ZULLY RUANO

Planting Seeds & Expanding Our Mission: Vision for 2025

As we have entered 2025,  I am excited to share a new vision for the future!  But first, I am so thankful and joyful for all that God has done through our school and eagerly anticipate what He will do next. 

Your prayers, generosity, and encouragement have been instrumental in shaping the lives of the children and families we serve. Our vision for 2025 is to continue planting seeds of faith in the hearts of young children, equipping them with God’s truth, and reflecting God’s love to their families and the community that surrounds them. What a blessing it has been to be a part of this together, don’t forget that this is your school too! 

God has also placed a new vision on our hearts.  We have many parents asking us if their children can continue their education with us; we see the need and truly desire God’s guidance as we pray about this.  Our vision is to expand beyond our nursery/preschool and establish a Christian primary and secondary school in Mallorca. This will allow us to continue nurturing these children in faith and education as they grow, equipping them to be future leaders who walk in Christ’s truth.  We are also excited to welcome new children as we continue planting seeds of faith to children and families that do not know Him.  This is truly a pioneering work as there is no other Christian school in Mallorca and the need for one is great!

What exactly is this Vision for 2025?

🌍 Expanding Our Reach – We as a school, are praying for more opportunities to reach children and families with the love of Christ. We believe God is leading us to provide a Christ-centered education that extends beyond preschool. We are praying for the resources, land, and teachers to make this vision of starting a Christian primary and secondary school a reality.  Join us in prayer for open doors, provision of resources, and to guide every step for our current school and also for this expansion.  If you would like a copy of our project description to learn more, please let me know. I would love to send it your way!

🌱 Discipling the Next Generation – Every lesson, song, and prayer at our school is a step in nurturing young hearts for Jesus. Our goal is to help these little ones experience His love and grow in their faith. I would love to share 2 testimonies on how we have seen that happen…

Testimony 1: In February, our theme always revolves around God’s love leading up to Valentine’s Day, and something beautiful happened a few days ago. One of our kids, Matty, usually prefers to play quietly instead of joining Bible reading. For most of the children in our school, reading the Bible at our school is the first time they’ve ever been exposed to God’s Word.  So, I never force them to listen—I want their first experience with God’s Word to be positive and loving. But even while playing, I came to discover that Matty is always listening…

When the kids made videos about why they love their parents, Matty surprised me by starting his video with, “I love Jesus.” He continued listing who he loves, like his mommy and daddy, and at the end of the video he says, “And they all love me.”  What a sweet surprise that our little student has always been listening and that he knows that Jesus loves him very much! It was a powerful reminder that God’s Word is planting seeds, even when we don’t realize it!!

Testimony 2: A few months ago, we had to say goodbye to one of our students.  He learned about Jesus and how to pray here with us. He was moving on to primary school and as we gifted him his own Bible (which he couldn’t believe he was able to take it home) with teary eyes we said our goodbyes.  A few minutes after that, he took a moment during free play to pray. When he finished praying, he told me he was asking God to bring him back to visit us soon. His simple, heartfelt prayer reminded me to be open to pray at any time (even if it interrupts my own version of something great like “free play”) and of the depth and sincerity of childlike faith through prayer.

🤝 Strengthening Our Team – We pray for wisdom, endurance, and unity among our teachers and staff, that we may serve with joy and passion. May God continue to provide the right people for this mission.

🙏 Trusting God for Provision – As we move forward, we rely on God’s provision to sustain and expand this ministry. We believe He will meet every need.  If you would like to know more about our school needs, please do not hesitate to contact me!

🙏 Pray With Us– “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2) Join us in prayer for our school and our future primary and secondary school. We know great things for God all start with prayer, and we only desire God’s will, direction, and wisdom.  So join us on on the last Thursday of every month to pray! You can scan the QR code to join our WhatsApp group for real time updates and information on the prayer meetings.  Thank you for standing with us in prayer.  Together we are making an eternal impact, and we are excited to see what God will do in 2025!

👐 Join the Mission– Whether through volunteering, spreading the word, partnering with us, or praying with and for us, your involvement can make a lasting impact!

We know that with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), and we are trusting Him to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Thank you for being part of this journey—your prayers and support are building a future rooted in Christ!  

Ways You Can Pray:
🙏 Pray for the children to grow in faith and understanding of God’s love.
🙏 Pray for the teachers and staff to be strengthened and encouraged. Pray for the Lord to provide one more teacher!
🙏 Pray for resources and provision to continue and expand to a primary and secondary school. This is a bold step of faith, and we kindly ask for your prayers and support as we are trusting in the Lord for resources, partnerships, and leadership to make it happen. 
🙏 Pray for open doors to reach more families and communities.
🙏 Pray for the Lord’s strength and wisdom over my life.  I need Him more and more each day! 

May God bless you abundantly in 2025 as we continue this journey together! If you would like to learn more or get involved, if you have any prayers requests too, please contact me. I would be more than happy to hear from you!! 

With gratitude and faith,

Zully Ruano

WhatsApp: +34 605 54 8181

Email: ruano@sgwm.com  or zyruano@gmail.com

Valentine’s Day… **If you do not care for love letters, cheesy jokes, or feeling a bit sentimental…you can stop here!** 🙂 Since it’s Valentines Day very soon, I couldn’t resist…

Dear Jesus

Happy Valentine’s Day!  

Can I say that? Can I wish you a happy valentine’s day?! Can I offer you loving but cheesy one-liners like I normally send my nephews on Valentine’s Day too? 

One-liners like, “You have a ‘pizza’ of my heart!” (you have all of my heart actually, so not a good one) or “Do you like Star Wars? Because Yoda the only one for me!” (reminds me of Psalm 23:1, “…You are all that I need” … sorry, better stick to the Psalms!) 

All [bad] jokes aside, this is a different kind of love letter.  At 40-something, I have seen and heard much in life to know that no human love can compare to Yours. So, my heart is overfilled with gratitude…

Thank You, Jesus, for loving me first.   

Thank you, for remaining sovereign in my life, and also kind and gentle especially when your sovereignty has meant taking big steps of faith.     

Thank you, for loving me perfectly. 

Thank you, for showing me what unconditional love looks like.  

Thank you, for being my strength when I have been weak (many times). 

Thank you, dear Lord, for letting me see Your love through precious little lives every day.  What a blessing!

Thank you, for loving me sacrificially, whole heartedly, and willingly.

Thank you, because I know that You see me. And on those lonely nights, you’re there.

Thank you, for always being there!

Thank you for showing me a “through thick and thin” kind of love through my family’s unwavering support.

Thank you, for being You. For being the source of love and all that 1 Corinthians 13 describes and more.  

Although, my love for You will never be as perfect as Yours for me, I give You my heart over and over again.

Love, Zully

P.S. Last one… “I’d part the Red Sea just to be with you!” (this one is not… You already did that so I…)  Love you!

