As they were looking for ways to share the gospel, the sisters found out about OM Transform, a mission conference held annually in a European country. Appreciating OM’s core values and doctrinal statement, they felt like this was the right option for them. In July 2017, they arrived at the conference in Spain. Most participants go on an outreach right after the conference, but for the Chapa sisters, this proved difficult due to other plans already made.  

However, undeterred by their time restraints, they decided they would still return the following year, even if only for the outreach! It was an unusual decision but definitely possible. This time they arrived in the north of France, ready to work with a small church in Bruay-la-Buissière, together with team members from Switzerland, France and the USA.

“The opportunity to spend a week with five other people sharing our stories and lives with each other is what I am most thankful for,” said Nadia. “The icebreaker games helped us get to know each other right away and immediately began the process of building trust and confidence in each other. This continued to grow and develop during the week and made us a very strong team.”

Chanel perfume

“I came to France expecting to meet superficial people smelling of Chanel perfume, wearing expensive clothes with expensive handbags on their shoulders!” recalled Nadia. “Instead, I met two different types of people: the first was a small group who were surrendered to the will of God, Christians with warm hearts and a desire to serve in the church. The second group of people was a much larger ‘non-believing’ community who was thirsty for the love of God. This became clear to me as we did ‘faith surveys’ on the streets.”

Zaira shared about visiting a refugee centre and meeting a man from Eritrea, who told her he had to leave his family behind in his home country. “Even when he said he believed in God, I shared the gospel with him,” said Zaira. “And when he asked why a girl from Mexico would come to France, I told him I came to meet him and talk to him about God. I told him how we prayed for Mexico and other countries the previous evening and now I wanted to pray for him and his country.” She told the man that she would also pray he’d soon be reunited with his family.

Nadia said: “While my teammate and I were conducting the surveys at a square, I was very amazed that people were acknowledging not believing in God, yet very willing to give us their personal information, even looking desperately for an ID card to make sure we wrote their address correctly. Unbelievable! This is something I keep remembering from time to time and makes me think how thirsty and ready people are to receive the gospel.”

However, Nadia and Zaira agreed: “Participating [in an outreach] right after the Transform conference has an advantage because one gets really inspired by the praying, singing, learning, sharing and praising the Lord along with other missionaries. Listening to all the conference leaders’ teachings and anecdotes, including how they experienced opposition in some places, and how the Lord has been with them always, was very encouraging. OM did a great job equipping us!”

Zaira added: “We consider the outreach in France a successful outreach. As teammates, we had times for devotionals, time to study and share, worship and pray in the church. We also did a prayer walk on the city streets, made surveys, visited a centre for refugees and, after giving out invitations to the citizens of Bruay La Buissière, we also had a family party in the church garden and a concert night; both were fully attended, with 75 people filling the church to the brim and many new people showing up.

Having been made aware of the spiritual situation in Europe and the need for people to share the gospel in France and other countries, the sisters concluded with the words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 9:37-38: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

In 2019, the Transform conference will take place in Athens, Greece, with several outreaches in Greece, as well as to Serbia, Romania, Albania and Turkey.

'God is perfect!'

In the town of Pedrogão, Portugal, children came for three days of holiday club. One of the little ones exclaimed in wonder (in Portuguese) “God is perfect!” when he heard the creation story. Later, a team member dressed up like a colourful clown, thereby attracting many children to the festival held in front of the church in Leira, Portugal.

Not forgotten by God

Long term OMers in La Vera, Spain, rejoiced that their only Transform team member was from Hong Kong and able to share the gospel in the Mandarin language with many Chinese store keepers. A local Christian who, in the past had spent several years in China, is going to follow up with those interested in learning more. For the small La Vera team of OMers, it was such an encouragement to receive help with the weekly ministry to Spanish and Moroccan children and their parents, as well as distributing invitations to a Bible study. “Even though God seems to be forgotten in the region of La Vera, God has not forgotten La Vera,” concluded OMer Justus*.

South-East Asians

The ‘Canada’ team of people from South-East Asia played football with refugees in Lisbon and later taught a ‘One Wish’ workshop for believers and non-believers alike. One of the highlights was sharing testimonies and fellowship over an Indian meal. However, it was not all joy. As the team did not obtain permission to hold a street meeting in Lisbon, they simply fell into natural conversations with people on the street—some of whom appeared to be very interested in knowing about Jesus. Some others knew their Quran very well and challenged their conversations, and some plainly rejected them. These experiences made the team aware of the importance of knowing their Bible well, even having it memorised, in order to be ready to quote specific scriptures according to address particular needs.

Expectations and reality

“I realised that some of my expectations for the week were wrong,” wrote team member Nadia* from Mexico (who joined the Transform conference last year, and went on an outreach in France this year), “I came to France, expecting to meet superficial people smelling of Chanel perfume, wearing expensive clothes with expensive handbags on their shoulders! Instead, I met a small group of people who were surrendered to the will of God: a group of Christians with warm hearts and a desire to serve in the church. And a second group, much larger, of “non-believing” community that was thirsty for the love of God. This became clear to me as we did “faith surveys” on the streets.”

Ride2Transform

During the conference, one team cycled 355 kilometers visiting towns with no known evangelical witness, stopping in several locations to pray and bless the area.

Encouraging the local church

Fellowship with the local church was a highlight for the teams, and many local Christians were grateful and impressed that young people from far away would come to their church, their area, to help share the gospel. One pastor in Portugal had recently been appointed to serve several small churches, and having the Transform team was a great encouragement at the start of his ministry.

An OMer, Pedro Luz, from Portugal admitted: “Oh yes, we do get to bed late, but our hearts are full of joy and God, every morning, renews our strength.”

For Pastor Yann in Bruay-la-Buissière, France, it was a busy week; “The OM team really blessed and encouraged us,” he said, “and it was great to hear their testimonies of how God worked in their lives.” Over 75 people came to the concert on the last weekend, which meant a packed full church, and people were touched by the lyrics of the songs. And when the church put on a family carnival, the pastor was thrilled to see all 11 church members working hand-in-hand with the OM team, running the games, serving food and drinks and generally enabling the activities to go well. Approximately 40 children and their parents (more than 100 people in total) enjoyed a sunny afternoon in the church’s garden! It was a great day and a great way of introducing the church to many people in the community.

