Lisa SURVIVED Spain

The Word of God

2008-05-28T10:01:00.001-06:00

is so sweet. like honey. I found this passage this morning and it brightened the sky. i shared it with Esther and she said she needed to read it today too. it's so sweet. like honey.

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God.

7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
8 By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"
10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

What's your story?

2008-04-29T17:52:00.002-06:00

I got the great privilege of being able to share about my Spain trip/experience at church on Sunday morning. I got to share about why I went and what it was like, the positives and negatives, and how God taught my heart in it, and the struggles of returning home, and how I *must* carry forth the changes as I move into the future. It was a great opportunity to share what God has done and can do in His world!

As I was preparing for this over lunch with the three preachers, we talked about the importance of sharing your story with fellow brothers and sisters in the church. The positive benefits of telling someone else the things you've been through, the struggles and blessings, and the way God has changed your life through certain circumstances. I know this to be true because not only have I enjoyed sharing with people about Spain, but since I've started sharing, so many people have come up to me and wanted to share their stories as well!! I had a cancer survivor share with me the awesome strength she felt in Christ even though the doctor's appointment kept presenting bad news! I heard from a teacher who spent many years as a missionary in Mexico. I could tell his heart was still in it! Wanting to go back! I've heard about a man who learned the power of prayer through a trip to Thailand.

Keep sharing!!! It allows you a chance to process the information, praise God because of it, and possibly encourage someone else who needs to be reminded of joy and peace!

SEE IT!!

2008-04-23T22:13:00.003-06:00

I just saw this movie. I thought it was great! If you've ever looked at biology or chemistry or physics or the Sandia mountains turn pink at sunset and thought it was just too beautiful to imagine darwinian evolution made it, intelligent design is for you!

Slow Down!!

2008-04-22T16:08:00.012-06:00

My week in Vegas was great. There's something special about the sights and sounds of Las Vegas. I think it has to do with the energy in the air. Driving from Hoover Dam about midnight, and rounding the mountain until you're almost in view of the city lights is remarkably full of excitement! You can see the glow of the city from about 70 miles away and you're just waiting and waiting for the white neon sign to rise up from over the mountains. A superficial manmade sunrise. We got our pictures taken with a real Vegas showgirl, dined at a fancy banquet at the Wynn Hotel and Casino, worked our tails off at the Zia booth at the Arabian Breeder's World Cup Horse Show, and even got to indulge a little In 'n Out burger.

The beginning of the set up.

The final set up.

Brother and Sister all fancy.

I chatted with Deborah about San Miguel, Mexico, her beautiful jewelry, and life in New Mexico. Visit her webpage at www.deborahvaughndesigns.com if you're interested in some beautiful authentic jewelry for yourself or your wife!

We got home on Monday and I'm very thankful that I decided to go to the softball double header, because if I had been in bed at 10:30pm, I had a very good shot of being hit by the stray bullet that decided to fall out of the sky, through my bedroom roof, and land under my bed. Mom and Dad said they heard "something" but it wasn't until I got home and saw the pieces of ceiling on my bed that we panicked. Turns out it was a bullet, the hole in the roof confirmed it. The nice policeman that came by said that it was unlikely it would have killed me had I been laying there.

Ho hum

2008-04-13T16:11:00.003-06:00

I haven't written in a while. I think it's because I don't have anything new or exciting to share! I let my car stretch her legs out on the open road this week on a trip down to Odessa, Texas. Visiting with Esther gave me a renewed spirit. (She moved down there while I was in Spain, and she wasn't going to get a chance to come up to Alb. any time soon, so I went to visit!) We hung out, did some work, I got to meet her friends, have some girl talk, and I got to experience Odessa in its splendor. I enjoyed showing her all my photos from Spain and telling stories that go with them. That's been my favorite part since being home. The people who are genuinely interested in hearing, and those who are willing to take the time to sit down and actually listen. =) Her youth minister at her church joined us, so that was fun. I remember when she first got hired as the Children's minister down there, and we were excited because we were both working in our "first" ministries. I think we've both learned that whether it's a good situation or a bad situation, God can use us and we can learn. Always.

I've also been sharing little anecdotes from Spain with the youth group at church. Every Sunday night, Ben gives me the opportunity to share. I've talked with them about my first few hours in Spain being lost at the airport, and I shared with them about going "fishing for men" with Pilar in the plaza. Tonight I'm going to talk about how I got to mix and pour cement Casas por Cristo style in Spain. How God can use all the gifts and experiences we have to serve Him. How we are uniquely built little people who have so much to offer Him. I enjoy these times of sharing because the room full of mid and high schoolers are actually quiet. They listen. I think it's out of genuine interest. That's nice.

In regard to what I'm going to do next, I think getting a job and staying in Albuquerque is lowest on the list. We'll see. I think in order to make a true decision, I have to seek God more. Until I get my act together enough to do that, no decisions can be made.

This week I'm off to Vegas to work a horse show with my brother. We're driving. Total of 7 days. I'm supposed to put five dollars on Red for Barb. Any other bets?

Back in the 505

2008-03-28T10:46:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone!

I've just about been back for a month already (time is still flying by!). I've been quite overwhelmed with hearing about how many people were reading my blog and how much you all have enjoyed it. Now, I realize I'm no longer in Spain, but if you're still hungry for some good blog reading, I'll continue to write. I've also added a section to the right with links to some other good blogs and sites you might enjoy.

People keep asking me two questions. How are you adjusting to life back home again? and What are you going to do now?

Both questions are somehow better left as questions because the answers aren't all that interesting. I've been spending alot of time in my pajamas. Trying not to overload my schedule and just taking things slowly. I'm enjoying catching up with loads of people over lunches and dinners and hearing about the things that have gone on here in people's lives. I've also been getting back into some things at church. The youth group is starting to fund raise heavily for this summer's trip to Christ in Youth in California, and I got to help out with the Living Last Supper production they did last week. I'm quite excited that God brought me back just early enough to be involved in those things I thought I was going to miss!! And to earn some money while I'm here, I'm working with my brother at Zia at whatever sporting event they need to sell merchandise at next.

As for what I'm going to do next, I've petitioned prayer from anyone interested as I sort through the options. I don't want to feel pressured, like I have to make a decision today about where to go next. I have my moments of stress about it, but after a conversation with a lady at church, she reminded me about how EXCITING it is having the whole future wide open and being able to have options and choose. I feel like the options I have are all wonderful, challenging, useful for God, and fun for me...so any one would be great! I need to just choose one and tackle it!!

So there you go. I'm really excited about the opportunities God has given me to talk about my trip, the things I've learned, the ways I've seen God work. I'm going to be able to share with alot of people, and in that, the trip continues and is still applicable. Isn't that why we go on adventures and experience things? So we can tell others about it and hopefully spark a bit of fire in them also?

"THE" Story

2008-03-06T16:38:00.002-07:00

Here’s the infamous story of how I came to arrive in Philadelphia, USA two months earlier than planned. The following saga is quite unbelievable.

(I began typing this out on Sunday en route) I am currently in London’s Heathrow airport awaiting a flight to the good old USA. I arrived at the Madrid airport on my flight from Casablanca, Morocco on Friday afternoon and the lady at the passport control desk saw my date of arrival in Spain and my date of departure two days earlier and noticed the difference of 6 months. She said, “This can’t be!” The law states that you can enter Spain on a tourist visa for a maximum of three months within a six month period. The fact that I had been in Spain for more than three months caused quite a problem. Coralie and Esther had made it through customs fine (A Spain resident and a resident of the European Union) and were waiting for me when I had to tell them that she noticed the 3 month problem and that I had to go sit to the side. Coralie told me not to cry and that it’ll be okay. I cried. I was terrified of what they were going to do to me! The not-nice lady had kept my passport and I was sitting shamed on the sidelines. I wasn’t alone, and pretty soon a security guard came and moved a group of us to another room. He called my name and explained the law, I explained my situation (I was working as a volunteer, I wasn’t earning money, I wasn’t seeking residency, all my money was from the States, I already had a return flight booked for April…), he shook his head in bewilderment and sent me to sit down again. Pretty soon the group of us were moved upstairs. He called me over again, I explained my situation again to another woman, she shook her head in bewilderment and sent me away again. We went upstairs to the “sala” where they patted me down, took all my baggage and sifted through it, kept the electronic stuff and toiletry stuff, and sent me into the waiting room with everyone else. They allowed me to keep my cell phone because it doesn’t take photos. This turned out to be a great blessing to have the communication with the outside. The cell battery was on near empty and registered empty for all of Saturday, but it continued to work all day long (Thank you Jesus). Me and about 75 other “illegals” trying to enter Spain were in this holding room. Luckily they fed us and sent us to bed. The food, I imagine, was a horrible cross between airplane food and jail food (what do you expect from Airport Jail?). The beds were Ikea issued bunkbeds and no one told me we could ask for sheets, so the bare mattress and a blanket that probably 1000 other people have used in the last month and sleep. I’d been on and off the phone with the faithful WECcers who were doing everything in their power to get me out. Alex and Maribel and Steve and Coralie and Esther in their brilliant Spanish minds and knowledge of the system and extensive work with immigrants, went down to the airport to coax them into letting me go. Apparently there was quite a group outside fighting for my release. Yet, I stayed and waited. They said we’d have interviews the next day. About 10:30am the next morning they called my name to go have an interview with a lawyer and a customs officer. After sitting another 3 hours they finally got to me. (Did I mention my desperate need to use the bathroom and the nice officer lady told me I had to wait because she hadn’t had the chance to go either!). The officer and lawyer explained to me the law again and I understood. They said by law they have to send me back from where I came, which would be Morocco, but because of the impressive nature of the American Passport they said they’d break the rules and let me return to the States instead. If I could secure and show proof of a plane ticket to America before my scheduled 8:45pm flight to Casablanca, I could go. And the flight itself had to be for today or tomorrow. I frantically got a hold of Steve and let him know that they needed to call WEC and have them change my plane ticket for a flight for Saturday or Sunday, have the boarding pass presented to the customs officials, and if possible, get someone into my room in Alcala to pack up all my things. It was now 2:30pm and we had until my 8:45 flight to arrange all of this (but really only until 5:30 when the officer lady in charge was going to go home for the day). I was in one of those positions where I couldn’t do anything but sit and wait and trust that everyone else was doing everything they could. WEC USA was on the ball getting my ticket, Maribel and all the other ladies in the residence were sifting through my things and throwing them in my suitcases, and Steve and Coralie were coordinating it all and communicating with me. I was a wreck! About 5pm I talked to Steve and he said he had my plane ticket, was on his way to get my bags and then would bring them all to the airport. Phew! Tonda in the WEC USA office had gotten my ticket straightened out in just over an hour! They had procured a 7am flight to the USA, my bags were securely checked (after they had initially said I could get my bags, then the other lady said absolutely no baggage could be brought, then they finally allowed it) and would meet me in Philadelphia. I spent a sleepless night, then got on a plane. I even got escorted onto the plane by the customs police, he handed the flight attendants my ticket and my passport and relinquished custody.

