Youth ministry in Spain: another missionary's reflections

What follows is an excerpt from a blog post written last October by Dan, our field leader in Madrid. Almost a decade ago, he and his wife, Eva, spent some time as leaders for the youth group at a church called La Elipa. Here he answers "Where Are They Now?" for the youth who were part of the group at that time. This shows a glimpse of why we are excited to work with youth. Read and enjoy!

The current youth group at La Elipa
Andy was always a committed believer even from before we ever met him. He went on to marry the daughter of a well-respected missionary. He went to Bible school and then on to a masters program that is related to Ravi Zacharias ministries. He now lives with his wife and two kids in Granada were he is leading an apologetics ministry for "Agape" (Campus Crusade). The Lord is using him and his wife on university campuses all over Spain.

Pablo has been very involved with summer outreach campaigns and has become a gifted preacher at La Elipa. He is particularly effective in communicating with the younger generations. He and his wife are leading a small group ministry for the older "jóvenes" (25-35) from our church and other churches as well.

Alex has also been very involved with summer campaigns and camps. He is gifted in leading music and leads the worship time at La Elipa from time to time. When he is not at La Elipa he is often helping lead music at other churches or ministries. He is also quite involved with united youth events.

Chema has gone on to be a manager for Christian music groups and artists. He has organized many concerts and has been quite successful in getting Christian artists into secular venues. Chema currently is working with a ministry that is part of Agape that consists in working with Christian musicians and also in reaching out to non-Christian musicians and groups. He is also very involved with youth and music on a national level.

Andrés was the son of an elder who had some medical problems. A valve inserted at the base of his brain when he was a baby became infected when he was about 19. This infection led to his loosing all sight. His family lives in England now (his mother is English). He has had a ministry online to other blind people as well as chatting with others all over the world. I've not heard much about him in the last few years.

Eugenio and Luna... I mention these two together as they recently got married. Both were in our youth group. Eugenio and Luna have been very active with the Sunday School program and with summer camps, Christmas programs and summer campaigns. [NOTE: Meggan and I know Eugenio and Luna! We worked together with them at La Elipa's children's summer camp in the summer of 2008. They weren't yet married at the time. We're excited for the possibility of being "couple friends" when we return!]

Ismael was pretty young and just starting in the youth group when we left. Today he leads the worship ministry at La Elipa and is very involved with another ministry with youth at a church in San Fernando. There he is preaching quite often as well as leading worship.

Carolina was a leader in the group when we were with them. She has always been very responsible and influential with the other youth. She married a very fine young man from Zaragoza who is career military. They live in Zaragoza now and have a one-year-old baby with very a severe disability (I don't remember what it is called, but part of Samuel's brain never formed). Carolina is Alex's older sister. They also have a younger sister who came some to our group. Since then she has left the church and I don't know where she is spiritually.

Sarah and Israel are brother and sister and the children of one of the elders (now an elder at a different church). Sarah never accepted Christ and even when she came to the group always made it clear that she was not a believer. Israel did accept Christ but about the time we were ending our involvement in the group he ran away from home and became very rebellious. He got into all kinds of stuff in the years that followed. He came back to the Lord some years later and has been involved with ministering with drug addicts at rehab centers.

Kevin is Andy's younger brother. He fell away from the faith some years after we left and has never returned. We are still praying that some day he will come back.

The reason that I mention these "jóvenes" is to illustrate how a little involvement at a crucial period of a young person's life can have a far-reaching impact years and even decades later. I think that working with jóvenes from as young as 12-15 or even up to their mid- to late-thirties can have a profound impact on the local church and on the communities that they in turn will later impact.