The Transform 2018 outreaches are over, but God is still at work in people’s lives. Please pray for lasting fruit and consider joining the next Transform (in Greece, July 2019). 

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work in us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or imagine. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21 (NLT)

* surname not included for security reasons

“Transform Dancelink was a real inspiration for the ministry I am doing now!” Twenty-five year-old Justin Seidel from Australia explains about the Freestyle Dance Ministry (FDM) he leads with OM Australia. In 2015 and 2016, Justin took part in the Transform conferences, followed by the Dancelink outreaches in Portugal where he and the team gave dance workshops to local young people with the goal of building bridges through culture.

Today he is engaging with youth in Australia, mostly 10-21 year-olds, through dance, discussions and discipleship.

“Freestyle Dance Ministry is for everybody,” says Justin. “And in fact, most of the participants haven’t danced before!” The music varies from Christian Hip-hop/pop to contemporary worship songs, depending on the dance styles being taught. The dancing serves as a fun icebreaker and an introduction to Bible studies and discussion. The goal is to show that faith is relevant to the lives of the young people, using dance as a gift from God and as a pathway to discipleship.

“Freestyle Dance Ministry provided a fantastic workshop for our students,” said Tom Brennen, Principal at Sunshine Christian School, “and Justin is a great presenter whose faith in God and passion for dance is infectious. Our students of all different ages and genders greatly enjoyed the experience. In addition to increasing their dance skills and having fun, they saw how artistic pursuits can be used to bring glory to God and spread His message.”

Being the sole full time team member, Justin is occasionally supported by other dancers helping him teach the workshops. Also, youth leaders in the community help lead the Bible studies included as part of the workshop. The OM office in Melbourne provides support for FDM through their finance, communications, HR, Internship and National Ministry teams.

Justin grew up attending church, and by his early teens started to grow significantly in his faith through youth camps and later by going on short term mission trips. After completing his degree with honours in spirituality and social work and other relevant training, he started conducting the FDM programme reaching out to young people in the communities.

“The purpose of FDM is to encourage children and youth in their faith, inspire them to step out of their comfort zone and equip them to reach out to others,” explains Justin. He additionally aims to see local leaders equipped to disciple their young people, and strengthen relationships between the youth, their peers and leaders. “Through combined church events, FDM also serves to bring unity and build relationships across denominations,” he continues. “And for many, it is a new way of conducting outreaches to the local community.” Increasing the communities’ heart for mission and presenting opportunities for serving through OM is part of the programme.

“What does it mean to dance to God’s beat? God’s beat is His way of life, following Him, and that’s what it is all about: dancing to God’s beat,” concludes Justin.

Please check out the FDM web site and youtube video, and say a prayer for Justin and this vital ministry. If you want to participate in a short term 'Transform' outreach, like the Justin did, you can get more information here.

July 2018 marked the second time Transform was held in this area (third year in Spain) and nearly 100 participants came from countries as far as Hong Kong, the Bahamas, Canada, South Africa and, of course, Europeans, including 15-20 members from local churches. The Exodus group from Ireland had already done a teen camp with a local church, and a group of South Asians, residing in Canada, came to reach immigrants in Portugal. A local band, ‘Celobert’, led worship together with Aleithia Sweeting from the Bahamas, and a special meeting for pastors and missionaries gathered 14 from eight churches.

To know Jesus is to know truth

“Don’t get hung up in the ‘politics’ but share Jesus. Until people receive Jesus, they cannot discern truth,” said senior OM leader, Peter Nicoll, who was doing the daily Bible teaching from the Gospel of John. “The spirit of truth is to know Jesus and learn to recognise his voice.”

Cycling team

A cycling team travelled 355 km (during the conference) to several villages in the region where there are no Christian witnesses, stopping to pray and bless the areas. One highlight was fellowship and accommodation in a centre for drug addicts on the first night. None of the cyclists spoke Spanish, and Roger, their support driver, spoke Spanish with no English, yet team spirit remained high and they returned, praising God.  

Refugees on site

Thirty young men, all African refugees, were accommodated on site and several Transformers connected with them through sports and conversation. It was a joy to leave them with two new footballs and enough bibs for two teams to play, as well as the literature they had received during the week.

Workshops

Several workshops were offered; the spiritual situation in Europe and who are least reached, Catholicism and Islam in Europe, how to do children’s ministry, identity in Christ, storytelling. ‘Living on the Edge for Christ’ and more.

Prayer

Prayer was the ‘red thread’ throughout the conference, and each morning started with a well-attended prayer meeting before breakfast. Often, the people would gather in groups around a world map, helping to focus prayer on least reached countries.

Outreach day in Cambrils

On Thursday afternoon, all participants went into the town of Cambrils, handing out invitations to a cultural and evangelistic programme in Parc des Pescador (Fishermen’s Park). Welcomed by the Mayor, Ms. Camí Mendoza, the audience enjoyed music, songs and dance from several nations. The band ‘Celobert’ ended the evening, after evangelist Richard Sharp (USA) shared a gospel message, using the ‘One Wish’ principle with a very attentive audience: “If you could ask God for one thing tonight, what would that thing be?”

The Transform group stood amazed at what God had done through them as a multinational team. While they united to put on a cultural event, the Lord connected individual team members with the visitors; many were able to testify about God’s love in their very own language, including Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic, French, English to name but a few; not forgetting Spanish or Catalan, the languages spoken in the area.

The local churches

Pastor Fernando Campillo of Cambrils, shared that Transform had a great impact on the local churches: “It has renewed our vision to reach out to the lost, made us fall in love again with the Lord Jesus Christ and helped us call out to others to join in the evangelisation.”

