I'm often asked why International Media Ministries is in Spain. It's a bit of story, but it is one that you see that hand of God. For 20 years, IMM was located in Brussels, Belgium. It was a crossroads for Africa, Europe, and Eurasia. Hundreds of programs were created there for Africa and more as the Iron Curtain fell to the east.
Due to a misunderstanding or miscalculation of visas and media work, IMM was not allowed to function anymore in Belgium. It wasn't long after a lot of bureaucratic fallout had occurred from 9/11, and we will likely never know all that caused the issue.
As John and Ruth Merrell, the leadership of that time, sought what to do, they evaluated many different places. The caveat was that it had to be near an international airport, and it needed to be where people could come from a variety of cultures.
In the end, the Spain Missionary body invited IMM to relocate here. It was the hand of God for sure as you use hindsight to look back. People in Spain who work as extras have a Mediterranean look that is very suitable for Bible stories or stories that are set in the Middle East. At the same time we have a variety of European people available as well. We are able to connect with someone from India or Russia more easily than if we were in the USA because of closer time zones and airports. Our programs have a European or Mediterranean feel from our locations and by the look of the actors and extras, and they feel local and not like something that has been imported from far away.
I won't go on and on because it's amazing how God has made this an important time to be here. God brings good from things meant for bad and we can see that so much in our location at IMM.