Basque Country Prayer Points for March 2026

Sampie Brown on April 1, 2026

  • For the first time in 50 years, a Holy Week procession will return to the streets of Donostia. While other areas in Spain hold week-long events, San Sebastián will focus on a single, somber procession on Good Friday.
    • Pray for a deep spiritual impact as the Good Friday procession returns to Donostia after half a century, that it would be a time of reflection and hope.
  • Gas prices in Basque Country have surged by nearly 27% this month following the escalation of the war in the Middle East. This sudden spike has created deep concern for the manufacturing sector in Gipuzkoa, where companies are warning of the impacts of the rising energy costs and likely lower sales.
    • Pray for those feeling the financial pressure of these rising costs. Pray for peace in the Middle East and for wisdom for local business leaders as they navigate this period of global instability.
  • On March 17th, a 24-hour general strike disrupted transport and industry across the region. While the national minimum wage (SMI) was recently set at €17,000/year, Basque unions were striking for a region-specific SMI of €21,000/year to match the higher cost of living. This labor tension, combined with an indefinite doctors’ strike that cancelled thousands of appointments this month, reflects tension in the workforce.
    • Pray for a fair resolution to these labor disputes that address the economic needs and the well-being of workers. Pray also for the patients whose care has been delayed.
  • A significant milestone in Basque self-governance was reached on March 2nd with the official transfer of unemployment protection management from Spain to the Basque Country. This allows the regional government to directly manage social safety nets, which many hope will lead to more localized support for those out of work.
    • Pray for the officials and administrative staff managing this transition. Pray that this new responsibility would be handled with integrity and lead to genuine support to those seeking employment.
  • Newly released data confirms that 165 people took their own lives in the Basque Country over the last year. This statistic, alongside recent reports of sexual assault in schools—including a high-profile trial in Irun—has highlighted a profound need for healing and protection.
  • Pray for the families grieving the loss of those 165 individuals and for those currently struggling with despair. Pray for the protection of children in schools and for justice and healing for survivors of the sexual assault.
  • The final expert report on the 2025 “Great Blackout” was released this month, highlighting the role of the Hernani (small industrial town near San Sebastian/Donostia) power station in stabilizing the grid. It helped absorb a lot of the initial surge from the event and played a pivotal role as they started to bring the grid back online.
    • Pray for the technicians and engineers who maintain the regional infrastructure.

The verse for the month:

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Matthew 21:9 NIV

Basque Country Prayer Points for February 2026

Sampie Brown on March 14, 2026

  • In a significant legal move on February 25th, the Spanish government officially declassified documents related to the 1981 coup attempt. Basque political leaders have sought this transparency for decades. This release is seen as a legal milestone for historical memory and the “right to truth” regarding state actions during that period.
    • Pray for the historians and families as they review these documents. Pray that this transparency would lead to a greater sense of justice and healing for those impacted from the events, and that truth would be handled with integrity.
  • There has been a reported increase in mental health needs for young people across the Basque Country this month. Many are struggling with anxiety related to the “stability gap” in employment and the difficulty of finding affordable housing. Local clinics are seeing record numbers of consultations as these pressures continue to impact the younger generation.
    • Pray for young Basques struggling with their mental well-being and for those feeling stuck in their current situations. Pray for families and medical professionals to have the resources and compassion needed to support those in distress.
  • A priest in Gipuzkoa has gained attention for his work advocating for the social justice of immigrants, particularly following the new Spanish law to regularize 500,000 migrants. While the law change is a major shift, many newcomers still face challenges with housing and social exclusion as they look for work in the region.
    • Pray for the migrants as they navigate these new legal changes and seek to build lives here. Pray for the local churches and volunteers who are working to provide housing and support, and for a spirit of hospitality.
  • The Basque Department of Education is moving forward with plans to close several primary classrooms for the 2026-27 school year. This is due to a fall in the school-age population and a trend of couples having children later in life. While there was a small uptick in births recently, the overall population in 2025 continued to decline, creating challenges for schools.
    • Pray for the families and teachers affected by these classroom closures. Pray for wisdom for leaders as they address the economic reasons why people are delaying having children, and for the health of local communities facing these changes.
  • Osakidetza (Basque healthcare system) is finalizing its audit following the incident where expired vaccines were given to ~250 infants. While health officials have confirmed there is no medical risk and the revaccination process is almost finished, the error has placed a spotlight on the system’s oversight protocols and clinical workload.
    • Pray for the families involved, for their peace of mind and the health of their children. Pray for the healthcare workers and administrators as they implement new safety standards and work to restore public trust in the system.

