Small Steps. Big Faith.

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.

It's been 14 months since we've seen each other....but Sara (name changed), a fellow professor of English, and I have stayed in touch. Sara is Spanish but speaks amazing English. She wasn't my official mentor while I taught at the English academy from 2008-2009, but she and I taught the same age group (10-year-olds) on Mondays and Wednesdays. She was so gracious and patient with me, answering all my questions, sharing her materials and encouraging me along the way.When the school year ended (June 2009) several of the professors got together for an end-of-the-year dinner. They surprised me by showering me with baby gifts, no doubt a result of her initiative. After exchanging several emails in the last year, we finally got together today for coffee at Plaza Vella (Old Square) pictured left. It was so fun to see her. Of course, I had Aaron with me, which might be distracting for some....but she was so gracious and kind, holding him, walking him around the table as we got t...

All along the hundreds and hundreds of miles of trails that represent the Camino de Santiago ( The Way of Saint James ). there are hostels that cater to the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims headed to the destination city of Santiago.    La Fuente del Peregrino   (The Pilgrim´s Fountain) is a hostel/refuge that was created by Agape 11 years ago, located in Ligonde not far from Santiago, to serve and minister to all those who pass by. Coffee, water, first-aid and spiritual materials are available to all who pass by. The refuge has 10 beds available to pilgrims on a first-come/first-served basis. The pilgrims are served dinner (family style) and breakfast at no charge, although donations are welcome. The work teams are made up of Christians from all over the world who sign-up to serve 1-2 weeks at a time. The days are long but the company is pleasant. The ministry opportunities are incredible, as many people who walk the "camino" are open to spiritual things a...

Agape Spain is moving forward in its mission of reaching every Spaniard by gaining access to some great tools to help communicate the gospel again for the first time. At our national staff conference last week, we received a pack of 4 films in DVD to help us communicate the gospel to those around us. One of those DVD´s is Damasucs , the story of Paul´s conversion experience and his ministry that followed. It is produced by a Syrian Protestant Film Company, Agape4Media, and filmed on the actual sites of the events. It is written by Maysaa Salloum and directed by Khaled al-Khaled. (see trailer below) This film is regularly used by LifeAgape, another branch of our minsitry which reaches out to the Muslim world. If you go to their web site,  Life Agape , on the tab above the internet address, you´ll find this quote in English and in Arabic: Jesus Christ is not a prophet.   He is the Son of God. Spain is home to more than 1 million Muslims, most coming from Morocc...

Last Tuesday the doorbell rang at 5pm. "Ruben, you get the door," I pleaded. I was weary after caring for Aaron all day and just didn´t feel like dealing with more people. "No, you get it," replied Ruben who had also been up since 5am when he left to work the morning shift. So, I begrudgingly went to the door and peeked through the peephole. "Oh," I said. "This is not who I expected," I thought to myself. I opened the door with a surprised smile and said, "Hello! Come in! Come in!" (all in Spanish of course.) It was my new downstairs neighbor, a young mother with her daughter, just a month younger than Aaron, in tow. The Lord had prompted me to stop at her door several times in the last few months. The first time was before Christmas, just to introduce myself. People here don´t really talk to their neighbors and it can take years before you even know their names; but since she was new and young and a mom too I thought, "What ...

This season of time at home with Aaron is giving me the chance to step back and reflect on life and ministry and gives me a unique perspective on ministry going on around me. Even though I´m limited in my ability to accompany staff in the field, it´s been great to be able to talk through important ministry truths with various staff women from week-to-week. Isabel Fernandez (pictured on the right) came for a visit last week. She´s an amazing woman: a wife, a mother of 3 kids, co-director of Agape´s orphanage in Portugal for 10 years and now Agape Spain´s National Associate Director. She dedicates most of her time to connecting with and developing the Spanish staff women in the country.  However, the last time Isa came to visit, I was still in pajamas, I had slept very little the night before and Aaron would not stop crying. It was nice to have a visitor but a bit humbling in my role as a mom. I was sure that the word "clueless" could be read on my weary face and I...

Esther is one of my Bible heroes. A small town girl steps up to the plate at just the right moment and as a result her people are saved and history is changed forever. While I can´t say that my situation is the same as that of Esther´s, it is interesting to see how God may open a door for the Spanish church here in Spain as a result of a few conversations this month. My friend Kathie got in touch with me a couple weeks ago to refer me to a friend of hers who started a mentoring ministry. This friend happens to be long-time Navigators staffer Stacy Rinehart, founder of MentorLink , the ministry chosen for the  Leadership Development  track at the next Worldwide Lausanne Congress  in Cape Town, South Africa this Oct 2010. It´s interesting to see the chain of events.... March 3 MentorLink´s Weekly Prayer Requests: March 3 • Spain – Urgent – We are asking the Father for Mentors and Partners working in Spain. Pray with us as we wait on Him. Please contact Sta...