The one-year anniversary of the Vineyard Church in Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain.
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It Usually Starts Smaller Than You Think
Years ago, I lived in the far North of Canada for three years, close to the Arctic Circle. Wide sky. Endless land. Very little visible faith.
I could work all day, speak with people, laugh, build, fix… and never once hear the name of Jesus spoken with reverence.
It makes me wonder: What does God see when He looks down on a place like that? Did He see no one? Was He waiting for someone…?, for me?
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A Different Kind of Birthday
While we were in Portugal, we drove north into Spain.
Not for a conference. Not for a strategy session. But for a first birthday.
A small Vineyard church in Santiago de Compostela just turned one. Santiago is where the Camino ends. Pilgrims walk for weeks—sometimes months—to arrive there.
They come tired. Reflective. Searching.
And at the edge of that long journey, a small group of believers is quietly building something new.
Not with noise. Not with hype. But with prayer… and coffee.
The one-year anniversary gathering in Santiago de Compostela. ________________________________________
The Question That Changes Everything
Northern Spain carries deep Christian memory.
But today, many towns, some with 20,000+ people, have no evangelical church at all.
So this small team, mostly young Brazilian families, chose a simple way forward:
Pick a town. Find a coffee shop. Show up.
Again. And again. And again.
No stage. No big moment. Just presence.
One day, in a park, they noticed a woman watching them. Not casually. Carefully. So they walked over and said hello.
She didn’t hesitate. She said: “I’ve been praying for years that God would send missionaries to start a church in this city… Are you the ones?” ________________________________________
The Prayers You Never Hear
That question, “Are you the ones?” carries a sacred truth.
Because it reveals what we often forget: Before we ever arrive somewhere, God is already there.
Before we think about going, someone is already praying.
A quiet prayer. A persistent prayer. Sometimes a lonely prayer.
And then, at the right moment, God weaves two stories together:
A people who are searching. And a people who are willing.
And the Kingdom slips in quietly… through ordinary obedience.
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The first-anniversary meeting of the Vineyard Church in Santiago do Compostela.
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A Land That Remembers… but Needs Renewal
Just beyond Santiago is Fisterra, “the end of the earth.”
Pilgrims still walk there. The land remembers faith.
But in many places today, the gospel has grown faint.
It’s a strange tension: A place shaped by God… now living at a distance from Him.
The church that marks the end of the El Camino trail.
If pilgrims walk three more days along the El Camino, they arrive at the end of the trail, Fisterra, Spain, the “ends of the earth.” We drove there.
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When Scripture Tells the Truth
Psalm 14 does not soften reality. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
And then:
“The Lord looks down from heaven… to see if anyone seeks God… not even one.”
That line lands heavy. Not even one.
I recently watched a story of a missionary who spent 25 years translating the Bible for a remote people group.
At the end of his 25 years of language acquisition and Bible translation, no one believed. Not one. He finally agreed with them, walked away from faith, and is now an outspoken atheist.
His wife stayed to carry on with the work.
And the question lingered with me:
Is it possible for a whole place to grow that quiet toward God?
Scripture says—yes. But Scripture never leaves us there.
The Pattern That Changes Everything
God does not begin with crowds. He begins with willingness.
One Abraham. One Moses. One Ruth in a dark generation. One David in a field. One Mary in obscurity.
One. Then two. Then a few. Then a movement.
Jesus said: “You are the salt of the earth.” Not a truckload. A pinch. Just enough to change the whole meal.
How Renewal Actually Begins
It often starts the same way:
A few people who pray. A few show up. A few refuse to let darkness define the story.
In that town in northern Spain, There was one woman praying.
And one small team showing up.
And suddenly… There was more than one.
Closer Than You Think
It’s easy to read this and think:
“That’s Spain.” “That’s missions.” “That’s for someone else.”
But what if it isn’t? What if this is about:
Your street. Your workplace. Your neighborhood. Your coffee shop.
You don’t need a platform. You need presence. You don’t need influence. You need faithfulness.
Because somewhere near you, there may be someone quietly praying: “God… send someone.”
And without realizing it— You might be the answer.
The Invitation
We are still discerning what God may be opening in Portugal, Spain, and beyond.
We are moving slowly. Listening carefully. Planting seeds, not building empires.
But this much is clear: God is still looking.
Still asking: “Is there anyone who seeks Me?”
May He find us. Not perfect. Not loud. Not impressive.
But present. Available. All in.
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Lord Jesus,
You see the quiet places.
You see the cities that have forgotten You, and the hearts that are still searching.
And still, You look for even one.
Make us those people.
Give us courage to live fully for You right where we are.
Teach us to show up again and again with humility, love, and quiet faith.
And where there seems to be no one, Let there be one.
Then another. Then another. Until hope rises again.
