Rosedale International (RI) recently celebrated the retirement of two long-term workers to the Mediterranean. After twenty-seven cumulative years of service, Pablo and Judi have returned to the United States to retire from mission work. We invite you to join us as we honor and celebrate their work and look toward their new season of life in Columbus, Ohio.
Pablo and Judi’s service with RI (then Rosedale Mennonite Missions) began with voluntary service assignments to Costa Rica in 1972 and 1973, respectively. During this time, the two met and began their journey together. In 1987, Pablo and Judi answered the call to Ecuador, where for eleven years they raised a family and worked to plant churches and spread the gospel. Then in 2007, God again called them to mission work, and again they followed—this time to Granada, Spain, where they lived for the last thirteen years.
In Spain, Pablo and Judi focused their energy on forging relationships. Although the majority of Spaniards identify as Catholic, Pablo explained that very few are practicing or born again. Judi credits this, in large part, to the rigidity of Spain’s religious system. “There are many people with deep needs who are so turned off by the religious system—in reaction, they’ve thrown everything [about Christianity] out the door. They’ve never had anyone to walk alongside them on a daily basis, fleshing out the concept of who Jesus is—the true Jesus of love and compassion and forgiveness and acceptance.”
“You can’t force [Jesus] on anybody; you have to trust the Holy Spirit to be at work.” -Judi
“We wrestled with following Jesus and wanting to share that with friends who weren’t there yet. You have to respect where they are in their spiritual walk while knowing that their life could be so much more joyful if they would know him on a personal level. But you can’t force that on anybody; you have to trust the Holy Spirit to be at work.”
Within this tension, Pablo and Judi look back on many moments of joy from their time in Spain—baptizing a friend on the bank of a river; singing in several choirs; spending hours around the dinner table with friends; evenings spent singing and praying with a young man from Togo. They worked diligently to plant seeds and prepare for harvest.
Kevin, RI Mediterranean Regional Director, speaks highly of their work in Spain. “I’ve observed Pablo and Judi striving to engage in the lives of their friends, loving them as Christ loves us. I’m reminded of Paul’s message to the church in Corinth: ‘I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people…. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life’ (1 Cor. 9:19-23 MSG). Pablo and Judi have lived out Paul’s words exceptionally well.”
As they look toward the future, Pablo and Judi are excited to build their life in Columbus and spend time with their children and grandchildren. And although they will no longer serve with RI, they don’t truly consider their time on the mission field to be over. “We tried to be normal people in Spain. We didn’t come with a big agenda; we wanted to be with people and bring Jesus into the conversation. That’s something we can do anywhere,” Pablo reflected. “The idea of Kingdom building took root in our lives long ago and has become part of our vision. As long as the Lord gives us health and strength, we want to be focused on that.”
RI is grateful to Pablo and Judi for their many years of hard work and dedication to spreading the gospel. Please pray for them as they make the transition into a new culture and a new stage of life. Pray that in this season, God would bless, guide, and protect them, and would continue to lead them to opportunities to share his good news.
2 Responses
Pablo & Judi, you have blessed my life in many ways, beginning back at RBI in 1981. May God bless you with many more fruitful years for His honor and glory.
Wonderful! You are now in the Finishers Category! May these next years bring you two much joy.