In 50 years as missionaries, my wife and I have become familiar with immigration laws and offices in the countries where we served: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the United States and now Spain. As recently as 2007, in Valencia, we were standing in line for hours, filling forms and asking God for patience to cope with bureaucratic slowness. In those queues you hear amazing stories of joys, tragedies, dramatic expectations and disappointments for migrant people.
Churches in Spain have had to face the challenge of a massive wave of migrants from Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. It is a missionary challenge, forcing churches to go to the roots of their faith.
In 2002, in a town just outside Madrid, a group of skinheads burned down a Romanian evangelical church and painted its walls with swastikas and racist phrases. We do not make light of these challenges. Twice a week the Baptist church of Vallecas in Madrid provides food and medicine for 600 poor people, mainly immigrants from Morocco and Latin America. Most of the neighbours in the locality are understanding and sympathetic, but some have protested because of the long lines that form for three hours. In addition, groups of drunk hooligans have interrupted church services. All urban ministry opportunities can be costly.
