Small Steps. Big Faith.

At the beginning of April the campus ministry in Spain ("Q" or C.U. - Cristianos Universitarios) gathered outside of Málaga for a special retreat. "A Challenge Came to Visit Me" was the theme and the staff teams addressed the topic of difficulties and suffering and where faith fits in. Cristina (Campus Intern) and Mariló (senior staff member) are pictured above, manning the registration table. In addition to hiking together, crackign an unsolved mystery activity and late-night games, several personal testimonies of pain and suffering were given and students were able to respond. Two students, José and María , students from the Q group in Málaga. have indicated decisions to place their faith in Christ!!!  Please pray for these students to hear the Lord's voice and to become grounded in their faith, especially during these summer months when they are away from their fellowship group.

Over the last 2 years Agape has seen an encouraging rise in the number of new staff joining our ministry. I was in Málaga this month (Oct 8-10) to assist in our ministry support development training for new staff in Spain. In was a very encouraging time to get to know these young staff and to hear their stories, to remind them of God's faithfulness in raising up our ministry support team and to encourage them in all that God has called them to do. One of the staff I met is Pablo Gómez, or Pablín as he is often called. He has been volunteering for several years with Agape, but the end of 2012, he made the most important decision of his life, to not only dedicate part of his time serving God but rather to work full-time to build bridges in order to help change lives by introducing people to Jesus. Below he shares a bit of his story.... "My name is Pablo J. Gómez, but everyone calls me Pablín. It's a name that I identify with because, although I am tall, I recognize...

One of the staff I work with is Abraham Crespo, (pictured right) who is staff with Athletes in Action in Málaga. This past July he was part of the staff team that hosted the 16th annual Campus Villa de Frigiliana Basketball Camp. More than 50 boys and girls from all over Spain arrived in Frigiliana , said good-bye to their parents, pulled on their high-tops and reported, ready to train, learn, participate, laugh ´til they cried.  During the week, the staff and campers also enjoyed the presence of CVF´s guest basketball star, Tremmel Darden, forward for the Real Madrid basketball team. (pictured at right, center) In addition to drills, practice games, meals and free time, the campers also had the chance to hear  about Darden´s personal life story, his basketball experiences and his relationship with Christ. Abraham and other staffers will continue to follow-up with campers who expressed interest in hearing more about Christ.     Check out thi...

According to one frontier mission’s leader in the Muslim world, one of the most important trends in missions today is the increasing number of cross-cultural missionaries sent by "second world" countries, which includes mobilizing Latin Americans to reach the Muslim world for Christ. Meet Isaac: he is the newest incorporation to the Agape Spain team. He has come to work under the supervision and direction of Osvaldo de la Espada and Vielka Sempris, helping to minister to the north African community (Moroccans, Algerians, Tunisians, Libians, Egyptians, etc.). At the end of February he was granted permission to obtain his visa for entering the country and last week he arrived. "Hi! My name is Isaac Valdés. I come from Panama. I´m 26-years-old and I am an industrial engineer. I will be connecting with the north African university students in Málaga, working on the campus and doing my best to serve the students there. My longing is for God to raise up a movement of bel...

This fall has seen a number of new laborers come our way. We welcome our latest recruit, Lindsey Zastrow, to the Athletes in Action ministry in Málaga. She is the 4th of 5 new laborers to arrive in Malaga this year. It´s amazing how God is calling and raising up people from all over the world to be part of His work. Lindsey´s story gives testimony to His sovereignty and creativity: "Hello! My name is Lindsey or ´Lee,´and I´m 23-years-old and I´m from Nebraska. This past June I finished my degree in sports marketing at the University of Colorado where I played softball and basketball. It was just a year and a half ago that I gave my life to Christ. That same day I understood that God was asking me to leave everything and follow Him to take the Good News to others. I was confused. I had never noticed the presence of the Holy Spirit before, but it was really clear that He was asking me to leave everything to love and serve Him. So, as my relationship with Jesus began to grow, H...

In the city of Málaga not only has fall arrived, but this month has also ushered in fresh faces, companions who will form part of the Málaga team for one year with the student ministry and with the Athetes in Action ministry. Today I'd like to introduce to you Amy Gibson. She is one of three STINTers that have recently completed their visa process and will be working with university students at the University of Málaga: "Hi! I'm Amy Gibson and I'm from Minnesota. I graduated this past May from Baylor University with a double major in Exercise Physiology and Spanish. I'm really excited to work with Agape this year and with the university students here. I want to learn more about God, improve my Spanish-speaking ability and see many lives changed by the Word of God." We are so happy to be able to receive Amy here in Spain and pray that God will bless her time here and use her in significant ways in the lives of everyone she meets.

Brittany Pulda will be coming to work with us this year in the city of Málaga. She is from the U.S., Racine, Wisconsin to be exact. She is 22 years old and she´s a university student. She has taken a break this year from her double major in Spanish and Business. She loves sports and loves to sing. her passions include praise and worship music and evangelism. Brittany says, "In the time that I have been in Málaga visiting, the Lord has done some impressive things. I have met a lot of students and I´ve made a lot of friends. Each day God is giving me the opportunity to speak about why I´m in Málaga and, the most important, He gives me opportunities to share my faith. At this moment, I´m working with the team that focuses on students in Málaga. We want to see God glorified and see students come to know him personally. We have a group of Christian students at the university and we can see that a spiritual movement is starting. God is working in Málaga. An example of how God is work...