The verse for the month:

Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Titus 2:14 NIV

Basque Country Prayer Points for January 2026

Sampie Brown on February 1, 2026

The Basque Parliament is refining a “Loneliness Toolkit” to help municipalities detect and support isolated seniors. This focus on building permanent community networks is a high priority as winter continues, ensuring that those with connections found during the holidays don’t fade and for those who do not have any support.

  • Pray for the elderly in the Basque Country who are experiencing isolation this winter. Pray for the successful implementation of these new community tools and for neighbors to be prompted to reach out to those living alone.

While youth unemployment in Basque Country has reached a 15-year low, the “stability gap” remains a concern as many graduates. Many of them are stuck in temporary or low-paid roles. This lack of long-term security continues to cause a strain for young Basques seeking professional security and fair wages.

  • Pray for young Basques who are struggling to find a sense of future security despite being employed. Pray for business leaders to create quality career paths that value and retain the next generation.

Following a meeting on January 27th between Lehendakari (Basque Parliament leader) Imanol Pradales and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a new agreement was reached to transfer airport management and immigration powers to the Basque Country by April 2026. While the Lehendakari expressed “guarded optimism,” he remains firm that the central government must fulfill the remaining commitments to complete the transfer.

  • Pray for a spirit of cooperation and integrity in the negotiations between national and regional leaders over the next two months. Pray that these new powers lead to more effective governance that directly improves services for the Basque people.

Public safety has become a heightened concern following recent reports of sexual assaults with an injected chemical substance being used. This has prompted the Basque Health Department to issue new warnings and an awareness campaign. It has also sparked additional urgent conversation about the need for increased vigilance and protection in social environments.

  • Pray for the victims of these assaults, for their healing and for justice to be served. Pray for the success of prevention programs and for a greater sense of protection and safety.

Osakidetza (Basque healthcare system) is undergoing a major transformation with a new 2026 plan to ensure 90% of primary care appointments occur within 48 hours, while also integrating thousands of new permanent staff members. However, this stabilization effort was recently tested by a serious oversight where expired vaccines were administered to ~250 people—mostly infants. While officials have assured families there is no health risk, the error has intensified the focus on the system.

  • Pray for the families affected by the vaccine error, for peace of mind and the health of the infants involved. Pray for the successful integration of new medical staff and for wisdom for administrators as they work to restore public trust while meeting their ambitious new care goals.

While the Basque economy grew by a solid 2.3% in 2025, new forecasts for 2026 suggest a slowdown to 1.9% as global trade uncertainty affects regional industry. The manufacturing sector, a cornerstone of Basque Country, remains a primary concern as it faces stagnant foreign demand and rising operational costs.

  • Pray for wisdom for the economic and local business leaders as they navigate this potential slowdown. Pray for the protection of jobs and for innovative solutions that will strengthen the regional industry in a shifting global market.

The verse for the month:

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Romans 8:18 NLT

When Forgiveness Isn’t the End

Mandy Brown on February 4, 2025

What does the Bible say about what needs to happen after you’ve been hurt by someone you care about? There are many books written over the need to “forgive and forget” which has led to many misconceptions about the implications of forgiveness. Forgiveness DOESN’T mean that the other person gets a “get out of jail free” card, or that you are saying that what they did wasn’t hurtful. It also doesn’t mean that they get immediate access back into your life, or that they will no longer have consequences for their actions. So what does it mean? With so many conflicting ideas out there, I think it’s important to go directly to the Bible to see what it teaches on the topic. 

The Bible gives us a clear command to forgive others. We are to forgive everyone (Mark 11:25)  in the same way Christ forgives us (Eph 4:32) as many times as necessary (Matt 18:21-22). When the Bible mandates something and reiterates it in so many ways, it’s important to understand why. The purpose of forgiveness is so that we can be in right relationship with God. God in His infinite wisdom knows that when we are holding on to old wounds, whether they are mental, physical, or spiritual, those wounds get in the way of our relationship with Him. It is for OUR benefit that He commands us to forgive others so that we can grow in our relationship with Him as we heal from those wounds. The hurtful words or actions of others live uninvited in our heads as long as we allow them space. Forgiveness allows us to set those things aside and fix our eyes on God.

But then what? What does it look like to move on when you’ve forgiven even though you’re still hurting? The Bible says that we need to make every attempt at reconciliation, but society seems to have confused that with restoration of relationships. This can sometimes be the case, but it doesn’t have to be. 

