More "beautiful feet" arriving in Spain!
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'"
-Romans 10:14-15
Although I am not a lawyer, I have learned so much over the last 15 years about the visa application process for religious visas.
While it has been quite time-consuming, it has been a privilege to be one of the first from Ágape to meet these international staff and to serve them well through this seemingly mundane and sometimes challenging bureaucratic procedure.
Nathy Ángel with GAiN
Nathy Ángel, who is from Colombia, was working on a masters in Applied Neuromarketing at the University of Valencia when she got involved as a volunteer with our humanitarian aid ministry called Global Aid Network, or GAiN. Last fall she decided to join staff with GAiN and serve in the area of communications.
I facilitated her staff application process in Dec. 2022 and late this spring I have guided her through her visa application process.
Just this week, Nathy wrote to say that the Spanish Embassy in Colombia has granted her visa! Soon, she will return to Spain to begin working full-time to get the word out about GAiN's work in the midst the Feb 2023 earthquake in Turkey and the ongoing arrival of refugees in Greece.
Lindsay Douglass with Ágape+
In May 2023, I met Lindsay, a recent graduate with a passion to minister to those in risk of social exclusion. I accompanied her throughout the summer with the practical steps of the visa application process and answering questions along the way.
She arrived in Spain 2 weeks ago to join the Agape+ team in Barcelona where she will bring practical and spiritual support people who are currently living on the streets of Barcelona.
The Chersunov family with Q (Cristianos Universitarios)
I met Daniil and Ksenia Chersunov in the fall of 2022. They arrived at the difficult decision to leave their homeland due to the threats from NOT supporting Russia's war against Ukraine. We entered into discussions of their possible transfer from Cru's Campus Ministry in Russia to join our staff in Agape Spain and work with Q (Cristianos Universitarios) in Barcelona.After a year of paperwork and many travel steps, they arrived in Barcelona on July 3, 2023.
Just this week, they received the official residence cards for themselves and their 6 children!
Please pray for them as they are STILL trying to find the best living arrangements. They have already moved twice and will need to be out of their current apartment before the end of September.
The process has been slow-going since they have not been able to enter Agape's payroll until receving their residence cards. In addition, many apartment owners are wary of Russians, not wanting to enter into any possible problems that could be related to the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Also, pray for the schooling of their 6 children. This, of course, is linked to their housing, which will determine the district where they will go to school.
Passing the baton to María Casanova
As I seek to give more and more of my attention to leading the FamilyLife Spain ministry, our Operations Team has agreed to take on the responsibility of the visa application process. This fall I will be training Maria Casanova to take on this important role.
María is pictured above at a new staff training event in February 2023. She is from Valencia and joined our staff in January 2021. She comes to Ágape with incredible training and experience as a lawyer and as an English teacher.
Please pray for María as she begins learning the ins and outs of religious visa applications as she serves future international staff who will join Ágape in Spain.
Thank you for being a part of bringing these missionaries to work in Spain's spiritual harvest!
Thank God for María Casanova and her gifting and her willingness to take on this responsibility!
Please pray for the new missionaries who have just arrived:
Pray for their physical and spirtual protection.
Pray that God would sustain them and bless them as they continue to overcome the hurdles that go with living as an ex-pat.
Pray that God would use them in mighty ways to point people to Jesus....in their specific ministry roles and also in their daily lives as they travel to and from work, and as they interact with neighbors and other people they come in contact with.






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