early Corinthian church did.  The place was buzzing with excitement as the musicians began to play.  The church was full; there were approximately 300 people in attendance, including many children.  Rev. Robles explained to us that this church is unique in that all in attendance here are Spanish gypsies, and are an extremely close-knit community.  When we met the pastor, we found out he is a new pastor and not the pastor that Rev. Robles knew from a year ago.  He began by apologizing to us and told us that we only would have about 30 minutes to minister, because there was a special event after the service.

The worship service started and I can honestly say that I have never been in a worship service quite like this before!  The lights in the auditorium were turned off, except for a light shining on the podium, where the pastor was standing.  Then the music ministry took over.  The lead singer and musicians played wonderfully.  I have never heard any lead singer sing like he did.  Interestingly, the singers were all seated, and in their seats on the side of the platform.  The pastor stood at the podium, with his hands raised, exhorting the people to worship the Lord.  No one in the church stood or sang, but were worshiping quietly in their seats.  Not even the singers moved.  I almost felt like we were in an old testament setting, where the high priest called for the musicians to come, and led worship.  During this worship, I could feel their sincerity and honesty in their singing.  People were truly praying and worshiping God.  It was very different than anything I have ever experienced.

After the pastor’s introduction, and Rev. Robles sharing in song and testimony, I was left with only 22 minutes to preach!  I shared a simple message on faith, and how faith can move the hand of God in your life, and if you need salvation, strength and help, you can receive it according to God's promises.  This church does not hold altar calls, so I asked them to pray to God right in their seats, and many began to pray.  As the pastor closed out the service, he had Bro. Matt Wesson to pray the closing prayer. 

While heading back to catch a cab, the Pastor caught up to us and apologized that we did not have more time, but there had been a death in the church, and this was the reason for the shortened service.  (Please pray for their comfort and strength in this time of loss.)  Due to the circumstances, we were unable to spend much time getting to know this pastor and his ministry in a deeper way.  It is our prayer to somehow connect again, and that our time spent with them was an encouragement. 

Once again, we thank you for your prayers; it has truly been and adventure!

God Bless,

Rev. Mancini

Spain: This is the day that the Lord has made, Let us Rejoice and be glad in it!

Before we went to our 3rd meeting, we accompanied Pastor Luis Rubiales to the hospital to visit two members of his church and to pray with them.  (we realized that he does not use his last name Aguado, but Rubiales; so from now on we will address him as Pastor Rubiales).  They were so excited to meet us and the pastor had us pray for them.  We really felt the presence of God minister to their souls.  We believe that they will have a speedy recovery.  It was wonderful to see the heart of Pastor Rubiales for his people; he is a true pastor.

3rd Meeting at the Aunar Drug Rehab Center in Gihon

Aunar is a Christian-based organization working along with the hospitals to rehabilitate drug addicts through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is located on approximately 4 acres of land, which includes a small farm, with cattle, chickens, and a beautiful facility, which is the center for the approximately 50 men and women, who come here for spiritual help.  This facility offers free housing, food, clothing, and also workshops where the residents can work to support themselves while they are here.  They take in clothing, furniture and electronics donations and prepare them to resell to help support the facility.  The facility is run solely on donations and what they can sell, with no government help.  However, the government refers those with no other means to this facility, because they know that they will be helped.  Aunar has many locations in the country of Spain, and are run by dedicated leaders such as Pastor Chuchos and his wife Mili Bernardo, and family.

These directors sacrifice their time and efforts to run this facility, and live off of the same revenue that’s raised for the work.  Both of these beautiful people were once drug addicts themselves, found Christ as their Savior and were delivered, and now they have completely dedicated their lives to helping those in the same condition that they once were.

Pastor Chicho runs the men's dormitory, which is housed in the main facility, and Sister Mili runs the womens dormitory, which is another area.  While speaking with them, we felt their dedication and compassion.  We found that they and their family share a house with four others so that they can afford to focus completely on this great work.

Pastor Aguado comes here weekly to minister, preach and teach the Gospel in a sanctuary built in this facility.  Pastor's Chico's wife Mili, his son, and his assistant pastor and wife lead the worship services, and they are extremely talented worship leaders, as we found out tonight.

