Lisbon, Portugal with the Starburgs
(A special update letter about our mission trip to Lisbon, Portugal in October of 2025)
We just want to start off with an acknowledgment that in this crazy season of life that the Starburg family has jumped into, and the Lord has blessed us in so many ways! Thank you so much for your partnership in prayer and support to make this trip possible and the gospel to be shared in unique ways across cultures.
The Lord put this opportunity on our hearts early on in 2025 as we were thinking about the early season of our marriage. As we finished up our premarital counseling time, we realized how easy it was gonna be for us to focus on ourselves in the season of engagement and early marriage. This led to realize that we want to be defined by radical service to the Lord and those around us, and through some prayer the Lord made it clear where those first steps would be. To make a long story short, our 5 month engagement was filled with 3 months of camp, which led to us spending more time with campers and summer staff than we did each other. Then came our wedding in late August followed by honeymoon, the loss of Jaden’s grandma, recruiting trips for camp summer staff and then Portugal!
It was only 2 weeks post our honeymoon that we headed out to Lisbon. We travelled with other young adults from our church, Fellowship Bible Church in Bentonville, to share the Gospel with students on university campuses in Lisbon, Portugal. God worked in the hearts of those around us in ways that were both seen and unseen. Through conversations with many different kinds of people, ranging from pro-basketball players to DJs, we were blessed to see the Lord work in our own hearts as we talked about Jesus. The most succinct way to describe this trip is through three ideas: Jesus stories, planting seeds, and understanding calling.
Trip Overview
The City of Lisbon
Located in the southeast of Portugal, Lisbon is the largest city in the country. Doesn’t sound like your typical mission trip destination and we agree, but Jesus calls us to go to the lost and Portugal fits that description.
Our Team
Merrit, Hunter, Abby, Valerie, Alli and Jaden – all of us are attendees of Fellowship Bible Church in Bentonville, and even though we had not gathered as a full team before arriving at the airport we were blessed to grow much closer by the end of the trip.
Why Portugal?
Portugal has a population of around 10 million, and around 1% are proclaiming Christians. Known as a post-christian country, Portugal has a long history with the Catholic Church which is deeply engrained in culture. This has produced an apathy towards faith and religion, because it is not something that their culture sees as valuable or worth attention. Our connection to Portugal was through a ministry called Agape Portugal, a ministry of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ International). Agape Portugal has multiple different focuses, but the area of ministry that we poured into was on university campuses in Lisbon. Throughout the trip we got to spend time with the Agape campus student leaders, teaching and diving into ministry with them. We were active on a university campus putting on seminars and getting to know students, all the while seeking to have conversations about how Jesus changed our lives.
Our ministry in Lisbon:
The need for the gospel never changes, across cities, oceans, cultures and times in history! As we prepared for this trip we talked a lot about how the culture of Portugal is willing to recognize Jesus, but the need for a relationship with him is not understood. Our training was focused around how to have conversations about Jesus in everyday life. We quickly realized how helpful that would be as soon as we started having conversations on campus. Steering discussion towards Jesus seemed like it would be an obscure jump in regular conversation but realizing that when you transition from casual to meaningful conversations, talking about Jesus seems natural.
As we arrived in Lisbon, we had little idea what to expect. Working with an established ministry helped us know where to engage, but we soon realized that things were going to be different than expected. When you are trying to do ministry, as foreigners, in a way that is already difficult for the local team, it is an uphill climb. Right off the bat, there were some complications with getting onto the university campus, so the first couple days were slower than expected. Our time was filled with church, exploring the city, touring campuses and also attending a Sporting CP soccer game. Throughout those first few days, we were also able to meet with the Agape campus team, as well as have dinner with more of the broader Agape team. These times were great preparation for us stepping onto campus later in the week.
Jesus stories:
We were able to get onto the University of Lisbon campus for Social and Political Sciences for the first time on Wednesday. Our team divided into groups to hand out flyers for the seminars that we were putting on, one of which was called “The State of American Politics, Economics and Religion.” Using the casual to meaningful to Jesus framework, we handed out flyers and we began to have conversations with students. The seminar was a great segway into conversation even though it seemed to be unfruitful with only 6 attendees on a campus of a couple thousand. Our conversations varied from students who were confused on why we came all the way to Portugal for a simple seminar and others were just intrigued to ask us our feelings on the US political climate. Our team had many meaningful conversations on campus. Jaden connected with a group of guys and spent hours in thoughtful discussions—conversations that often moved from questions about faith to broader reflections on Western culture and politics. From the very first interaction, the Lord opened doors for gospel conversations in places we didn’t expect. Over the two days we were on campus, we built genuine relationships with several students. One student in particular was openly atheist, shaped by painful experiences with his mother’s relationship to the church. Jaden was able to meet with him again later in the week over lunch, where he expressed real curiosity about why anyone would read the Bible at all. It was a powerful reminder of how God works through simple, honest conversations. Alli went to dinner with the other girls on the team and a student but ended up seated beside two guys because of the restaurant’s tight layout. A lighthearted comment about the green mashed potatoes sparked an unexpected, two-hour conversation about faith — who Jesus is in everyday life, what happens after death, and what we’re actually here to live for. Both guys were surprisingly open and curious, and it felt clear that God had placed us right where He wanted us.
Contemplating planted seeds:
As the trip went on we were faced with the fact that the Lord often calls us to plant seeds and be content to never see harvest of the fruit. We had many conversations, some deep and others simply about our daily life in different cultures. The final two full days of the trip were set aside for meeting with the students that we had built relationships with while on campus. After a few invitations, we realized the unfortunate reality that local elections were happening that weekend, and thus almost every student that we met was heading back to their hometowns to vote. This was disappointing because we both were looking forward to more great conversations. Fortunately, three of the team’s planned meetings still happened and each of them resulted in a clear gospel presentation. Also, we attended a unique (and quite hilarious) event that happened on the campus on Thursday night. We were told it would be a barbecue, but when we arrived it turned out to be more of a full campus party–kicked off by the University’s Tunas clubs performing their musical recitals of singing, dancing, and instruments and completed with DJ, lots of beer, and only a hint of actual BBQ. Thankfully, we ran into several students we’d met on campus, and the night was redeemed with some genuinely great conversations.
Life is ministry: understanding calling
As we reflect on this trip, we have many emotions, thoughts and feelings. The ministry that happened on this trip was clear, but the outcome was not. With arguably very little “fruit” to show for our work, we were forced to recognize that the fruit is not what calls us into a life of ministry. Despite the fact that most work gives satisfaction through accomplishment, the work for the Gospel requires deep attention without the expectation of fruit. As Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians 9, he is compelled to preach the gospel—not because of results, but because he has been entrusted with a calling. In the same way, we are driven not by what we see but by obedience to Christ. Our joy is found in proclaiming Jesus faithfully and trusting God alone with whatever growth may come.
We want to say again how grateful we are for your prayers and support as we traveled to Portugal. Just as God calls every believer into daily ministry, our own ministry didn’t end when we returned home. We’ve stepped right back into a full and exciting season of serving at New Life Ranch—Jaden as Program Manager and Alli as our Summer Staff Recruiter—as we prepare for next summer’s camp ministry. If you’re interested in partnering with us further, whether through prayer or financial support, we would love to include you in our ministry newsletter. You can find more information at jadenstarburg.com!. We are continually amazed by the work the Lord is doing around the world, and this trip has made us especially grateful to be a part of it.
With love, Jaden and Alli Starburg