At first I was so scared of what they were going to do. I didn’t want to go back to Morocco, and staying in the Airport Jail for more than three days made me queasy to think about. The guards were not very nice, impatient, and obviously hated their jobs. However, once the lady gave me the option of going to the USA instead, and everyone on the outside got it coordinated, the tune changed. Not only did the police officers allow me to not go to Morocco, but they allowed them to bring me my luggage and check it in for me, they allowed me to hand carry my backpack they’d prepared with my laptop for me, and they even were super nice when they made sure I had sheets for my bed, and the nice man came to wake me up quietly to go in the morning. They even escorted me right onto the plane and I got to ride in the back end of the paddy wagon on the airport tarmac. =) One of my escorts to the plane said that he thought it was ridiculous that they were deporting an American citizen and that it had never happened before. He asked if I had done it before…like maybe it was my third time of defying the law and they finally got me. I said it was my first time in Spain. Then I told him I was a Christian Missionary and he said, “Ay! A la encima!” which kind of means something like the peak or the top or we might say “To top it all off!” They handed my passport to the flight attendant and the captain was right there and they both looked at it, realized it was a deportation, and said, “What??!!”

I’m not sure whether it’s right or wrong to offer special circumstances or special treatment just because I’m an America citizen. I don’t think it somehow makes me better or more deserving of anything that anyone else. I will admit, however, that it felt nice. There’s a respect there. Even with all the controversy and war in the world today, I felt proud of my little passport that said The United States of America on the front. The captain of the plane, British Airways, even said, “Don’t worry. You’re with us now.”

I had a hard time praying while in the little jail, but I knew that Coralie had gotten the word out. I knew there were people all over Spain, the WEC team in America, and my family and church were praying enough for me. I felt a little angry at the start because it was just so unbelievable that this was happening. I was stressed while waiting to figure out what would happen. However, I know without a doubt it was by God’s almighty grace and power that I was able to laugh a little, learn an Arabic dance from one of the girls in my room, and talk to people on the phone to say goodbye. My cell phone staying operational all day despite the fact it registered no battery...it was a miracle. I don’t know why God chose 6 months instead of our planned 8 months in Spain. I don’t know why my extraction had to be so dramatic and yes, traumatic. We definitely know that there’s got to be some great significance to it in God’s plan because of the absolute rarity of it. People walk into Spain illegally every day…why did they send me home? People were praying all over the world for my release…yet, God didn’t answer that. Instead He answered those prayers by allowing the logistics to work out in my favor. I don’t, in any way, feel like I was robbed of any time in Spain or that my time there was a failure. The things God has taught me, the things I was able to do and see and be a part of, the friendships I was able to build…they are all good and complete and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything more. I know my tears now are half the way I had to leave Spain and not getting to hug people and say a proper goodbye to all those amazing people, and half are for the fact that I get to be home. The thought of being on American soil again makes me want to sing.

I write all this out so that I don’t have to go through the entire story to every person when I get home. I don’t want this exciting tale of how I left Spain to overshadow the amazing 6 months I spent there. The way God is working there and the ways I’ve grown through it. I’d much rather spend my time at home again talking about those things!!

See you soon!

Pais Vasco, ETA, and prayer groups

2008-02-21T05:46:00.004-07:00

I'm headed out tomorrow on a plane to San Sebastian. It lies right on the north coast of Spain as a part of Pais Vasco, the infamous Basque region of Spain. Their language, Basque, is unique amongst the languages of the world. It's not descendant of any Indo-European languages and has small similarities to Asian languages more so than any Germanic languages. Coralie said it's sometimes called "Adam's language" because it's most likely one of the oldest languages in the world.

WEC has some church planting efforts going on in the region. They are a faithful team that has very hard work in front of them. God has already been faithful to their efforts and they are seeing interested among their neighbors and have an informal group that meets. Ultimately, that emptiness people feel in their lives can be filled with God, and because of how he made us, we're drawn to hear about Him. That's why sending out these workers is so important! Someone has to be there to tell them when they are ready to hear!

Unfortunately, the region is plagued with some unrest as the ETA terrorist group continues to fight for their independence. Read a little bit about them: HERE.

I'll be staying with Linette (in the picture above), a bright beautiful God-loving gal. She's tons of fun, and since her first language is Spanish, I'm looking forward to having a weekend of Spanish.

Pray for their small team and their ministry in Pais Vasco, and also pray for my flights! It's only about a 45 minute flight, so I'm excited! I also have to get myself to the airport and back by public transport which I'm not 100% sure on how to do, so we'll see what happens!!

P.S. Happy Birthday, Coralie!!

Prayer Day Success!

2008-02-18T13:33:00.005-07:00

All went as planned, we prayed and heard a great deal about the history of the church we were visiting. Good stuff. I have no other comments. I love how the group here focuses on prayer first...such great teamwork too.

We worked all day long today at the locale finishing painting the exterior, cooking and cleaning up lunch. Esther and I did all of that while the others were having their very important Field Committee meeting. =)

Survivor: Espana

2008-02-17T06:56:00.002-07:00

We've been having some issues in the houses the last few weeks. The cleaning isn't getting done, dirty plates left all over the kitchen, light bulbs burned out that no one wants to replace, people coming in at 1 or 2 in the morning and pounding down the hallway in high heels, the internet is temperamental, 18 people are using our kitchen, and on and on and on. Sufrimos mucho! Well, we had a bit of a conversation today about all of this and our conclusion pretty much was that we know no solutions. We know the problems, and we know the focus of the ministry is to help people who have just arrived in Spain to begin to build a life, and we know that everyone is from different backgrounds and cultures and different ways of doing things. We definitely agreed that we need to have respect and think about other people and we need to remember that it's God's will that this house serve it's purpose for the ministry.

Alex said, "Well, we'll see how it goes for another month and we'll talk to people when they do something that's not good, and after a month, we'll...."

and he paused and didn't really finish his sentence but in my head I was thinking..."we vote someone off the island!!" We figure out who's the source of most of the problems, and we nominate them to leave. I had this great image in my head of them packing their bags and Alex snuffing out their torch and saying it's time for them to go.

This makes me laugh. Alot. We send them packing...they couldn't hack it in Espana. They didn't outwit, outplay, and outlast!

Community living. What an experience.

Prayer Day in Talavera

2008-02-15T05:57:00.007-07:00

We're loading up in the hippie van tomorrow at 9am to travel about an hour or two to Talavera de la Reina to have prayer day at the church of one of the Weccers. I'm excited!! I get in these places where the number of things to pray for and the needs around me pile up to where prayer seems such a daunting task! If I truly talked to God about all the things I want to and need to, it would require all day every day. It seems too much. So I've made a huge long list of things to pray for tomorrow and I'm looking forward to doing it. Talking to God about these things and bringing them to Him. Marriages that are having trouble, families torn apart because of the decision to follow Him, futures and plans and ministry ideas that tons of people have that just want to see God do amazing things, new relationships and old friendships, and basic needs people have in their lives, people that need Jesus (yes, Britney Spears is on my list). Woot!

In the meantime:

Real Madrid beat Valladolid on Sunday 7-0. The game was fun and loud and anytime there's 80,000 people yelling and watching some of the best soccer players in the world play you're going to have a good time!

Notice the lack of seats behind us, we were at the very top!

Betel Weekend

2008-02-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

3 days and 3 nights gave me a tiny taste of what it’s like inside the Betel ministry. In a lot of ways it was what I expected, but it definitely wasn’t all sunshine and daisies the way I thought. It’s a hard environment. It involves hard work and long hours with little privacy or time to yourself.

Did you read up on what Betel was from the website? It’s a ministry that began many years ago in a neighborhood in Madrid known for having a high population of drug addicts. The first missionaries had a heart to minister to them. They started having bible studies with some of them. Some of them go to know Jesus! Then in an attempt to continue walking alongside each other and helping each other get over their addictions in the name of Jesus, those first few converts developed into a community where they lived together and worked together. It caught on and more and more people came to get help and it just grew from there! Now, the ministry is worldwide with Betel offices/residences in 16 countries. There are hundreds of people in the program over all of Spain alone. I got the pleasure of living in the girls’ residence for the weekend. 16 girls overcoming addictions to cocaine, heroine, nicotine, smoked, injected, living on the streets and in caves, stealing to get money to pay for the drugs. They have scars to prove it all. They were also some of the sweetest women, very welcoming and encouraging. Such hard workers!

When I first arrived on Thursday morning, they put me right to work. I helped Judy (a missionary from New Zealand) clean all the bathrooms at the Betel Church (Iglesia Betel). 6 bathrooms, including toilets, sinks, trash, sweep, mop. My arm was sore the next day from all the scrubbing! Then we ate lunch in the cafeteria. Then after lunch I was put on kitchen crew. Clean all the pots and pans, sweep and mop! I got to work alongside some of the girls and chat with them a bit. Some that have only been in the house for 2 months still have a really strong mental game they play. They want the drugs. They remember fondly their life on the street and their friends. They suffer from muscle cramps. Yet, they stay. They work because they know ultimately it’s the best option. So after we cleaned, we waited for the van to come get us. The van carried us back to the residence (about an hour drive from the church). Immediately it was shower time (every girl must take a shower every day and she must take a shower only during this allotted time). Showers were followed by dinner, then devotions, then in bed with lights out. All the girls are required to be at each item on the daily schedule and they are required to be on time.

