Salvator and Lydia (Rubenic) Schopfhauser
Though they grew up on opposite sides of the world, Lydia and Salvator both grew up in families with a deep passion for God and strengthening the Body of Christ. Lydia grew up near Chicago, Illinois, and went on her first mission trip in 2014 to Guatemala. She was deeply marked by her time serving in the communities, and that marking moment changed the trajectory of her life. Lydia continued on to study Pre-medical Biology and Applied Ethics at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee with the hopes of returning to the mission field as a medical missionary after she finished her studies. However, during her senior year, the Lord taught Lydia about His heart for deep discipleship, and when she launched onto the mission field with Independent Missionary Network in 2019, she chose to take what she learned from her launch experience and create an apprenticeship program to equip and empower other new missionaries to learn how to begin their life in missions in a powerful way, incorporating language studies, cultural acclimation training, one on one discipleship, and diverse service opportunities into a 6-month journey to help grow mature believers who were ready to serve on the mission field whole heartedly. During the pandemic in 2020, Lydia found herself in the U.S.A when borders closed, and rather than taking sabbatical from her missions work, she began working with the IMN administrative team, eventually stepping into the role of Field Operations Manager for the IMN Guatemala team.
Salvator grew up outside of Vienna, Austria in a family of 7. He had a life changing encounter with the love of Jesus at the age of 17 in Salzburg, Austria at a Charismatic Catholic community called Loretto, and from that moment he burned to see renewal and a fresh move of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church. After finishing high school and a year of civil service abroad in Jerusalem, Israel, he began training to become a Catholic priest. Salvator began doing short-term missions work in Austria, Germany, and Italy with a Charismatic-Catholic group called Bethabara, serving in youth seminars, doing family restoration ministries, deliverance ministry, and helping believers who had grown cold have a fresh encounter with the love of Jesus and learn about the friendship they could have with the Holy Spirit.
After finishing his masters in Philosophy and Theology at the International Theological Institute of Trumau, Salvator felt prompted by the Lord to take time abroad in the states to continue encountering the Lord at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). During this season, Salvator came into a deep understanding of Sonship, and followed the prompting of the Lord to lay down his pursuit of the Priesthood, and instead take God’s invitation to build the Kingdom through family and missions.
In 2022, Lydia took a sabbatical from her work in Guatemala to continue her ministry education as well at BSSM. To her surprise, over the course of her first semester, God started turning her heart strongly toward the European nations. She began interceding for the European nations to encounter God, and had the opportunity to minister to many European leaders who came to Bethel for conferences during her time at school. Her heart was broken open for the European nations, and she reached out the leaders of an Organization called Awakening Europe, whose focus is evangelism and revival to the European nations. It was during that season that Lydia and Salvator met in Redding, California.
They are thrilled to be launching back to the mission field together as a newly married couple in Germany, working with Awakening Europe. Lydia will be working alongside the Executive Assistant to the Director of the ministry, helping with the development of Awakening’s internship program and the short-term missions department for Awakening Church and ministry school. Salvator will be traveling abroad, developing relationships with pastors, priests, and leaders throughout Europe, and working with an amazing team to prepare Awakening’s annual stadium revival events. He will be traveling regularly to France in the coming year to prepare for the spectacular things God has in store for Awakening Paris 2024.
Lydia and Salvator are thrilled to take up the mantle for revival to the nations and commit to work as missionaries with a heart to see Europe saved, and the Body of Christ wake up!
