After five years of seminary study and careful preparation in Brazil and the United States, God has opened the door and sent my wife and me to our field of labor in Barcelona, Spain. We arrived on the 18th of August, and settled into our new apartment as quickly as possible. We were very anxious to begin our new work with the Iglesia Evangelical de Gracia (Evangelical Church of Grace) and its elders David Barceló and Javier Chaur.
During our first month in Spain, we realized that it is a country with deep pagan roots and great unbelief and distrust in religion. At the same time, it places great confidence in money and financial power. Much of this is the result of a false representation of Christianity in thought and deed by those churches and individuals who claim to be Christian but contradict the Scriptures in doctrine and lifestyle. We have come to realize that very few churches here in Spain are seeking to submit to the Scriptures, invest time in biblical evangelism, or labor to disciple members. Few are striving to live in a way that “adorns the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect” (Titus 2:10). Because of this, the Spanish people say that are very tired of hearing people talk about God and yet live like a devil.
To make matters even worst, there is a great lack of workers to do the ministry here in Spain. This is not only due to the fact that so few laborers actually come to Spain, but also those who do come, do not often stay very long. They burn out very quickly. I suppose that this is the reason why someone asked us when we arrived in Barcelona, “How long are you going to stay in this country? How long do you think that you will be able to endure the Spaniards’ coldness to religion and unbelief?” It seems to be a well-known fact that many missionaries are not able to endure the resistance to the gospel, and quickly return to their countries. I believe that one of the reasons for this kind of “fallout” is the lack of healthy churches where the missionaries can find fellowship and spiritual support.
The difficulties of missionary work here in Spain are intimidating. However, we praise God that we have been given the opportunity to work with the Iglesia Evangelica de Gracia and pastors David Barceló and Jairo Chaur. We know that they are doing a faithful work in the church, that they are preaching the gospel faithfully, and that many other churches in and out of Barcelona are being instructed and encouraged through them.
One of the ministries that I will be carrying out in Spain is the training and encouragement of churches and their leaders so that they might be better equipped and remain faithful to the Lord until He returns. I will also be laboring to train men in the church who sense a call to teach and preach the Word of God. Please remember us in your prayers. We are always in need of the grace of God.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” – II Corinthians 13:14
Paul is the founder of HeartCry Missionary Society and currently serves as its missions director. He also ministered as a missionary in Peru for ten years. He has preached hundreds of sermons and has authored a dozen published works. Paul lives in Radford, Virginia, with his wife Charo and their four children: Ian, Evan, Rowan, and Bronwyn.
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