I am Igor Dias Ramos, born in 1986, in a German colony in southern Brazil. My parents raised me with Roman Catholic principles until I was 18 years old, when some friends invited me to join a Pentecostal church. My dream since childhood was to be a soccer player, and this was my passion until 2008, when I was hit by a truck and this accident was God's way of taking me out of a world of vanities to lead me to an eternal life. It was from this moment that I understood that God's calling for my life was to lead people not just to celebrate a game for a moment, but to rejoice in the eternal salvation that has been given to us in Jesus Christ.

In 2007 I married my beautiful wife Eliane Kochhann de Miranda, and we have been married for 17 years. For over 12 years of marriage the doctors had told us that we would not be able to have children, but our prayer to the Lord was to give us wisdom to rest in His will. Until 2020, in the midst of the Covid pandemic where many people died, the Lord granted our heart's request, we have been graced by Him with a son through IVF treatment and in this month of July 2024, our son Christopher will be three years old with great health, lots of love and desire to know God and our King Jesus Christ. Glory to God for his tremendous generosity and goodness to us.

After some years of theological training in seminaries and participation in Reformed churches, the Lord is sending us back to Spain to help strengthen the local church in this country. But in March 2022, on a mission trip to Paris, I met two Christian women, as in the book of Acts 16:9; "At night a vision was shown to Paul in which a man from Macedonia was standing praying to him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" These two women told me that they had been praying for a Bible church in their city, Lleida, for more than 15 years. They begged me to help them get to know God in a way that the churches around them had not been doing for many years. So from that moment on, my wife and I began to pray and ask advice from our pastors about the possibility of starting a work in the city of Lleida.

Lleida is the capital of the region of Segrià, with 211.7 km², it is one of the largest municipalities in Catalonia. Founded in the 6th century BC, it is the largest city in the Principality outside the province of Barcelona, a modern and cosmopolitan capital, an AgroBiotech reference in southern Europe, with an important communications network, a pillar of its geostrategic position.

In September 2022 we moved to Lleida and started meeting in our house until we had no more space and moved to new premises in November 2022. I am pastoring this small group of brothers, which sometimes has grown due to the curiosity of the people. Curiosity to know a reformed church, but they do not want the commitment that God demands of them with Himself, with His Word and with the people of God, so very few stay to be part of the people that the Lord has called, justified, is sanctifying and one day will glorify Him. 

Today we are a group of 8 members, five candidates for baptism and eight candidates for membership. On Sundays we gather about 25 people to read the Scriptures, sing the Scriptures, pray the Word of God, listen to the Word of God and see the living Word in the fellowship of the breaking of bread and wine in the Lord's Supper and in loving one another. 

We have spent over a year studying the book of 1 Timothy in Sunday services. This summer we will study the marks of a Biblical church and in September we will begin the study of a book of the Old Testament. On Thursdays we study the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. And once a month, on Sunday afternoons we have our prayer meeting, in which we meditate briefly on the Word of the Lord (this meeting is an opportunity for new preachers), listen to two or three short testimonies and spend a lot of time praying for our church and for the churches around us and around the world, and also spend time seeking the Lord together as a church.

May 2026 UPDATES FROM OUR FAMILY AND MINISTRY

Dear brothers and sisters, friends, and fellow travelers on this big journey we are taking toward the heavenly city. It is with great joy that we share with you the Lord’s blessings in our lives, as well as the challenges, difficulties, and struggles we face in our ministry.

It is a great privilege to have you in our lives and to be able to count on the support, on your prayers, and also to know that you are following what is happening in our lives and ministry. Thank you for reading our report and for actively participating in our lives. We thank the Lord for you, and may God’s grace and love motivate you to continue serving God and His people in this fallen world.

DIAS KOCHHANN FAMILY

The month of April has been a season of significant challenges, both in my ministry at the church and in my wife professional life. It has required great resilience, faith, and a focus on supporting those around us during difficult transitions.

Thank God, our family is doing well. I, Igor, am recovering from my latest spinal surgery, but I had to go to the emergency room because a nerve was causing a burning sensation in my lower back and part of my right leg. The doctor has prescribed some medication, and I have to return next month for a follow-up on the surgery and to prepare for the next one, if everything goes well. We trust in the Lord that He can always spare me from a surgery that won’t help with the chronic pain I have, and we also trust that the Lord’s grace is sufficient for our lives. 

Christopher is growing up fast; he is a child much loved by his classmates. At church, he is a great source of comfort to people, as he cries when someone is not well and rejoices in the happiness of others. Thanks be to the Lord, he is a very sociable and affectionate child; he makes friends very easily and knows how to connect with everyone in a different places. He is committed to following us, learning, and becoming a godly man.

Eliane Ministry & Life Update:

Due to the recent events, our ministry priorities shifted this month. As a result, we had to postpone the Monthly Women’s Meeting.

Additionally, we are deeply concerned about a young member of our congregation who has been absent from church lately. We are actively ministering to her family by offering constant prayers and emotional support. We have also been consistently inviting her mother to join us for lunch on Sundays after the service to maintain a close connection and provide a space for fellowship.