Day two: Lights on at 7am, breakfast at 7:15am, devotions at 7:30am, in the van to go to work at 8am. If you’re late to breakfast you don’t eat! I was assigned to do publicity with a girl named Christina (she’s been in the house about 6 months I think). We walked around the community of Coslada/San Fernando for 3 hours putting a Betel flier into every mailbox within sight. Betel supports itself and employs the people they help by having these businesses all over. They have a roast chicken restaurant, a coffee bar, and second hand stores, plus groups can be hired to do maintenance or cleaning jobs. So our fliers were advertising for the stores (“We come pick up the old stuff you don’t want anymore!” And on the back it said “We sell this stuff we just picked up!) Then lunch, then back to the streets doing publicity. This time I was with Anastasia (20 yr old Russian girl with a 1 year old son who has only been in the house getting help for 2 months). I was told she wasn’t allowed to be by herself ever! So we passed out the fliers for another hour and a half. We chatted about why she came here, the decision to get clean in order to help her son more, how much she misses her mom in Russia, the other Russian guys she knows in Betel. Then we went back, got in the van, went to the Friday night church service. Then home, showers, dinner, in bed, lights out (by now it was like 11:30pm).

Day three: I was on the schedule to stay in the house for the day. Breakfast, devotions, then they packed the vans to go to work. We stayed behind and cleaned the bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, did the laundry, cooked lunch and made sure it was all ready for the girls when they came home for lunch. My favorite part of Saturday was in the afternoon when we were waiting for them all to get back, we sat in the lawn chairs out in the sunshine (it was probably about 65 degrees) and ate sunflower seeds and talked together. Me, Judy, a former addict and her daughter who are now helping out the ministry, and about 4 other girls plus one addict who just entered the house on Thursday. She was still withdrawing pretty badly so we had to keep an eye on her for medical reasons. She slept and ate for the whole time I was there. She had a really mean looking face and I’m not sure if she’ll last long in the house or not. Anyway, we just sat there in the sun and it was nice. Then the girls got there, we unloaded the vans, ate lunch, cleaned up, took a siesta, then it was kind of free time. Then showers, dinner, in bed, lights out.

Day 4 was Sunday! Church! Lights on at 8am. Breakfast whenever you’re ready. One van left at 9am, the other left at 10am. Church at 11:30. Then Steve and Coralie came to retrieve me and I was so happy to see friendly faces that I knew!! The service was good. They sing a song that says “We dance because we can’t fly”. The church is full of people who have been through the Betel program, survived, are now clean from drugs and are contributing members of society. They have families and blessings beyond measure and they come together at this church to celebrate with each other the victory they’ve had over their past life because of the change Jesus made. This includes most of the pastors and people who lead the music, etc.

So. Overall impressions: The food is horrible. The work is hard. The schedule is exhausting. However, the will is strong and the hope is high. I have a lot of respect for the girls struggling. They surely don’t have it easy overcoming their addictions, but they are learning how to make good choices. They are in the program learning how to replace their cocaine habit with a more constructive habit. Like working hard, and having responsibility, and encouraging the other girls. I think the most impressive thing about Betel is that they do zero counseling. It’s all based on peer mentoring. The girls that have been in the house for a long time take the new girls under their wings and teach them about what life is like in the house, what the schedule is, what is expected of them. How to do the chores. They pray for each other and tell each other about how having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is what has given them the strength to move past their addiction. The “missionaries” and “pastors” in the houses do a small amount of that compared to what the girls do for each other. That’s amazing!!

Judy in her bedroom (most of the rooms had 3 sets of bunkbeds)

Carmen, Anna, and Maria Jose:

The living room and the new girl Maitai asleep on the couch. We had to lift up her arm to sweep under it.

Eating sunflower seeds (pipas in Spanish) in the sun.

Anastasia and her son Dani:

La Predicadora

2008-02-05T12:32:00.001-07:00

I'm on the schedule to preach in church on March 9th. My brain is busy trying to figure out what the best thing to share is. 10 minutes or so (with translation means it gets to be shorter than normal.) to sum up things I've learned on my trek to Spain? What the fledgling little church would benefit from hearing me say? What do they need to hear? What do I have to share? The way God blew my world wide open when he brought me here? The hugeness of His faithfulness? The beauty that is His Church. The courage we have in being His children? The list that grows daily of ways He's answered my prayers? The hope we have that is an anchor for our souls? I feel like I could ramble for hours on any one of those subjects...but to make it precise and articulate and simple? Is it okay to figure out what to share and then find a scripture that illustrates it? or should it be the other way around?

And I get to do it in Spanish! Let's just throw that little tidbit in there.

By the way, on Thursday I will be going to spend the weekend at Betel. Betel is a WEC International ministry started right here in Madrid that offers a drug addiction recovery program. The whole program fascinates me, not because of the amazingly hard work it is, or the fact that the Betel church is the biggest in Madrid, but also because it works. They receive heroine and cocaine addicts and so much more and they introduce them to a community living situation, peer motivation, and actual working jobs and the addicts not only get clean, but they come out the other end positively contributing members of society. And they know Jesus! I am excited to go see it up close and personal, where the magic happens. In the meantime, check out their website. BETEL! If you don't read Spanish, you might need to just read up on what they are doing in America, Australia, or England.

Mom and Dad do Spain.

2008-02-02T04:51:00.000-07:00

The parents had a great week here in Spain. We got to travel around and see amazing things (the east coast of Spain, tiny streets lined with cars to where the firetruck couldn't even get through, and kingly palaces). We ate good food (Paella, jamon serrano on pizza, bocadillos on the Mediterranean coast, cafe con leche, napolitanas...) and walked it all off too! They also got to meet most of the people that I spend my days with here in Spain, which I think helped them see that life here is quite good! I think my favorite part of the week was (once again) our church service on Sunday morning. There were tons of people there and they all were excited to meet my parents. A room full of people from all over the world ready to worship together.

Investigation

2008-01-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

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.

TOLEDO

2008-01-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

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."

He is my guide, my strength and my courage

2008-01-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

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.

La Bandera y hablando

2008-01-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

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!

2008 is great!

2008-01-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

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.)

A Spanish Christmas

2007-12-24T06:06:00.000-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!! I love this time of year. I've been soaking it all in. The lights, the energy, the freshness in the air, the trees. Thinking about our tiny baby Savior born with angels singing over him and shepherds giving honor, I get a thrill in my bones. We sang O Come All Ye Faithful and Silent Night yesterday in church, in Spanish. That was great!! O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord...Venid adoremos al Cristo Jesus. Then we enjoyed a fellowship time of hot chocolate and cookies. Hot chocolate is a very common drink to share at Christmas here in Spain.

I woke up late this morning, took my time getting ready, took the scissors to my hair then went out to the Monday morning market. A street length market full of vendors selling everything from underwear to potatoes. The sun is shining bright in a sky so crisp and blue I thought I was in New Mexico! It's a remarkable 13 degrees C (55F). The warmth feels good after several days of drizzling rain and clouds.

The Prestons have invited the team (those who are in town for holidays) over to their house for Christmas dinner. Karen and I are going tonight and are planning on watching movies and playing games. We'll get up tomorrow and oooh and aaah over our gifts and then start cooking. Coralie is planning roast chicken and vegetables with a lemon curd cheesecake for dessert.

Christmas thoughts: God never fails in giving us what we need. I haven't felt homesick this season like I expected and I believe it's due to the fact that God has surrounded me here with people that take care of each other and have welcomed me as part of their family for the time I will be here. Also, the overwhelming outpouring of gifts and encouragement from people in the States has warmed my heart. Also, I've been readjusting my attitude a bit. In a situation where everything is hard and I'm challenged every day in just daily living (the language, community living, multiple responsibilities warring with my desire to withdraw) God is faithful in reminding me that part of that "suffering" we endure for his name's sake is what helps us see him more clearly. Jesus left the comfort and glory of heaven to come live in this dreadful place called Earth. Praise God he did.

Be filled with His peace and joy this season! Enjoy these photos from around Madrid and Alcala.

Secret Magic Gift Elephant Exchange

2007-12-18T08:20:00.001-07:00

At our weekly Madrid team open house last night, we had a good old fashioned White Elephant gift exchange. We had tons of fun, laughed until we ached, ate good food, came away with fun gifts (although Margaret stole what I really wanted to keep, a package of holiday cards from Ikea!!!) My gift I added to the pile was a UNM Lobos wrist watch dad had sent in a package. Esther wasn't too pleased with it, but Coralie wanted one also so she could start running and have a stop watch. =) I'm spreading the Lobo spirit. Go Lobos!

It took many many attempts to set timers on cameras and get a photo with everyone in place! That's why we're laughing.

Birthday Blessings

2007-12-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

My birthday was this past Saturday, the 15th. Everyone here was so super sweet and kind and made me feel very special and loved. It was a good few days! Thursday I went and worked in the WEC office with Steve and Coralie finishing up a bulletin board (fun fun fun!) and then we went shopping at a small local mall. Coralie was sweet enough to let me choose something for myself at a jewelry boutique. On Friday I had a couple girls (Maria and Beatriz) over for a movie night and I ordered real authentic Spanish take out pizza (Telepizza...not bad. The locals like Pizza Hut better). We watched the movie with Drew Barrymore "Never Been Kissed", except we watched in Apanish "Nunca Me Han Besado". =) Then on Saturday I met Esther and Margaret at the bus stop and we went to another mall and had a nice lunch at an American style restaurant called Vips (The hamburger was pretty good...) then I accompanied them to their kid's club ministry that they ran at a local church Saturday evening. 5 hours of complete chaos. I was exhausted. There was another lady at the club that had her birthday also, so they shared her birthday cake with me and we got to blow the candles out together. That was nice! Then Margaret made a really wonderful birthday cake Monday night...so I shared that one with Eun Suk and we blew out the candles together because her birthday is on Thursday!! Pay it forward, right? =)

In general I've never been a huge birthday person, I usually just let it pass with a nice dinner with the family y ya esta, but this year in a new environment with a new set of people it was quite different to be showered with so much attention. I got so many wonderful gifts that I never would have imagined or expected! It was nice. Thank you everyone!! I got a really great package from the parents on Friday that had some drawings the family had made at Thanksgiving! I hung them up in my room. I also got a surprise package from my friend Melissa in Boston! I like surprises!

