Join us for a month of bringing the nation of Spain to life at home. Printables, recipes, reading recommendations, prayer points, and more. Come explore the culture and people of Spain with us! NEW! Engagement pages are here for your youngest travelers to fill out.
Get started in 3 steps
1. Download and print the resource package to display somewhere where the whole family can see (ours is by the dining table) 2. Pray for the nation of the month each day 3. Pick two or more activities from below. (You are welcome to do them all, but let's be real, sometimes the "extras" just ain't happenin'!)
Make cards to send to the missionary of the month, be sure to include exactly what you have been praying for them during this time.
Pickup some of the recommended books from the library, scatter them around the house, or intentionally select them for read alouds
Plan a night to eat like the Spaniards
Locate Spain on a map
Watch the the recommended videos
Join the conversation on facebook for more ideas, links, and to share your journey
More than 10 million Spaniards live in towns with no Evangelical presence
Spotlight on a Missionary
You are encouraged to pray for a missionary from your own church to the nation of Spain, but on the chance that your church is not currently supporting a missionary in this country, please consider joining us in praying for our featured missionary.
Aaron and Natalie Sandoval with Camino Global leading a church plant called Light Madrid
Aaron and Natalie Sandoval have been called by God to lead a unique church planting effort called Light Madrid in the heart of the Spanish capital. Their goal is to reach a young generation of Spaniards in this very spiritually dark city by connecting with their needs, building community and creating an outreach environment that is loud, intentional and Gospel-centric.
Aaron and Natalie grew up as 3rd generation missionary kids active in church planting and ministry leadership in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and Bolivia. They grew up fully exposed and immersed in the realities of ministry and church planting. Leading youth ministries, teaching, counseling, as well as active leadership roles in various churches in Latin America, North America and Europe have provided them with first-hand ministry leadership experience.
They are now leading a team to plant a church aimed at intentionally reaching the young, creative and lost young generation in the gritty neighborhood of La Latina. Aaron and Natalie Sandoval have been called by God to lead a unique church planting effort in the heart of Madrid.
Aaron and Natalie’s talents and gifts in leadership, teaching and exhortation, along with an ability to provide momentum-building vision, have all formed part of the process of preparing them to lead a church planting team in Madrid.
They have two boys, Diego and Xabi, who love all things real Madrid.
The Sandoval's have asked for prayer support in the following areas:
1. Pray for our new location in the heart of downtown. We are working on creating a space that encourages people to have real conversations, meet new friends, and lead to Gospel-sharing opportunities.
2. Pray for a large evangelistic campaign that will happen this summer in Madrid. We are praying for 5000 people to accept Jesus as their savior. We are helping to organize and train all the volunteers who will counsel and talk to people during the event.
3. Pray for our two boys and ongoing ear issues. They might need new rounds of ear tubes.
Learn more about their family and ministry here. Write to the Sandovals at: Aaron and Natalie Sandoval Calle Tablas de Daimiel 38,
Paracuellos de Jarama
Madrid, 28860
Spain Be sure to include your family photo, or some stickers for the kids. Check out our new printable engagement pages for young kids to fill out!
This video gives some insight into the modern Spanish mindset and the goals of the Light Madrid church plant.
Recommended Reading
The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf - Recommended age 3-6
Who could not love the classic tale of the big bull who hated fights and loved flowers. Ferdinand is a classic set in the glory of old Spain. Simply a good story to begin falling in love with Spanish culture.
Medio Pollito, A Spanish Tale, by Eric A. Kimmel - Recommended age 6-8
A modern retelling of an old Spanish folk tale. Medio Pollito, the half chick, dreams of going to Madrid to see the king, but finds that taking time to help others on his journey develops friendships which help him out of scrapes in the end.
Anno's Spain, by Mitsumasa Anno - Recommended age 4-99
A wordless books that's worth the journey time and again. I recommend touring the pages of this book towards the end of your time in Spain, because you will see how many references to art and culture are hidden in the charming illustrations. Young children will enjoy finding Anno riding his horse in his pointy hat on each page.
Picasso (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists), by Mike Venezia - Recommended age 8-12
I love this series by Mike Venezia which brings humor and personality to influential historical figures. Though I'm not a huge fan of Picasso, this provided an eye opening look into his life and art. Side note- Venezia also has series titled Getting to Know the Wolrd's: Scientists, Composers, Inventors, and Presidents.
Isabella of Castille, Queen on Horseback, by Joann Burch - Recommended age 9-12
Isabella of Castile was unquestionably one of the most influential queens of her era. This short biography gives a good overview of the Golden Age of Spain, and the influence of Isabella and Ferdinand.
The Little Matador, by Julian Hector - Recommended age 3-6
The Little Matador comes from a long line of famous matadors, and his father is anxious for him to follow in his steps. However, this matador would rather paint! how his father reacts when he finds out leads to a sweet story of finding your own calling in life.
Don Quixote, by Michael Harrison - Recommended age 9-14
The classic tale of an old Spanish gentleman inspired by tales of noble knights and fantastic battles. Don Quixote sets out to find deeds of valor with which to distinguish himself.
The Girl, the Fish & the Crown, by Marilee Heyer - Recommended age 6-10
A Spanish folktale in which a selfish girl is turned into a fish and must learn the value of hard work, sacrifice, and friendship before she is allowed to resume her human form. A fanciful tale beautifully illustrated.
Cultures of the World: Spain, by Elizabeth Kohen-Recommended age 10-13
Excellent general reference on the history, geography and culture of Spain.
Recommended viewing
Rick Steves' the Majesty of Madrid. This is a travel video, but very informative of the history and culture of Madrid. This video covers some of the history of Spain's civil war from 1936-39. Depending on your children's age and/or your family values, you may want to skip from 20.31 to 22.57 in which Rick begins his tour of the Prado Museum. The first several paintings he features are nudes.
If you enjoyed the above video you may also like Rick Steves' Andalucía which covers the southern portion of Spain. Historically Rick explains the difficult, and often tragic relationship between the Muslim and Catholic influences of Spain both past and present. Culturally, he discusses bullfighting, flamenco dancing, women's fashion and of course food.
Beautiful playlist of Spanish guitar music to enjoy on your Spanish meal night.
Recipes
Spain is of course, known for it's food. From early evening tapas, to late dinners, Spain's street food and seafood are adored around the world. I have chosen a few national dishes to highlight, but of course you can get as elaborate as you'd like by searching the internet.
Comprised of potatoes, onions, and eggs, this is a very common dish throughout most regions of Spain. Eaten as a light dinner, an after noon sandwich on baguette, or in smaller slices as part of a tapas platter, Tortilla Española has found a place in the weekly menu of millions of Spaniards.
There are as many different ways to prepare paella as there are regions in Spain. Named for the pan in which it is cooked, originally Paella was a rice dish from Valencia with chicken, rabbit, snails, and three kinds of fresh beans. Today Paella is often associated with seafood, chicken, and vegetables. However there is no right or wrong way to make this dish as each region added the ingredients most accessible to them. I choose this version to make for our family because we love chorizo and seafood not so much. A quick google search will yield hundreds of variations and I encourage you to find one that your family will enjoy. Several sites did emphasize the importance of using the correct rice in order to achieve the coveted "crust" Paella is famous for. Try to find Valencian, or Bomba rice.
I couldn't resist the temptation to try out a churro recipe, and this one fit the bill. Churros are what would happen if a donut and a french fry had a baby and they are delicious! Spaniards frequently greet the day with churros con chocolate, yes, that's right, churros dipped in liquid chocolate and it is every bit as decadent as it sounds.
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