Reaching Spain

OM Spain Field Leader, Rebeca Lampaya, said that having the Transform conference in Spain has given more focus on Spain as a mission field, and she is in contact with people hoping to come and help share the Gospel in Spain.

God’s presence

“During this Transform, I had a deep sense of God’s presence and leading. I was reminded again that our efforts are not in vain, the harvest is still plentiful and any worker added to the job is useful,” concluded OM Transform Director, Mpumi Maweni (South Africa). “It is in OM’s DNA to esteem the local church; however, as I reflect on the past week of Transform, the local church esteemed us, served us and made us realise how much we need them in order to be relaunched out into the nations.”

Call to missions

When the altar call to missions and long term ministry went out the last night of the conference, the space in front quickly filled up with people kneeling in prayer. The following morning the outreach teams moved out to Spain, Portugal and France.

How to reach the youth of Catalonia, Lord? How can we take Your presence and Your love to them? “Getting to know them, loving them, spending time with them,” seems to be His answer. And that's what the OM team tries to do when they give the youth free language or math classes, or when they offer them a small bag of toasted corn.

“This is something that happened to me in a park near our home a couple of weeks ago,” David said. “One afternoon I went to a group of six teenagers, aged from 16 to 18 years old, who were playing cards and chatting together. I gave them some bags of toasted corn, and when they asked me why I did it, I told them about our generous God, and I asked them: ‘If you could ask God for anything for you today, what would you ask him?’ Then I offered prayer and all but one accepted it.

All those who received prayer noticed something very beautiful when I prayed for them, so I asked them to read Revelation 3:20 on my cell phone and challenged them to surrender to Jesus. But they had their doubts. They said that they did not have so much faith.

I told them that this was normal. I would not have so much faith, were it not for the things that I myself have experienced with God. That aroused their curiosity and they asked me what I had experienced. So I began to explain my testimony of salvation. However, when I was still halfway through my testimony, one girl, Paula, put her hands on her head, complaining of a sharp headache. I offered prayer again, but she said, ‘No. I'll take an aspirin later.’ But as I was feeling the presence of God with us, I dared to touch her forearm and simply spoke a short prayer of healing.

Suddenly, one of the boys, Alberto, interrupted my prayer, demanding I continue with my story. I then finished sharing my testimony of salvation (which took me just a few more minutes), looked at Paula and asked her, ‘How is your headache? It’s gone, isn’t it?’

She looked at me, and her face was filled with wonder. ‘I'm completely fine!’ she said.

She had asked in the opening prayer for God to show her that He loves her, so I said, ‘Don’t you realise? You asked God to confirm His love for you today, and He has completely healed you of a headache. See? He really loves you!’ They were so overwhelmed by everything, not even knowing how to react.

I gave everyone my personal card and invited them to send me a WhatsApp if at some point they wanted to know more about Jesus, or if they just needed to talk to someone.”

That small snapshot shows how, week after week, and with los kikos de Dios (God’s toasted corn), God is planting the seed of His love and His presence in the hearts of the youth of Catalonia.

“Transform is a time I move out of my normal routine and do something different; and I find it’s a time where God wants to use me in any way, with any gift, and just get out of the office and focus on the ministry He has given me,” she said.

When Esther was asked to join the leadership team in 2014, she wasn’t sure if it was a good fit. As she prayed about the opportunity, however, she realised she could bring value to the team. “I like to connect with people; I like to work with people, and I felt that God wanted me to be part of that,” she explained. “There’s a reason God wants me to be here.”

In addition to her contributions at the conference, Esther saw herself as a liaison for recruiting people from the Global South, especially South Africa, to come to Transform. “Africa is not even a receiving field anymore—it’s a sending field. There’s a call: [African believers] need to see the need to go somewhere else. Transform gives them more opportunities to be able to do that.”

"South African churches are often unaware of needs beyond their own context," Esther explained. “Transform gives them an…idea that there’s more needs outside of South Africa. There’s more than the boundaries of the church you are in.”

In 2017, she invited her pastors, Chris and Judy Smith of Yada Ministries, to Transform. They not only attended the conference but taught two of the workshops offered during the week. “It’s been a great blessing for me to have my church involved in what I’m doing,” Esther said.

Before Transform

A few months prior to Transform 2017, OM’s Mediterranean-focused outreach campaign, Heikki had never heard of OM. “I’ve been a born-again Christian for 21 years. I’m the guy that goes to  church every Sunday, but that’s about it,” he shared. Once a month, he played the saxophone at his church. Whatever free time he had in the past was spent with his wife.

But a tumultuous two years—including prostate cancer and subsequent surgery, book-ended by a media scandal at his university and a sudden divorce—left him with a long 2017 summer holiday, devoid of plans.

“Never in my life have I been completely alone, so it was kind of difficult to think how would I spend all the free time I had in the summer,” Heikki shared.

He decided to give the time to God. “I had heard about young people being part of short-term [outreaches] in different parts of the world. But I didn’t know how they got there.”

A quick Google search led him to Transform. Heikki asked his pastor about OM, and “he was very convinced that [OM] is a good organisation, doing a good job and is well-known.”

In short order, Heikki signed up for the outreach to La Vera in the Extremadura region of Spain and was accepted. Still, as a non-Spanish speaker, he wondered what he could offer the team: “How could God use me?”

Remembering the past few summers when he had toured Europe on his motorcycle, Heikki decided to ride to Transform—a way to fill more of his empty vacation days and, perhaps, to draw a crowd. “I just thought, rationally, OK, when I’ve been riding around Europe, the bike has been interesting and drawn a lot of attention.”

He also packed an old saxophone. “That’s how I’ve been able to serve my church and that maybe could be used here [at Transform] as well,” he explained.

In Spain

Several times during the week, at the university campus near Tarragona where the Transform conference was held, songs from Heikki’s saxophone wafted through the open dormitory windows. Heikki practised music faithfully, including what he’d been told was an internationally-recognised Christian song “Oh Happy Day,” in preparation for outreach in Extremadura. During the week at Transform, Heikki also shared his personal stories of supernatural healing—at an early morning prayer meeting on-site, and during an evening concert held in one of Tarragona’s city parks on the outreach day.