Showing off some of my presents and the pictures on the wall:

Me and Margaret at lunch at Vips:

Making clementine Christmas tree ornaments with the little pequenitas!

Year #27 is pretty good so far.

Fellowship Days

2007-12-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting in a long time! I've been busy and now there's tons of stuff to share!

December 7th and 8th WEC Spain had their annual Fellowship Days. It was two days where the whole Spain team gathered together to update each other on how they are doing, pray for each other, discuss some urgent business, eat, laugh, and make repairs around the WEC office.

Our job as short-termers to help prepare was to do all the shopping to get paper plates and cups and such, coffee, snacks, and snack lunch stuff for the kids. It was a good job that Esther and I did well, but we both were feeling very sick the few days before Fellowship Days so you should have seen us sniffling and dragging our tired selves through the aisles at the store wondering how many packs of coffee to get and what to pack for the kids' lunches. It was quite comical. Three stores and two shopping carts full, we walked back home and collapsed onto the couches. We also ran the children's program the second day for 4 hours (the same kids we had at Prayer Day in Burgos in September).

I got to see more of how a country-wide team of missionaries works together and supports each other and makes decisions. It was very enlightening. Afterward, Coralie called it a miracle that there could be 20 people with different views and backgrounds and thoughts come to a consensus on an urgent matter and have 100% support in agreement.

Also, while talking with the team that works in the northern Basque region, we decided to make plans for me to visit them and help out doing research for an upcoming event they are planning. They are new to their region, are just getting started learning the people and the language, and they want to host a weekend of Prayer for the people in the area. The research will involve assessing the needs of the population and the challenges that they will face in their church planting. I think the tentative plan will be for me to go mid January (after I get back from Germany and before my parents come to visit the 25th). Yay!

Here's some photos!

Lisa, Gloria (ministry in Almeria to Muslim children), Linette (beginning a ministry in the basque region), and Coralie at lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

Doing an activity in Juan Carlos park in the center of Madrid. This is a huge jungle gym web thingy that we were challenged to climb. No problema!

Playing blind folded follow-the-leader in the park with the kids. We're mean, I know.

Gladys (english teacher/associate WEC missionary in Alcala) y Maripei (ministry in Talavera) sorting out the WEC library:

Eun Suk (new worker studying Spanish in Alcala) sorting out the linen closet:

Immaculada Concepcion

2007-12-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today is also a public holiday in Spain. Spaniards take their holidays and their vacations and their parties very seriously. The cities and the people know how to stop work and take to the streets to celebrate. I definitely think this is a fascinating part of their culture.

My Spanish professor Antonio said that Spain no longer has an official government religion as it once had the Roman Catholic church, therefore it's a bit of hypocrisy to still publicly celebrate religious celebrations in the form of government holidays.

Today they celebrate the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary. I always thought that this holiday celebrated the immaculate conception of Jesus within Mary, but no. The Roman Catholic church believes that Mary herself was also immaculately conceived and was also born without original sin. "In 1854, Pius IX made the infallible statement Ineffabilis Deus: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin."

Either way, just like on December 6th Constitution Day, the general population really has no clue why the day is a holiday, only that they get the day off work.

Also, not believing in the deity of the virgin Mary, this particular holiday is troublesome and heart-breaking to me. While visiting one of the many large ornate and beautifully architectured cathedrals around Madrid, the worst thing I've seen so far was a crown on the head of Mary. Jesus alone is the King of Kings and deserves such honor. He alone was without sin and He alone was born of the Holy Spirit, and He alone died to set men free. None other deserves the glory due Him. En punto.

Constitution Day

2007-12-06T02:05:00.000-07:00

Today is a National Holiday in Spain, Constitution Day. I've now been awake for nearly 30 minutes and I haven't heard one sound on the street. There aren't the normal people out for their morning paseo, nobody running to get to work or class on time. It's quiet! However, I did hear the faint ringing of the church bells summoning people to 10am mass.

On December 6th, 1978, 67% of the Spanish people turned out to vote on the referendum approving the newly drafted Constitution. The result was 88% in favor! They were ready to make a turn into the future and leave the years of the Franco era behind them. After Francisco Franco's death in 1975, the leaders of the government made swift changes to ensure the future of Spain would be one of prosperity and liberty and democracy.

The Preamble to the Constitution was written by Enrique Tierno Galvan and reads like this:

The Spanish Nation, wishing to establish justice, liberty and security, and to promote the welfare of all who make part of it, in use of her sovereignty, proclaims its will to:

Guarantee democratic life within the Constitution and the laws according to a just economic and social order.
Consolidate a State ensuring the rule of law as an expression of the will of the people.
Protect all Spaniards and all the peoples of Spain in the exercise of human rights, their cultures and traditions, languages and institutions.
Promote the progress of culture and the economy to ensure a dignified quality of life for all
Establish an advanced democratic society, and
Collaborate in the strengthening of peaceful and efficient cooperation among all the peoples of the Earth.

Consequently, the Cortes approve and the Spanish people ratify the following Constitution.

This turning point was an exciting time in Spain. The bitterness from the dictatorship of Franco still lasts today, though, so they have more healing to endure.

Ministry Part 2

2007-11-30T03:47:00.000-07:00

I wrote previously about how this ministry I'm helping with has three parts. 1. The immigrant residences. 2. The church! and 3. The missions aid to Mauritania, Africa. Here's about part two.

As the history goes, when they first started ministering to immigrants, they made gospel tracts in several different languages and had people that showed interest who spoke Chinese and Romanian and Portuguese. And then once you start introducing people to the gospel of Christ and they all are involved in this immigrant ministry together…the natural outcome is a church!! So they started meeting and it started off with 5 people at the first meeting in the back room of a store Alex and Maribel used to operate. Now it’s over a year later and they’re up to about 25-30 and the basement is almost too small to have a church service in. Every Sunday morning I look forward to the people coming! Who’s going to come this Sunday? What songs are we going to sing? Singing praise to Jesus Christ in another language is the neatest experience. Hearing them pray in other languages. Seeing all the hands raised up in praise. My favorite thing in the world. The WORLD! Not everyone living in the residences comes to the church, but that’s okay. They are invited consistently and they know the door is open if they feel so moved. They also get the constant living example of people like Alex and Maribel who show them Jesus every day.

Alex preaching and Maribel translating.

They have a rotation of about 5 preachers. Alex, Steve Preston (WEC field leader), Hector (Argentinean man who is in seminary and wants to be a pastor), Diego (Hector’s brother in law who actually might be moving away soon), and Maria (Spaniard woman who’s heart to follow God has taught me so much). They preach in Spanish and someone will translate into English because of the high population of English speaking Nigerian folks who attend. Those people are also on the rotation to lead the worship along with Maria’s husband Steve. He is from England and usually incorporates a lot of the popular worship songs that we use at FCC! The service goes something like this: Worship, welcome to visitors where we greet them in their own language (Welcome! Bienvenidos! Bem Vindo!), then more Worship, then the sermon, then we’re done! But mixed in there is spontaneous prayer time. Just like at home, the room stays full for a good 30 minutes after the service while people talk and catch up and pray for each other if someone needs personal prayer and laughing and passing around the babies, etc.

I get to help out during the week with administrative things to help out. They have flags up in the basement representing the different nationalities that have been present in this church. Just last month I had to go to the copy place to print out a new flag for Bolivia and South Korea! We made a telephone and address directory so they can contact each other when they need. One of my favorite jobs so far has been taking all the worship songs from word documents and putting them in PowerPoint so they can be projected during the service. It’s been awesome to read through the text of worship and hear the way the Spanish language expresses its love for God.

When I arrived, Alex also wanted to begin Bible studies in different languages because they feel strongly that people should be able to hear the Word of God in their own language, their heart language. So for about 7 weeks I’ve been leading a small informal Bible study right before the service in English. We have between 5 and 8 people each Sunday. We’re working through a Foundations of Christianity study. Teaching is not my gift and each week I feel that anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach that says I am inadequate and don’t want to do this, but in true God style, once we start talking and looking at scripture I remember my joy. The same thing happens every other week when I have to share a 3 minute little something in front of the church in Spanish. I’ve talked about my favorite Bible verses, things I’m learning, why I’m here. It’s a challenge to do this in Spanish and usually I get Niurka or Noelia to proofread it for me so I don’t embarrass myself by using a wrong word or something. =) In the last couple of weeks, more people have started sharing the same way. So we’ll get to hear testimonies and favorite verses of a lot of people in the church! I love it when people can use what they’ve experienced and learned from God and use it to help others. That’s part of what the church is teaching the people; that they have a purpose from God here in Spain whether they know it or not.

In general the church is doing quite fine. It’s new and young and full of a mixture of people who have been in the faith for a long time to people who are brand new believers to people seeking to people who have grown up with only a belief in God and the scriptures without truly understanding the daily living application of said faith. I think they have a long way to go but they have a great start in making disciples. The problem with a missionary run church reaching out to immigrants is a certain level of instability. The missionary leadership is strong and they are taking active steps in training up local leadership (but if that local leadership consists of immigrants, how stable is that?) They bathe everything in prayer and have a genuine desire to reach this town for Jesus, and in that respect I believe it will be blessed.

I personally struggle with the idea of reaching out to immigrants in a society that has proven that the Spanish people need Jesus too! There are other churches doing this, however, and that’s how God arranges his chess pieces. Maribel said they were led to help the immigrants in baby steps by baby steps; seeing needs and grasping hold of opportunities God placed in front of them. There’s another ministry in Barcelona that does something similar but focuses more on refugees, psychological help, counseling, and offering a 3 month residence for people having just arrived in Spain. They are looking into collaboration between the two ministries which is providing an exciting assortment of possibilities!

Recreational Reading

2007-11-29T03:14:00.000-07:00

Here's an excerpt from Howard Snyder's The Community of the King.

"What then is the Kingdom of God? It is Jesus Christ and, through the Church, the uniting of all things to him. For the present it is the growth in the world of the grace, joy, health, peace, and love seen in Jesus. The Kingdom is both present and future, both earthly and heavenly, both hidden and becoming manifest. It is as concrete and this-worldly as the dust on Jesus' feet or the Galilean wind in his hair; it is as costly as the crucifixion, it is as heavenly as the risen Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father. 'It is expanding in society like the grain of mustard seed...; working toward the pervasion of society like the leaven in the lump.' Its truths and values are those taught and lived by Jesus Christ and delivered to the body of his followers. But this Kingdom can become fully manifest only when Jesus Christ returns to earth."