October 2024 marked my 5 Year Anniversary of living in Mallorca! Below were my initial thoughts on the morning of my 5th year anniversary on October 1, 2024… 

Mixed feelings – normal. 

My Loved ones – still far away. 

Two “homes” – a reality.

Los Angeles, CA – forever love.

Mallorca, Spain – new love.

Calling – big sacrifice. 

Jesus – worthy of it all. 

I would love to elaborate on this a bit more, specifically on what I’ve learned as a missionary, as a missionary living in Spain, and as a single missionary living in Spain. 

What I’ve learned……AS A MISSIONARY

• My “Yes” to Jesus, involves sacrifices I did not think I was actually going to have to make. And they can be tough to go through. 
• It’s never easy to be far from family.
• God truly cares for me as His daughter. He is faithful. 
• God provides for things I didn’t know I needed and they have been the biggest blessings on this island for me.  
• Prayer is a life line, a place of comfort, where miracles happen, deep heart work also happens, strategy is given, discernment is sharpened, and beautiful communion is shared in the loving presence of the Lord. 
• When you “show up and let God do the rest”, it really does work! (Neal, I will never forget your advice!)
  • **Before the school began, the first teacher we hired and I were praying about how I have never led a school before so I was asking in prayer for a lot of wisdom.  She then remembered that she had a hard drive with all the documents needed to run a preschool. It had all the documents I didn’t know we needed, protocols and policies already written, attendance logs etc. Before school started, we had everything we needed administratively because of that hard drive!!  Just show up, and let God do the rest.
  • **As we were designing the school playground, we needed artificial grass in a specific size for a certain area of the playground. We found one but it was beyond our budget so we prayed and left it in God’s hands to provide. Almost a year later, I received a phone call at 11:30pm telling me that there was a big roll of artificial grass next to the trash can on the street.  We rushed over to pick it up and it was the exact size we needed and it was brand new! Not sure why it was by the trash can?!  Just show up, and let God do the rest. 
  • **When we first started the refurbishment of the building we are in, the architect we hired spoke to the council members at our City Hall to ask for certain documents needed for the property.  He let them know that we had a meeting with the Secretary of Education of Mallorca.  The council men were in shock and asked our architect, “Who are your clients? Are they important people on the island?”  He said, “They’re from the Christian church!”  Unbeknownst to us, the Secretary of Education was a very important person that rarely sat down to meet with people.  We met her, we found favor, she drew up the plans needed to have our school, and she was amazingly supportive.  Just show up, and let God do the rest!!

What I’ve learned…as a missionary LIVING IN SPAIN

• The siesta hours are a real thing in Spain 🙂  
• As beautiful as Mallorca is, the Lord has continuously confirmed that He has not sent me to a place but to people living on this island.  So, my love for the children and their families in the school are those people God sent me to, and I love them so much more because of that. The local church I serve in, the community I live in, the relationships formed, are people God also sent me to and I also love them so much more because of that. 
• Relationships revolve around a nice cup of coffee. My love language!
• Relationships can take a lot of time to develop here (it’s taken me 3 years to befriend my neighbors). 
• In Mallorca specifically, the demonic presence is very apparent and a common part of their culture.
  • There is a little car ride in front of our school that has a license plate with 666.
  • The mascot for the Mallorca soccer team is the demon called the Demoni (he is like the patron of Mallorca).
  • The two big public Mallorca holidays revolve around extremely open demonic celebrations.  They are called San Antoni and San Sebastián. 

What I’ve learned…as a single missionary living in Spain. 

This is a topic that I don’t speak about too much in public spaces. It can be the elephant in the room when I go back home. It has also brought on very embarrassing moments… Like that one time I was at a wedding and a well-meaning pastor asked a few people to circle around me in the middle of the reception hall (no privacy at all and unsolicited on my behalf) so that they can lay hands on me and pray for my future husband.  I had many hands on me as I bowed my head and tried to be thankful for the well intentions of the pastor, but I could not help but want to be outside that circle.  This all took place while loud music was playing in the background and my friends were enjoying their time on the dance floor. This is an absolute true story!  My hesitancy in sharing revolve around these kinds of experiences but nonetheless, I know I’m not alone in this singleness journey so even more so I see the importance to speak a bit more about this very real part of my life.  I have been feeling this tug in my heart to address it here, so I hope it blesses whoever needs to read this. 

To my West Coast friends in the US, you should know that there are many in Spain that also desire to be married.! You’re not alone! I have learned that this desire is the same no matter where we are from, where we reside, whether we are millennials, Gen X, Gen Y and everyone before and after said generations.  We all desire to marry and we hope it happens sooner rather than later. Having realized this, I asked the Lord, “Why do so many of us want to be married, or more specifically, why do we greatly want to be loved?”

After sitting down with the Lord about this, I truly believe the answer is … that we desire to be loved in a perfect way.  We seek this perfect kind of love.  A love that will make us forever happy, that will satisfy us, that will love us just the way we are, that will love us sacrificially, a love that will be unconditional, a love that will never fail…etc.  

As we hope for this kind of love, we try to find it ourselves, or we feel that it can never be for us. I don’t mean to throw in the Sunday School answer but, it is THE answer….Only Jesus Christ can love us perfectly. His love will make us forever happy, it will satisfy us, He already loves us just the way we are, He loves us sacrificially, His love is unconditional, His love will never fail. 

I often get the question, “Zully, do you want to be married?” (My mom gets bombarded with this question about me too.) However, for me the question is better asked if stated, “What kind of man do you want to marry?”

That is the better question because who I marry will be the one that will best represent Christ to me on a daily and intimate basis. It is from Christ Himself that he will draw the best kind of love from which to love me.  The way he loves, serves, and fears the Lord will reflect that.

Personally as a single missionary woman, the desire to be loved perfectly is encompassed by so much more and not just solely about marriage.  For example, the feelings can be quite strong when I am missing my family and on top of that, I am looking at wedding pictures of not just childhood friends, but of my former students! Over and over again. Year after year.  I am not saying that for all my aunties out there to start sending me profiles of candidates! (I guess you can if you feel led to, my mom would be most thankful!!) I am just sharing this so you know how to pray for me. Thank you in advance for your prayers. If you are single and need prayer, please reach out to me. I would love to pray for you too. 

I can make this conversation much longer and answer many more questions about singleness but I would like to end here with this true statement that has brought so much comfort to me.  Love originated with the Lord, God is holy, He’ll never make a mistake in the way He loves us. His plans for me are perfect and good, so I know I can rest in His perfect kind of love for me. 

Thank you for being on this journey with me. For your support, love, and prayers. Many of you have sacrificed alongside me as we together share the gospel to the children and families in our school. We are in this together for as long as the Lord desires. I love you all! 