That evening, Heikki roared up to the stage on his motorcycle, eliciting loud cheers from the crowd gathered for the cultural event, played a rousing rendition of “He’s got the whole world in His hands” on the saxophone and, having captivated the audience, told them how God had healed him three times from injuries doctors had considered incurable.

“The theme of the conference has been the urgency of the hour, and I really feel connected with that theme,” Heikki said in an interview near the end of the week at Transform. “We don’t know the day and hour the Lord Jesus is coming back… But even if that would be 100 years from now, how many people die every second without anyone telling them about the Lord Jesus? Do I just do nothing?”

Heikki paraphrased the parable in Matthew 25:14-30, where Jesus talked about a master who travelled away on business, leaving money to his servants. The servants were supposed to invest that money in their master’s absence. Two of the servants acted wisely and earned money with what the master had given them. The third servant buried his money, simply waiting for his master to return.

“I have felt too much like that servant,” Heikki stated. “I’ve kept my faith but I haven’t led enough other people to Christ, and now [I have] that urge to do something with what Jesus has given me… I realise now is the time to do that.”

“I don’t feel that I have necessarily any skills for that, but I pray for wisdom from God to be empowered by him. I feel that God clearly led me here,” he continued. “Maybe it’s with the motorbike. Maybe with the saxophone. Maybe with something else…I’m available for God to use me.”

On outreach

It turned out both the motorcycle and the saxophone were key to Heikki’s participation on outreach in La Vera, a region consisting of small towns nestling against the foothills.

Apart from the husband of a couple hosting the short-term missionaries, Heikki was the only male participant on his Transform team.

The women “did an excellent job with children and women, especially among immigrants from Morocco, but reaching men of those communities was more difficult,” Heikki recounted. “However, when I rode there on my Harley-Davidson, I got their attention… Men and boys started to flow to the bike as soon as I arrived. The connection was made. When I then took my saxophone and started to play, they took their phones and started recording videos.”

The Extremadura team visited towns in the evenings, when temperatures had lowered enough for people to be out on the streets. After the sun set – stopping the team from playing with children, and Heikki from playing the saxophone – they switched to personal evangelism.

Heikki and others used the “One Wish” method, developed by long-term OMer, Richard Sharp. The team initiated conversation with people, then asked them what their one wish from God would be.

“Coincidentally, Richard visited the outreach and we shared a room for two nights and also shared the streets,” Heikki said. “On the ‘best’ night, I was able to pray for 18 different people…even though I do not speak a word of Spanish!”

Encouraged, Heikki returned to his motorcycle, preparing to head to his host home for the night. When he approached the bike, he saw a woman in her 30's escorting an elderly woman. “Buenas noches,” Heikki greeted the women, handing them his last copy of the “One Wish” leaflet. The woman accepted the tract and continued walking.

A few minutes later, busy unlocking his motorcycle and preparing his riding gear, Heikki suddenly realised someone was standing right behind him. The two women were back.

“They spoke to me in Spanish, but I could not understand it,” he said. “I tried to say in Spanish that I do not speak Spanish.”

Still, the women continued talking. Eventually, Heikki understood they wanted “more” or “another” of something.

“They showed me the leaflet—I had only had one to give, and I had given it to the younger of the ladies. They obviously had already read it, and they had been touched by its contents,” he described.

Heikki searched his motorcycle’s cargo box and found one more leaflet. “The old woman approached me with both her hands straightened out towards me. [Her] hands were shaking, and when she received her own personal short copy of the gospel, tears started to fall from her eyes. She held the leaflet with both hands, and both [women] looked so happy when they thanked me and started to walk away,” Heikki said.

“Then it was the time for my eyes to get wet. I had not done anything. I simply was there. I did not even speak the language. The only thing I could do was to be available for God to use me. And He did use me. People came to me to receive the gospel, and they cried tears of happiness when they received it. That was definitely one of the finest moments of my life. That single event made every kilometre ridden well worthwhile.”

Since they had never been to Transform before, “we weren’t sure what was going to happen, and we were told to have humble hearts and be ready to serve,” Lena continued. Before the couple arrived in Barcelona, the Transform communications director noticed both Sam and Lena worked as professional photographers and asked if they could help capture pictures of the conference and outreach.

“It was a bit of a surprise,” Sam said, but the pair packed their cameras and arrived on site, ready to snap photographs of the event. 

“We were honoured to have this opportunity to record what God is doing over here,” Lena stated. “It’s been a real blessing to do that and to serve God any way we can.”

Besides serving God with their professional skills, Sam explained that they had been looking forward to exploring God’s Word at Transform, as well as seeking direction from the Lord for their future as a married couple.

“What stood out to me the most about the conference is the diversity of cultures,” Lena stated. “It’s been amazing to see 31 countries represented, and everybody coming together united in one voice to praise and worship God.”

After their outreach with Transform in France, Sam and Lena plan to travel in Europe before returning to Australia.

* surname not mentioned for security reasons

Ana told the ladies of a time when the island across from Tenerife was hidden from view for several days by thick clouds. Her immediate reaction was to think, ‘What happened to it? It has sunk!’ “The truth was that the island was still there,” said Ana, “but I had already decided in my mind the worst case scenario of what had happened.” Ana explained to the women that just as her clouded view of the island led to her believe that it had sunk, so a woman’s distorted view keeps her from seeing herself the way God sees her.

Claudia Rocha (Colombia), whose personal story relates to the topic Ana spoke on, said to the women, “I realised that there are many things that I believe about myself that are wrong. When I started to discover God’s love for me, I knew I needed to take out all the bad words that I thought about myself. If I did not do this, I could not know the truth about what God thought of me.”

There were several women who began to cry as they listened to Ana and Claudia talk about their journey to escape the ‘sinking sand’ of negative words, and their path to finding their worth in their Creator.

