Write it, draw it, pray it
Christ-followers in North America have a wealth of Christian devotionals to choose from, but this isn’t the case throughout the world. In Spain, for instance, most evangelical Christian literature comes from Latin America. Like the United States and England, the languages are (mostly) the same, but the cultures are not.
SEND Spain’s youth ministry team sensed that Spanish young people needed a resource that reflected their culture and helped them learn longstanding methods for personally growing in the Lord.
Enter “ Escribete
,” an eight-week, hand-illustrated devotional for Spanish youth.
Escribete
—“you write it” in Spanish—takes its name from Jeremiah 30:2, which reads, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.’”
Though writing does, indeed, play a part in the devotional’s daily reflections, the authors know their young audience’s multimedia world well. So, they encourage believers to interact with the Scripture passages by illustrating them, paraphrasing them, and visualizing them like a movie scene.
“For example, for Mark 4:35-41, they draw the boat in the storm, and then write about the storms in their lives,” said Brooke Nagel, a SEND Spain missionary and Escribete
author.
Escribete
also offers fresh ideas for prayer, like writing out a conversation between you and God, and encourages Sabbath rest, community connection and prayer walks.
“The idea isn’t that they’re just doing a study, but that they’re learning from God,” Brooke said. “They’re learning how to spend time with God on their own, so that they can connect with the Lord without needing a devotional.”
The first issue, themed around water, proved so popular that a second printing is under way. The second issue, on the Fruits of the Spirit, will come out in September. The team has nine themes they’d like to explore.
Escribete’s
first issue was written by three missionaries and one Spanish youth leader, but future issues will have more input from Spanish youth leaders. By the third issue, the team plans to welcome an all-Spanish writing team.
“I’m really excited to have more youth leaders writing,” Brooke said. “They’re in their early 20s, and it’s great to see them grow in their confidence—now they know that they can write, they can plan things.”
In addition to helping Spanish believers grow in their faith, some are finding that Escribete
helps them share their faith, too.
“My roommate is going through Escribete
with a Catholic friend,” Brooke said. “It’s helping them have conversations about what is different between the evangelical church and the Catholic church, and why we are free and how we can talk to God.”
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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