STORIES FROM
EUROPE

When Dan and Anna were newlyweds, they began wondering what it might look like to serve God together. Their pastor’s stories of training pastors behind the Iron Curtain sparked an interest in missions. At first, they imagined serving overseas short-term. But as they prayed and looked at the needs around the world, Spain caught their attention.

They soon discovered a tremendous need for people in Spain to hear and understand the gospel. At the time, there was roughly one evangelical believer for every 500 people. After much prayer, Dan and Anna decided to go into missions full-time, and in 2014 they moved to Spain and partnered with ECMI.

For nine years, Spain was home. They learned the language and culture, helped with church plants, built friendships and looked for everyday opportunities to share Jesus. Anna connected with women and families, discipled believers, and shared Bibles and prayed with people she met through her children’s school. Dan began training pastors and church leaders, teaching biblical theology, Old and New Testament surveys and systematic theology.

Over time, one need became especially clear: Spain needed more than believers. It needed leaders who could faithfully understand and teach the Bible.

That conviction continues to shape their ministry today. Although Dan and Anna now live in Pennsylvania, they remain deeply involved in ministry in Spain and across Europe. Through technology and occasional travel, Dan teaches systematic theology at Spain’s largest Bible college, while he and Anna help develop training that equips pastors and church leaders to train others.

And they are seeing the fruit.

Dan has watched students move beyond simply repeating what tradition says and begin carefully reading, interpreting and applying God’s Word for themselves. He has also seen students who once feared theology might make their faith cold and academic discover that knowing God more deeply leads to greater worship and obedience.

Their long-term hope is to see the Spanish church become a sending church — equipping believers to take the gospel and biblical training into North Africa and beyond.

The opportunities are growing faster than Dan and Anna can keep up with. They need wisdom to know where to invest their time, and more teammates to join the work.

This is where your partnership matters. Your support of ECMI helps workers like Dan and Anna continue investing in the church in Europe and equipping leaders who can carry the gospel further. What God began in their hearts decades ago is still multiplying — reaching people they could never reach alone.

There is still much work to do. Pray for Spain, for the leaders being equipped, and for more workers and partners to join what God is doing across Europe.