At the end of the night, one woman grabbed Karla Guzman’s (Mexico) hand and began to tell her about things that had been happening in her life. Karla and the woman prayed together, and Karla told her, “God knows your story and you can trust in Him.”

Karla was encouraged to see women opening up to crewmembers to talk through their personal struggles, showing just how deeply some of the women were impacted by the message Ana and Claudia shared.

The group drove around the city, stopping to pass out food and give encouragement to the people they encountered. When they found three men sitting on a park bench, Ben Blessing (Germany) began to talk to the trio and share about the ship’s goal to bring hope to the countries she visits.

“This is not where I want to be,” said one of the three men to the outreach team. “I want to make a change in my life.” The man explained that he believes in God and knows that his current lifestyle is not what God wants for him.

One of the volunteers from Remar listened to the man’s story and then said, “I’ve been where you are now. I understand what you are going through. I was an addict living on the streets, but look at where I am today.” He encouraged the man, saying, “It is possible to make changes in your life; you can have hope for a better future.”

Ben listened as the volunteers from Remar spoke into the man’s life, and was pleased to see the intentional love and care they show to needy individuals in the community. The Logos Hope crewmembers were blessed to pour hope into the lives of the people on the street for one night, but Ben knows the men of Remar will continue to pour into the lives of the men and women for years to come.

In 1960, OM founder George Verwer and his wife, Drena, moved to Madrid, Spain, soon joined by Betty Holt and Jean Davey. A year later, they were joined by 25 Americans, that together formed three teams working in Spain, France, Netherlands, Germany and Austria with the purpose of recruiting workers for the first-ever summer campaign, organised by Jonathan McRostie, who later became the leader for OM in Europe.

They took meetings in local churches on evenings and Sundays, and used the daytime Monday to Friday for door-to-door evangelism with tracts and books. Some young people from local churches joined them on Saturdays for tracting 'blitzes'.

The teams prayed for 200 young people to help reach Europe’s cities during the summer of 1962; God exceeded their expectations by bringing 400 people. Ordinary Christians were invited to take part without any prior training…and the numbers continued to grow.

Forsaking comfort and time

‘Revolution of Love’ and ‘Forsaking all for Christ’ became watchwords: The message of the gospel had to be proclaimed as widely as possible, even if it meant forsaking comfort, time, money and luxuries. It could mean sleeping on a church floor (or even in a van), working long hours, often with very little money and sometimes scarce food; sharing the gospel was more important than personal needs.

Tracts with a gospel message offering a Bible correspondence course were mass distributed. Christian literature and Bibles were sold or given away, the money providing fuel for the van and food for the team. The message was proclaimed through open-air meetings, film evenings, door-to-door visitations and sharing of testimonies one to one. Prayer was of utmost importance; each morning, the team gathered for devotions and Bible study. A set of phrases in the local language was provided, helping foreign team members hold simple conversations.

In the following year (1963), summer teams majored on reaching villages throughout Southern Europe, instead of cities as the year before. Almost 2,000 people came from 30 countries (700 from UK alone!) and, over a three-month period, teams worked with 400 local churches and 25 mission organisations. In addition to recruiting participants and the logistics of training conferences and transport, they also faced opposition; in some countries, they frequently experienced arrests or questioning by the police.

Priests tearing up leaflets

Betty Holt was the women’s leader in a team that travelled throughout five of the six provinces of Andalucia in southern Spain, which was still very much under the power of the Roman Catholic Church and General Franco. Everybody in Spain was afraid of Protestants yet hungry for the Word of God. “In most villages, we freely distributed gospel leaflets to everybody we met, only to see the priest tear them up later,” remembers Betty.

In one village, while the Spanish girls on the team were speaking animatedly with the policeman, Betty held a quiet conversation with the priest. “He asked who we were, what we believed, and why we were doing [this],” shared Betty. “Finally, he acknowledged that he grasped what I said about being saved by believing in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and that our good works could never get us to heaven,” she continued. “He told the police to release us, and took us (six young ladies) to his house where he showed us a publication he had written and was giving to people, based on the Bible. We had an encouraging time of sharing the things of Christ with him.”

Fear of being arrested gradually disappeared as they discovered that those arrests led to the best opportunities for sharing the gospel—with the police! “This summer in Spain prepared me for work in the Communist World by teaching me to deal with police authorities, and by testing my willingness to go to jail or to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ,” wrote Betty years later in her book From Chicago to the Ends of the Earth.

Summer campaigns continued and teams were sent to an increasing number of countries, including behind the so-called Iron Curtain, smuggling Bibles to secret believers in the Communist Soviet Union. Later, short-term campaigns were also held over Easter and Christmas and today happen all through the year and on all continents. Methods and locations may have changed from the pioneering era, but short-term campaigns are now a major gateway into missions for OM and numerous other organisations.

God is still calling ordinary Christians to share the good news and work towards seeing vibrant communities of Jesus followers in all parts of the world.

Anne Marit Viljoen, from Norway, joined OM in the early ’80s for three summer campaigns in France and long-term work in administration, hospitality, leadership and communications in Europe and East Asia Pacific. She and her husband reside in Norway, and she currently serves as a member of the OM Europe communications team.

Please read below snippets from the conference and outreaches (please see individual reports from most countries as well). Read and rejoice, pray and give thanks to the Lord, be blessed and please consider joining Transform 2017.

Highlights from the conference include the testimony of a Syrian refugee sharing how the love and help of Christians in Finland brought him to Christ. Young believers from Portugal reported how they found the international fellowship a wonderful new experience. Preaching by the next generation OM leaders Michel Di Feliciantonio from Italy and Marvin Schäfer from Germany were well received. Seminars during the week helped equip the participants for the outreaches ahead, including learning to make friends with Muslims and techniques for learning a new language.

Tony Packer, now in his 70’s, shared about his experience with God through Bible smuggling and imprisonment in the former Yugoslavia, leading to numerous pastoral talks and prayer with individual participants. Like a godly ‘grandpa’, giving wise counsel and encouragement, he was an invaluable part of the conference.

