An Unexpected Gospel Conversation

Last week, during a pastors and missionaries weekend (another story for another time), we went out to dinner at a traditional Basque sagardotegi (cider house). I noticed a group of women celebrating and asked — in Euskara — what they were gathered for. That caught their attention. One of them, Karen, told me it was her bachelorette party.

Because I spoke Euskara, they asked me to take a photo. Then came the questions:

“How long have you been here?”

“Where do you live?”

“Why are you here?”

That is always a great question to talk about God.

In short, I shared that I love the Basque people and I love God because He has changed my life — and because of that, I want them to know that God loves them too. One of the women, Rakel, didn’t take it well. Her tone shifted, and her questions turned sharp. She was clearly carrying pain and distrust toward anything connected to Christianity — something very normal here.

As the conversation got more intense, I asked Esteban (a friend from Madrid) to step in to speak with Rakel in Spanish, while I continued talking with one of the others in Euskara. It wasn’t a wide-open gospel moment, but it was real. They listened. They engaged.

The next day, I saw Rakel again in Bergara (she does not live here). No idea where this will lead — but what started as a simple offer to take a photo turned into a seed planted. God is moving in the Basque country.