Passionate about building gospel-centered community, the Garcías are bringing light into darkness as they serve with a local church in Spain.

Jan 17, 2018   |  

Topic Missions

A two-week mission trip in college ignited Krista’s passion for the people of Spain to know Jesus Christ. When she returned to the States, she knew God would call her back to Spain someday—it was only a matter of when.

Krista sought the counsel of missions pastors, who encouraged her to pursue biblical training and connect with Camino Global, an organization driven to make disciples in Spanish-speaking areas of the world. She prayerfully considered their advice and moved to Spain, where she discipled high school girls at a church plant. When the girls graduated, Krista transitioned to a position at seminary in Barcelona.

At that same seminary, Edu, a student from Gran Canaria, was studying to become a pastor.

Edu and Krista met, were married and began their ministry together. In the following years, they completed a pastoral internship at an Acts 29 church and later built up a support base through connections at The Village. Now they and their girls, Olivia and Sofía, live in Madrid, Spain, as full-time missionaries in a local church through Camino Global.

There, Edu serves as a team leader, providing pastoral care for the team and teaching in the church. Krista gives vital administrative support and teaches and disciples women whenever possible. Together, they create a home of hospitality and fellowship where community and discipleship flourish. Burdened for the people of Spain to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, the Garcías face a drastically different church culture than what American Christians are used to.

Spain, though historically Catholic, lacks a basic knowledge of the person and work of Jesus Christ. In fact, only four out of every 1,000 people are believers. “Through our conversations with people, [we’ve found that] they know little to nothing about the Bible, and what they do understand is often not accurate,” Krista said. “A lot of times when we talk with people [in the United States], many just don’t know about how dark it is, how absent, how spiritually void it is in a lot of instances.” But the Garcías are stepping into the dark, seeking to build community with their neighbors and share the light of Christ.

Burdened for the people of Spain to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, the Garcías face a drastically different church culture than what most American Christians are used to.

With Protestant churches being few and far between, the Spanish church depends heavily on its people to simply exist and often lacks resources like Sunday school materials or books. Most churches, like Edu and Krista’s, only see about 25 – 50 people at their weekly service—a church with 100 attendees would be astounding and almost unheard of. Families are also scarce, and the Garcías are the only family with young children in their congregation. While this can prove difficult and sometimes lonely, the Garcías aren’t deterred by their circumstances.

Though a larger church can do great things, like sending and supporting God’s people, a smaller church can focus on close community. In areas like Madrid, where churches are sparse, a believer can’t just pick and choose a small group or church home—the church becomes a family of uncommon people joined by the gospel and community. “It’s fantastic to try and help them understand the gospel,” Edu said, “but we need to spend time with them—the norm in Spain if you want to connect with people. . . . We love that. We ask God to help us to create these relationships.”

Stories become the thread that weaves brothers and sisters together, and it’s not uncommon for a church to ask to hear a visitor’s testimony or to send greetings to other churches. When there are disagreements, brothers and sisters are forced to work things out because, after all, they’re family. In those moments, they seek to answer the question, “How is God teaching me to love my brother and sister?” It’s often messy, but out of the chaos comes a greater depth of forgiveness and grace.

“We can have great training, great skills, all of these great things, but really we need the Spirit of God to transform hearts.” 

This has overflowed in the past year and a half as God has been teaching the Garcías more about Himself. Edu has learned to trust God and wait in His timing, remembering that He is available, in control and loves His children beyond imagination.

Krista longs for the church to grow and for opportunities to use her gifts there. In reading the Psalms one morning, God graciously asked her to trust Him more, despite her circumstances. She prayed specifically for a discipleship relationship, and within a month of that prayer, God led a woman to ask Krista to disciple her. The Garcías are finding that the Spirit invites them to trust God in the everyday with their attitudes and actions.

“We can have great training, great skills, all of these great things, but really we need the Spirit of God to transform hearts,” Krista said. “We can share the gospel with people. We can have long, three-hour conversations. We can upset paradigms with the idea that it is not us who are good, but God, but really it’s the Holy Spirit we need to work in our lives, in people, in the church and outside of the church.”

To learn more, visit the Garcías’ page on our site.

How You Can Partner With the Garcías

Pray

Ask the Lord to build the Garcías up in their faith and that the Spirit would move greatly throughout Spain. Pray specifically for:

  • Their primary ministry of family—that their daughters would learn from their example and that others would see the gospel through their family life.
  • Close friendships—specifically a fellow Christian family to come alongside of them as they seek to raise their children well.
  • Supporters to join with them in their mission both in prayer and financial giving.
  • Direction and wisdom as they seek God’s guidance for the future.

Give

The Garcías need people who are passionate about their ministry and will commit to financially support their work in Spain. Their desire is to come alongside others, whether that be national workers dedicated to full-time ministry or those who desire to attend seminary and alleviate financial burdens.

If you would like to give to the Garcías’ ministry, please visit their page on the Camino Global website.

Go

While seeing photos or reading a story about what the Garcías are doing in Spain is helpful, it is only when you walk the streets of Spain that the reality of the country’s spiritual climate sets in. The Garcías invite those who want to experience what God is doing firsthand to come and see how He is moving. For more information on how to go, please contact Adam Lancaster.