Prayer, as always, was a vital part throughout the week; also in the early hours before breakfast. The prayer evening in the courtyard, standing around the large map praying for the Mediterranean area, made a lasting impression, and prayer continued for each one going on outreach after watching the powerful play written by Transform Director Gary Witherall.

Hours before departure, news came about the attempted state coup in Turkey. After a flurry of activity and phone calls, the team members for Turkey were re-directed to Malta and Egypt.

Outreaches

Spain had the largest variety of outreaches, from meeting pilgrims walking to Santiago de Compostela to children in Barcelona; or sharing the love of God with sex workers, finding many had been trafficked from other countries into prostitution. A highlight for the ‘pilgrim team’ was the day they did not talk, but walked in silence, marveling at God’s creation and listening to receive from Him.

The dance team in Portugal worked with an International Church and gave dance workshops to young locals; hoping it would build bridges through culture. The Portugal surf team helped kids catch their first wave on a surfboard. These children ended the first week with hearts full of joy and gratitude, and the team could share the reasons why they had come. “Transform really did transformation in our lives; an exhausting but super rewarding time with friends, church family and, above all, God,” wrote a team member.

The Transform Malta leader was delighted to receive a few more people than expected (from the canceled Turkey team). Through prayer walks and evangelism all over the island, bringing a large cross and offering free prayer, they got in touch with a lot of people, including a young Italian who gave his life to the Lord. Please check their team blog for more stories: https://maltateam2016.wordpress.com/

Refugees

The theme for Transform 2016 was REFUGEE and several outreaches focused their ministry on refugees from many nations and in different situations.

A number of participants shared how meeting refugees in person, learning their names and listening to their stories, made the refugee crisis real. No longer a distant issue on the news; the refugee crisis was now about their friends.

Team leader Shannon wrote from Germany, where they ministered to refugees from two camps: “You can’t mentally picture three million people or six million people, but when you see one face and another face, they become real. When you hear the stories of living on the side of the road, having only the clothes on your back, then it becomes real.”

“It felt good to be there,” Shannon continued, “it felt good that I could be part of taking their mind off something for five minutes—playing with their kids, having coffee with them, hearing their story. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Others were amazed to realize some of the refugees were the same age as themselves, young people, but with shattered hopes and dreams.

In Italy, meeting Christian refugees from Ghana and Eritrea, praying for Europe came as an unexpected eye-opener, and being able to sing and pray together was of mutual encouragement. In addition to those living in Italy’s largest refugee camp, the team also met those denied asylum and left to fend for themselves, often living on the streets.

The ‘Safe Haven’ outreach in Macedonia reported how meeting refugees in the camp was hard, yet a growing experience in learning how to love well even in the midst of suffering. Many of the refugee families were open to the gospel.

Through a love offering given by participants at the Transform conference the ‘Safe Haven’ team was able to bless an entire camp - 66 families - by purchasing basic necessities (dish soap, shampoo, body wash, and laundry detergent). While the days were long and at times emotionally draining, the team tried to be beacons of light and hope, wishing for the refugees to know Jesus so much more than any physical blessing they could give!

Watching the thousands of stars in the night sky over the desert made for an extraordinary experience for the team in Egypt staying at a Bedouin camp and learning about reaching these desert dwellers with the gospel. The team also visited needy Sudanese refugee families bringing food and encouragement, and led the Sunday school program for children in a Sudanese church.

A team member in the Near East shared how one of his heartbreaking and life changing 'God' moments came through meeting a Syrian family forced to flee from the war. They had walked for ten days through the dangerous desert, carrying elderly family members on stretchers and with limited food and water, before finally arriving at the refugee camp. In the abject misery of the camp this family met Jesus and gave their lives to him. “Even after seeing the worst this world has to offer in terms of violence, cruelty and hate, Jesus can still break through the darkness and bring hope,” shared Nat and continued: “It is an incredibly special thing to witness God working and my hope, when I return home, is to successfully apply the lessons I have learned from the Christians here to my own life.”

Team member Sarah felt distraught, not knowing what to say when the refugees shared their stories. She wrote: “The fact I am so overwhelmed makes me discover new things about God; that he is even greater than all the pain and the sorrow and the injustice they tell us about. Jesus is the only hope. I am just starting to understand how powerful the gospel is.”

Transform is a ministry of OM Europe starting with a week-long conference in July each year followed by outreaches to the Mediterranean region. Information for Transform 2017 will be published on OM’s web sites, including www.transform.om.org as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

“Walking the Camino this year has been an amazing experience for all of us,” agreed the seven team members from Finland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dominican Republic and USA. Along the way they met people of different nationalities and had opportunities to share the Gospel with fellow pilgrims, even praying with a few.

They walked the last part of the most popular route called the “French Way”, starting on a Sunday from Sarria (116 km from Santiago). The weather was unusually hot and dry, and after struggling with the high temperatures the team sent out prayer requests to specifically pray for the weather. “Amazingly,” they later reported, “temperatures started to go down on Wednesday and in the second half of the week it was mostly cloudy, making our walk so much more enjoyable and pleasant. And even though almost everyone got blisters on their feet, there were neither complaints nor major problems. In fact, these minor sufferings gave more opportunities to talk to other pilgrims.”

A highlight was the one day the team was challenged to keep walking the route but without talking to each other. This gave more opportunity to marvel at God’s creation, as well as listening and receiving from the Lord. In the afternoon team meeting, they were able to share more deeply and pray for one another.

Saturday 23rd July, after a week of walking, the team finally arrived in Santiago de Compostela, grateful for their own personal encounters with God as well as for all the opportunities to talk and share with fellow pilgrims along the way.

Walking the pilgrim route is one of OM Spain’s regular Transform outreaches. Please pray that God will bring fruit from the many seeds that have been sown. And, why not consider doing the walk yourself next July?

Zoila was touched by the enthusiasm of one of her students, a Moroccan woman who had never had the chance to go to school. Now she is one of the participants in project Agape, run by OM partner Zoila Garrido and the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) in Fuenlabrada, Spain.