When we went into our service, these worship leaders brought down they glory of God in a way we cannot even describe.  All we can say is that God's presence was rich in this place.  Bro Matt left his testimony before I ministered and the people responded tremendously, and they were ready to hear the word of God!

Once again, my friend Rebecca from the Candas church translated for me.  Also in attendance were Rebecca's Parents, Pastor Salvadore Ros and his wife, as well as other members from the Gihon church.  In all, there were approximately 60-70 people in attendance, the majority being the residents of the facility.

I preached from Psalms 8:3 “What is Man that thou art mindful of him?”  I talked about the two great gifts that God has given to every man; a will and faith.  Only we can choose what we’re going to believe in.  As I ministered the people responded, praising God, listening intently.  Then it came time for the altar call!  My first call was for salvation.  About five men came forward- old and young.  Each one received Christ into their heart.  Then I gave an altar call for those to come who need a touch from God, and approximately 25 people came.

Time would prevent us from sharing all that happened.  I called for the pastors to come and pray for the many that came down.  One young girl about 13 or 14, came with tears in her eyes, asking that Jesus would save her and help her parents, who both live in this facility.  She is living with her mother at the women's home, and she wants her family free and back together.  I called her mother who was sobbing behind her, and her father came also.  I could see that her mother was really hurting, and the Holy Spirit impressed me to tell her that even though she has this problem, she is still a good mother and loves her daughter.  She broke down sobbing, and then I asked her, Has Jesus forgiven you of your sin?”  She said yes, and I told her she doesn’t have to carry the guilt that she let down your family anymore.  The biggest smile came on her face; you could feel the Holy Ghost coming upon her, and she began to praise and magnify the Lord.  I joined hands with her, her husband, and daughter, and we prayed for God's complete victory for their lives, and that God would restore their home.

While others were being prayed for, the center’s assistant pastor’s daughter asked for prayer because her job was very difficult, and she was being tempted to sin.  She was having trouble making a stand.  I reminded her of what I ministered tonight, that she has a will and has faith, and tonight she could live for God no matter what!  I shared a situation from when I was working out in the world, and how God turned it around when I took a stand.  We prayed and she made that choice for Jesus!

Pastor Ros's daughter, Rebecca came crying, asking if I would pray with her concerning God's will for her life; she is not sure how to proceed.  She feels a great calling on her life, and does not know if she should go to college, or what?  She wants to do God's will for her life.  I ministered to her that she is doing God's will right now as a worship leader at her church, helping the youth, and her father (the pastor) in every capacity.  I told her that she was just like Samuel; he started the same way; and look what God did with his life!  Her parents were there laying hands on her.  I told her to listen to the direction of her pastor, and her mother, and listen to them about how to proceed.  I told her to give it all to God and he will direct your path.  Then we all prayed for her, that God's perfect will would be done in her life-and she gave it all to Jesus!

These are just a few examples of what God did in so many lives tonight.  It was an altar call just like we have at home.  Many needs were met tonight!  They definitely have church in this place!

Please keep all of these leaders and their families in your prayers.  They are sold out to the work of God.

Tomorrow, we will be visiting the Gypsy church!  We anticipate great things and we covet your prayers.

God Bless,

Rev. Mancini

Spain - 2nd Meeting: visit to the Candas church!

