Growing a Christian in Spain - Niños Españoles

By Roy Jones

When we first arrived in the city of Coslada, Spain in 1979, we didn't know how we could reach the thousands of people in this city of 60,000. We hardly knew the language and no church existed. One thing we did notice, however; there were lots of kids. We decided that a children's ministry would be the best way to start. Kids would probably put up with us slaughtering the Spanish language if we could keep the entertained.

We found we could draw quite a crowd with a trumpet or accordion and a puppet stage. We taught songs, had puppet shows, helped the children memorize Bible verses and gave out prizes. We were a big hit in the neighborhood and the kids kept coming back.

In spite of all of our effort, we saw no results. Although at times the club attendance ran close to 100, very few made any kind of decision to trust in Christ. One young boy, David, came to our apartment to ask us to tell him more about Jesus. Later he brought his brother, Christian, who also wanted to accept Jesus as his Savior. Christian was so shy that he would not come alone, and he let his little brother speak for him.

We gave each boy a Bible that their father found and hid from them. He told the boys that if they went to church, he would kill them and everyone else in the church! Periodically, the boys came to our home and listened as my wife Nancy told them Bible stories. It was hard for them to be faithful because they feared their father. When their mother died, their lives became even more difficult.

As Christian became a teenager, we wondered if anything would come of his decision to trust Christ. With the death of his mother, many household responsibilities fell on Christian's shoulders. He later led his high school sweetheart, Isabel, to the Lord and they were married in our church. When they began to form their own home, they were finally able to attend church regularly. What a joy it was to watch them mature and become an important part of the ministry!

In the summer of 1993, Christian and I worked together at family camp. As we talked, Christian shared his desire to serve the Lord. He was already leading our worship time and I observed his God-given gifts in pastoral ministries. That fall, Christian enrolled in a seminary in Madrid. In May 1997, he graduated after four years of studying, working and ministering in the Coslada Baptist Church.

We do not know what God has in the future for Christian. Perhaps he will pastor the Coslada church. We are confident that God is going to use him somehow. What a joy to know that years of Bible clubs and working with kids has had this tremendous result. We will continue to work with children because, undoubtedly, there are others like Christian whom God desires to reach.

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