Matt 5:23-24 is often used as “proof” for a biblical mandate for reconciliation, though it is better translated as referring to unsettled debts (material or emotional) that you owe someone as opposed to mending relationships. To reconcile means to set right what has been broken. Within relationships, we do this by apologizing for our actions or words, or by making amends if the situation calls for it. The Bible does not call us to be friends with everyone, and it’s not always appropriate to restore a relationship after it has been broken. This can come with time in some situations, but to be pressured into restoration of relationships is not warranted nor justified in scripture and is an indication to proceed with caution. 

We are ALWAYS called to forgive, and we should make every effort to reconcile anything that we’ve broken. However, restoration of relationships can only happen when both parties are committed to lasting change. Sometimes, the more mature, God-honoring course of action is to go your separate ways in the same way as Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:39), while praying for future opportunities to bear witness to the lasting change that is necessary to rebuild relationships.

Basque Country Prayer Points for September 2024

Sampie Brown on October 2, 2024

Prayer Points and verse for the month:

Prayers points:

  • This time of year, sees an influx of existing, new & Erasmus (Europe’s study abroad program) university students arrive in the city. It is becoming more difficult for students to find affordable housing. The city is also looking for solutions with the number of homes that are designated for tourism.
    • Pray for students, home owners and the government as they work through solutions for affordable housing.
  • A recent report is pointing to several different unhealthy habits that are causing problems for the Basque Hospital system. One of those factors is that ~50% of the population drink some amount of alcohol. Another factor is they are seeing that ~25% of young people (14-18) have smoked cannabis within the past year.
    • Pray for the health of the public and the Basque hospital system as they explore solutions to provide better care to the citizens.
  • Pedro Sánchez has announced his plans to move forward with a government with or without a legislative body in place. They are scheduled to meet between November 29 and December 1 to have elections and set the agenda for the upcoming legislative session. An important item will be a new budget since a new one was not passed for 2024 as they are using the one from 2023.
    • Pray as the political leaders prepare to meet to have a legislative body to address issues for the citizens in Spain.
  • The public hospital system continues to face criticism from the public. A new leader of the system has been appointed. They are working to hire more staff to address the needs of the system, though not enough staff exists. They stated it will be 3-4 years before the staffing needs are met.
    • Pray for the leaders, medical staff and patients as they work through the current challenges in the medical system (Osakidetza).
  • The number of workers that have two jobs has doubled over the last year. Various reasons were shared with one of them being the need for some to have a second job to be able to afford the increase in living expenses. Another was related to the change in employment contracts, along with the number of new jobs in the area. Data from the summer shows that spending stayed the same or went down compared to last year. Businesses also saw this summer about a 10% increase in credit card usage.
    • Pray for the employees, families and businesses as they navigate these uncertain economic times.

The verse for the week:

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Isaiah 41:13 NIV

Basque Country Prayer Points for Week of January 22, 2024

Sampie Brown on January 28, 2024

Prayers points:

  • The number of healthcare workers in the Basque system who requested mental health assistance has almost doubled compared to what was seen in 2019. The treatment is for anxiety, depression and for burn out. The increase in requests are also being seen across other communities in Spain.
    • Pray for the mental health of healthcare workers.
  • Suicide continues to be one of the leading cause of death for all ages and for youth it is currently near the top. This has raised concerns and they are working to understand them while looking to provide solutions for the causes identified. It is also being seen across the world as an issue. One solution for Basque Country has been to provide training in primary schools (US elementary school), talking with health care professionals on how to see at-risk people and have a special number for people to call for help.
    • Pray for those who are contemplating suicide, their families and leaders as they look for ways to address the situation.
  • The results for a EU wide evaluation exam of the education system showed that Basque Country had a significant drop in scores across language, reading and science. In Math, Basque country, even with the fall, was still above the rest of Spain & EU countries. However in reading and science they were below the averages.
    • Pray for the educators, students and leaders as they investigate the drop in test scores and look to improve them for the future.
  • Since 1975 the King of Spain has delivered a message on Christmas Eve at 9pm. For 2023 King Felipe VI started talking about the different problems in Spain. The focus then shifted to 45 years of the constitution for Spain, what it provides and how it needs to be protected, as well as the importance of unity in Spain as it looks to move forward in the future.
    • Pray for the future of Spain and all the different regions that make up the country.
  • Inflation is currently at 3.4% in Basque Country and is expected to continue to be high in 2024. The cost of food for the Christmas meals was higher than last year, as a result some families moved to other non-traditional foods for the meal. People are continuing to make changes to their regular purchases to get the most of the money they have.
    • Pray for the population as they look to spend the money they have wisely
  • Basque Country will be having elections sometime before August 11, 2024, with them likely happening sometime in April. The parties have started to circulate candidates for the open positions. At the national level Sánchez and the PSOE party continue to face opposition from the PP party due to the amnesty agreement.
    • Pray for the upcoming Basque Country elections and that the national politicians would work together.
  • Statistics about pornography were recently reported with ~63% of young people (13-17) have seen it for anywhere between 300-400 hours. Boys are more likely to consume ~82% compared to girls at ~40%. The government has attempted to put a verification system in place, though it does not seem to be working. The Basque school system currently has sex education in 5th/6th grade, though is thinking of moving it back to be in 3rd/4th.
    • Pray for leaders as they look for solutions and young people to not be drawn to this form of media.
  • Pope Frances is nearing the completion of his 11th year. Recently he stated that priests are permitted to bless same sex marriages or those who were divorced previously and remarrying. This is also after his announcement about baptisms for trans-sexual and babies of some sex couples.
    • Pray for the catholic church and the impacts of these decisions.