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I hope you are well and filled with God’s grace and peace. It has been far too long since my last newsletter, and for that, I sincerely apologize. Life and ministry have been a great adventure here in Mallorca and the magnitude of responsibility I have with our Christian school here has been both busy and tremendous, but I recognize the importance of staying connected with you, my faithful partners in mission.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support and prayers. Your encouragement sustains me during every season of my missionary journey in Spain, and I am immensely grateful for your partnership in advancing God’s kingdom. 

While I may have been silent in my correspondence, the work of the ministry in Mallorca has continued.  I have witnessed God’s faithfulness in remarkable ways, as He has opened doors for me to continue planting seeds into the precious hearts of our students and families, as well as opportunities to serve through the ministries at the local church. 

I have now been serving the Lord in Spain for almost 5 years, (I can’t believe it will be 5 years in October!!), and as I am reflecting on everything God has done, I am reminded of the beautiful metaphor of seasons. Each season has brought its own unique blessings and my desire is to take you through a quick journey into what these seasons of serving in Mallorca have been like. 

Season of Sowing (Spring):

Our school (I’m so glad we are in this together, it’s your school too!) has been running for 3 ½ years now! It has been a time of growth, of perseverance, and inevitable challenges.  We are experiencing the sweet blessing of starting something very different in Mallorca; our school is not only providing a great academic program that parents love but it has also gained a reputation as a school that LOVES people. Praise God!! You and I know that what the children and their families are experiencing is God’s love overflowing through us! 

We are receiving many new children through the recommendations of other families, and that has been a huge blessing! We currently have about 30 children ages 1-5 years old, with a waiting list to enroll more children. Within those 30 children enrolled, 83% are from non-believing families. As a result, they come into our school with a total unawareness of who Jesus is.  What a privilege, honor, and a great responsibility to be the first ones to share Jesus with them!!

Season of Growth (Summer):

We are so excited in the steadiness of growth in numbers of students and staff at our school, however, I am even more so excited to share the growth that the kids are having in their knowledge of who Jesus Christ is!

We recently celebrated Easter, and what a joy it was to experience it once again through the eyes of our students who for the first time are hearing what Easter is all about.  As the kids are receiving the gospel message, the inevitable questions come, and this year one of our 5-year-old students asked, 

“Zully, why did Jesus have to die? Why did He have to do it?”.  

We gifted this specific student with her first Bible, and as she was joyfully embracing it, she was waiting for my response.  At that moment, I asked the Holy Spirit for wisdom on how to answer her question so that as a 5-year-old she would understand what I say and that it would resonate in her little heart as well.  This was my response:

“Do you remember what happens when the kids in our class do not listen or they do something they are not supposed to do?  They have to sit on a chair and wait until they are allowed to go back to play.  Well, it’s like if Jesus sits on that chair for you and….”

She interrupts me and says, “Ohhhh, it’s like Jesus takes our place. He had to die because He took our place!”

With my eyes super wide opened, awestruck and amazed, I affirmed her response, “Yes, exactly! Jesus loves you so much that He took your place on the cross…” and I continued sharing more of the gospel message to her.  The Holy Spirit made the gospel so relatable and understandable for her! What an immense privilege to be a part of that!  I shared that “chair” analogy to the rest of the class and in this season of our school, it was the best way for our students to understand the gospel message. Praise God for those heavenly “downloads” that come down at just the right moment!! 

Season of Harvest & Gratitude (Fall):

 “Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” – Psalm 2:8

The Lord gave me this verse during my birthday last year.  My first reaction to this verse was a bit of intimidation as I felt the weight of this big promise.  Then I asked the Lord, “What does this verse mean for me?” After praying, the Lord reminded me of all the Bibles we have given to the children at our school.  Many of the kids at our school do not have a Bible in their home, so they are often so excited to receive their very own Bible! Since Mallorca is a very transient place to live in, it’s very common for some of our students to move back to their home countries (we have kids from all over the world) and they of course take their Bible with them.  In addition, their parents have to read the Bible to them because they are still too young to read! The Lord revealed how all these Bibles are scattered throughout so many homes across the globe! The impact our little school is having is only through the power of God and His Word.  For that I am so thankful!!

Season of Rest and Preparation (Winter):

The commitment to oversee and teach in our school has not been without overwhelming to do lists and exhaustion.  However, I can attest to the Lord’s sustenance, grace, and wisdom in my life.  I can also boldly state that in those moments of exhaustion, He is my strength.  When stress and worry want to creep in, He is my peace.  When I consider the sacrifices that are part of this calling, I know He is worthy! 

I am at the school every day, all day so any moments of rest are so much appreciated!! The times I have been able to fly back home have been a tremendous blessing for me! But by far, the season of rest that I am so thankful for was one in which the rest was a bit different.  It was more of a sweet refreshing and encouraging time for me.  It was the time my parents traveled to Mallorca last year!! I am forever grateful that my parents, who are my biggest supporters, were able to witness first-hand what God is doing in Spain!  They are such a big part of the work God is doing here!

As I keep moving forward in God’s call, please be assured that I am committed to improving my communication to you all, ensuring that you are kept informed and involved in the ministry. Your support is invaluable to me, and I’m deeply grateful for your continued partnership in spreading the love of Christ in Spain.

Thank you for sticking around until the end! Thank you so much for being a part of this eternal investment.  Thank you for your support and your prayers. Everyone at the school truly feels your prayers, they are sincerely powerful, so I kindly ask you to please keep them coming!! If you have any prayer requests, if you would like to know how to get involved in the work here in Spain, or just want to say hello, contact me via email, WhatsApp, or any of my socials. You are very much appreciated, love you all! 

God bless you,

Zully

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” –1 John 5:14-15

Hello!! I would like to start by saying: GOD ANSWERS PRAYER, can I get an Amen?! I shared a list of prayer requests in my last newsletter, and God answered mightily!! In this newsletter, I would like us to praise the Lord together as I share with you what God has done in these past few weeks. As I have mentioned before, your prayers are powerful!!

Praise Report #1: One of the prayer requests I shared was: “I am almost hitting the 2-year mark since I’ve left and been back to the US….” I asked you to kindly pray for the opportunity to come back and visit my family, friends, and church. And the Lord provided!! I am writing to you from my parents’ home in California and I will be here for the month of August! I arrived on July 31, and truly dedicated this first week to catching up on much-needed rest and family time! Thank you so much for praying!!

I would love to see you all! I know that one month will go by fast, so I am having a report night at Calvary Chapel Downy on Aug 14th, hoping to see as many friends as possible. I will share testimonies of God’s faithfulness in these last 2 years, miracle stories, and photos of the school. I hope and pray you can make it!!

Praise Report #2: I also asked you to please pray for more volunteers. One of the reasons why I was able to come on furlough was that God answered this prayer! In July, I was introduced to a young lady who is studying to be a teacher. She was looking for a school to work at and gain more experience. She was also available for the whole summer. After much prayer and consideration, she became part of our summer team! The Lord gave us an incredibly skilled volunteer and I’m so grateful!!