After working with OM amongst Muslims in Egypt and southern Spain, Zoila started offering Spanish classes a few years ago in an immigrant community in the Madrid area. The local CMA church she partners with allows her to use their premises for the meetings.

From Monday through Wednesday, she teaches Spanish to 32 immigrant women in the community, in two groups. All the participants are from North Africa. Then on Thursdays, the set up is a bit different.

"We call this meeting Spanish Club," she explained. "During this time we talk about various subjects like love, forgiveness, the value of a woman for Jesus, friendship, etc."

Once a month, she organises a breakfast, makes time for storytelling and offers craft sessions.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon, the children in the community are invited to come to 'Agape' for a school support group. Currently there are five children attending. "Generally they are the children of the ladies who come for classes in the morning," explained Zoila. The gatherings are fruitful, and their teachers at school notice that the kids are improving their marks.

"I praise the Lord because each one of them is in a different school," Zoila added. "They are even changing in their behaviour. It is amazing to hear them talking to God, even though they haven't given their lives to Jesus. I sense the time is approaching for that to happen."

Thank you Lord

OM, although based in another part of Spain, is supporting the Agape project. Zoila would love to have team members to run this ministry with her. "We are looking for people who have already served in the Middle East or North Africa so they know how to work with Muslims," said Rebeca Lampaya, OM Spain director.

“It's a blessing to build relationships with North African immigrants,” shared Zoila. Some moments are unforgettable, like the lady proudly showing her that she could write her name. “These are the times when my soul just cries out thank you Lord, thank you Lord."

Do you have a heart for immigrants and would you like to know more about project Agape in Spain? Contact OM Spain director Rebeca Lampaya at rebeca.lampaya@om.org.

This year’s travel team has been training at the OM Spain base in Narón for the past month, getting discipled and equipped to head out on the road. The team will travel throughout Spain for four weeks, visiting and serving various evangelical churches in the country.

Representing the countries of Malaysia, South Korea, Faroe Islands, Chile and the US, the multicultural team brings unique gifts to the ministry. The team’s programme consists of creative evangelism techniques, puppet shows, skits, worship songs, balloon shaping, face painting, kids programmes and more.

The participants are from all walks of life: current students, recent high school/university graduates, and even full-time business professionals.

With this in mind, the team's travels not only seek to bring about change in the lives of the people they meet and minister to, but in the lives of the participants as well.

One woman's life has been greatly changed by her time in Spain. Shinyoung left much behind in her home country of South Korea to serve with OM Spain’s travel team.

“I quit my job as a project manager of an international company. It was not a hard decision to leave my job, because I had prayed since last December to go on a mission. When I found this opportunity, I just decided to come.”

God arranged the details of Shinyoung’s life, making it possible for her to go to Spain. However, it seems that God is working on the most important things during her time with the team.

“I actually don’t know what I am going to do when I go back, but even if I return to the same conditions as before, my heart will be different. This is why we are here for three months, yet even after the first month I already have peace in my mind. That’s why I am so excited about the next two months.”

Already thousands of kilometers into their trip, the team has been warmly received by all of the churches they have visited throughout Spain. Many abrazos fuertes (big hugs) and mucho amor (lots of love) have been shared along the way, and there is surely much more to come. 

You can follow the adventures of OM Spain’s travel team via their Facebook page, OM España. “Like” the page to stay updated on all that the Lord is doing in and through the team in the upcoming weeks.

Please pray for the safety of the team as they travel, and that God will touch many lives along the way.

In July, 18 walkers from six nations set out on El Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, a pilgrimage trail attracting people from all over the world that starts in the Pyrenees and ends at the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela. The team’s goal wasn’t meditation or merit—it was to bring knowledge of the One who is “The Way” to those on a spiritual journey.

Tackling the Camino Inglés (The English Way), team members covered the 120-kilometre route in just six days. It was gruelling work, through towns, valleys, forests and over steep hills.

Leonnie, from Germany, walked most of the way in one normal shoe and one flip flop, due to excruciating blisters. She felt discouraged at her lack of Spanish and didn’t know how she would be able to communicate. But God surprised her when she met a group of three Germans also doing the walk. Leonnie was able to share with them and cover them in prayer, and was thrilled when one of them attended a team devotion the day she happened to be sharing!

“One woman was really interested, and I have still contact with her now,” said Leonnie. “During the whole outreach I realised there is truly nothing too big for our God to overcome, including language barriers, anxiety or insecurity. We can fully rely on God because He would never let us down.”

Following the walk, the team travelled to Ribadeo, a town that has been on the hearts of the OM leaders for nearly 30 years. Serving from the unity forged during the walk, the Transform team distributed flyers and used surveys to talk to people, with the goal of making contacts for a new church plant. 

Elizabeth, from the US, a short-term coordinator with OM Spain, remembers the emotion of a lady from the Philippines who answered the survey. 

“She told us sadly that she was a believer in Jesus but that there was no church,” Elizabeth said. “She said she had been praying for a church. Our church member who was talking with her burst into tears and said, ‘We’re the answer to your prayers!’”

The team organised two kids clubs, which were well-attended. The kids really enjoyed themselves, and their parents also listened intently to the skits and messages. There were many good conversations after the programme was over—some even gave their lives to Jesus!

“I don't speak a word of Spanish (although I understand a little bit now),” said Rachel, from the US, and a participant on the outreach who returned home rejoicing. “But I was able to help do things with the kids while others could have those conversations with the parents. They got lots of contacts, and I'm so excited to see how God grows the seeds we planted.”

The OM Spain team has continued to keep in contact with people they met on the outreach, including a group of teenagers who at first were disrupting the programme. However, when Elizabeth sat down and began talking with the teens, they warmed up considerably.

“At first we thought, ‘Oh, a church thing—this is boring,” said one 17-year-old boy, who went on to admit: “There is something different about your religion.”

Elizabeth stayed in touch with them during a recent two-month visit in the US, and the teens are excited for the OM Spain workers and church members from the plant in Naron to do activities in Ribadeo. The team plans to offer free English classes and Bible studies and start a social work to help with the effects of the economic crisis.

