Tanja and I stepped off the airplane in Zürich in December of 2016 with 13 suitcases containing all our possessions and our two young kids in tow. We were venturing into the unknown with an assignment from God to spread the good news of Jesus to the people of Europe. We stood in faith on a clear word from the Lord—spoken and confirmed to both of us—that this was the path He had for us. We were ready. We were excited. We were a little terrified.
We had nowhere to live. No base of operations. And we knew no one.
Since that time, Ignite Europe has grown and we’ve seen God provide for us and enable us in miraculous ways. He’s opened doors in places we never dreamed of going, and we’ve seen Him save countless souls who had never heard of Jesus and were hungry for the truth.
Many people think that being a missionary evangelist in Europe is glamorous or an extended vacation under the banner of Christianity. But that’s far from the reality of our work here in Europe. Let me assure you, we’re not sitting at a café in Paris, eating pasta in Rome, or riding gondolas in Venice. There are many, many places in Europe that are considered third world. There are many places here at war. There’s a lot of unrest and uncertainty: political, governmental, and economical across the continent. These are the places God has called us to.
In this ongoing series of blog posts, I’ll share with you some of the side stories of our work here in Europe that don’t make it into our newsletter. Exciting stories of God’s provision and divine appointments, encouraging stories of people being healed, and inspiring stories of the bravery of people we get to meet and work with to spread the gospel. I hope these stories will give you a little insight into what a day in the life of doing missionary evangelist work in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia can be like.
Stay tuned!
–Shawn