Praise Report #3: One of the biggest prayer requests I shared with you was for the Lord to provide the funds to hire a maintenance worker and someone to prepare snacks and lunch. As only the Lord would do it, He exceedingly filled both positions. This was a huge answer to prayer!! Please keep your prayers coming!!

Praise Report #4: Thank you for praying for the Lord’s continual provision over our wish list items and projects that still need to be done in our playground, classrooms, and other areas of the school. I have miracle stories of God’s provision that I will be sharing on the report night – Aug 14th. I can’t wait to share how your prayers have made a difference!!

Praise Report #5: Upon arriving at LAX, I couldn’t wait to hug my family!! Thank you for praying for their continual protection, strength, and blessings over them. They are doing well and I was incredibly blessed to see how they are thriving in their relationship with the Lord.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support through prayer!! May the Lord bless you ever so abundantly! I hope to see you on the 14th and thank you in person! Until then, I leave you with this great quote:

“The man or woman at home who prays often has as much to do with the effectiveness of the missionary on the field, and consequently with the results of his or her labors, as the missionary.” – R. A. Torrey

God bless you,

Zully

Hello! Please receive a huge hug from me and an enormous THANK YOU for your continuous support in the work that God is doing here in Spain. It has been an amazing but arduous last 6 months that has incredibly rocked my world. My prayer is that after reading this newsletter you will continue to pray for the work God is doing through our school and that you would feel encouraged that this is part of your blessing as well! 🙂 

On January 11, 2021…

I. Our 12 Little Disciples – a testimony of our first 12 students.

II. Planting Seeds – the eternal investment happening in our school has been amazing!

III. Photos and Video of our School – see the fruit of your prayers and support! 

IV. “Say YES even if you’re not ready ” – faith lessons on the field and a reminder in Isaiah 6:8-11.

V. Prayer Requests 

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Our 12 Little Disciples

All the prayers, preparation, and time invested brought us to our first day of school on January 11!  I was nervous but very eager to receive the students God brought to our Christian nursery school.  We started with 7 children on our first day, and it was beautiful to see cute little smiley faces enjoying their new classrooms.  A few weeks later, we enrolled more children and we were at 12 students.  We remained with our “12 little disciples”, as we tenderly called them, for various months.  The Lord impressed it upon my heart to not seek growth but rather to establish our school vision and culture with our “12 little disciples”. So, we did just that! We loved on the children and their parents, some parents began sharing prayer requests with us, we opened up the school so that parents can enter and see what their children were learning, we gave lots of hugs and received so many more from our little 12!  As we were doing that, we were hearing from parents and friends that the schools here are not like that at all, that we were a very different school than the rest.  Parents began telling us that they felt very welcomed and they appreciated the warm environment they felt throughout our school.  And that was confirmation – our prayer had been that our school would run God’s way, reflecting His love to all those families.  It meant that our school would be different…and that was ok! 

Planting Seeds

God has often reminded me that what is happening in our little school is an investment for eternity. More than half of our kids do not attend church nor come from families that profess the Christian faith. In light of that, please read the testimonies below, seeds are being planted in the little hearts of the children, and the ground is truly fertile.  

Our full-time teacher, Steffi Scherer, who has been an incredible blessing to our school and to me, is a licensed teacher who goes through fun and interesting academic activities with the 3-4 year old children. The kids love learning with Steffi! In addition to the academics, she goes through the Bible with them after lunchtime. When Easter was approaching, Steffi told the kids, “I want to introduce you to my best friend, his name is Jesus.” For a week leading up to Easter, they went through the life of Jesus, culminating with His death and resurrection on the last day before Easter break. Many of the children had never heard the gospel message, had never been exposed to the meaning of Easter and had never heard that Jesus desired to be their friend and savior. From Easter to this very day, the most anticipated time of day is the Bible reading time!

One day during this Bible time, Steffi sang the traditional children’s hymn, “Jesus Loves Me This I know” with the children. A little boy then asked Steffi, “Can we change the words to the song? Can we sing, ‘Yes, Jesus protects us’ and ‘Yes, Jesus comforts us’?” This is a 3-year-old boy with a tender heart towards the Lord! But how could this be, he is so young?

What I have learned is that the world has not underestimated children’s responsiveness to earthly things (i.e. video games, cartoons…), then, as Christians, we shouldn’t underestimate their receptiveness to spiritual things. With that perspective in mind, we have taught the children to pray before meals and for each other, and very often they will now remind us to pray for any children that are ill. They have recently taken prayer to the next level: as we were learning about bugs last month, some children found a dying bug on the floor and they quickly ran to Steffi and said, “Just like Jesus healed many people, we want to pray and ask Him to heal this bug too.” As they each earnestly prayed for the bug, we were all impacted by their initiative to pray!

The seeds are being planted at home as well. Parents have told us that at home their children will sing our “Thank you God” song before their meals and some have even prayed with their parents. With sincere gratitude parents have noticed a change in their children and thank us for the genuine love that freely roams through out our school. We know it’s God’s love for the little ones and it is so beautiful! We are praying for the Lord to continue to use our little disciples to share what they are learning at school! 

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Photos of our School…

Currently, we have 17 children from 1 – 4 years old. The Lord saw it best to start from the very little ones (nursery/preschool level) instead of the elementary level like we intended to at the beginning. We were reminded that we are doing things His way, and He is allowing us to help set a loving foundation in these children at such an early age. Below you will see photos of some of our children, the classrooms, part of the school grounds, and some fun snack creations!

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I would love for you to take a tour of our school and learn a bit more of the vision. It is amazing to see what the Lord has done in the reformation of the building we are using. I shared this video early this year on my social media, but in case you missed it, it is here below!

0:00 – 0:43 Intro

0:43 – 2:07 Local Pastor’s greeting

2:07 – 5:03 Tour of the school 

5:03 – 7:13 Info on how to get involved 

7:13 – 9:00 Local Pastor’s encouragement

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“You can say YES even if you are not ready.”

This is what the Lord placed in my heart after praying about a decision I had to make for the school. Let me give you some context: The first few months as the director of the school were very tough. I asked the Lord for A LOT of wisdom because I have never done this before!  Therefore, dependence on running the school God’s way was the only answer I had, and truly it’s the only answer I still have. As the school began growing, we decided that Steffi would lead the older group, the 3-4 year olds and I would then lead the 1-2-year old classroom. Yes, the 1-2 year olds!  Steffi and I are the only staff members that are there everyday and we are both licensed teachers. So your girl can now change nappies at record speed, is putting 9 kids down for nap time, and has obtained mad reflex skills that prevent accidents from happening! I also have to say that everything I just mentioned is alongside amazing volunteers and staff that I have the blessing of working with and that help me tremendously!  I really believe that the Lord has given me the grace needed to be with the very little ones, and at the same time, the grace to carry out my responsibilities that come with overseeing the logistical and operational functions of the school. There is so much to be done on a daily basis, therefore, I wasn’t ready for what was coming next….

