Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Investigation

I went with Maribel and Alex into a neighborhood right outside the center of Madrid on a scouting mission. They have the vision of extending their ministry into Madrid and starting up a new immigrant residence and church there. There's this neighborhood called Usera that has a really high population of immigrants. Mostly Asian and Latin American. There were shops and hair dressers and restaurants with signs in all languages that indicated specialty for Ecuadorians, Chinese, Kurdish, latinos, Asian Pacificos, etc. Those all seem to be very open air, social cultures like the Spanish because the streets were full of people walking, hanging out on street corners and parks. There was the car with all the windows rolled down and the music blaring to provide a little entertainment. We sampled una bebida typica de Kurdistan (a typical drink from Kurdistan): a plain liquid yogurt with lemon and salt. It was...interesting. It tasted like sour milk smells. We stood outside a local Chinese evangelical church and watched as the people showed up for the service that was about to start. There were actually more evangelical churches in the area than I expected. What difficult work they have to do! The more exposure you have to the worldwide church the more beautiful the image of every tongue and nation and pueblo and tribe and people bowing down to the King becomes.





This is the front of the Chinese church in the middle of Usera:


People put these up when they are looking for a room to rent or sell something or find work.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

TOLEDO

The week started off really busy. I had been feeling a bit bored, so I spoke up and now I've got enough work to keep be busy plus some. Office work with Steve and Coralie, putting together a ministry budget for the residencies, and starting a new banner!

So on Friday, we took a day off and went on a day trip to TOLEDO. The fog cleared as we left Madrid and the bright blue sky made for a perfect day for being tourists. It was Esther, Dani, and Claire (who we just met this week. She's touring around Madrid for a week and needed people to hang out and explore with!) By far the most beautiful city in Spain that I've seen so far. The tight streets that wind around in a maze of confusion. The little nooks that have coffee shops in them. The colorful patio covers and adorning flower pots. The huge and timeless rock wall that surrounds the city. The paella that had so much shellfish in it the girls were grossed out (I was smart, I ordered Spaghetti). The river that surrounds the rock wall that has rock cliffs stretching up the opposite side. The architecture and design that shows the Moorish influence from the last millennium. Pretty.



I still can't get over the awesomeness when 4 gals from completely different continents have come together in the name of Jesus to one location and can enjoy each other's company. Esther from Germany, Claire from South Africa via Londen, Dani from Australia, and Lisa from the USA.





















"The torture isn't art nor culture. Bullfighters Assassins."

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

He is my guide, my strength and my courage

In Sunday school on Sunday it was highly amusing. We were talking about God being our guide. He guides his children just like a father would lead and discipline his children. Declan looks at me with his intimidating glare and asks, "Do you cultivate yams?" I hesitated a moment and then said, "Not me personally." He and Daniel and Sylvester went on to explain to me the very tender art of cultivating a crop of yams, a common crop in Nigeria. It's a root crop, you see, so it grows beneath the ground. The farmer has control over what is done above ground. You have to make sure the vine grows straight and strong, so you put a guidepost in. This ensures the vine has enough space to grow, enough exposure to the sun, etc. Then the farmer trusts that what's going on beneath the surface is going to turn out good based on the work done above ground. We spent a good 10 or 15 minutes developing this illustration for how God guides his children. God knows the way we need to grow, he knows how to make it happen, he's the ultimate farmer. He is intimately involved in the crops and knows which ones are at which stage of growth. Ultimately all nourishment and life comes from the farmer's proper care. God is the farmer; We are his crops. hehehe.

This is Declan and Sylvester and Juliette. But Juliette hasn't been coming to Sunday School.



Monday, Dani, a new short termer from Australia, shared a devotion citing Joshua 1. When Joshua is taking control over the Isrealites and they are about to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. God tells him repeatedly to be strong and courageous, Joshua, be strong and very courageous. Because let's face it, every day on this earth when things are so terribly difficult and we're called to God's business and we struggle through, the promise that we can be strong and courageous and take heart because He has overcome the world...is something to be held onto. What a great reminder! It definitely came at a good time also. I'm over half way through my 8 month time in Spain and I'm starting to feel that impatience in wanting to go home! I need to remain engaged in the work being done here though!!

This is Dani:


I'm grateful that God is using scripture to speak to me more and more lately because I've had a hard time focusing on that since I've been here. When God teaches you so clearly and strongly through experiences and through people and situations and His truth is reinforced through observation of the life and work around me, taking time to sit in front of the Bible is far from my mind. But what a source of joy.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

La Bandera y hablando

It was a fairly normal week here in Casa Vaqueras. Constant changes and putting out fires aside, we worked on a really fun project! Last week in his sermon, Alex laid forth the theme for the year 2008 in this church. To be witnesses of Jesus Christ to the nations, taking from his departing words to the disciples before he was taken up to Heaven. Luke 24. So Alex gave us creative freedom to do it however we wanted, but he wanted those words put up in front of the church. Paint? Posterboard? We ended up with the idea of a cloth banner. Maribel and I worked with a little of professional advisement from Lina and after three days we had this:




Diane Lippitt is my inspiration. =)

Also this week, I colored pictures with Beatriz who is a fledgling artist who either wants to be a missionary or an architect. Or both! I'm enjoying getting to know her better and we spend a lot of time talking about how terribly frightening the future is. Except the difference between Beatriz and myself is that in her 15 years she has a lot of fear and anxiety thinking about the future and the decisions she has before her. She walks around with a melancholy look complaining that she has too much on her mind. Those dramatic teenagers! And me...in my all of 27 years, I see the future as a huge and wonderful possibility that brings nothing but excitement and peace. So I look at her with a sparkle in my eye and tell her that God will continue to be good no matter where she finds herself.

