Written by Regina Ender
It was never a question for Brooke Nagel whether she would move to Spain - it was a question of when. She always knew she wanted to the minister to the people there, but wanted to do it in God’s timing. Just before heading to APU, she felt God tugging on her heart to take a year away from school and serve in Mexico. Though this was never part of her own plan, Nagel followed God’s direction and spent the year faithfully listening to Him and doing full-time mission work. After fulfilling that calling, Nagel headed to APU as a Spanish major and Christian Ministries minor and also earned a graduate-level Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate. While at APU, Nagel studied abroad in Barcelona before finally becoming a missionary in Madrid after graduating in 2016. Though God took her on a detour, she was obedient to his direction and He fulfilled his promise to her.
Currently, Nagel works for SEND International serving the youth and supporting future church leaders in Spain. Nagel learned about the organization at a fair at APU and was immediately drawn in. She lives in a home outside of Madrid that doubles as a resource center, allowing youth to stay for a few months to focus on their relationship with God, serve their church, and be discipled. The center holds youth leader trainings and summer camps, serving as a supportive resource for the Spanish church. Nagel has also taken on a role as the assistant to the directors of Misión Posible, one of the largest youth conferences in Spain. Her role includes coordinating event details, taking care of staff, and ensuring communication between the teams. In her own congregation, she also serves on a team of middle school youth group leaders. She makes an effort to get to know the students one-on-one and has a meal with a different youth each week. Through a Spanish organization called Decisión, Nagel also volunteers with Operation Christmas Child, making and sorting through boxes full of gifts for children around the world. The organization asked her young adult group to help deliver boxes in the Sahara Desert in April 2018, so she will be traveling there soon to serve and will be able to see the children’s joy in person.
Nagel’s time at APU made her well-equipped for her post-graduation ministry work. She had a senior mentor as a freshman that encouraged her in her faith and helped her adapt to college life, which spurred her to become a senior mentor herself years later. After her freshman year, Nagel led a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, a rare role for an underclassman. She said the experience was perfect practice for her roles now, preparing her to plan and organize mission work in a foreign country. Starting her sophomore year, she served on the Liturgical Chapel SALT Team, which she said challenged her faith and helped her view worship through a different lense than how she grew up. Over the course of three years, Nagel also worked in the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research. This experience helped her gain a better understanding of how to be an effective advocate for others, as well as hone her practical skills through communication and organization. Within the classroom setting, Nagel said she was also well-prepared for her vocation. Her language courses gave her the cultural knowledge she needed to put her ministry into context and her ministry classes taught her how to effectively communicate the gospel, minister in an urban context, and work with youth, all of which she does now. She also loved that within her Spanish classes her professors were each from a different country, so she had the advantage of learning about more history, literature, and culture from people with firsthand experience and unique worldviews.
Words of Wisdom: “Get involved! Join a club, get a job, serve in some way, study abroad. APU offers so many different opportunities and experiences, take advantage of it! Try something new and learn more about who you are and where God is calling you.”