The verse for the week:

Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.

‭Hosea‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭NIV‬

Basque Country Prayer Points for Week of October 9, 2023

Sampie Brown on October 15, 2023

Prayer Points and verse for the week:

Prayers points:

  • Statistics for crime were recently released for the first half of 2023. An upward trend was seen in some areas: sexual violence was up ~20%, Cybercrimes was up ~30%. With a down trend being seen with robberies using violence and intimidation down ~10% and forced robberies in homes or other premises down ~10%.
    • Pray for those who are victims of crime, the police officers who protect the city and those who commit the crimes to have their eyes opened to its effects.
  • The Catholic Pope recently announced 21 new cardinals, with 3 of those being from Spain. The Pope has been working to make changes to the organization to have more representation from Catholic minorities. With the recent announcement Spain still has the 3rd most in the organization, behind Italy and the United States. Their purpose is to elect the new Pope.
    • Pray for the Pope as he makes new appointments and for the cardinals when the time comes to elect a new Pope.
  • A new president still has not been elected in Spain. Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) has until November 27 to rally enough votes, should that not happen. Spainards will once again be heading to vote in January. He is facing a lot of pressure as he looks to gain support from Catalonia, specifically Puigdemont who is requesting amnesty from the judicial process he is currently facing. Feijoó (PP) is also working to be elected, though he does not look to be able to gain enough alignment from others to get the needed votes.
    • Pray for the legislatures as they look to elect/re-elect a President for Spain.
  • The number of small businesses closing is quite large for the Gipuzkoa region of Basque Country. In the last 4 years ~1300 small businesses have closed, with ~60% of them having been open for 5 years or more. The service sector was most affected, seeing ~75%. One of the biggest reasons for the closures are the effects from the pandemic.
    • Pray for small business owners, workers and the government as they look to navigate the current economic environment
  • Last week Iñigo Urkullu (PNV), who is the leader of the Basque government, participated in a meeting sponsored by the local newspaper. During the discussion he talked about how the coalition between PNV and PSE was making progress even though another political party felt they were not making progress. He presented numbers showing how in the last 10 years GDP for the region has grown and that unemployment is down close to ~10%. He also talked about the current status for electing a new president of Spain and the desire to have healthcare wait times reduced to what they were before the pandemic, as they have increased afterwards.
    • Pray for Urkullu as he works to lead the Basque Government with wisdom and peace amongst all the different parties.
  • The concern for the mental health of youth was described as serious and increasing, as the professionals see higher cases of anxiety, depression and attempted suicides. They are seeing the causes be more than from COVID, as some students feel isolated and do not have a group of friends. Due to the situation the Basque Government put a strategy in place to address this and over a year 613 incidents for suicide prevention were opened in Basque Country. This is currently the highest non-natural cause of death in Basque Country and they are putting protocols in place to try and address it.
    • Pray for the youth that have these thoughts that they find the right help, as well as parents, school administrators and leaders as they look to develop systems to help youth in these situations.

