By an Alliance worker who serves in Spain
My husband, Matthew*, and I had only a few weeks before we left on home assignment. All our possessions were in boxes and ministry responsibilities were being passed to others. The goodbyes had begun.
To be honest, I was just trying to keep my head and heart above the errands and overwhelming emotions that come with transition. I wasn’t looking for new friends, and I certainly wasn’t expecting that I’d meet someone seeking the Lord.
A New Friend
The last weekend in May, we took two new believers, Tanya* and Georgia*, to a ladies’ retreat in Barcelona. It was designed for Arabic-speaking women, and we felt it would be good for them to interact with others and grow in their faith.
We dropped them off, and I returned the next morning to attend the meetings with them. When Tanya saw me enter the room, she skipped over the normal greetings and said, with a sparkle in her eye, “You’ve got to meet my new Moroccan friend! She’s so close. She’s got one foot in and one foot out. Please talk with her!”
This new friend was Heather*, a 30-something, single, Moroccan woman. She was a delight to talk with and carried a conversation well in Spanish. She asked me questions and told me a bit of her story.
Tanya, Georgia, Heather, and I shared laughs and prayed together. Inviting her to join us for our Sunday church meeting came naturally, and she was open to the idea.
A couple of Sundays later, the small church hosted a picnic at the same beach where new believers were baptized last October. Heather, two other believers, and I talked on the beach. Heather heard one of the ladies’ testimonies, which spurred questions.
“Do you know what baptism is?” I asked.
She said, “Yes,” but then added, “I know you go in the water, but I don’t know why.”
A Growing Faith
This led to a beautiful opportunity to share the gospel with her. The men joined us a bit later, and Heather asked additional questions, giving Matthew and others the chance to answer her questions. I could see that she was taking steps toward Christ.
The next time that Heather was in our home, Matthew sensed the Lord asking him to follow up with her about her faith. He said, “Do you have any more questions about baptism or Jesus?”
“No,” she said.
“Have you made the decision that you want to follow Jesus?”
“Actually, yes, I have.”
Matthew and I were both excited. “That’s wonderful, Heather! When did you do that?”
“After the picnic at the beach, I asked God to show me the right way. I took the metro home, and when I exited the metro, I saw a lady with three pictures of Jesus. I knew that God was speaking to me, so I decided to follow Christ.”
Celebration
We were so happy to hear Heather recount how God has worked in her life through the years and softened her to the good news of Christ. However, our happiness hardly compares to the joy that Heather brought to the other believers when she shared her testimony with them.
An eruption of clapping and cheering filled the room as the believers welcomed their sister. It was a beautiful surprise for one of our last meetings together. Heather no longer has one foot in and one foot out. She has taken the step of faith and has both feet firmly planted in Christ. Praise God!
Pray for Heather and the other believers. They live in different areas, so it is not easy to gather. Pray that they will not fall away but rather grow in their faith.
*Names changed