On March 15, an announcement was made that we will be leaving Spain to serve as “Missionaries in Residence” at Welch College this year and for Tim to continue on after that to lead the Missions program. Many of you responded with encouraging words (and a few questions) about this big news from our family. So we thought we’d share our answers with everyone:
How are you feeling about leaving Spain?
Our emotions are very mixed, and our hearts are torn. God blessed us when He gave us a wonderful “host” country here in Spain, where we have lived and learned so much about ministry. And, now He is giving us the opportunity to share that experience with future missionaries as we train them to be sent out to the uttermost parts of the Earth. As the song says, “We have decided to follow Jesus…”, whether it was His call to go to Spain or to return to the States.
How can we pray for you between now and when you leave Spain?
(This could easily become the longest answer in history, so we’ll only give you the highlights!)
Please pray for the millions of details that need to be worked out with our move: leaving our apartment, shipping our furniture and personal items back to the States, turning over ministries in our church and new target area, and saying all of the difficult goodbyes to our friends here. Pray also for Ana as she has some very important final exams: French DELF exam in April, French selective exams in May, Spanish selective exams in June, and also the ACT in June, which is only offered in Barcelona, a five-hour trip from where we live.
What will happen to the ministry in Spain after you leave?
Even as God was preparing us for this transition, he was preparing the ministry in Spain for a new missionary couple who will be joining our team in the next few months. Sam and Lauren Riggs are currently raising support and will be working with the Edgmons in the ministry here. They are planning to help with English conversations in our target area, as well as spearheading some new ministries there.
What will your first few months in the States look like?
If everything goes as planned, we will leave Spain around the middle of June. We’re looking forward to attending the National Association of Free Will Baptists in Memphis, Tennessee, during the week of July 18-21. And then on July 24, Alejandro and Breanna will be getting married. We will be traveling to our supporting churches to share about what God has done in the work here in Spain and to thank everyone for supporting us over the years. We will also serve as the “Missionaries in Residence” at Welch College, where we’ll be connecting with students and Tim will be teaching several classes.