Today is 1 May, and marks the end of a season in our ministry here, just outside Barcelona, where our team is reaching out to North African immigrants.
We are giving back the keys to our centre, and moving into larger premises. This is just another of many changes that have marked a year of transition: since last summer our Lebanese team leader has, as scheduled, been replaced by an experienced Colombian missionary, I have returned after a long period in the UK, 2 single women have joined us, 2 babies have been born, a couple are leaving in May, and, by summer 2018, our present team of 13 adults might, for a season, be down to 3. Our contacts too, come and go, depending on their chances of finding work. It seems that the only constant is the change!
the image of Jesus as our Shepherd is particularly appealing to North Africans
In the midst of all this, we try to remember that our identity is in Christ and that God is faithful. It is also essential to maintain healthy team relationships, despite being varied in age, family context, experience, language and cultural values. One example: an American team member was critical of an Asian couple for not attending the welcome party of a new team member. It turned out that the Latin American team leader hadn’t given a lot of notice, and the Asian couple (who, incidentally, are sent by a Canadian organisation) already had a Skype call arranged with their leadership. It’s important to give people the benefit of the doubt. Good team dynamics are not just about us supporting one another. We, also, hope that our love for one another will witness to the fact that we have the same heavenly Father.
The work here began in 2009 and has grown since then. In a variety of ways we try to build relationships and share the Gospel; one team member runs an urban garden, other men do outdoor trips with friends, one member trains a group of women to make jewellery from recycled magazine paper that we can then sell in order for them to gain some extra income. Children’s work, at various times, has involved a football club, an English club, and a summer club. The second generation of immigrants are often interested in our English classes, but I’ve been more involved in teaching Spanish and literacy classes. Many classes in our centre include Bible stories. I support the team by crafting Bible texts into sets of stories that are appropriate for our students, taking into account their cultural background and level of Spanish.
In the Autumn we did a series based around honour and shame, and in the Spring, our stories were on the theme of the Shepherd King. I had read that the image of Jesus as our Shepherd is particularly appealing to North Africans, and they certainly were very attentive as we reached the story of the Good Shepherd, who knew and cared for each sheep, and whose sheep recognised his voice. At the end of term, the ladies were touched as I explained that the most important thing I wanted them to take away was how dear and loved each one was by God, like a tender lamb being held by its shepherd. I gave each lady a little picture representing this truth. It is my hope that I can encourage and support other full-time missionaries and Christian volunteers to use these same stories in their own classes.
Often, we do weekly women’s cafes, where we can reflect more on spiritual topics, using crafts, games, sketches and music. But instead this spring we began a course to help a small group of ladies investigate what the Bible taught about key characters, using a series of DVDs called Al Massira (The Journey). The 4 ladies watched attentively, but also shared their own beliefs – that Adam’s sin was forgiven and had no further consequences; that their religion didn’t include the theme of animal sacrifice; and that it was impossible for them to imagine such honoured men as Aaron and David to have sinned, as the Bible portrays. And we still haven’t reached the main episode on Jesus! These meetings have been a learning curve for us all, and have reminded me of the importance of strong friendships to withstand such difficult conversations, and that, although we must be faithful in proclaiming the Gospel, only God can give spiritual sight. Please pray that he will.