One Crazy Week

2007-11-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

A week in the life of the short-term missions worker

Tuesday - Wednesday: A week ago I was stuck in bed for two days with a sinus pressure headache that I thought would never go away. I chose against medication or doctor and instead relied on good old vitamin C to cure me. It worked just fine, and I was all better and energetic for Thanksgiving!

Thursday: Thanksgiving was great. See the previous post. I am enjoying each opportunity to be the American. I love the USA. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Friday: I met Karen and Mija to go into Madrid to work at the WEC office. I spent a few hours organizing financial files and shredding records older than 10 years. They had phone bills from 1991! With a pile of empty file folders and empty space on the shelf, I felt like we made good progress.

Saturday: I slept late and then all day we prepared for a surprise 15th birthday party for Beatriz. Her sister has been planning this party in secret for weeks and it's been hard to keep it a surprise! We blew up and hung up about 300 balloons, set the table, put up a ton of other decorations, they prepared the food, etc. The party was a great success. Tons of people came and she was totally surprised!!

Sunday: Church! Got up early, made coffee, helped the praise team put together their powerpoint slides for the songs, started a new study in our Sunday School class about God. God is real. Can we really see God working in our lives personally? Maria preached about Caleb. When you act righteously but are met with injustice and you have to live with the consequences of others disobedience. Caleb waited 45 years to receive the reward promised by God. After church I went to McDonald's for lunch. I know what you're thinking. I didn't come all the way to Spain to eat McDonald's. I have no excuse. But for the curious, it all tastes the same as in America.

Monday: I woke up early and met the WEC team. I was hired for the day as chef. I cooked a full New Mexican meal for them while they had their field meeting. They talked business for 5 hours and I cooked Spanish rice, quesadillas, green beans and then did the dishes and cleaned up and went for a walk. I enjoyed this alot. It was a very practical thing that I could do to help them out so they didn't have to take time out from meeting in order to cook or prepare food. It also was a challenge because I had never been in charge of preparing a meal for 8 people! I was nervous it would taste bad or not come out right or not be enough or be way too much! My heart pounded all morning. But alas, the food was met with high praise and there was just enough for everyone. God is good.

Tuesday: I went to Spanish class where we talked about Cuba. Random, I know. Then I went to the Rainbows of Hope office to help build a cement floor in the basement. We mixed concrete Casas por Cristo style!! When I offered to help and told them I had experience in that exact process, they were quite impressed! I know I will be terribly sore tomorrow!!!

And that's it. One week. It went by fast! One thing I've been thinking about is how God leads us into situations where we can use our giftedness but at the same time be challenged in new ways. And the joy that brings! I highly recommend it.

I look forward to a new week. I wonder how many times in the next 5 months I will hear, "Now that sounds like a job for a short-termer!!"

Spanish Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all enjoyed a sunny day with family and friends and remembering the most wonderful blessings we have. Life is really a wonderful thing to be enjoyed and lived and not just struggled through. Take time to enjoy it!

I just got home from the greatest Thanksgiving I could have asked for while away from Albuquerque! Even though it's 1:00am, I wanted to write it all down while it was fresh. It all started a week ago when I received an e-vite for "It's Turkey Day!" at Margaret's house. Margaret is an amazing missionary from California who has been in Spain a few years. She has a great knowledge of Spain culture and history and I've learned a lot from her servant heart and smiling face! She's also my fellow American, so I was very grateful that she hosted a traditional American Thanksgiving meal and invited the whole WEC team to enjoy it together.

I didn't know much about what Margaret was planning, but when I arrived I was given the job of setting the table. Which is great, because that's my job at home too! We made the napkins pretty and I had to be told (again) which side of the plate the fork goes on. Then we decided to make place cards for people...and we made tent cards that had really beautiful Thanksgiving prayers on them that Margaret found online.

The guest list included: Karen (WEC, Canada), Ruben and Debbie (short term WEC from Belgium), Sjaak and Mija (WEC, Holland), Esther (short term WEC, Germany), Margaret (WEC, USA), Steve and Coralie (WEC, Australia), Tiny (WEC, South Africa), and Lisa (short term WEC, USA). YAY! As you can imagine, a wealth of diversity!! I loved it. We started off playing a game as we waited for Karen to get back from praise team practice. Then we sat down to eat and Margaret spent a few moments to share a bit of Thanksgiving history and why we celebrate. The great Abraham Lincoln said it was a special day to give thanks to our Great God for His innumerable blessings. Then we read aloud the prayers we had printed up. Prayers about the great meadows that yell of God's greatness and the freedoms we have and the breath in our lungs and how we want to spread his Word to the nations and serve those less fortunate. It was a beautiful thing to read these prayers aloud with so many of those nations present and know that everyone was praying these things in agreement with the same Spirit.

In true Trujillo home style, Margaret even asked that we go around the table and each share something they are grateful for from the last year. At a table full of missionaries, you hear stuff like the blessing of full funding and support and new workers to share the load and safe travels. =)

Then we ate! Turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and green bean casserole and bread and salad. It was great!! Not quite the gluttonous gorge like in America, but perfect nonetheless. Dessert was a delicious English trifle made by Tiny. (I half expected there to be beef in it...) Also, we had a taste of Turkish Delight (authentic and from Turkey!) Margaret didn't make pumpkin pie because neither of us really like it. =) But the great thing is that if I had said I loved pumpkin pie and would miss it...then they would have done everything in their power to have pumpkin pie there today. Now that's love.

The predominate conversation at the table? The diverse English language and different expressions we each use in our own countries that can either elicit a laugh or a scowl from people from other countries. Don't say "I'm rooting for you!" to an Australian because it doesn't mean the same thing to them as it does in the USA. And they get a kick out of my Texan accent. I love it when a table full of people can all talk together and laugh and joke and laugh and learn. It was wonderful to laugh. Laugh so hard I cried and then laugh some more.

God is continually teaching me and proving his faithfulness. That a person can travel half way around the world and have family and belonging all because of the bond of Christ. For this, I'm thankful.

Me and Margaret at the beautifully set table:

Carving the Turkey!

Steve and Coralie:

Esther and Margaret:

Ruben and Debbie (She is grateful that they are going to have a baby!!!):

Sjaak and Mija:

Tiny, Lisa, Esther, Karen:

Food Adventures

2007-11-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

I know that Calamari is very common in the states, but considering it's squid, I've always avoided it. However, today I decided I should try it. Here's a photo and a little blurb I found to explain.
"Fried squid or in Spanish calamares fritos is a very popular appetizer or tapa in Spain and here in the USA. You might know this dish by the name Calamares a la Romana. Wherever and however you buy the squid, they need to be cleaned before cooking. The spines, ink sacks and heads should be discarded. If you are cleaning the squid yourself, don’t throw away the tentacles because those are good to eat, too! Cleaned, frozen squid bodies may also be available and are good to make large calamar rings." Hm.

For the record, the taste was a little bit boring and I had to concentrate really hard on NOT concentrating too hard on what I was eating. The texture was hard and rubbery and once I started thinking about how it was the tough flesh of some animal that used to be wandering around the open ocean, I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish. Next time I'll stick to the always wonderful Patatas Bravas.

On a happier note in food adventures, Ester and I got together last night to try our hand at making another real Spanish Tortilla. This one came out perfectly and beautifully and we decided it was better than any Spaniard could make! Hooray for us!

Look what I found!!

2007-11-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

This made me happy inside.

Heavily guarded. Armored cars out front. I wanted to take a picture, but sometimes it's illegal to take photos of certain government facilities. I asked the guard standing outside if I could take a photo and he said it was okay! Yay! It might sound strange, but knowing that on the other side of that tall fence was American soil, it made me want to hop the fence and risk getting tackled to the ground or shot down by a sniper, just to stand in America. Now that's serious business!

Ministry part 1

2007-11-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

I’m slowly but surely learning about the ministry that’s done here in Alcala. Alex and Maribel are getting ready to go on furlough to the United States, so in helping Maribel put together her PowerPoint presentation for her supporting churches and people she will meet with I learned a bit more. They have such a unique ministry that feeds a very specific need in Spain! I asked her if there were other Christian ministries in Spain that serve the immigrants in this way and she was pretty sure there weren’t. Que cosa!!

Through conversations with long term missionaries I am learning that society in Spain is very dark and difficult. It’s a world where Catholicism is dying. It’s a religion of the older generation only observed at baptism, weddings, funerals, and holidays. The younger generation rejects it and fills their lives with drugs and alcohol, materialism, sexual immorality, and gambling instead. To top it all off, they are a very closed people (xenophobic, if you prefer). They treat the immigrants very poorly. Don’t like them, take advantage of them, mistreat them in regard to charging rent, work wages, etc. However, this means that Spain is a very strategic place to present the gospel. They desperately need the message of Jesus and are a gateway into northern Africa, the rest of Europe, and Latin America.

So this ministry is in the heart of Spain and ministers to a very critical need: The immigrant population that has grown from around 500,000 in 1996 to almost 4 million in 2006. It’s a three part ministry so I’ll post about them separately.

First are the immigrant residences; two homes that can house up to 20 people. I’m currently one of 25 people housed here (notice the discrepancy in capacity…). One house has 11 people (an older couple from Brazil, Juan and Lina, a young single Cuban woman who arrived just a couple of months ago Yamile, a mother and daughter from Cuba, Niurka and Massiel, a young Argentinean couple Hector and Noelia, and a young Brazilian couple Ademir and Miriam with her sister Beatriz also.) I know these are just names to you all, but these are the people that I live with! Share the kitchen with. Greet at the door when the come home from long hard work days. Do chores with. It’s great! They’ve had one house for only a year and the turnover has been quite extensive, but it’s a starting out place for some people as they first arrive in Spain from their home countries. Niurka, Hector, and Noelia are in Seminary here in Spain. Miriam is a college educated woman who left Brazil because she couldn’t get a job and could pay off her school loans a lot faster if she works cleaning houses in Spain for euros. (I am learning but I still don’t understand international economy…) Yamile…I’m not quite sure why she came to Spain but from another Cuban gentleman I learned that it’s just better to be anywhere than Cuba.