I also went with Maribel to register two of the new immigrants who arrived from Brazil. They've been here a couple of months and have decided to stay. They have to stay and work for three years before they can be legal residents. So in order to register, they go down to the local office to enter the paperwork. I went to observe and see. It was surprisingly easy. The lady at the desk just took all the papers and checked their passports. Then she printed off the official document that says they registered on this date and therefore in three years they can be eligible for residency. It was an important step, but that means the next three years will be hard. They need to find good jobs and keep themselves out of trouble. We also learned that Rosanna has four children back in Brazil! So she won't be able to return or see them until after the three years. Que dificil!

Sunday, January 6, 2008

2008 is great!

Welcome to the the New Year! Bienvenido al ano nuevo!

Algunos pensamientos a empezar el ano. Necesito practicar mi espanol mas, entonces voy a blog en espanol. Han eliminado mi clase de espanol, entonces voy a continuar en el nivel bajo. Pero me gusta la profesora Lola. Tambien, tengo planes a viajar un poco mas al Pais Vasco, Valencia con mis padres cuando vengan, y posible al sur a Almeria o Sevilla y Marruecos!

Just kidding. I know that the majority of you don't speak Spanish, so I won't blog in Spanish. However, please know that I'm translating this into Spanish as I type it just so that I can practice.

December was fantastic followed by a great trip to Germany. I'll just tell the highlights! The 36 hour bus ride to Germany was a bit frustrating. The bus broke down inside the France border and we sat/slept on the bus for 6 hours waiting for another bus to come get us. After we got to Germany and all the Spanish speakers had gotten off the bus, I was left at the final stop having to switch buses with only German and I had no clue where I was or where I was going and I had no way of asking. So I just followed the crowd of people that were waddling with their suitcases and saying "Frankfurt...Frankfurt." It was comical and I only cried a little bit out of my frustration; I hate not knowing where I am. I connected with Esther and her dad at the bus station in Frankfurt and it was all uphill from there.

They live in a small village about 45 minutes away. Seemed like less driving 140km/hour on the autobahn. Her house was like a five star hotel compared to my little room in Spain. Real carpet, a real family, a real dining room table with fresh bread and homemade jam every morning. We drove around and saw all of her favorite places in her villages, went to church, ate a fancy meal at a 1000euro/month country club, saw a German castle, a Coptic Orthodox monestary, and ate bratwurst in downtown Frankfurt. We were taking the train back to her village from Frankfurt and we got distracted watching an Italian man play with his little toddler son so we weren't sure which stop we were at. Esther got off the train to check the sign, but the doors closed! I was still on the train and she was on the platform and the train slowly started pulling away and we gave each other that look of terror and panic through the glass. I giggled but secretly I was terrified because I was on a train going somewhere I didn't know. She called my cell (lucky she had the number) and told me which stop to get off at. Then she proceeded to come on the next train. I don't think I'll ever forget that look of panic we gave each other!

New Years eve was celebrated in the house of a friend of a friend. 9 people who didn't really know each other including the one who didn't speak German. Good thing they all learn English in school, so they can speak English good enough to communicate. We stood outside on a hill outside the village at midnight in a dense icy fog and shot off fireworks, drank champagne, and listened to the fireworks going on all around us and watching this fog turn pink and green. I learned to count down from 10 in German and say Happy New Year. I practiced all day to prepare.

It was a great time!! It was difficult to come back to Spain for several reasons. There's no real comfortable home to come back to. No fresh bread and homemade jam every morning. It made me a bit homesick and it was hard to come back to Spain knowing that I wasn't really going "home" anyway. So the bus ride was a bit bitter, but then I get here to smiling faces and warm greetings. Then this morning...church. A great Sunday School where we talked about how good God is (a common topic), then an amazing cup of coffee, and tons of people came for the service. An amazing energy was in the air and God reminded me gently but firmly that this is where I'm supposed to be and it's a great honor and privilege to be on His side and work for Him and be here with these people at this time with the rich cultures. There's definitely an air of newness and new beginning and I know the future holds no fear and no worry. 2008 is starting off very well.

Esther's family's house.


Peter, Gisela, and Esther Kohler.


All the German words look like the letters have been put in a blender and were put back out of order.


German countryside:






Driving down a street in her village:


Approaching the Castle.




Esther, Katarina and Francy in the freezing fog on New Years Eve.


Me and Esther partying!






Downtown Frankfurt




Can you tell I'm about to die of hypothermia?


Esther and her 88 year old grandmother (she patted me on the cheek and told Esther that she could tell I was a good person because I looked her in the eye. She called me the German equivalent of "darling" and Esther said that means she liked me.)