Dear churches,

Gina and I are so proud to be your IMB missionaries to Mexico. We thank you for your support of the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Your generous gifts allow us to do what our God has called us to do. For that we are eternally grateful. Well, in the last couple of months I have had the opportunity to preach in some 6 different churches in Spanish. And for an English speaker that is no easy task. But by the grace of God, I have been able to communicate the deep truths of God’s Word here in Mexico. We have been attending the church of a pastor who is quite influential in the national convention, but he is a down-to-earth pastor. In fact, we had no idea he was so influential until 2 weeks ago. But he has allowed me to preach in his church 2 times and once for a very special Friday night service of praise. He and his wife are so kind and helpful. They have taken us under their wing so that we might learn better Spanish and culture.

Gina is taking classes in Spanish Monday through Friday, and I am sitting in on classes at the seminary. The director (president) of the seminary is a great guy. He has included me in all the major things that accompany the beginning of a new school calendar. In fact, I will be preaching in the chapel service this Thursday, so please pray for me!!! We are becoming more acclimated to life in this huge city and have begun to love it very much. However, we have many moments in which we want to be with our kids and grandkids, and I would love to preach in English, but the LORD never told us it would be easy. Honestly, it is easy to live in Mexico and so we are so blessed. We have hot water and a great food, which is something our missionary friends in other places don’t have!

​Here are a couple of prayer points for us:
1. Continued language acquisition.
2. Continued integration into the life of the seminary.
3. The provision of resources to do what we need to do.
4. Please pray for our kids (4 all married) and our grandkids.

We thank the Lord for all of you and if there is something we can do to help you reach the
nations with the gospel please let us know. We love and thank God for you!

In Jesus’s name,
Eric and Gina Spano

Dear Beloved Church family,

We wanted to send a brief update about what is happening in Mexico. First, our Christmas was very different without our kids, grandkids, and our church family. But we made the best of it. We were able to have 2 weeks off from the grind of language school, which was a needed break for both Gina and me. We both took language tests in December. I was blessed to achieve the level I need to move to Mexico City. I know that sounds impressive, but it is not. I still speak like a 3–4-year-old child. Gina has improved greatly in her language and tested much better than expected. She will achieve the needed goal soon. We are both working hard at language because we know how important it is to our role here in Mexico.

I have had the opportunity to preach in 3 different churches (in Spanish) here and around Puebla. In fact, last Sunday I preached in our home church for the first time for the 39 th Anniversary of the church. It was great and I did a solid job. This Sunday I have been invited to preach at a different church in the area. Pray that I can effectively deliver God’s Word. Also, I have been invited to teach at a conference at a church about an hour from here. It’s a great opportunity.

​Right now, it looks like we will be moving to Mexico City the last week of April.

Here are some areas in which you can pray for us:
1. Pray for advancement in language speaking and understanding.
2. Pray that I choose the appropriate topic to teach during this conference.
3. Pray for Gina she has had some minor health issues that we have had to deal with during the recent months.
4. Pray that I may gain the proper discernment about teaching a group of students in Spanish (online) here in Puebla about how to prepare biblical sermons. It’s a hard decision because preaching is not my field of expertise, but I do have a lot of experience in preaching. A big issue is I don’t have my books yet so it would demand a lot of prep.
5. Pray that Gina can find a couple of language partners that can meet with her weekly on a consistent basis.

We are so grateful for your support! We love and miss you all so very much.
Blessings to all,
Eric and Gina Spano, your IMB missionaries