Rafa and Yoli Villalba

Rafa and Yoli Villalba

Serving in L'Arcada camp in Spain, Rafa as director of maintenance, and Yoli volunteers where most needed.

Spain

Account# 58764

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Our Story

Rafa came to know the Lord in a church in Barcelona when he was 13 years of age. For Yoli it was when she was 18, impressed that God wanted a close relationship with His people. He is not a God who is distant and far off. Together they worked with adolescents, young people, and couples in the church and in different camps. Rafa also served as a deacon. They also helped to start a new church. In 2001 they went to family camp at L’Arcada and were amazed at how God was touching the hearts of the campers, how young people gave of their time to serve the Lord as volunteers and how L’Arcada cared for and discipled these young people. The next year they volunteered at the camp serving in maintenance, the kitchen, administration and wherever they were needed. Rafa has served full time as maintenance director for 16 years. Yoli helps where needed. She has a secular job but would like to join Rafa full time at the camp as funds are available. They lead the two programs of McGyver and MisGyver where they teach practical skills (electricity, plumbing, wood work, etc.) to help young people serve the Lord in their church or other ministries. They are both active in their church as time permits. Their daughter Laura (28) is a teacher and is the director of the camps in L’Arcada with the Native Indian theme. Michael (24) is studying a double major in engineering and helps Rafa with maintenance at the camp whenever he can. The whole family is fully committed in helping the camp and love serving the Lord at L’Arcada.

Where We Work

Camp L’Arcada is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain’s northeastern province of Girona. Because 99.3% pf Spain’s 47 million citizens do not have a personal relationship with Christ, 60-70% of its campers come from non-Christian homes and have never heard the gospel message. For that reason, the camp’s primary goal is evangelism. The second is the discipleship of the volunteers who help run the camps to make them more effective in their ministry. This second goal leads to the third of helping to build the local churches. Many of these volunteers have become leaders in the churches of Spain.

There is so much that can be carried out in a camp setting, such as evangelism, service, training, sharing, encouraging, exhorting, etc. All these activities encourage non-Christian campers to accept Christ as their Savior and help those who are Christians to grow in their commitment to follow the Lord.