When Missionaries Lose Their Adventurous Spirit

As a young teenage girl, I approached going on missions trips as an adventure! It was what I was called to do. From the time I was 10 years old I felt called to take the name of Jesus to other children who didn't know Him.

Finally, I would be going to the uttermost parts of the earth! Mexico, Guatemala, and Paraguay were my destinations at the age of 15, 16 and 20. Oh! the thrill of the unknown and the joy of speaking Spanish to those who did not know Jesus.

Fast forward almost 20 years, three sons and 14 years on the mission field of Spain. I was settled! In love with the city of Gijon and it's people. We had friends, a ministry, and a close knit family.

God has now called us back to to the United States. We have been living stateside for almost two years. Getting settled and trying to make the best of it.  This is a whole new adventure. I find myself struggling to think of ever moving again. To even allow myself the thought of launching out into new ministries. Where has my adventurous spirit gone?

I'm a teacher missionary. It's a calling. As our pastor said tonight,

"If you are called to be in the ministry, don't stoop to be a prime minister!"

This resonated in my heart. I can not settle. I must keep serving no matter where I am planted. Yes, even if we are called to leave our comfort zone again and again.

We were commissioned and sent. We came home, but we are still called and set apart. I will go and serve wherever He sends us on our next adventure home or abroad.

"Here am I Lord, send me."

~ Dani

Please consider helping us get our belongings back from Spain. Click HERE

More Than Words

Ruta del Alba, Asturias, Spain

A pool of thoughts held 

and ready to pour out

as a waterfall 

flowing stronger 

than before.

But words are lost, 

stolen by originality

a time so dear 

expressed only in eternity.

Wandering minds 

touched, 

brought closer today.

cherished moments

are loved 

more than words can say. 

(dedicated to the new missionaries in Spain who will be carrying on the good fight. )

Tell It!

Tender quiet heart

with passion for the King,

Windows of souls

to Him you bring. 

Filled broken vessels

burdens to share, 

White caped waves 

have not a care. 

Throne of grace

pardon so dear,

Fierce whispering winds

tell it, no fear! 

(both poems written by Danielle Contreras,1995)

Happy Easter from Gijón!

A quick video we made for one of our home churches but,
 we want to send the greeting out to you all as well! 

~ Dani

Valor!

Chocolate Valor! (with a Spanish accent)

One of the many products known to Spain, is it´s chocolate. Maybe you only know of Belgium chocolate, but I tell you that Valor chocolate is just as good, if not better. 

I will miss it! 

Especially the Cacao Puro and the sugar free line. It is cheaper than any of the sugar free chocolates in the States and much more available. 

Many of you may not know yet, but we are taking an extended leave from Gijón, Spain. We missionaries call it a furlough. We are already starting the packing process. Sigh.... 

What kind of fruit do you like?

 Happy 2014!

What a kick off I had with 50 plus stitches in my legs. Everything went really well, and my guys couldn't have spoiled me more. They took such good care of me. Joseph cooking and doing dishes, the boys cleaning and doing laundry, I hardly had to do anything but rest. It was the perfect time to have the varicose vein surgery, really. With our English classes suspended for the holidays, we had a week of rest and recuperation. Thank you for praying for us during this time.

Now to the fruit. 

Is this you some days?

My Workout Buddies

These are the girls I workout with in our multipurpose/ gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am praying for them to be saved. They don´t normally want to listen to anything spiritual, so I joke with them a lot and then share bits and pieces of Biblical truths throughout our talks.

Good-bye Mr. Sanchis

Yes, it has come time to part with an old friend. He has been part of our family since our family began. In fact, he was my husband's first love. (just kidding, a little musicians joke)  Really, though, this incredibly beautiful hand-crafted Ricardo Sanchis Spanish Guitar, accompanied us in all of our journeys, has been part of our ministry, and has served us well.  

Missionary Interview

We discussed everthing from homeschooling on the foreign field to sports in missions. Here is a preview of the interview. 

