It was late in our 3 months in Vigo, Spain, near the end of our English class. Diego, 13, and his twin brother, Jago, were sitting at the kitchen table while I flipped through my Bible looking for an English verse for them to memorize. Diego came over to ask me what I was reading and why. His skepticism toward the Bible at such a young age surprised me.
“Do you believe in God?” I asked him.
“No. I don’t believe in God,” he replied bluntly. “Because we can’t see Him.”
I paused and thought.
“Do you believe in oxygen?” I asked.
“Sure.”
“Even though you haven’t seen it?”.
“Of course.
And what would happen without oxygen?”
“We’d die.”
I waited and let that thought sink into Diego. “It’s the same with God,” I reasoned. “We can’t see God. But He is real. And without Him we die spiritually.”
Diego shrugged and walked away, but his statements continued to haunt me.
This story is just one of many.
While our experience in Spain was great, it was also challenging, and most importantly, it was full of the moving and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He showed us that the best way to spread His word is through relational evangelism, since many are far from God and reject or deny his existence due to the difficult situations that the country has lived and is currently living in. Another big problem is that generations are being indoctrinated from childhood with sources of information that deform the natural order that God placed in human beings and the enemy is operating to steal their identity as children of God. Despite all these threats from the enemy, Jesus uses us with courage as his instruments, broken instruments, no doubt, but instruments that seek to glorify Jesus in everything.
The gypsy culture in Vigo is beautiful, full of wisdom and fellowship. We had a lot of contact with them, and Jesus allowed us to show his true love in simple but impactful ways, such as a coffee and a conversation, both centered on the good news of salvation and showing the love of Jesus in spontaneous ways. If you can gain the trust of a gypsy, you will have a faithful friend, and here we found many. We continue to pray that God will bless them and conform them more to the character of Jesus.
La Sal de la Tierra Iglesia (The Salt of the Earth Church), the church we worked with primarily, showed us Jesus through service and love for others, virtues that we undoubtedly came to experience and understand. This ministry works with a soup kitchen which feeds families at social risk, whether it is unemployment, drug addiction, or disability. Every plate of food served shows Jesus’ love and care for each of these people. Let us pray that Jesus will continue to bless this great work.
Another way in which this church blesses the community is through a shelter that serves people with drug addiction problems, immigrants and people with different legal problems. We had the opportunity to meet all the people in this shelter and the Lord used us to build them up through much prayer, forging relationships, bringing words of encouragement, and showing the love of Jesus through a hug, a Bible verse, or a smile.
This is how the Holy Spirit moves in what seems small but causes a great impact on souls. I must say that these people were also of great blessing and impact to us as they edified us with their experiences and how the Lord delivered them.
William and Laura Quiros, Costa Rican natives, lead Casa Vigo. They are missionaries who love the Lord and through them and their service to Christ in their home, they have opened the doors for the gospel message to spread. Without Casa Vigo, the work we have contributed to would not have been possible. Let us pray for them and that their ministry will grow, that it will continue to be used to glorify God.
Sometimes we were tempted into despair, but we saw countless times how God used our small sacrifices of love, our testimonies of our broken lives, and the prayers so full of hope to bring comfort. During these three months, we grew in compassion for people like Diego, growing up in a suffocating atmosphere that denies the existence of God, we grew in confidence that God, like oxygen, is still there sustaining us and that one day, Diego and the people of Vigo will be able to breathe long and deep, inhaling the life they long for: The person of Jesus Christ.
By Jorge Ucles
Vida220 Student
What a great report! Well-crafted also. So encouraging to see the pictures and see what the team has been doing the past months. Peace to each one of you. Also, the whole team has a great sense of style!
What a beautiful message! I particularly resonated with me because in difficult situations I have felt that the presence of God was like oxygen. I was in need of long, deep breaths of His Spirit in order to be able to carry on, and His existence alone was what could calm and sustain me. Thank you for sharing :).