We are Victor and Maddy Ramirez, and we are missionaries with Tentmakers Bible Mission to north Spain. We have four children: Donovan, Nathan, Wesley, and Adela.
Victor
I was led to the Lord when I was a child by my aunt in Mexico. She used the wordless book and I accepted the gift of salvation. My mother and I moved to La Rioja, Spain, when I was nine. During my teenage years I rejected Christianity and thought that it was something that was forced into me. I rejected the faith and even the possibility of knowing if there was a God. The work of the Holy Spirit, my early salvation decision, and the prayers of my family brought me back from rebellion.
I studied aviation in Madrid, and to find work in 2009, I went back to Mexico to the house of the aunt that led me to the Lord. Despite being openly agnostic at the time, they accepted me into their home. I had the intention of becoming a pilot, but I was never able to meet the government requirements. I saw my dream of becoming a pilot vanishing. I felt like I had nowhere to go. In Spain, I couldn’t afford the practice hours I needed. I felt lost.
One night, my aunt, uncle, and I started talking about the Bible and Christianity. When I shared my doubts, they pointed me to Christ and the Bible. I started reading the Bible to find where they were wrong. I read it without paying too much attention until I came across the passage of the prodigal son. At that point in my life, I related to him so closely. I realized my faults and sin against God. I had denied Him, I had opposed Him, and sinned against Him. That night I prayed and asked God to forgive me. He changed my heart’s desire to pursue a life dedicated to serving Him.
In 2011, I went to Pensacola Christian College where I received a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Ministries. There I met Maddy and we got married in 2014. I received my seminary master’s in 2016. During my time in school, I interned at a local church, working with Spanish-speaking congregants.
Maddy
I was born and raised in the St. Paul area of Minnesota. I have an older sister and younger brother who are very close to me in age, and we were homeschooled for most of elementary and high school. My parents have been Christians since before I was born, so our family always has attended church. It was there that I first understood the gospel, although I’m sure I had heard it often before. But in a Sunday School teaching I realized my need for a Savior, and accepted Christ’s gift of eternal life and asked for His forgiveness of my sins. I was still pretty little at the time, so I didn’t completely understand what being a Christian is all about, and as I grew in the Lord, He taught me what it means to surrender my life to Him in every aspect; the big things and the little things—not just my actions, but also my thoughts and purpose.
In high school I struggled with deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I knew that I wanted to serve Christ in whatever career path I chose, but didn’t know where to start. My dad encouraged me to pursue graphic design since I was pretty good with technology and loved art in general. I thought that was a pretty cool idea, but wondered if I should do something that felt more “meaningful” like medical missions. After a lot of prayer and understanding my gifts, I decided to pursue graphic design, and specifically wanted to be able to use it in a ministry capacity since I had learned that graphic design helps churches and ministries in many ways to be able to further spread the gospel.
I went to Pensacola Christian College for my bachelor’s and master’s in graphic design. There I met Victor my sophomore year and he asked me to consider dating him. I knew at the time that the Lord had placed a calling on his life to serve in Spain, so pursuing a relationship with him meant also coming to Spain to serve God here. After much prayer and deepening our relationship, we got married August 2014 and moved to Spain in August of 2016. I’ve been able to use my skills in graphic design to help the various ministries we’ve participated in. It’s exciting to see how God is working in our lives, and I’m excited to see how He works in our future.