Because of the growth of the ministry and the help of the landlord, they acquired another house just this past summer. It’s right across the street and now has a whopping 14 people. Two extended families from Brazil and a colorful assortment of Cuban men. (Valdeir and Celiamar, their son Valcimar, her brother Leudimar and his wife Rosana, Agnaldo, his children Edna and Alessandro, a masters student from the Dominican Republic Norberto, and Guillermo, Juan Enrique, Victor, Marcos, and Fidel) Several of these men are married with children…have left their homes and families to come and try to make money to support their families because it’s next to impossible in Cuba. It’s difficult for me to understand how this could be so because I’ve grown up in America, the place where no one wants to leave and everyone wants to come!

So Alex and Maribel act as the landlords. They collect rent, take care of household repairs, spend hours making sure our internet works, and decide who moves in. There’s cleaning schedules and we each have a dedicated day we can use the washer (la lavadora). It’s my week to clean the kitchen but because Noelia is my kitchen cleaning partner and I did it alone last time, she’s doing it this week. Alex and Maribel also help the new immigrants get settled. Encourage them in finding good (legal) jobs and/or getting into a class to learn Spanish as much as possible (Most of the Brazilians only speak Portuguese). Help them get bank accounts and anything else they need to set up. When immigrants first arrive, it’s a good idea to get registered with the local government. Once you register, it starts counting your three years. After being here three years they can get papers as legal residents, and then that opens up much more opportunities for employment and such. So the ministry helps keep track of them while being good honest people the immigrants can trust. For three years they struggle immensely because they can’t legally work and make very low wage at the places that will hire them. Typically women can only find jobs in domestic work or care-giving.

I love hearing their stories and talking to all of them and I’ve had small triumphs in being accepted by them. I’m learning about the different cultures. If you hang out with the Argentineans, you’d better be prepared to not have dinner until midnight and if they say let’s go!! (Vamos!!)…that really means you’re not going to leave for another 20 minutes or so! The Brazilians are a warm people who smile often and love to have fun and party and their cooking always smells amazing! Cuban Spanish is very difficult for me to understand. One thing they all seem to have in common is they want to learn English!! Some of them love Spain and are grateful to be here; others don’t like it here at all and only see it as doing time until they can return to their true homes.

I’m learning a lot about how I respond to them. I’m definitely more grateful than ever to be an American. I’m learning that I can live on a lot less than I’ve been blessed with in America because most of these men and women arrived here with nothing and they are happy and grateful. I struggle with the motivation to clean the bathroom after 10 people have been using it all week. I really want to go into a rant about how beautiful it is when all these people gather together on Sunday morning to worship God, but I’ll save that for another post.

SEGOVIA

2007-11-07T09:53:00.001-07:00

Segovia, Spain is about an hour and a half north/northwest of Madrid. It's home to one of the most well known castles in Spain (la Alcazar) and it's also the home of a 2000 year old Roman Aqueduct. A town of rich history and interesting sights. I went on November 1st with Karen and Esther (both WEC workers with Rainbows of Hope). We had a great time! My first Spanish Castle.

About to ascend a staircase to arrive at the base of the 16th Century Cathedral you can see in the background.

The Cathedral was gorgeously intricate in its design.

Then we walked down the pretty brick street lined with souvenir shops to the Alcazar (the Castle). They say Walt Disney used this castle as his inspiration for Cinderella's castle.

Me and Karen and Esther on top where the people would guard with canons and bows and arrows against all foes! There was even a moat around the front of the castle!

We had to go up this really narrow spiral staircase of stone to arrive at the top. 152 steps!

Me and Esther: Princesses for sure!

From the windows of the castle you can see the Vera Cruz Templar Church (built by the Roman Catholic Knight's Templar in 1208 (one of the armies of the Crusades). Interesante, no?

Walking from a really great lunch toward the Aqueduct. We passed by art galleries, sculptures, churches. All historical and significant. Gorgeous entryways and arches and steeples.

Then we arrived at the Aqueduct. Roman aqueduct dated to the late first century (between 60 and 100AD) I love thinking about how this was being built at the same time that people were walking around who had witnessed Jesus Christ's life and death and life again. And here we are touching it and seeing it. It still supplied water to Segovia until just recently!

I want to see as much of Spain as I can while I'm here!

Two things...

2007-11-04T13:40:00.001-07:00

Hi! It's been a while since I've posted something. I think I've been waiting to have something huge and interesting to tell you, but then I figured that the small things can be huge and interesting too! So...

1. The storks have returned to Alcala. Since I arrived at the start of September, I noticed on every tall building, steeple, and bell tower there are these huge bird nests. I thought they were an eye sore because they are huge and definitely alter the skyline and the beautiful rooftops of historic Alcala de Henares, but they are a local legend and are a symbol for the town. I was also beginning to think the presence of the stork was just a myth because I hadn't seen one. People talked about the storks, but they weren't to be seen. Then one day at the end of October, I turned the corner on my way to Calle Mayor and there was this huge majestic white feathered creature shimmering in the sunlight atop one of the nests! A STORK! A real life stork. No longer are they only in stories bearing children, but they are alive and well and gigantic! I read that they can be up to three feet tall. That's a big bird!

and 2. Today, the church service was really great. I realized what I love about the services here. They are so spontaneous and there's so much room for the Holy Spirit to work. Between praise songs, it's not uncommon for someone just to start praying out loud. Something they've been struck by with the songs or something God is talking to them about. and today it was so great...we were singing the song "I will sing of your love forever" in Spanish (of course...Cantare de tu amor por siempre...) and then seamlessly the English speakers started singing in english and then just as seamlessly the body went back to Spanish. It was amazing and I loved it. Anyone who said language was a barrier to the gospel wasn't taking into consideration the work of God for the building up of His own church! ( I wanted to post a picture for this too...but there aren't any pictures of the Holy Spirit working..that I know of...WAIT! There is. We all had a meal together afterward and talked about how God could continue to do a good work in this small church...

Drum roll please...

2007-10-25T12:08:00.000-06:00

TOP TEN

To commemorate my 2 month anniversary in Spain, I thought I’d share my top ten favorite things. Picture David Letterman and his creepy smile:

10. Going to the vegetable market in the street and getting 2 kilos de patatas for like 1,50euros.

9. When people practice speaking English to me.

8. Los Cubanos in the other house who refer to me as “La Americana”. I thought it was cute until the day I realized we were even because I refer to them as Los Cubanos.

7. Singing praise songs in Spanish.

6. Watching old couples walk down the street holding hands.

5. The occasional real hug and not just the kiss both cheeks thing.

4. Alex who calls me “Mi Hermana Trujillo” in a really thick Spanish accent.

3. Trying to avoid touching hand rails in the metro to avoid contracting the plague. It’s become a game.

2. My cup of coffee every morning made with such tender loving care.

1. Listening to people pray in other languages. It's the coolest thing because I think it becomes less about the words that are being said and more about hearing the voice of someone speaking the Almighty King and knowing that He created them and He created the language that they are speaking and he listens with such love to His children in all languages.

He had No Rights

2007-10-24T02:46:00.000-06:00

Have We No Rights - A frank discussion of Christian rights
by Mabel Williamson

He had No Rights

No right to a soft bed, and a well laid table.
No right to a home of His own, a place where His own pleasure might be sought.
No right to choose pleasant, congenial companions, those who could understand Him and sympathize with Him.
No right to shrink away from filth and sin, to pull His garments closer around Him and turn aside to walk in cleaner paths.
No right to be understood and appreciated; no, not by those upon whom He had poured out a double portion of His love.
No right even never to be forsaken by His Father, the One who meant more than all to Him.

His only right was silently to endure shame, spitting, blows, to take His place as a sinner at the dock, to bear my sins in anguish on the cross.

He had no rights. And I?

A right to the "comforts" of life? No, but a right to the love of God for my pillow.
A right to physical safety? No, but a right to the security of being in His will.
A right to love and sympathy from those around me? No, but a right to the friendship of the One who understands me better than I do myself.
A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to who I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.
A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.
A right to myself? No, but, oh I have a right to Christ.

All that He takes I will give;
All that He gives will I take;
He, my only right!
He, the one right before which all other rights fade into nothingness.
I have full right to Him.
Oh, may He have full right to me!

No thing is incurable

2007-10-19T02:19:00.000-06:00

This week a package arrived at the house for one of the gentlemen in the ministry. His name is Daniel. He's from Nigeria. The package was from Nigeria (The "America" of Africa) and it said that it contained "natural herbs". I'm thinking Daniel's family sent him some seasonings or some special tea. Daniel just dropped by to pick it up and when I gave it to him he said that the herbs are for his diabetes. He said when he told his family that he was diabetic, they said not to worry. They would send him the right herb to take it away. He told me that in Africa they believe that no sickness is incurable and that there's always something that can be taken. The Spanish doctor told him it's incurable and it's a lifetime of coping with being diabetic, but Daniel is confident that won't be the case for him.

I felt compelled to tell you all this little story. I'm positive there's some sort of lesson in there, some spiritual truth, some deep insight. It's early though and my cup of coffee is only half gone. Any thoughts??

Dinner and a reading and a bus ride.

2007-10-16T14:10:00.000-06:00

Books I’ve Read since leaving Albuquerque:
1. “Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman” by Richard Feynman.
2-6. The entire Lineage of Grace series (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Mary) by Francine Rivers.
7. The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
8. Safely Home by Randy Alcorn

Recipes I’ve learned (In the “I’m-not-really-a-chef way of giving instructions):

Pakistani Kima
Brown ground beef with onion and a bit of garlic.
Add can of chopped tomato in juice and two large potatoes cut into bite sized cubes, a good tablespoon full of curry, 1.5 teaspoon of salt and a dash each of ginger, cinnamon, tumeric. Simmer in frying pan for 25 minutes. Serve over rice.

