I Want to Be a Missionary When I Grow Up

(Picture #1) A worker shares a story with the group as we walk through old town Barcelona

As you may know I was given the opportunity to travel to Barcelona Spain to take part in a Strategy forum. The point of the event is to assist the workers who are responsible to spread the Gospel here in forming a strategy to reach their particular western European cities. After two missed flights and lots of Airport time I arrived in what I must say is architecturally the richest most beautiful place I have ever seen. Upon reaching my hotel I joined the city strategist for Barcelona for a journey through town to the Montjuïc Palace (pictured below) where they were having a fountain light show. After the show and a stroll through some of the Olympic area from the 1992 Olympic games we went for a meal of Turkish Döner Kebob (surprisingly good).

Today I met the other pastors from the US who were invited to be a part of the event. About 10 total. Most of the men are church planters and come from various places around the US; Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Delaware, Oklahoma, etc. Today we walked through The "Old Town" Barcelona and viewed some of the culture and stopped often to discuss things we noticed. We also talked about how those things can be barriers or assistants to the spreading of the gospel. It is humbling to meet this team of workers. They are mostly disliked in Spain because of their nationality yet deeply committed to seeing a church planting movement take place here. After our journey we had dinner at a Tapas restaurant then returned to the hotel.

Like much of Europe, Barcelona doesn't lack for lack for church structures or religious history making the spiritual condition of Catalans much more devastating. The picture to the left was taken in one of the many cathedrals we viewed today. Thousands of candles, tons of stained glass and carved images of saints gone by are on display for tourists to see. It reminded me of Iceland and disturbed me that the problem of Europe's post Christian condition reaches much further than Reykjavik.

The good news is that hundreds of our workers are serving Christ faithfully and spreading his gospel in the darkest corners of Europe. Tomorrow I will get to meet 80 or so of those men and women. Please pray for them as they seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and develop strategies to reach spread the message of Jesus to western Europe.

Tomorrow Ed Stetzer who is likely the worlds most famous missiologist, one of my favorite authors and a tremendous advocate for church planting around the world will join us. Although I have read his work, heard him preach and seen him at conferences I have never had the chance to meet him. I am looking forward to the opportunity to spend the rest of the week picking his brain.