The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team arrived in Barcelona the morning after a terrorist attack left 13 people dead and more than 100 hurt. A separate attack in the city of Cambrils killed two other people. The chaplains ministered to residents and tourists in the area where the Barcelona attack was carried out.
Eight chaplains from the U.K. and the U.S., several of whom are Spanish speakers, have prayed with hundreds of people in Las Ramblas.
There are two large makeshift memorial sites on Barcelona's tree-lined pedestrian avenue, Las Ramblas. One is located at the place where a terrorist first drove his van into the crowds of people; the other is where the van was finally forced to stop. Many smaller memorials dot the streets, marking the places where people including children were fatally hit.
Chaplain Jeff Naber began ministering in the streets of Barcelona the morning after the attack. He said the chaplains had opportunities to minister on the train, in the streets and at their hotel. One morning, Naber was out for a run when he came across a woman weeping by a memorial site. He stopped to talk and pray with her.
The street known for its colorful produce market, shops and cafes is now the site of makeshift memorials honoring the 13 victims, from age 3 to 80.
A boy stops to look at one of the memorials in honor of the victims of the Aug. 17 attack.
When the terrorist attack happened, “People were standing in front of the shops and buying stuff, and the vendors are reporting to us time and time again that all of a sudden their customer was gone,” chaplain Jeff Naber said. “They were about to hand them their change for their purchase, and the van came and took them. So a lot of our street ministry here is with the vendors.”
Pausing to pay their respects after a terrorist murdered 13 people including children.