Spanish Tortilla
Cut potato into really thin slices or pieces.
Cut up onion into really small pieces.
Fry up both in frying pan until soft.
Take out of frying pan.
Mix up some eggs in a bowl.
Make sure the grease in the pan is really hot.
Add the three things.
Let stand like you’re making an omelette.
Flip over to cook the other side. (this requires either a pan that folds and has a top and a bottom, or a normal frying pan and a lot of skill)
Tada!

Cinnamon Bread:
We really did make it, but all I remember is it involved yeast...flour...then one hour to rise then pound it down. Another hour to rise then pound it down. Iron it out flat. Spread on Cinnamon and Sugar mixture. Roll it up. Put it in the loaf pan. Let it rise again. Put it in the oven to a golden brown.

Burrito:

Given the wonderful gifts from my parents, I had some refried beans and some Sadie's salsa to play with. I found some good flour tortillas. Next I wanted sausage. I stared at the salchicha section at the supermarket without much ability to read the labels and since I didn't know what I'd be buying, I settled on bratwurst. Cheddar cheese is hard to come by, so I chose an already shredded four cheese mixture containing mozzerella, cheddar, gouda, and emmental cheeses. I sliced the brat, sauteed with onion. I put the beans, the meat, the cheese, the salsa in the tortilla and if that wasn't the most delicious thing I'd ever had in my life!!!

The books and the food all are extremely wonderful and should be attempted by all. Enjoy!

The picture is me waiting for the bus on a sunny afternoon. The red "art" in the background is new and has become a good landmark to remember which bus stop to get off at when I'm coming home. Some think it looks like a hammer and sickle. I think it looks like two fingers...or two fangs biting the sky. By the way, my teeth are doing fabulously and I'm wearing my retainers with great due diligence. My orthodontist would be thrilled. Hey mom...can you call Dr. Fink and tell him to read my blog?

And so it begins

2007-10-13T13:08:00.000-06:00

I didn't know that once I got all the daily living things figured out then God would begin the teaching and changing and convicting, but alas He hath. I know where to buy food and how to do my laundry and I know where to take the trash bag when it's full...but I don't know is how to adjust my mind and my heart to living and breathing and worshiping and serving our God in a foreign land. You think it would be the same, but it's not. Everything is different. The things that were easy are now terribly difficult and the things that were hard are harder still.

A few questions that have been given me this week by more than one person are: what are my biggest frustrations, biggest blessings and what are things that are found to be different than expected.

Different than expected: Mostly regarding the church. The church is a new and small church plant, so the leadership and administration and running of it are quite different than I'm used to. There isn't a full time staff member. It seems sometimes that the running of the church is a part time job for everyone. Also, because the church meets in the basement of a living residence, it's not even feasible to have it's own space. "Church" is torn down after the service and set up every Saturday night and during the week the space is used to dry laundry, watch television, check email, eat, etc. I suppose I expected there to be this reserved place for the church to be. And I don't mean just the space...I mean the people. They scatter during the week and have limited contact. It's something the leaders hope to see change and the people to grow closer in this way.

Frustrations: I wish I could talk to the people in a more productive way. I want to be able to have true conversation about life and love and God, but until my Spanish gets a little better it is a real barrier. I want them to have an interest in me as well, to know me. I want to tell them about me and my life as well. They don't ask. Do they care? I'm also confronted with quite a large conviction from our Great God about my own limitations. I can't force "ministry" or force my hands to do something or force my presence to have a purpose. I can't be the god of my life that decides what needs to be done and then do it of my own power. I'm learning that perhaps this is what I've alway done...and what a terrifying place to stand and realize this. To come to a foreign land to truly learn what it means to have a God and a Lord above myself. When you ask God to make you uncomfortable and teach you to trust Him in new and deeper ways....He is faithful.

Blessings: I'm a simplist. My favorite blessings have been such small things. Having Beatriz paint my fingernails and put cute little purple flowers on them. Making Maribel laugh. Opening the door when people arrive for the prayer meeting and have them smile at me and hug me because they know me and care to greet me with smiles. Finding and buying flour tortillas at the supermarket. My prayer time I've etched in my schedule before class every day. Alex calling me "Mi hermana Trujillo" in his thick Spanish accent.

Una foto y un versiculo para nosotros. Romans 9:21 "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?"

Semana Cervantina

2007-10-10T11:04:00.000-06:00

Five days of a medieval fair in Alcala de Henares has just passed in honor of Miguel Cervantes including el Mercado del Quijote, expositions, theatre, music, and enough food to feed an army. I was told this was the biggest event in Alcala for the year. People from all over the world came. Tourists everywhere. Crowded streets! I spent a little bit of time each day walking around to all the vendors. All the things for sale were hand crafted and in the true spirit of medieval/renaissance Europe. Absolutely amazing! I ate roasted chestnuts, the most amazing lemon cake, and some really good roasted chicken on a stick. I even got my name written in Arabic! Good times were had by all. Viva Cervantes!

This street band pounded out a wicked beat that called to me across the plaza...
Me standing next to a creepy wooden statue.
Eating roasted chestnuts that just came from the open fire. Karen, Esther, Margaret, Lisa.

A puppet show for the kiddos.

A real basketweaver!

What the rows of vendors looked like.

The little boy on the right-most horse was really cute!

Don Quixote even showed up!

VIVA LOS NOVIOS!!!

2007-10-06T13:20:00.000-06:00

This week was busy!! We’ve been planning for weeks for the wedding of Hector y Noelia (see my post on September 30th). Finally this weekend was the big event. A few weeks ago we made invitations, souvenirs, decorations, bows (as an aside about bows…the Spanish word for bow is “laso” except in Argentina they use “moños” which is very similar to the Spanish word for monkey, mono) so I had fun talking about moños for monos) on everything! Lots of shopping and we made food and food and more food. I can finally say I’ve hard boiled three dozen eggs and built 50 sandwiches for which God cut the ham like we asked him to. It was three days before the wedding and we finally got a hold of a meat slicer and on Thursday God put it in our hands, a little oil and a new plug later, God sent someone to chop it for us too! It’s a certain sort of accomplishment I think. We stressed and planned and everything came together perfectly. As it always does because He does all things well. The bride was only about 5 minutes late to the ceremony and they said their vows before God and everyone.

Because the Evangelical Christian church isn’t recognized in Spain as an official institution, they had to be married legally in the courthouse. We waited in the lobby for about 20 minutes taking pictures and then got called in. Sat down facing the judge. He talked really super fast in Spanish. Two minutes later they stood up and kissed and we were sent packing. Haha. On to the next!! That was done on Friday, but they didn’t consider themselves married until after the ceremony in the church on Saturday. It was a great mixture of cultures and traditions. At the reception, the groom thanked everyone for visiting and mentioned the many cultures and countries represented in 50 people in the room (England, Korea, Spain, America, Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Colombia and probably more I wasn’t aware of). We toasted “las naciones”. It was great!!! That was my favorite part. Another Spanish tradition is during the reception someone will yell out “Viva Los Novios!” (Long live the bride and groom!!) and everyone replies “VIVA!!” That was amazing!

I will put more pictures when I get them, but here's the bride and groom and her family at the civil ceremony. She bought her gown in Africa.

Prayer Requests/Praises:
Our first Sunday of bible study in English was last week and it was awesome!! Everyone showed up. There were good questions, good comments. They seemed to really want this type of study. Pray that there’s fruit and growth that comes from our time together reading His Word.

Spanish language learning is coming along swimmingly. Classes are going well and I enjoy them, but I’m learning the most through living and working with Spanish speakers every day. I’ve already learned so much!

Let's drive to Burgos!

2007-09-26T12:39:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we drove to Burgos which is about 3 hours north of Madrid for a prayer day. They meet in Burgos because it's a central location for all the teams working in different places in Spain. There's teams in the Northwest and teams in the Northeast and a large team around Madrid. All involved in various church plants and ministries and businesses. All in Spain because God has brought them here to do his work. It's a neat thing. Every once in a while, they get together to pray. To lift up their needs and praises and to communicate with the team the status of their ministries. It was a day of encouragement and catching up and Prayer! In the morning, Ester and I got the chance to hang out with the children so the parents could focus. We did a few crafts, went to the park, hung out. I had alot of fun. We had 8 children who spoke their various home languages, plus spanish. At times it was difficult to communicate, but they could translate for each other and for us. They seemed to be used to that!! I'm amazed at how easily children learn new things. Missionary children are in regular spanish schools, so they learn the language easily. Here's some photos from the drive up and the children. (the playground equipment in Spain is dangerous!!! They would never allow such things in the States...parents would sue! That circle thing we're walking on also spins and is tilted...)

As for me, I started Spanish class this week. Learning Spanish in a Spanish class in Spain. (I'm still overwhelmed with the fact that I've got such an amazing opportunity in just being here!) They put me in level 3, but it's difficult!! It's a bit harder than I needed and for two hours I have to concentrate so hard to understand maybe 70% of what's said. I'm exhausted by the end of class. I go home every day and look up the words from class that I didn't know. I had to ask the professor today if he could talk a bit slower so that I could understand more. The rest of the girls in class are from..Brazil, Bulgaria, Romania and they have been in Spain for a year or three working. So they can speak Spanish but have never studied it on paper. I'm the opposite. I have studied it on paper but I have trouble speaking. I'm going to keep trying. I'm sure it'll get easier.

Additional Exciting News: I laid my eyes on some real New Mexican Tortillas this week. I think a quesadilla is in my near future. Maybe a breakfast burrito also.

Out and About

2007-09-18T15:07:00.001-06:00

In the last week, I...

Learned to make a real Spanish Tortilla

Got to know Tamara better by letting her slobber all over me...

Got up and talked in the church service (in spanish) about where I was from and why I was in Spain...

Took a picture of a really cute tiny little smart car...

Prayer Requests:

I'm learning about the immigrant situation more and seeing more of the struggles. Pray for wisdom and energy for the leadership of this ministry. Also there's a few in the church who are struggling; pray for Juliet especially. Continue to pray for my Visa situation; they are talking with the lawyer on Friday. We are driving a few hours north on Saturday for a prayer day with the WEC team, pray for safe travel and fruitful prayer. Pray for prayer. I like that. Praise God for already giving me some chances to be an encouragement to a few individuals.