The verse for the week:

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Mark 8:35 ESV

Basque Country Prayer Points for Week of August 14, 2023

Sampie Brown on August 20, 2023

Prayers points:

  • The results of the July 23 election are in, with the PP party gaining some additional seats and PSOE losing some seats. Neither party has the absolute majority by themselves. Each party was working to put agreements in place to have an absolute majority for the election of a new legislative leader. Pedro Sánchez was able to gather enough support to be re-elected leader of the coming congress.
    • Pray for the newly elected political leaders and coalitions as they start the legislative process.
  • On May 26, the Spanish legislation passed a new law in order to help with home rent prices. However, it’s not helping as the paper showed a graph where rent prices have increased by ~18% since May of 2022, with the prices increasing 10% since April. Property owners are increasing the price due to the changes in the law causing the opposite of what was desired by the new law.
    • Pray for legislators, realtors, renters and owners as they look to determine reasonable rent prices.
  • Recently data about suicides were analyzed to understand and determine what improvements in the health care system can be made. They discovered that 75% of them had recent contact with the healthcare system. Only 30% of them had been in contact with a mental health professional.
    • Pray for the health care workers and leaders as they work to see early symptoms and explore other options for those who are thinking of suicide and people who are contemplating the option.
  • The Gipuzkoa region of Basque Country labor market is doing well, though they are having some challenges with younger workers. They are looking for more than just a salary, they would like to see a career path. People on unemployment assistance has dropped and is at the lowest levels since 2008, which is when the last financial crisis happened. The labor market also saw the creation of almost 12,000 jobs.
    • Praise that the job market in Gipuzkoa is seeing growth and pray that the growth continues through the coming months as the younger workers are entering the workforce.
  • For the first time since the end of the pandemic the wait times for most medical specialists is decreasing. It has taken almost 3 years to get back to this state.
    • Praise that the wait time for most medical specialists has decreased.  Prayer that the wait time continues to be stable and improves for the specialties that have not yet seen the decrease.

The verse for the week:

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:6 ESV

Basque Country Prayer Points for Week of June 19, 2023

Sampie Brown on June 22, 2023

Prayer Points and verse for the week:

Prayers points:

  • After the recent local and regional elections, the different parties are having to renegotiate the relationships to determine how they will co-govern as no single party won an absolute majority. This has been completed and leadership in the various levels of government is in place including the ceremonies to present the new leaders.  The other parties in Basque Country who were trying to gain influence are having to rethink their strategy given it will be another 4 years before the next elections. The national elections have been set for July 23, which was a bit of a surprise. The political parties have been working to organize themselves in preparation for these elections. The PP party is hoping to gain additional seats in congress which would result in a change in the majority party.
    • Pray for the newly elected leaders and the coalitions that will need to be formed over the coming weeks to start the legislative process. Additionally, pray for the upcoming national elections.
  • A local college professor published a book on suicides and was then interviewed. He pointed out several different facts about suicides. The most critical age currently are people between the ages of 40 to 60. In 2021 that age accounted for 50% of the total ~4000 suicides. They also said that currently a system of prevention does not sufficiently exist.
    • Pray for those who are contemplating and those who have been impacted by suicide. 
  • The number of women leaders for businesses in Basque country is at ~22% which is lower than the 40% required by the law in 2023. Some do not like the quota though understand the need to start the change. The women also talked about the difficulty they have faced as they have moved into positions of leadership.
    • Pray for business leaders and women as they look to fill leadership roles in different businesses.
  • The previous leader of the Spanish pension system committed to bring it back in balance in 2023. However, that was not possible and it will run a deficit through 2025. Part of the impact was the record number of new applicants to the system and the cost of inflation.
    • Pray for the new leader of the pension system as they look for ways to bring the system into balance as it supports millions of Spanish citizens.
  • This week was the end of the 2022-2023 school year and families have had to determine how to care for their kids during the break. This year summer break has ~80 days. Families are exploring the best option(s) available between day camps, staying with relatives or hiring a sitter. Each family has its set of challenges to get the coverage in place: financial, aging parents and number of vacation days for the parents.
    • Pray for families as they look to make plans for child care for the summer and that kids have a nice summer break.

The verse for the week:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:27 ESV

Basque Country Prayer Points for Week of March 20, 2023

Sampie Brown on March 25, 2023

Prayer Points and verse for the week:

Prayers points:

