New World Foods - 50/50 Fact 10

It's amazing the amount of food the New World provided the Old. Corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, different types of beans, sweet potatoes, chocolate, peanuts, and many other things. There were also items like sugar, which most Europeans weren't able to afford until it began to be produced in mass quantities in the Americas. In the end, this may have been the biggest transfer of food in world history. Many of the things we think of as ordinary food on both sides of the Atlantic emerged from this encounter. And if you don't believe me, think of Italy without tomato sauce, Belgium without chocolate, Spain without gazpacho, and France—and everyone else—without French fries.  - James Amelang, historian (source)

Can you tell which foods are native to Spain?

Spaniards brought boatloads (literally) of food back to Europe after Cristóbal Colón  "discovered" America. Because of Spaniards, we have Italian tomato sauce, French pastries, and Spanish tortilla (an egg and potato dish you'll find at every potluck).

Their missionary tactics are certainly questionable, but for all they took back to Spain and Europe, Spanish explorers brought one very important thing to the Americas: the Gospel. For better or for worse and with the help of the Puritans so many years later, the Gospel spread in America and took root.

It's ironic and unfortunate that now we must set sail ourselves to return the Gospel to Europe. It is our prayer that God will inspire Spaniards to hear and respond to the Word of God; that the Holy Spirit would ignite a fire that spreads throughout Europe and returns Europe to the Gospel.

We have this opportunity to return the Gospel to Spain and see it spread throughout Europe. Can the American church sacrifice from within to see a revived faith in Christ in Europe? It is more needed than we can imagine.

Please help us get to Spain and pray that Spanish hearts would be {re}open{ed} to the Gospel.

*This is fact #10 in our 50/50 challenge (50 new partners at $50 per month will enable us to attend Field Prep Seminar).

**As part of the Prefield Prayer Initiative, we are praying specifically for 6 bunches of oranges (totally native to Spain) in May. Will you pray and consider joining our partnership team?