 Missionary Michael Andrzejewski: "Most of our readers know that we made the decision to put our kids into the public school system here. It was a tough decision, but one that we feel like was right for them. You guys have been on the field a good bit longer than we have, and homeschool your three boys. From both Joe's and Dani's perspective what are the biggest challenges you have faced with homeschooling on a foreign field rather than in the United States?"

Danielle - I totally understand the difficulty of this decision. Each family has to do as God leads them in this area. Homeschooling was something the Lord put on my heart when I was an undergraduate studying to be an elementary teacher. To me there was no greater ambition than to teach my own children to read and write. When we came to Spain and had our babies, we learned that homeschooling was not illigal but nor was it a legal. There were no laws for or against it. We decided not to put our boys into the school system at all here in Spain, so that we wouldn´t have to pull them out to homeschool later on. We had heard that many familys who have chosen to pull their children out after being in the school system inorder to homeschool have had much more negative attention and often court hearings. I often wish we could have put our children into kindergarden and primary school for the language sake, but they are getting Spanish down with tutors, extra class work, and extracurricular activities in the city such as sports and music. Homeschooling in Spain is becoming more recognized, however there are still many strikes against it as it is not  the norm. We are so excited to have started our 9th year of homeschooling.

Missionary Michael Andrzejewski: Last summer we took a short, three month furlough, that in some respects was about 2 months too long for me. Given all of the factors involved (being absent from the Spanish ministry, travel costs, need for rest, need to see stateside family, etc.) how do you feel about furlough in general and what do you think is the best way to do it?
 

Joseph - Honestly at this point I would love to go back to the States for a furlough.  I can´t wait to do it again.  I feel as the years go by, the more I need to take a step back and seek God´s face, and find some refreshment in the ministry.  I love our city, Gijón, Spain, I love the way the work in the community is going, as a missionary /pastor, the lack of spiritual interest, of course among the lost people but more so among those who profess to be saved, weighs heavy on me and messes with the mind, it causes struggles with doubt.  So furloughs for me are welcomed =).  I guess I would say furlough´s are best done when there is a strong two to three family team of pastors or missionaries working together.  There is no need to worry about who will continue the work, there would be minimal change-up for the work since the families staying would be regular workers, not new ones coming in just for the furlough, etc.  A team of two to three families who are in every true sense of the phrase "of one mind" I believe definitely helps to have a smooth furlough.  That is something we need. 

Missionary Michael Andrzejewski: Tell us a little about your vision with Be Strong. The building itself is a place where the church meets, but it is also so much more than that. In telling us, be sure to include how the surrounding community has responded.

Joseph - We arrived in Spain in 2000.  We started our church planting effort in Gijón in 2005, in a small 35 square meter office.  God did bring a number of evangelical people and it wasn´t hard to outgrow our place.  We were terribly limited by space.  We needed room for a kitchen, nursery, and kid´s club activities.  But our small church could not afford a bigger place, so we were kind of in a "catch 22".

 Meanwhile, I needed to be honest with myself and admit I was trying to plant a church as if I was living between East TX to Northern FL.  I am not against handing out tracts, we handed out tens of thousands of tracts in mailboxes, streets, door to door, in towns, etc.  While noone ever responded, most people got annoyed, and there was no possibility for follow-up, I would routinely tell myself, "Well, I did my part, that´s all I can do, I´m suffering the reproach of Christ."  But deep down I knew that I couldn´t say that in spending some hours in my office, going out three to four days a week to pass out tracts, and having church services, that I was doing the work of a missionary.  Was I really having an impact in society?  Do my encounters with people always have to bring so much scorn?  Plus, I was only reaching "stray evangelicals", not the lost.  And many of those "stray evangelicals" quite honestly brought grief, divisions, and problems. 

It was through conversing with a missionary in Auschaffenburg, Germany, that I began to really identify barriers that needed to be removed in European mission fields. .... READ MORE  

We so appreciate Michael and Nina Andrzejewski and their ministry in Barcelos, Portugal. Please, take a moment to get to know them and pray for their ministry, as well.