Parents and friends began recommending our school and as a result, we received many enrollment requests. The majority of those requests were for the 1-2 year old classroom! As I was experiencing a season of being stretched by taking on the little ones and leading a new school, guess who was praying to say NO to potential new children?!  (I’m so embarrassed!) As I continued to pray about it, I was being honest with the Lord in telling Him that I wasn’t ready to take on more toddlers.  On top of that, my plate felt extremely full with all matters concerning the school. I didn’t feel ready to take on more. 

The Lord’s response to my prayer was very gentle but convicting, “You can say YES even if you think you are not ready.” Although, in my understanding, it made sense to say “No”, I knew in my heart that the Lord desired to teach me how He provides the resources, the people, the wisdom, and the strength to carry on His mission. He also assured me that the equipping, the grace, the wisdom, and the Holy Spirit’s power are mine through Him to fulfill His purposes. My faith was stretched as I had to believe in real time that He would provide what He said He would. And He has thus far! Taking on more did not mean doing it all by myself – the Lord already had in mind the people that were coming in to help, the strategies, and the insight. My heart just had to trust and obey as the beautiful hymn I sang as a child reminds me.

“What He says we will do; Where He sends, we will go, Never fear, only trust and obey. Trust and obey, For there’s no other way, To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey.” (Trust and Obey, 1887, JHS)

If you are getting ready to step out in faith and you are gaining the courage to say “Yes” even if you don’t feel ready, please let me know, I would love to cheer you on through prayer. 

One final thought: In this season, I found comfort in Isaiah’s example. “Here I am Lord, send me”, are words in Isaiah 6:8 that I have prayed with all my heart, this time, however, I was challenged and encouraged with the next verses (vs. 9-11). Isaiah finds out what his assignment will be… and his response was, “Lord, how long?” I was so thankful to see a bit of Isaiah’s humanity as his question was a valid one. How long would Isaiah have to preach such difficult words to the people God called him to?  He was commissioned to a very challenging ministry but he didn’t take back the words, “Here I am Lord, send me” nor did he add a disclaimer, “Send me only if I approve of the calling and only if I agree with the way my faith will be stretched.” He didn’t do that, Isaiah remained faithful and obedient to God’s mission for him! In my humanity, the stretching of my faith and character are not always pleasant but I can take God at His word and trust that it’s not my readiness nor my skills that will fulfill His purpose. It’s His mighty resources given to me by His grace that will enable me to live for Him. So let’s pray for each other, for the Lord to give us the strength to remain faithful to do everything He has called us to do, no matter how difficult it may be.  Let’s keep running this race set before us with prayer and God’s strength!

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Thank you for sticking around until the end! Thank you so much for being a part of this eternal investment.  Thank you for your support and your prayers. Everyone at the school truly feels your prayers, they are sincerely powerful, so I kindly ask you to please keep them coming!! If you have any prayer requests, if you would like to know how to get involved in the work here in Spain, or just want to say hello, contact me via email, WhatsApp, or any of my socials. You are very much appreciated, love you all! 

God bless you,

Zully

Prayer Requests:

1) We currently have 17 children enrolled; please pray for them and their families; that those that do not know the Lord would come to know Him. 

2) We need more volunteers! Please pray that the Lord would bring the right people with a heart for children and God’s vision for our school.  

3) We are praying that the Lord would provide the funds to add the following to our staff:

– Another full-time teacher

– Someone to prepare the snacks and lunch

– A janitor/maintenance worker

4) Please keep all of us working in the school in prayer.  We are all doing so much in light of the help we need.  “The joy of the Lord is my strength” (Neh. 8:10) is the verse that I have been holding on to in this season and one that I have been sharing with the staff.

5) For the Lord’s continual provision over our wish list items and projects that still need to be done in our playground, classrooms, and other areas of the school. If you are interested in receiving a copy of our wish list, please let me know 🙂

6) For my family: for continual protection, strength, and blessings over them. 

7) I am almost hitting the 2-year mark since I’ve left and been back to the US.  I would love to take some time to see my family, friends, and all the churches that support me.   Please pray for that opportunity.

“Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles He performs for people!” – Psalms 66:5

Happy one year anniversary!!! I’m so thankful that you have been with me throughout this venture of faith in Spain. I have definitely felt your prayers and support in these last 12 months! So, here’s to us!! I truly could not have made it through this year without you!

One of the biggest truths I have learned this year is that Jesus fulfills one of my favorite verses.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21

I always took that verse as an affirmation of what God will do for me; that He would answer my prayer requests in ways far greater than I can ever imagine. I still believe that He can definitely do that, however, during this year, He showed me something even better. I learned that Jesus is “exceedingly abundantly above all” that I can ever ask or imagine!

Not only is His love amazing, but it’s also unfailing.
He is not only incredibly faithful, but His faithfulness reaches beyond the heavens.
His righteousness is not just perfect, but it’s also immovable as the mighty mountains.
Not only does He forgive us of our sins, but He removes them as far as the east is from the west.
Jesus demonstrated His perfect love on the cross, His mighty power through His resurrection, and His loving care as He intercedes for me today.

Jesus is “exceedingly abundantly above all” that I can ever ask or imagine!

He knew how important it was for me to learn that truth because in these last 12 months, I’ve missed spending time with my family and amid this pandemic, I wasn’t physically present to assist my parents (who are at high risk). I wasn’t there for very important and significant events of family and friends, and I will not be home for the holidays yet another year. Nonetheless, I have experienced the Lord’s generous measure of grace like never before. He not only loves me, but cares, listens, and blesses me ever so kindly. Jesus truly is “exceedingly abundantly above all” that I can ever ask or imagine!

Praise Reports & Prayer Requests:

SCHOOL UPDATE

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• We are still working on getting the school building ready. There is so much to do but we’re almost there!
Please pray for more volunteers to help us get it all done as important dates are approaching.

• On November 28 we are hosting our very first Open House!
Please pray that parents and children would come to see our school and enroll for the next school term in January.

• Our official opening day is January 11!
Please pray as we do not know if COVID regulations will affect any of our plans. We haven’t felt the Lord directing us to stop, so we will continue moving forward in faith.

• We are offering a special price of 200€ for 4 months to help families during this COVID state of emergency in Spain. Our monthly fee should be 350€ to provide for our operating costs but we feel that the Lord wants us to take this step of faith in our budget.
Please pray as we will hurt financially with this low cost. We need a miracle in our school finances to provide for these families and to keep us afloat.

• I am overseeing all the logistics and operational tasks needed to start the school. Once the school gets started, I will be in the principal/administrator role. I have taught in a school before and have studied how to lead one, but if I can be very candid, I need the Lord’s help every day because I’ve never started a school before!
Please pray for me, for greater dependence on the Lord, for wisdom, humility, and strength.

