Hello!
I hope you are doing well and that you are enjoying these spring days! In Barcelona it’s been very rainy which is so good after a long drought season!
I know that you have been following my journey in missions for the past several years and for that I am deeply grateful.
Thank You!
It’s been a while since my last newsletter and there is quite a bit to tell!
Closing and opening doors
As you may remember in summer 2023 I was recruited as Communications Manager at Open Doors Spain. It’s an organisation that I deeply admire and getting to know the Spain team has been such a joy!
Over the weeks and months I was directed to work increasingly in tasks and projects that had very little to do with communications, and were part of a different field and position. After some conversations with the Open Doors Spain director, we arrived at the conclusion that what they needed was something closer to a Process Engineer rather than a Communications Manager as they thought.
This created some tension since the thing I was recruited for and that I am passionate about - namely connecting and bridging people, and using my communications skills (especially in Muslim settings) in order to get the Gospel farther - was getting neglected, while I wasn’t quite achieving excellence in the new tasks I was being given. I expressed that, while I understand the importance of these tasks, this wasn’t my strength and deviated from my calling. He apologised swiftly, and admitted that they need someone who is happy spending long periods of time working alone, analysing and mapping processes... If you know me, that's not quite me! So we agreed to seek the Lord on next steps.
It was a difficult and frustrating time, but after much prayer and talking, we came to the joint decision that that wasn’t the position for me and unfortunately there were no other positions available. While it’s not what I would’ve liked, we had peace that this was where the Lord was. By God's grace we had a friendly and peaceful transition handing over my responsibilities at Open Doors Spain.
So what now?
Dreams and Bridges
In short, the Lord is taking me back to my roots.
As you may know, I grew up with parents who have dedicated their entire adult lives to serving the Muslim world in preaching the Gospel and directing compassion ministries. Since I decided to follow Jesus myself a decade ago, I’ve been deeply involved with them in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region - with refugee work, vocational training with women, leading short-term teams, and doing my best in my limited Arabic! (You can read more about my story here!)
After years of experience and networking, they, along with some colleagues, started an NGO called Ethne International Development, focused on building bridges between small local indigenous ministries in MENA and West Africa and global resources to accompany and strengthen them as they transform their communities from within.
From even the early talks when it was just a dream and a concept, I’ve been involved in helping in any way, shape or form in my limited capacity. It’s something I’m so passionate about that even if it was on the weekends I wanted to pitch in!
As Ethne has started to get some traction I’ve watched how the weight and responsibilities were overcoming even my very high-capacity, highly-capable parents. While I was in the later stages of conversation with the Open Doors Spain director and it seemed more and more evident that the doors there were closing (no pun intended), I felt a nudge towards considering joining Ethne.
I will be honest with you. For as much change as I lived with growing up… I don’t like all this change in a short period of time, so I was hesitant. And that was the first thing I brought to Jesus. I prayed, I sought counsel from mentors and wise people in my life. It all pointed towards this being the next step He has for me. His calling for me hasn’t changed, my passion hasn’t changed, and even the “how” hasn’t changed. I want to help push the Gospel to the ends of the Earth, and I know I can’t do that alone - the Lord already has people there, in the ends of the Earth, so let’s work together and join resources to get the task a step forward!
So after prayer and deliberation, I’ve begun to serve as Communications Director from Barcelona to develop the Spanish base of this new NGO, a tool for our work among the unreached. I will be taking care of external communication (e.g. creating the visual identity, website (coming soon!), creating reports for donors and other partners), internal communications (e.g. establishing our communications channels, gathering information from our ministry partners), and helping organise and co-lead short-term teams.
I’ve already done a couple of trips to represent Ethne, specifically to Morocco and Senegal. Even from these early stages, I have the sense that this new position takes me one step closer to the dreams God has placed in my life, to create bridges, communicate with people, redirect the spotlight to those whose voices aren’t heard, and ultimately serve those who don’t know Jesus with the Gospel!
¿Ya está?
In Spain we often say “¿ya está?” (literally “is it done?” or “that’s it?”) as a sarcastic way to say “you can’t add anything else”. In other words, you may be thinking to yourself “wow, that is a lot” and you would be right - but this isn’t all! I have more updates and news that have to do with my local church, ICB (International Church of Barcelona) returning to my life. But this is indeed a lot for one newsletter so I will be making this a 2-part series so stay tuned for that coming up next week!
Prayer Requests
Change always has its challenges. New routine, new responsibilities, new costs. Please pray for a smooth transition, always relying on the Lord’s strength and not my own!
Ethne International Development is growing, and that’s very exciting! As a result, it already feels more demanding, so we need to establish well-functioning structures and processes. The Lord seems to keep placing me in “early stages” and “beginnings”. Please pray for wisdom and effective use of time AND rest.
My financial support (in terms of both donations and freelancing opportunities) has come down at a time where ministry expenses have come up. With these new challenges I need to raise approx. 1000USD monthly. I trust the Lord is always my provider, I’ve seen him come through time and time again!
Please pray for opportunities to fundraise and freelance in branding and community management, and for wisdom in my time management if I get opportunities in the latter.
Praise God with me for his steadfast guidance in every step, his provision, the community he has placed me in, and the wonderful chance to witness His church grow in the most “unlikely” places!
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