The Candas church is in a fishing village on the northern coast, about 1/2 hr away from Oviedo. This church was started three months ago and have been in their new church building only a month and a half.  It is a rented space and they are working on turning it into a church sanctuary.  It was rustic, but you could feel their excitement for God here.  We met the pastor, Salvador Ros, and their wonderful family.  This pastor works under Pastor Luis Aguado's ministry, and is doing a fantastic job in this church. We met many of the members as they came in, and they have a happy, wonderful church!  We even met the “Ricky Brousseau” of their church!  This man is just like a brother back in our home church that everyone loves.  His son Samuel and his daughter Rebecca led the worship service and you could feel a beautiful presence of God as everyone was worshipping and praising God. I ministered on “A Right Now Salvation”, from II Cor. 6:1, about how now is the accepted time, and today is the day of salvation!  The Pastor's daughter, Rebecca, interpreted for me and did a fantastic job!  She moved like me, spoke like me and preached like me!  I explained how God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved! As I continued ministering, the people responded, and weh I said that if you need something from God he will do it right now, and that if you were sick, God can heal you right now, Pastor Ros raised his hand because he was sick.  Well, we prayed and God healed him!  After that God started really moving among the people, and I gave a salvation altar call. The first one to come was a boy about 11 years old named Fernando.  Through pastor Aguado, I asked him if he wanted to be saved, and he said yes!  I led him to the Lord, and he gave his heart to Jesus!  I asked him if he felt Jesus, and he said yes.  Pastor Ros came and told me that this is the first time he ever answered the altar for salvation since he has started coming. Then, I had all those at the altar to join hands, and I shared with them how much it blessed me to be here with them, and how this church reminded me of the humble beginnings of our church back home, and how God has blessed us over the years, and how we have grown to what we are today.  I encouraged them that God is going to bless this church also, and they will grow, and I strongly urged them to go out and to win the lost.  When I asked who is going to testify and win the lost, they responded with a cheer!  Then we prayed together, for one another, for the Pastor and his family, that God would continue to move in this church. After the service, the young boy Fernando would not leave my side.  His older brother Jefferson, who is 15, also came and hugged me.  The church came and greeted me, but these two would not leave my side.  Jefferson then asked me,  "Can I come with you to America, to see your church?"  I felt in my heart that it was because of what he saw and felt, that he wanted the same power and move of God in his life.  I told him that he has a great church and a great pastor right here, and to stay in his church, and learn all you can about Jesus, and someday maybe you will be able to come a visit with your Pastor.  There was something special about these two young men.  I know God has great things for them. We are so excited about our next meeting!  On Friday night, we are going to a drug rehab center in Gihon, that has 50 men and women, getting rehabilitated.  We met the directors of this home in our meeting tonight-Sister Mili and Brother Chicho.  Pastor Aguado has been coming to this center on a weekly basis for some time.  It is so exciting to know that we will be preaching the gospel here. Once again, thank you so much for praying.  God is certainly moving in Oviedo! God Bless, Rev. Mancini

First Meeting in Oviedo,Spain, Wed night, 11/9/11

The first meeting was a regular weekly prayer meeting, where Rev. Robles greeted the church and introduced us.  Then we went to prayer.  We are happy to report that we felt like we were at home at our own prayer meetings.  The pastor was leading prayer in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and the church was praying in total unity with him.  You could feel the presence of God.  The pastor is a wonderful worship leader and singer, playing his guitar and brought the presence of God into the service.  There were approximately 40 people attended this prayer meeting.

Then it was time for God's word!  Sister Mado interpreted while I preached from Isaiah 60:1 ~ “Arise and Shine”;  and, how this is the church’s opportunity to use what God has given us to win the lost and to support the pastor and the ministry so that souls can be saved.  The church responded wholeheartedly, and the pastor was very excited.  The presence of God was so strong, and the Holy Spirit pointed out to me a lady sitting in the audience who needed to be set free from her heavy burdens.  I called to her and asked her what her name was, I told her that God wanted to free her from her heavy burdens, and she began sobbing in her seat.  I called her down to the front and prayed with her and told her to just give it to Jesus, and God met there at the altar, so much so that she fell out under the presence of God, and the pastor had to catch her!  While praying for her, I told her that Jesus would forgive her of every sin, and to let it go right now, and she fell out under the presence of God

So then I gave an alter call for anyone who wanted to come and meet with God.  A young man came crying, with his hands raised up.  I asked him what he wanted God to do for him.  He said that he wanted to renew his first love.  When we laid our hands on him, he began speaking in tongues, and he also fell out under the power of the Holy Ghost.

Another lady came for prayer, because she desperately needed a job.  (Later, we found out that there is 40% unemployment in Oviedo, and the young people are leaving - please pray)  When we prayed, we could feel that if God had to create a job for her He would!  She got so blessed in the Holy Ghost.

Then we called everyone to come around the altar, and to take hold of God's word, to put it into their hearts and do a greater work in this area, and the whole church responded.  During this time, we noticed another lady just sobbing.  We told her to just give it all to Jesus, and she got free in the Lord!  Truly, God moved in this church, and they are a people that want to see God move in their area!