Calvary Chapel Downey had a wonderful missions event last month. Thank you CCD, for letting me share what God is doing in Spain! In case you missed the short video update, you can find it on this link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gyXnRU2islMFWi2NDZKlW6hPbVMrC-Pv/view?usp=sharing

A lot has been done to the school since that video. Here are some photos of the exciting transformation of our school!

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ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE:

1. I passed my Spanish Driving Test!! Watch out Mallorca streets here I come!! I had to learn how to drive a stick shift car in Mallorca’s “downtown” area. It’s like the equivalent of Downtown LA with the many one-way streets and all the foot and car traffic. It was intense but by the grace of God, I passed the theory and driving test each in one shot (shameless bragging rights, sorry!).
2. The Lord provided a car for me in a HUGE way! He truly knows and provides for our needs, many times even before we say anything!! Thank you to those that helped me financially via donations and through my latest fundraiser. You guys are the best!!
3. The Lord provided an appointment with the government on the very day my visa expired, which was a total miracle as the appointments are scarce because of COVID! I got all the paperwork I needed in record time by the office of Religious Affairs here in Spain, another miracle! More news to follow on my visa!

I have so much to be thankful for in this last year, and so much to pray for as well! Thank you for being a part of this calling with me. Thank you for praying for me and the work here in Spain. I definitely could not have survived my first year without your support. Like I mentioned in the video, the blessings here in Spain are yours as well!

I am available to answer any questions or provide more information on how to get involved in this work in Spain. If you would like to donate towards our school specifically, you can do so on our school website: www.spccschool.com or you can contact me for more info. Thank you!

If you need prayer, I would love to pray for you! Feel free to send me your prayer requests to this email or via WhatsApp.

Love and appreciate you all!

Zully

“If it were not for uncertainties, we would have no need to walk by faith.” – Elisabeth Elliott

Hello from Quarantine! Hello from Spain!! Thank you for taking the time to read this update. I hope this is a good lockdown read for you! 🙂 I’m so happy to take you on a short journey on what God has been doing in these past few months in quarantine and beyond! 

QUARANTINE! Spain went through a very strict lockdown from March until May. It later loosened up a bit, but in those first months, we were only allowed to go out for grocery shopping, doctor visits, dog walks up to a certain distance, and trips to the pharmacy.  Otherwise, it was a mandatory stay-at-home order. I have never worked-out as much as I did during the lockdown, and I have never baked as much as well (the irony!). The Lord was my companion during the whole time as it was just me in my little flat! He kept me safe and provided for all my needs. Many of you were a part of that too! Thank you so much for your support! My wonderful care team, family and friends also sent me care packages! I had tortillas during the quarantine!! I was happy!

In the midst of these stringent regulations to stay indoors, the Lord was definitely working in my heart. The Lord was also at work with our school project. The work of the school did not cease during the quarantine, it felt as if we were busier than before!

“A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

SCHOOL UPDATE! The vision for our Christian school has NOT changed, but the plans on how to start it have. It’s always interesting to be re-directed by the Lord, especially when we have our plans on how and when things should happen! I recently read a quote that sums up what we are experiencing with the school project:

 “Pencil in your plans but write your visions in ink.” – Andy Stanley

About a year before moving to Spain, the Lord gave me a very random desire to help in the nursery at church. I was involved in other areas of ministry and was very busy but I just couldn’t shake off that desire to help there. So, I got involved in the nursery and I learned a lot! As many of you know, I was an elementary and high school teacher and never considered working with younger children. However, the last age group I worked with before moving to Spain was with nursery-aged children and I loved it! Why am I sharing all of this?? 

Our initial plan was to start with preschool and elementary, ages 3-8. The new plan is to start with ages 0-3! The Lord has re-directed us to start a Christian Nursery with the intention of growing with the children; from nursery to preschool, then elementary and finally to secondary.

The Lord is giving us the opportunity to lay a foundation in the lives of children. It is an incredible blessing that we will now start our school by sharing God’s love to these little ones first. We have the chance to take part in their foundational development, both academically and spiritually! What a blessing!! I really look forward to working with parents as well, that as they see us care for their children with a heart full of Christ’s love, that they would want to know more about His love and salvation. 

I’m always amazed by the way God works in our lives! He is truly many steps ahead of us! From randomly having this tug in my heart to help with the nursery, to starting the first Christian Nursery in Mallorca! Be encouraged to take steps of faith, even if you don’t understand them at the moment! Trust in Him as you move forward in obedience. God truly sees the bigger picture!!

I’m holding on to Proverbs 16:9 as a reality and as a prayer:

“Lord, we have plans and strategies, but please determine our steps. This is your vision, your plan, your school.”

PRAYER IN QUARANTINE! One day during my quarantine prayer times, the Lord confronted me with the following question:

“Zully, leading the school is different than ‘helping start the school’, are you willing to lead this school?” 

[gulp…Lord, can you repeat the question?]

This is the Lord’s commissioning for me, to lead this school with a surrendered heart, trusting in Him as He equips me for this calling.  I constantly pray for wisdom to lead the school as the principal, but I have learned that it’s not just about receiving wisdom. King Solomon had all the wisdom in the world but he failed to honor the Lord in other areas. So, my prayer is not just for wisdom, but also for humility and greater dependence on the Lord for this calling. 

“You and your team must be important people!”

MIRACLES! We were given an appointment at the Ministry of Education to discuss our re-direction plans. When the local officials at the city council found out that we were given this appointment they said, “You and your team must be important people!” They explained to us that these meetings are not informal and they couldn’t believe we had access to the Director at the Ministry of Education. I was just as surprised as they were! When we arrived at our meeting, the Director came in with the architect hired by the Ministry of Education. The architect was at our full disposal to answer any questions we had! I couldn’t help but think, “Wow Lord, we really must be important people! Of course, we’re your children!” Praise God for the favor and the miracles we have seen in the government officials and their commitment to help us start this vision well!

In our meeting with the Director, we received the suggestion to start a tutoring center as it will enable us to reach more children in our community. We couldn’t believe that she was speaking into what we had already been praying for! We are prayerfully considering a tutoring center as it provides an awesome opportunity to work within the community.  This is still in the works but I’m very excited to serve the people around us!! We have many ideas on how to go about it but we are trusting in the Lord as we wait for His guidance and His heart for the tutoring center.

SOCIAL MEDIA! I would like to make mention of the amazing team that I’m a part of! During the lockdown, we met at least once a week via Zoom and for many hours. We worked together on marketing brainstorms, uniform selections, policy writing, and so much more.  We were also able to work on all the content and final touches to the website, Facebook Page, and Instagram account. 

It’s not official until you’re on social media, right?! Give us a hello if you’re on any of these social media platforms! 

Website: www.spccschool.com

Facebook: @spccchristianschool

Instagram: @spcc_christianschool

“I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers.  May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.” – Ruth 2:11-12

My Family!  These past few months have been quite difficult being far away. There have been tough times back home that I wished to have been there to comfort and support them in person. I have also missed important birthdays and holidays. As I was praying one day about the realities of being away from my family the Lord lead me to this verse in Ruth: “I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”

Talk about finding comfort in God’s Word! He is soooo good!