  • The Basque Government is offering several different options to help families offset some of the costs associated with having children. Historically the requests have been made by women, however over the past 2 years the number of men who are requesting these options have increased.
    • Pray for mothers and fathers as they look to make the best choice for supporting their families and decide about having more kids.
  • The Basque police recently reported the crime statistics to the Basque Legislature. One statistic that is being highlighted is the number of sexual aggressions in Gipuzkoa. In 2022 the number was 128, which is double from 2021 (57). Another area that was highlighted was inter family violence, which also saw an increase in 2022.
    • Pray for the victims of sexual aggression and against family violence along with the police officers that respond to assist in these situations.
  • March 2023 marks 10 years since Pope Francis was elected to be the new leader of the catholic church. The paper had an article discussing several different topics from this ten year period: potential for schism, receiving two leaders from South Sudan and mass for 6 million in the Philippines.
    • Pray for the Pope’s leadership of the catholic church 
  • Mental health education and support for minors is undergoing changes. On the education side they are planning to start offering some classes starting at 12 years old. The Basque Public health care system saw an ~16% rise in the number of minors needing such help.
    • Pray for education system leaders and the health care system as they look to support the youth’s mental health
  • Iñigo Urkullu, president of the Basque government, is on a push to show the importance of the Basque region in Spain and Greater Europe. To accomplish this, early last week meetings were held with other key Spanish regional presidents. Then later in the week he attended meetings with leaders from different regions in Europe.
    • Pray for Urkullu as he communicates with other leaders about the Basque Country and it’s offerings
  • Young adults looking to move out on their own continue to face challenges. One is the cost of rent, which currently has a minimum of ~500€/month. With the median salary being ~1400€/ month, that does not leave much room for the other expenses in life.
    • Pray for young adults as they look to start life in Basque Country
  • The increase in building materials and energy costs are impacting public construction projects in Basque Country. Currently there are 40 projects that do not have bids on them due to these factors, which is another economic impact for the region.
    • Pray for rising material & energy costs as the impacts are felt across several different sectors

The verse for the week:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

News for prayer for Week of July 11, 2022

Sampie Brown on July 14, 2022

Headline News:

COVID has made its way back into the news. One area is the impact they are now seeing on the admittance to the hospital for assistance with mental health. They reported that those between the ages of 11 to 17 have seen the largest increase, 45% since 2019. In 2021 they have also seen a rise in the number of patients that need to re-enter within 30 days after leaving, with a majority of those being girls. The other is the number of cases due to summer festivals. In this region some type of festival/celebration will be happening every weekend through September. For the areas that have had a festival they have seen the number of cases double. Some are calling this the seventh wave as people have once again started returning to pharmacies to buy at home tests.

It has been 25 years since the assassination of Basque politician Miguel Ángel Blanco. The paper I read had a 24 page pullout walking through the events of the assassination. On Sunday a ceremony was held to remember the event. Those in attendance included King Felipe, President Sánchez, Iñigo Urkullu, leader of the Basque government, several other leaders from the Spanish and Basque governments and members of his family. This event changed people’s perception to be more against ETA in Basque Country and greater Spain.

Economy:

Inflation has gone over 10% as of June, the final number was 10.2%. Previous months had it in the upper 9% range, as discussed before these numbers continue to be the highest seen in over 40 years. One of the principal reasons for the increase was the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the reduced availability of grains. These grains are basic ingredients in several items, one of them is feed for animals, which impacts meat prices as well. The government is attempting to figure out what can be done to address the issue.

With tourism starting to ramp up in the region the workers in the accommodations sector went on strike to improve some conditions. The agreement between workers and businesses had not been refreshed since 2019. Originally the strike was supposed to last for 3 days, fortunately it only lasted 24 hours. One key change was a pay increase of 0.8% in addition to inflation cost for 2022 through 2024. 

The IBEX35 ended last week on a slight downward trend closing at 8100.30,  a 0.93% decrease for last week.

Political:

On June 19 elections were held in Andalucia and the results were historic. The PP party won 32 seats and VOX gained 2. The absolute majority for the legislature is 55 so PP now has full control without needing an agreement with another party. Voter participation was at 58%, slightly higher than 2018. PP is also looking to see how they can have greater influence in Basque Country. PP is beginning to gain confidence about unseating PSOE as the currently prominent political party in Spain. 

International:

Here are a few key items from the international section here: French President Macron preparing the upcoming changes in government after his party lost the absolute majority, Boris Johnson, UK Prime minister, stepping down, and the assassination of Shinzo Abe in Japan. The Roe vs Wade decision got a special pull out on the Sunday after the decision was made, where the author was from Texas talking about the impacts the change has made in the state.

Sports:

The sports normally covered in this section are in the off season. One item of note is that San Sebastian is one of the 15 locations to be a host stadium for the 2030 FIFA world cup. The winner will be announced in May or June 2024.

Prayer Points and verse for the week:

Prayers points:

  • Mental health
  • Impacts of rising prices on households
  • Political unity

The verse for the week:

Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Romans 15:4 NLT