Basque in Grace

I’d like to thank each of you for your acts of love for me over the years. To some extent or another you’ve encouraged or influenced me as I’ve grown up and studied in bible school. You’ve kept me going strong through months of international missions and prayed consistently for me through domestic outreach. Thank you so much for the smiling faces, eager questions, and anticipation for where God is moving me next. For the past several years the Lord has been preparing me for the greatest challenge I’ve yet to face. There’s no doubt in my heart that I am led to work among the Basque people of northern Spain. This people group has a rich heritage and a unique language. These 3 million people are also considered a least-reached people group with less than 1% evangelical Christian. My objective and calling is to work among the Basque in hopes of being part of an indigenous church with a missional mindset; or a group of Basque believers who are serious about telling other people about Christ.

So I’m moving to a town in the Basque country to continue this mission. I’ll be taking language courses and looking for some work to earn enough to make a living. By the grace of God, a Chilean missionary family will be hosting me for my first year in-country. You can expect to find me in language classes three times a week, hopefully working a steady job, and in my free time catching some waves or doing some skateboarding. These are all just tools to meet Basque people and get into their lives, ultimately expecting a chance to share the story of Christ. There are already several groups of Christian workers in the area that I will be working alongside in some sort of partnership or another. There’s a body of believers, mostly from Latin and South America, who will be a local asset. All said, I won’t be alone.

After taking a bunch of evangelistically focused classes at Moody, my imagination runs wild with possible outreaches. Really they’re just new ways of doing what Christians have been doing for hundreds of years, but this is the stuff that get’s me excited. I’m also fascinated with Paul’s example of tentmaking, a term coined to signify working a secular job to support a ministry. Combining these concepts brings about such plans as a video game tournament venture, in which local youth compete against one another in the latest games. It builds relationships, earns money, provides evangelistic opportunities, and it’s a super duper fun time. Down the line, when the capital is there, I’d love to see a surf storage facility placed in the beach town. It’s another great way to meet local surfers as they come in to store their gear and get a hot shower.

The details of the future aren’t crystal clear yet. There are plenty of areas to worry over and hardship will inevitably bring discouragement, but I know that with everything that the Lord has given me I’m going to pour it into the Basque people. May the Basque people be immersed in God's grace!