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Thank you for being “quarantined” with me as you have prayed for me, supported me, encouraged me, and checked up on me!  The work of the school and the vision the Lord has given me for the gospel in Spain is yours as well! I’m honored to share it with you!! 

I am available to answer any questions or if you would like more information on how to get involved in this work in Spain, I would be more than happy to provide that information for you. Thank you and stay safe!!

God bless you,

Zully

Prayer Requests:

• School Project: To remain open to God’s direction, for wisdom to abide by all the regulations, for the children that will form part of our nursery, and for greater dependence on the Lord for my role as the principal. 
• Spiritual Life: To stay consistent in my personal time with the Lord and to be open to the direction of the Holy Spirit. That I would be strong under spiritual warfare and to be aware of the different forms that it may come in.
• Finances: For the Lord to continue to provide as He has done so far. 
• Family: For continual protection over my family, especially my parents who are at high risk during this pandemic. 

I truly hope you are enjoying this holiday season alongside your loved ones! I recently celebrated my first holiday in Spain, and although it was tough being away from my family, the Lord definitely did a new thing in my heart and in my baking skills! 

As one of the few Americans at church here, I was asked to bake an apple pie for the church’s Thanksgiving dinner. We were low on pies for the dinner, so after being encouraged, I nervously accepted the baking challenge. For many, baking a pie may not be a big deal but when the extent of your baking skills is following instructions on boxed cake mix, it can be a pretty daunting task! I had friends and family pray for this pie, and by God’s grace it turned out pretty good!! 

 As the Lord would have it, I learned a beautiful lesson from baking the apple pie!

I learned that I need to be bold enough to change my perspective about those things that may seem daunting and intimidating to me. Like Elisha, I need to pray for the Lord to “open my eyes” and to “let me see” what they really look like through His perspective. 

“When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. ‘Oh, sir, what will we do now?’, the young man cried to Elisha. ‘Don’t be afraid!’, Elisha told him. ‘For there are more on our side than on theirs!’ Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.”(2 Kings 6:15-17)

School Update:

As the school project team and I are moving forward to getting the Christian school started, there are so many questions, requirements, research, and decisions still left to make.  Fear and doubt can easily take over and fog our perspective on what God has called us to do.  This vision is definitely not for the faint-hearted so we have committed to press on and continually ask the Lord to “let us see”. 

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I had the blessing to travel with Loretta, Pastor Raf’s wife, to Fuengirola (near Malaga in mainland Spain). We went to visit an established Christian school to glean from their experience. We had many divine intervention moments as we were connected to other people involved in Christian education in Spain. We had an appointment to interview the school’s director and she supplied us with valuable information and great tips as well. This trip was very encouraging and inspiring!

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In these last few months, we have been scouting out various potential school locations and have spoken to many building and land owners. We have also met with the city mayor and other town councilmembers to ask for permitted locations for schools. There is a potential premises very near the church grounds, not pictured here, that we are really looking into and praying over. Finding a proper school location has been one of those “daunting” tasks but we are trusting in the Lord for His wisdom and discernment for such a big decision! Please help us pray for this!

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” – Oswald Chambers

Feliz Navidad Desde España

I have learned that part of the process of adapting to life in a new country is making my new house feel like home.  So here are a few pics of some Christmas hints throughout my tiny flat…

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Thank you for all your prayers!! The Lord has been faithful and He hears your prayers!! You are a part of this exciting faith endeavor of bringing the gospel to children and their families in Mallorca! I am available to answer any questions or if you would like more information on how to get involved in this work in Spain I would be more than happy to let you know what you can do. Thank you!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

God bless you!

Zully

Prayer Requests:

• The School Project: Please pray for God’s guidance for all the decisions and regulations that we have to follow to start a Christian school in Spain. Also, pray for my role in the school, I have a greater administrative role in getting everything organized but also in assisting with the managing of the team.  
• Transportation: I need the Lord’s direction about the right time to buy a car. 
• Family: Please pray that the Lord would continue caring for everyone in my family. Also for the upcoming holidays away from each other (Christmas and New Year), everyone is telling me to be prepared because it can be difficult. 
• Spiritual Life: To stay consistent in my personal time with the Lord and to be open to the direction of the Holy Spirit. That I would be strong under spiritual warfare and to be aware of the different forms that it may come in.
• Finances: For the Lord to continue to provide as He has done so far. 
• Discipleship:  For the Lord to continue providing opportunities to share with the girls at the church here in Spain and for my time with the girls that I have remained in touch with in the US and Mexico. 

I have been in Spain for one month! Wow!! Time goes by so fast! I arrived in Spain on September 30 and it has been a HUGE BLESSING!! I would like to give you a quick update on my first month in Mallorca, Spain!

PRAYER:

“Prayer is the mighty engine that is to move the missionary work.” — A.B. Simpson

A few days before I left California, my home church sent me off with prayer! What a special time that was! I would like to express a huge THANK YOU to all those that prayed for me before I left! My home church (CC Downey), Saving Grace World Missions, Calvary Cerritos, my Care Team, friends, family… truly your support through prayer means so much and I am very grateful!! 

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ONE WAY TICKET TO SPAIN:

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” — C.T. Studd

The day finally came to go to the airport and say goodbye to my family. I am definitely blessed by each member of my family! Their constant love and support is amazing! I love them very much!! So our time to say goodbye at the airport was filled with many hugs and tears. It was definitely not an easy goodbye but your prayers for strength carried all of us through!  

In the midst of the emotions, there was a miracle at the ticket counter!  I had an issue with my checked bags and I was being charged almost $300 to let them go through. When the ticket attendant tried to set my suitcases aside, he noticed that they had already been placed on the conveyer belt! So, he then admitted he couldn’t charge me the fee anymore. I didn’t have to pay anything extra! God is good!! The impact of your prayers on full display!! 

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WELCOME TO SPAIN:

“To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map.” — William Carey

I finally landed in Spain after about 15 hours of travel! The pastor here in Mallorca, Raf Manzanares and his wife Loretta, had a special warm welcome prepared for me in my apartment! What a blessing!!

One of my dearest and closest friends, Lisa Lampon, traveled with me to help me get settled in! She knew exactly how to help me! My apartment looks very nice and is in order thanks to her! Her support and prayers were a blessing. This was missionary care in a very practical and loving way, and as a single girl moving to a new country this kind of support was very much needed and appreciated. It was a blessing having Lisa in Mallorca! Love you sis!

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LET’S GET WORKING:

“Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” — William Carey

The school project has been in preparation mode since before I arrived.  Therefore, upon arriving it was straight to work on this exciting venture of faith! I was asked to take on more responsibilities within the administration aspect of the project so my days are filled with a lot of meetings, emails, researching, and coordinating. I know the Lord brought me here to Mallorca with that purpose.  The journey that began many years ago, is now tangibly before me and I couldn’t be any more excited and honored to serve the Lord in this way!  