Workplace and Professional Life: At work, the environment has been demanding due to ongoing conflicts between some parents and the teaching staff. Eliane is currently focusing her efforts on mediation and mentorship. Specifically, she is counseling one of the teachers, encouraging her to practice greater patience and empathy when dealing with a particularly demanding and vocal mother.

Conclusion and Prayer Request:  While this month has been testing, Eliane remains committed to serving both her community and her workplace with grace. 

IGC IGLESIA GRACIA EN CRISTO OF LLEIDA - CHURCH GRACE LIFE UPDATE

In our church, we are still very concerned about a young lady in sin and her family. We are giving her time and space to reflect on her life, and perhaps to come out of her emotional and mental hardening. Some of the sisters and Eliane try to talk to her every week; she tries to avoid them, but in the end she always shows up to talk with them, even if only for a moment. She continues to show indifference toward her mother, the church, and the Lord… We want to continue watching her closely and working with her with great wisdom, discernment, and caution to bring her to the feet of Jesus in a serious, loving way, and in accordance with Scripture.

Her mother is still suffering greatly from this situation… We explained to the young lady that she must take responsibility and be consistent with her decisions and worldview, and so her mother and sister have given her a few weeks to find a job and a place to live out her sinful life.

In the midst of this time of sorrow for this family, the Lord is bringing new people to our church. Among them are three women who had been visiting other churches and came to ours to compare it with others—and now they don’t want to leave. 

But we are also very grateful for the life of young Alex, 27, a friend of Brother Marc, who has been coming to our church since Marc’s baptism in December 2025, and is growing greatly in his knowledge of Christ and in his recognition of his need to know Christ and repent of his sins. Alex and Brother Marc accompanied me on our church’s first mission trip to Valencia; the three of us went to Valencia to support Pastor Rafael Vargas and his church Gracia y Verdad…  

And here in Lleida, we also don’t have other brothers who can preach in my place, so we need the ask for the help of the brothers from the Sabadell Evangelical Bible Church, pastored by Pastor Javier Perez, who, by the Lord’s grace, can count on three more brothers as teachers in his local church. In order to be able to visit Pastor Rafa and his church during the week, our church commissioned us one Thursday to visit Valencia and minister to the brothers and sisters at the Grace and Truth Church, and I was accompanied by Brother Marc and Alex. It was a beautiful experience with these two young men, who were able to see the limitations and spiritual needs that exist in Spain.

But the Lord has also allowed us to receive help from Brother Claudio, a member and teacher at the Sabadell church, who came to preach in Lleida this Sunday, May 3, and so my family and I were able to edify and encourage the brothers and sisters in Valencia during this first weekend of May...

PRAYER REQUESTS

1) Eliane would like to ask for your special prayers regarding her upcoming interview with the school's hiring manager on May 26th at 11:30 AM. This meeting is crucial, as it will determine the confirmation of her contract for the next academic year starting in September.

2) Eliane asks for: Strength and Rest: She is honestly quite tired. Please pray as she looks forward to June. Her goal is to finish the school year, leave the academy, and focus solely on the position at the school.

3) Please pray for my health, that the surgery was successful, and that I may see results as soon as possible, if the Lord so wills. 

4) Please pray for the lady that has turned away from the Lord that the Lord may convict her of sin, of judgment, and of righteousness. And may He bring her back home, even if He has to make her eat pig’s food.

5) For the new people coming to church. May the seed of God’s Word not be stolen by the enemy, nor choked by the adversities of this life. But may it bear fruit for eternal life.

6) Please pray for the conversion of friends and family of us and our church members.

7) We pray for an evangelistic spirit in our church. May there be not only a willingness to share the good news, but also the courage and boldness to seek out lost sinners.

8) May the Word of God preached each week not return empty to the hearts of God’s people, but produce maturity, strength, faith, encouragement, comfort, and an intimate relationship with Jesus.

10) Pray for Spain; the government is legalizing many Muslims, and this is already affecting schools, which no longer have religious freedom but are opening the doors to Islam and all its traditions in our culture. Also, please pray for safety in our city. This past April, a man tried to break into our church building, but by the Lord’s grace, I was studying in my office and was able to confront him, asking why he was inside our building. By the Lord’s mercy, the man ran away and did not attack me. We are going through difficult and dangerous times. May the Lord be our help and protection.

11) Please pray for our new Bible study series titled: “SUFFERING.” We will be studying this topic at the Bible Institute on Sundays from 9 to 10 a.m. May we understand biblically how to face the bad days, and the times of trial and difficulty that everyone faces. May the Lord show His grace and goodness to those who are suffering and strengthen the hearts of those who need to be prepared for the trials and sufferings of life.

12) Pray also that the Lord will remove those church leaders here in Spain who are hindering the spread of the Gospel. For those who continue to preach the Word of God while their lives and ministries are the opposite of the Lord’s piety and grace. May the Lord repay each of these pastors for the harm they have done or are doing to the Lord’s flock, and may our Good Shepherd bring healing to those who have been wounded by false shepherds.

13) We pray for more workers in the Lord’s harvest. We lack missionaries to help sow the Word of God and strengthen God’s people in Europe.

14) We feel your love through your prayers. Thank you for partnering with us to expand God’s Kingdom in Spain. We love and appreciate you more than words can say. In Christ. 

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Co 13:14)

 

Igor Ramos.