Katie Gonzales is currently a sophomore at Metea, but plans on going on a mission trip in Spain.

Where are you moving?
Possibly to Spain! I actually just got back from a trip there last night.

Why is your family thinking about moving there?
My family and I got appointed as missionaries in June, so we will go and plant churches in Spain.

How did you get involved with this?
My dad is a pastor and my parents always thought that one day they would go into mission and go to another country, but we ended up feeling like we should go now. My parents went to a conference early in 2015 to learn more about what being a missionary would entail. They looked at many countries and we prayed about where we should go, and Spain stood out to us. We then looked into organizations to go to and we got appointed through SEND international. They send missionaries all over the world. My parents completed a ton of paperwork and we went to COP (Candidate Orientation Program) in Michigan in June of last year. That is when we got appointed and we took classes to help us understand what being a missionary means.

What does being a missionary mean to you?
It means everything to me now. I think it’s amazing that I get to share my faith with people on an international level.

What other opportunities have you had similar to this one?
I went on a short term mission trip for a week with my youth group in Tennessee in 2012. And then I felt called to go to Jamaica in 2015 for a week, but I got really sick with the flu the day before we were supposed to leave. My mom and my younger sister, Jaclyn, went without me. When they came back, that is when my parents felt that they were being called into missions sooner. It took me a long time to stop being bitter about not being able to go to Jamaica. But I had to understand that God has a plan and everything happens for a reason. The bigger picture was so that my sister and my mom could go and their hearts could be humbled and worked on.

Do you think it’ll be hard to leave for life here and go to Spain?
Definitely. This is all I have ever known, I think that this is an amazing opportunity for my family and I was in Spain this last week for a vision trip and it was really eye opening. I will really miss my life here but if this is what I’m called to do then I will do it.

What other activities are you apart of?
I am on the sophomore basketball team, and I was in marching band in the fall.

What do you want to do in the future?
I have always wanted to teach. English is my favorite [subject], and in Spain there are lots of opportunities to tutor kids in English. I could definitely see myself teaching either in Spain as a missionary or in the United States.