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Madrid Part 2: Inside the Moroccan/Muslim World

Walking Prayerfully in Faith through Spain

• Walking with God // God's Deliverance, God's plans
• Adam Cole // December 22, 2009

I have been in Madrid now for two days, linking up with Alex (his name changed to protect his identity), a missionary sent here to minister specifically to the Moroccan population of Madrid, the majority of which are Muslim, though a portion (how much or little is uncertain) connect to the faith more culturally than religiously.

It is a crucial ministry, considering the increasing Moroccan population in Spain. Spain lies to the north of Morocco; most Moroccans come to Spain for the country’s economy and job prospects, and then send money home. It is reported that there an estimated 710,401 total Moroccans are in Spain presently, a fraction, still, of the 43 million population. Moroccan population growth in Spain has gone in spurts, from 59,000 Moroccans residing in Spain in 1990 to 200,000 in 1998 and 397,000 in 2005.

Rather than specific outreaches, my main focus was to encourage Alex and pray over his ministry. His work in Spain for the past four years has been a continual season of planting seeds; he and his wife are patiently and expectantly awaiting the fruit of it. It’s a difficult process, he explains, because one has to find certain in-roads into a closed community, which often is very exclusionary of people that are outside their people group. What’s more, Spain has a long history of Christian-Muslim rivalry, with one group ruling over the other; one of the deepest moments of long term embitterment came in the 15th century with the decree that Muslims, as well as Jews, would have to convert or be expelled. With all this in mind, it seems like mission impossible, but of course nothing is impossible with God. We prayed that God would lead others to connect him so that a house church might be a reality or that the vision of an Internet café may see life.

Personally, I walked the grounds of the Madrid’s main mosque, Islamic Cultural Center, with one of Alex’s counterparts, praying for the salvation for those that were inside and were around there, men and women holding onto a belief that if they pray 5 times a day and make a trip to Mecca.

Alex and I were graced to have a lot of moments of brother-to-brother fellowship, to share in the Word and share our testimonies. It felt as if we were longtime brothers in Christ. The other morning (and the substance for the attached devotional) we opened up Romans 15:1-5, which became the inspiration for him becoming a missionary, particularly to the Muslim population. Its essence is that of taking in the gospel not to please ourselves but in order to give others hope. It’s something so simple but something we seem to forget so often…that the gospel has such a transformative power that out of our own compassion for others we should be sharing it. Alex continues to gain inspiration from that verse, as the Holy Spirit continues to move him to be in the lives of Moroccans of Spain.

The wounds in Spain continue to run deep…pray for Alex, pray for his ministry, pray that Christ may bring reconciliation, as He brings the mostly Muslim Moroccan population to Himself.

Only by His Grace, Adam