Please pray for growing connections with people in Ribadeo that will lead to lives transformed through Christ. Pray for people to join OM Spain longer term to help with the church plant, as well as for funds to provide a space for the church and social work, and a van to transport the OM Spain team and workers to Ribadeo.

For more information about church planting opportunities available with OM Spain, click here. Read about Transform here, or learn more about OM’s ministry in Spain on their news webpage.

After years of prayer and preparation, a new “door” has opened to bring the people of Narón, Spain, into the village’s only evangelical church. For years the church, Agua Viva, ran a thrift store and food distribution centre out of their small building. But God had bigger plans for Agua Viva’s growing social work ministry.

That ministry, La Puerta, meaning “the door”, opened its new independent location on 17 March. Its inauguration was celebrated with a big community meal and a programme in the church. Afterward, everyone went next door for the official ribbon cutting.

Now, two months later, La Puerta is in full swing. The ministry opens every morning, offering a wide selection of second-hand clothing, household items, toys, books and more. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the store fills up as the ministry distributes food to the community.

The bargains at La Puerta are great, but the volunteers find the conversations even better. La Puerta serves as a coffee house, giving free coffee and biscuits to all who stop by. As the customers sip their café, they open up about their problems and difficulties. Those conversations often turn into ministry opportunities, and prayer is offered for those who would like to receive it.

OM Spain’s Field Leaders Trevor and Manoli Allan serve as the pastors of the church and the leaders of the social work. Volunteering in La Puerta is one of the activities in OM Spain’s short-term programmes as well.

The short-term volunteers can share Christ with those who come, help practically with the food and clothing, serve coffee and have a great time while doing it all.

"Serving in La Puerta gives the teams a first-hand experience with the Narón community,” says Manoli. “The short-term volunteers can share Christ with those who come, help practically with the food and clothing, serve coffee and have a great time while doing it all." 

La Puerta’s ministry is essential in Spain with the country’s current financial crisis. Twenty-seven per cent of the country is unemployed, and that percentage is rising. OM Spain is confident that God is using La Puerta to help not only the country’s economic needs but also its spiritual ones.

Praise God that the renovations and permits came through easily for this ministry. Pray that clothing, food, and financial donations to La Puerta would continue. Pray for wisdom and guidance in all of the conversations the workers have with the customers. 

To see what else God is doing through OM Spain, visit their news website. 

The team of five travelled throughout Spain for seven weeks, visiting and serving in various evangelical churches. Ranging between the ages of 18 and 24, the international team consisted of a Chilean, an American, a Spaniard/Australian, a Colombian and a German. Though the cultural differences could have been a stumbling block, God instead used it as a blessing.

“Living with so many different cultures was challenging at first,” reflects Estefania (Colombia). “Everyone on the team was from a different Christian background and had different ways of relating with God. But in the end, those differences allowed us to grow and see God in new and exciting ways.”

Not even the language barrier affected the team’s ministry.

My heart was so impacted by the love of the Spanish people for me, someone who doesn’t even speak their language.

“My heart was so impacted by the love of the Spanish people for me, someone who doesn’t even speak their language,” said Maggie (Germany). “It was hard for me to believe that I could be a blessing when I couldn’t speak much Spanish. Yet, I learned to trust God 100 per cent, and now I know He will give me strength in every situation.”

Each team member’s unique talents were vital in each of the team’s ministries. From outdoor children’s programs to evangelism workshops in the churches, each team member brought something special and essential to the varied programme.

The group travelled to nine cities and served with nearly a dozen churches. Yet over 5,000 Spanish towns remain without a single evangelical church.

OM Spain’s next programme team, called Come to Spain, will work to decrease that number by working toward planting the first evangelical church in Ribadeo, a small town in north-western Spain.

If you are interested in participating in this programme or any of OM Spain’s programmes, click here for more information.

When they opened the door, they were shocked to find the tiled floor buckled and breaking. They were told it was due to extreme temperature changes, but none of the other shops on the same floor in the shopping arcade had been affected. The owner of the building agreed to repair the floor, and everything needed to be taken out. The team was able to use the empty premises beside the church to store everything and continue their on-going activities. “When the enemy attacks, it is always an encouragement to see God providing and opening doors,” says OM Spain Field Leader Trevor Allen.

The team had prayed for a while for these premises to host the social ministries run by the church, so as to give the church room to grow. The ministries include a second-hand shop, a coffee shop and food distribution to more than 260 people weekly.

“Because of distrust, people would be wary of coming to an Evangelical church,” says Trevor, “but everyone is comfortable coming to browse around the clothes. Many respond well to an invitation of a coffee and very often open up and share their problems. Trust and friendship is built, and there are often opportunities to pray with them or encourage them to come and get involved in some of the many other activities, like English conversational classes, children and youth groups or the ladies coffee and Bible study time.”

In addition, people approach the team every day to be included on the list of those receiving food goods. One year, OM Spain distributed more than 22,000 kilos (48,500 lbs.) of food.  “Resources are running out,” says Trevor, “and as we seek to establish the first and only Evangelical church in a town of over 40,000, God is giving us the resourses and opportunity to minister to the community, break down barriers and share the gospel. Maybe the floor was a sign from God that we will be having breakthroughs.”

As a grandmother with serious health issues and limited knowledge of Spanish and English, she wondered how she would fit in with a group of young people. But she decided to apply for OM Spain’s internship programme anyway.

Francine soon became the unofficial mother of the team; everyone enjoyed her cooking and timely words of encouragement. She was always ready to talk about Jesus with the hairdresser, the shop attendant, the girl at the café or those in need of help.

Even a local man, Patrick, started attending English Conversation Class at the only evangelical church in Narón after being invited by Francine. He now participates in every meeting at the church and has started to bring a friend to the meetings too.

Francine is excited about being used by God in Spain next year too!

Read more about what God is doing through OM in Spain here (only Spanish).