VISION TRIP TO BARCELONA
Updated: Jan 23, 2022
Two and a half years ago, The Well Austin planted a six-person church in Barcelona. Due to COVID-19, there had been no opportunity for anyone to visit this long-term team until this past month. I got the privilege of being part of a nine-person short-term team that saw the now 30 person Barcelona church for two weeks. In our time there, the short-term team was able to encourage, support, cast vision, and help evangelize.
Why Barcelona
Barcelona is known as a very diverse port city, as it attracts people from all Nations. Doing ministry in Barcelona has allowed the long-term team to evangelize to people from Morocco, India, Pakistan, France, Russia, and many more places. Statistically, most of Spain has been known to have a high Catholic denomination, but the long-term team has noticed very few believers. After collecting over 200 surveys, we concluded that most of the younger generation of Barcelona participate in new age practices and deny the church as a whole. It makes sense as the history of Barcelona shows that the older generation, the parents of the new age generation, rebelled against the Catholic church. This is why laborers are very needed in Barcelona.
2 Weeks in Barcelona
Our time in Barcelona was enriching. We spent a lot of time getting the vision of overseas missions while also getting invited into many long-term team relationships. We spent most of our time evangelizing around the neighborhood of Raval, one of the most multi-cultural neighborhoods of Barcelona. Other than going out to share the gospel, we also had the opportunity to get sent out to gather survey data, and what we saw from that was heartbreaking.
The visible brokenness is unbelievably sad, and we are continuing to pray for a profound movement of the Holy Spirit in this city to see more people reached with the hope of the gospel.
The Well Austin Church supported the long-term team by praying and speaking truth into what they have been doing. One of the long-term team stated, "The truth is that the darkness and lostness of this city can begin to weigh on you, and it is such an encouraging reminder to know there are other believers out there, like The Well short-team, that desire to see the darkness in this city pushed back."
What I learned
On this trip, I personally felt convicted of my comfort. I realized if I am genuinely feeling called to do ministry, I must partake in what Jesus did. Jesus' ministry revolved around evangelizing on the street and sharing the good news. In Spain, I realized that I needed to fully understand and believe that the gospel is truly the greatest gift I can give to anyone. I need even to be reminded of the gospel daily, so why is it so hard to share it with a stranger, and why was I not doing this as often as Jesus did. I was left with two questions,
- Do I truly believe the gospel is the best news?
- What is stopping me from sharing it?
After praying and genuinely believing that yes, the gospel is worth sharing, going up to strangers and sharing the raw and real gospel was way easier than I thought. Over a hundred seeds were planted in those two weeks, as the short-term team shared the gospel daily.
“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36