There has been a lot to do as we are preparing to meet certain milestones we have set in place. These milestones will help us ensure that we can start our school next year. It is exciting, but definitely a venture that keeps us on our knees! 

The Lord has provided an incredible team from all types of professions and backgrounds that have been a blessing and their involvement has blown us away!  We have acknowledged that it is not for the faint hearted, so we have been united in prayer with the team as we fellowship together, stay in contact, and have meetings (both in person and online) several times a week. We know that the Lord will continue to lead us in His wisdom and strength to get this school started!

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GOD’S LOVE:

“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” – Romans 15:7

I have been blown away by the love and welcoming I have received by the body of believers here! Truly, I am learning a lot about a new level of love and hospitality that I have never experienced before. From catching rides to all sorts of places with new friends to enjoying meals at the pastor’s house and others from the church. I have gone shopping for groceries with new friends that are teaching me the ropes – where to shop and what to buy. It has all been a huge blessing!

As I am directly the recipient of that love and hospitality, the Lord is teaching me to freely receive His blessings. I often feel like I have to earn God’s blessings or prove that I deserve them. But what a lie that is!! A lie that can keep me from experiencing God’s pure love given to me FREELY because He is the source of love, and He is my Father that genuinely wants to love on me and you…without having to work or earn His love! Let’s receive those big and small blessings simply and beautifully because He loves us.

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PRAYER REQUESTS:

“The man or woman at home who prays often has as much to do with the effectiveness of the missionary on the field, and consequently with the results of his or her labors, as the missionary.” — R. A. Torrey

1. My continual adjustment period of living in Mallorca.
2. My family back home – for their adjustment period too!
3. For the Lord’s direction and wisdom for everything concerning the school project.
4. To complete the final steps in getting the official Foreigner’s ID card to legally live here. This process has been a lot longer than anticipated!
5. For continual strength and dependence on the Lord.

This update is a true reflection of the impact of your prayers! Thank you for participating in this ministry with me through your support – prayerfully, financially, through encouragement, and sharing this info with others.

If you are new here, welcome! If you would like to know how to be a part of this ministry, please contact me via email: ruano@sgwm.com or Facebook Messenger (Zully Ruano).

It’s a blessing to serve together with you in this endeavor to bring the truth of the gospel to the lives of children and their families in Mallorca!

God bless you,

Zully

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

I am learning that with every new season comes new blessings, new lessons, and new strength. The beauty of walking into a new season is that the Lord is already there, preparing the way for us. I was able to see Him do just that as I spent a week in Mallorca, Spain from August 4 – 12.  

Here is a sneak peek into this new season through photos….

Before leaving for Spain, I received the news that I was granted the religious visa!!  Thank you so much for your prayers!!!! The verse below is the verse I read a few days before I got the notification.  What a precise word from the Lord!

August 4: Airport drop off! We didn’t count it strange to go through a little hiccup right before I checked-in for my flight.  When I arrived at the airport and grabbed my new suitcase to take it out of the car, the suitcase opened entirely!  We noticed that the zipper broke and although the locks were still on the zipper pulls, the zipper separated and split open! There was so much traffic getting to the airport that heading back home to switch suitcases was not an option.  We prayed for wisdom as we walked to the terminal. Upon entering the terminal, we found a travel shop that had exactly what we needed! We bought a roll of plastic-wrap and wrapped my suitcase nice and tight! My suitcase arrived intact to Spain! Praise God!!

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The main reason for my trip was to participate in a strategic workshop for the Christian school I will be a part of. Everyone vital to starting this school was there. The workshop was an 8-hour meeting where the facilitator and brother in Christ, Michael Gobran, guided us in such an amazing way.  He took us through great discussions about the vision, purpose, and mission of the school. We established the principles and values that our school will uphold.  At the end of the meeting, we developed specific and attainable goals to be reached in the next 12 months.  

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The team is composed of many people from different professions and backgrounds.  It was a huge blessing meeting each person!  Everyone on this team has a desire and is committed to reach children and their families for Christ.  I’m honored to be a part of this team! I can’t wait to see how the Lord will use our gifts and talents for His glory as we work to establish this school together! We had an awesome time after the meeting as we enjoyed a BBQ meal together and sweet fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ! 

I tried keeping something a secret during the meeting… the meeting was held on the actual day of my birthday! Thanks to Facebook, the word got out and the team sang “Happy Birthday” to me at the end of the meeting.  I couldn’t have asked for a better gift than to be part of this planning meeting! It was an honor to take part in the beginning stages of our Christian school!!  

I had the opportunity to take a sneak peek of the apartment I will be living in.  The apartment complex is called “Jardin de Luz”, in English that is “Garden of Light”.  It is about 1 mile away from the church and a little less than a mile from Brenda’s house, the owner of the apartment.    I spent a lot of time with Brenda and I was incredibly blessed by her kindness!  We had amazing conversations over coffee/tea about the Lord as we shared our testimonies and prayer requests.  I’m so glad I was able to spend that time with her and I look forward to more coffee/tea times together! 

I attended Friday morning devotions that Pastor Raf leads every week. The devotions are open to anyone that would like to attend.  I took so many notes as Pastor Raf taught and led a time of discussion.  It was so edifying!!  I’m looking forward to attending every Friday! 

I had many lunch and dinner times at Pastor Raf and Lorretta’s home.  I was very blessed by their hospitality and care for me while I was in Mallorca!  I was also taken along to BBQs and other gatherings where I was able to meet other brothers and sisters from the church. I was blessed by the fellowship I had with so many new people!  I truly look forward to getting connected with the local church and sharing in ministry as the Lord leads.

I mentioned earlier that I tried keeping my birthday a secret in Spain.  Here at home, however, I wasn’t able to do that at all!! My wonderful care team celebrated with me before leaving for Spain and had a beautiful cake for me too! I am tremendously blessed by this group of loving and supportive friends and family that have committed to “hold the rope” while I take this leap of faith.  

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My beautiful family also celebrated with me after I got back from Spain. There are more birthday pictures on my Facebook page.  I’m easy to find if we’re not friends yet, just type in Zully Ruano! 

The month of August was a huge blessing and a wonderful preview of what is to come.  Although there is a sense of uncertainty over some things, the Lord has promised renewed strength for this new season. So this is just the beginning! 

Your prayers, support, financial gifts, encouraging texts, and your hugs are a huge blessing to me and I am incredibly thankful to all of you!! We’re in this together to further the gospel in Spain!

Contact me if you too would like to take part in this ministry with me.  I would love to share with you how you can team up with me in this calling.

God bless you,

Zully

Prayer Requests:

• Wisdom for the final preparations before my departure
• For my family as we get ready to say our goodbyes  
• To desperately seek God’s direction for all things 
• Strength in the midst of the spiritual warfare
• For the Lord to continue to provide in all areas