We had a wonderful fellowship afterward with the pastor and his wife, the Robles Family, and sister Mado.  We found out that the pastor really believes in the full Gospel like we do, and he is already making plans to come to our May 2012 minister's conference.

Thursday night, I will be ministering at a new work this pastor has recently stated in a small fishing village called Candas.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

God Bless you all

Rev. Sal Mancini

Spain is Ripe for Revival

WWLM is excited to announce that the Associate Pastor of our church (Full Gospel Interdenominational Church), Rev. Salvatore Mancini, along with a faithful brother, Matthew Wesson, are joining our ministry friend, Rev. John Robles on a trip to Spain to bring revival through God's Word!  God is doing great things, we just wanted to share with you...  

Hello from Oviedo Spain!

In Romans 15:28, the apostle Paul states his desire to bring the gospel to Spain.  However, history does not record that he was ever able to fulfill this dream.  But God has given us the opportunity to bring His precious Word to this nation.  In our prayers, we want to fulfill this dream that Paul had and that Jesus Christ has to reach the people in this area of the world.

For those of you who may not know, we (Rev. Mancini & Bro. Matt Wesson) are with Rev. John Robles and his family here in Oviedo, Spain, which is located on the northern coast.  (Rev Robles is the president of Operation Latin America.  Over the past 5 years, he has been coming to encourage the work in this area.  He asked me if I would come and minister here.)  We are here to preach and teach in 4 different churches (including an all-gypsy church!) and a drug rehab center; teaching church structure, reverence of the pastoral ministry, and to lift up and encourage the body of Christ, and win the lost.  It is also our mission to help strengthen and encourage the overseeing pastor of the work here;s Pastor Luis Manuel Rubiales Aguado, and the late pastor's wife sister Mado Fernandes.

Our journey began November 7th, 2011.  Even before we left Connecticut, we faced our first challenge.  Our connecting flight from Bradley to Philadelphia was cancelled.  This threatened to disrupt the schedule for our entire trip.  Thank God for all those who are praying for us, for God opened another door to take a twin-prop plane from New Haven to Philadelphia, and still make our flight to Madrid.  (We didn't even know there was an airport in New Haven, and US Air was the only service out of that airport!)  Praise God for providing a way!

We arrived in Madrid on time and then faced our second challenge!  Unbeknownst to us, Rev. Robles’ flight was delayed.  In the case that we did not meet him at the airport, we were to meet him at the hotel.  So now we are on our own at Madrid airport and in a country we have never been to.  We called our hotel to arrange a shuttle, only to find out that there is none!  Not having our interpreter with us, it was difficult to determine the correct cab fare or a bus to the hotel.  (The taxi drivers would not take us, because it wasn't far enough for a high fare!)  This is why it is so important to have a pastor and church like ours that is praying for us, for God once again provided a miracle!

While we were pondering our situation at the shuttle stop, we talked to a businesswoman who was waiting for her shuttle.  We asked her where her shuttle was going, hoping that it might be on the route to our hotel.  She told us that the Holiday Inn was right across the street from the Crown Plaza, where she was staying, and that she would ask her shuttle driver if he would drop us at our hotel.  But, when she called her shuttle driver, he was stuck in traffic!  She told us to come with her, that she was hiring a cab, and that her company would pay for it, and we could ride with her for free!  Praise God, but this is not the end of this miracle!  While we were riding to the hotel, we asked what she did, she laughed and said that she worked for the Holiday Inn, and is a general manager for 2 hotels in Portugal, and is here for meetings.  She gave us her business card, and invited us to come visit her at her hotels in Portugal!  We found later that cab fare from the airport runs 20-25 Euros, which is about $30-40 U.S. Dollars.  Praise God for making a way for us again, and thank you, who are praying for us; it is making a difference!

We connected with Rev Robles at the hotel in Madrid, and Tues 11/9, we embarked from Madrid for Oviedo!  When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Pastor Aguado and sister Mado, and brought to our hotel, getting ready for our first service at Pastor Aguado's main church in downtown Oviedo, Iglesia Evangelica.   Keep us in your prayers & we'll be sure to share the good reports with you!

God Bless, Rev. Mancini