The Missionary

2007-09-10T06:48:00.000-06:00

The above couple is Alex and Marybeth (Alejandro y Maribel) who are the leaders of the immigrant ministry with the associated residence and church. She is an american who grew up in Chicago and he is a spaniard, through and through. I've enjoyed the times I've gotten to sit down with them. They are the ones who will be direct supervision and giving me work to do. Alex is a visionary. He has grand ideas about what he wants for this church body and for the people. Growth! Maribel is his faithful wife, sidekick, who cares about people (I can tell).

I'm learning a few things about the heart of the missionary. The missionary who spends their days and years in a different country with a different people in order to spread the word of God to a world that needs it. First, I'm learning that creativity is an extremely important asset. Alex and Maribel don't have alot of money, not alot of support, so one of the ways they make extra money to pay for these big dreams they have for the church is by scavenging for scrap metal and redeeming it for cash. I went with them on Friday to take a van full of rusted steel drums, a refrigerator, piping, stuff they found on the side of the street, and he recieved some euros for it. We then took that money straight to the equivalent of Home Depot or Lowe's and bought supplies for our work day on Saturday and a new hot water heater for the other residence. Creative! Their eyes are always open for scrap metal by dumpsters and their neighbors always know to let them know if they have a spare refrigerator laying around. That's one example of how this missionary couple will do whatever it takes to provide for their little sapling of a church with constant self sacrifice. I think it's beautiful.

Second, I'm learning the need for creativity when reaching the people and building relationships. I've heard from several people that one of the best ways to plant a church is to have a very specific people you are targeting that have a very specific need. Basically meet people where they are at. Alex and Maribel have chosen to minister to immigrants because they are in a very vulnerable place in their lives. A new place, a new culture, away from family and friends, need a job and a home and a living. If the church can step in and help facilitate that process and be a "family" that provides something comfortable in the uncomfortable environment, then great! It works. It will always work when the church targets a specific need in a community.

Also, from a conversation with a lady in the church, Maria, I learned a bit about the difficulties in reaching the Spanish population. She is a Spaniard and said that they are a very closed people. They are taught to not show emotion, don't admit trouble, don't talk about your problems. The deeper you bury it the better. She has a heart for young people and we were talking about the differences in the youth in America and the youth in Spain. Our youth group at home is very open, they want someone to talk to, they want to express their feelings. In Spain, they don't. They won't. How difficult the job is for the church to somehow break down the cultural barrier to reach a people who don't want to be reached! To show them a God who wants to heal them when they don't know they need healed! And when that people is localized together in a society, living together in their ignorance and indifference, and the church is supposed to be a light. Seems so hard. A difficult and arduous task.

I think in short I'm beginning to understand the heart of the missionary. The missionary who has a deep desire to break down those walls, not let things of this world inhibit the gospel, and take a message of love to anyone and everyone. (Sounds ALOT like what Jesus did when he started his ministry!! Chew on that one awhile.)

Don Quixote de la Mancha

2007-09-05T10:20:00.000-06:00

That's him and me and his trusty pal Sancho Panza. I'm going to try to read the book...en espanol? =) The town I'm living in Alcala de Henares is the birthplace of Miquel Cervantes who authored the adventures of Don Quixote. This bench is outside the house where he was born and lived.

I am in the process of signing up for spanish classes at the local continuing education college. I have to go on Monday for a test and an interview so they can assess what level I'm at. Can you say, "Beginner" en espanol? Mi problema es que yo puedo entender mas que yo puedo hablar. In other news, I recieved some instruction on my responsibilities while I'm here. I will have two goals: 1. Learn Spanish (hence the classes) 2. Help with the church. Every other week I have to talk a bit in the church service, 3-5 minutes about me, my favorite verses, things I'm learning, my past, etc. I have to give these en espanol. Every week I'll also be starting a short sunday school bible study with some of the ladies in the church. They are mostly African immigrant women who need instruction on being women, mothers, wives and what the gospel says to those things. I'm both humbled and terrified to do this. The good thing is that these bible studies can be in English because that's what they speak! Also, they have various administrative tasks for me to help with (my specialty. haha.)

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. As I prepare my 3-5 minutes talks for Sundays. I need to be diligent to work on the spanish and also I'm not terribly great at public speaking.

2. That relationships could be built with the ladies in the church. That I could have wisdom in my teaching.

3. I'm adjusting to the community living situation. I'm one of 10 people who live in this house and share two bathrooms and one small kitchen. A few photos:

Number 40, the red one. That's our flat. Then that's my bedroom. Cute huh? Then that's a housemate Niurka in the kitchen.

Noelia y Hector

2007-09-03T16:36:00.000-06:00

Noelia y Hector are my new friends. She is a really sweet Argentinian woman who wants to be a missionary. She has been kind enough to help me get settled. She's taken me grocery shopping a couple of times. She is helping me with my Spanish. She's terribly patient and does a good job of walking me through understanding her. I can see us being friends. Because Noelia is so terribly helpful and friendly and wants to help me learn Spanish, I've spent the most time with her and talking with her. Hector is her fiance. He is also from Argentina. A nice, nice man who wants to be a pastor. They are in their late twenties, early thirties. They are getting married in October. Will you join me in praying for them and their futures? They are desperately seeking God's will for them and what he wants them to do.

Downtown Madrid

2007-09-01T12:06:00.001-06:00

The center of the city, which is the center of the country as well?
This bear symbol/statue is the symbol for madrid. It's used everywhere. It's located in the middle of a very busy plaza.

Inside the official palace cathedral. It was so beautiful inside. The statue of Mary with the crown of thorns on her head was a bit hurtful.

The front gate of the Palacio Real. The Official residence of the King of Spain. El Rey de Espana. (P.S. He doesn't actually live here)

That´s what I get for praying for boldness...

2007-08-31T16:55:00.000-06:00

Flying over Madrid as the plane was getting ready to land I was so amazed at how much the landscape looked like the American Southwest. Landing wasn´t a problem. Finding my luggage wasn´t a problem. The problem came when I couldn´t find the people there to pick me up.

I didn´t know who was coming or what they looked like. The people in Spain aren´t the most friendly and helpful, so I stood by the exit for about an hour just hoping to catch eyes with someone that was also looking for me! Pretty soon I figured I needed to do something about this mess. I remembered I had the cell phone number of the person I was supposed to meet. I asked a helpful lady where I could find a payphone (telefono?). She gave me directions in Español and I totally understood her!! I went passed the cafeteria to the left and found them.

I stared down the telephone for a while and decided I needed euro coins to use it. I had a few dollars in my pocket so I went on search for someplace to change my money. Had to ask another lady. I asked en Español so she figured I knew enough. She started speaking all the instructions really fast in español so I quickly had to tell her "En ingles...". I followed her instructions but all I really understood was to go to the second floor. Elevator. Now realize this whole time I´m carrying around my two large suitcases on one of those little dolly things. I went upstairs and didn´t see any place to change money. Had to ask someone else. This lady also gave me directions in spanish that I totally understood!! Went to the American Express counter, changed my $24 into 16euros and I felt stupid asking the guy if the amount of cents he gave me was going to be enough for a payphone. I held out my little poor hand with the few coins in it.

Back downstairs to the payphone. Fumbled around a bit and made the call. When Steve actually answered the phone and I was speaking to someone I knew, I was sooo relieved. We talked about where we were and I went back to where I had been waiting. I felt like crying! (I told myself I was NOT going to cry in the Madrid airport!!!) I was going to be found!! About two seconds later he walked right up to me!

THIS ENTIRE TIME THEY HAD BEEN TWENTY FEET AWAY!!! I even saw them...I just didn´t know that was who I was looking for.

Bottom line: when you pray for boldness, God gives you situations where you have to be bold. Ask the hard questions. Make yourself vulnerable and step out there to accomplish what you need done.

First impression of Madrid: it´s beautiful. It looks just like any large American city. It even looks alot like home. Lots of graffiti. And thousands of years old buildings (I guess that´s not like America). The jetlag is killing me. It´s 1am and I´m not tired at all (it´s 5pm in Albuquerque).

Hope you enjoyed my story. Tomorrow I am going to go to the house I´ll be living at while I´m here and meet the people I get to live with!!

WEC Headquarters and Orientation Pictures

2007-08-28T19:23:00.000-06:00

Prayer walking down the streets of Philly.

Rocky statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The Trekkers and Staffers (Left to Right: Lisa, Laura (staff, she set up my trip), Holly (staff), Joelle (fellow trekker), Tonda (staff), Ron (staff), David(fellow trekker))

The Castle (I stayed on the third floor...)

This was a great week. At the beginning of the week they asked for a word to describe how I was feeling and I think I said nervous. Tonight they asked for a word to describe how we felt now and I said I was ready. I'm ready. I leave tomorrow on a plane to Heathrow and then a connecting flight onto Madrid. Pray for safety in my travelling. Lots of safety and good navigational skills and alertness and sleep on the flights. Pray that when I arrive in Madrid that I'm able to find those there to pick me up.

See you on the flip side. (That's for you Lou)

More Philly

2007-08-26T18:40:00.000-06:00

I promise photos once I am able to get my laptop running and my photos downloaded...but I wanted to send another update even before they are ready.

We've been on information overload this week. I've sat through classes on culture shock, spiritual warfare, logistics of traveling, not creating dependency on the field, how to evaluate your expectations for the trip, and on and on. I've had the chance to hear stories and testimonies from so many WEC missionaries about where they've been and how God called them there. Ladies from Puerto Rico sent to minister in India and couples from South Africa sent to Colombia and other amazing things. We watched videos on the life and work of Steve Saint (I highly recommend learning about his testimony!). I've had to eat meals with my hands, take shoes off to enter rooms, and wear the same outfit for two days in a row all in an effort to expose us to things we may encounter in other cultures. I ate pink mashed potato cupcakes.

Regarding the things I'm learning about Spain...they are a dark people with a dark passed. A people that claim allegiance to the Roman Catholic church but who lead very worldly and materialistic lives. A people who are very closed off to any race, religion, or idea that sets itself up against the purity of their Catholic blood. But they are also terribly loyal and passionate, they know how to welcome people into their homes and lives. I'm going to have to get used to the daily schedule...to work at 7 or 8, the breakfast at 10:30, the break in the afternoon, the large meal around 3pm, then more work and then dinner late into the night around 10pm. When do they sleep?

You can pray for: my parents at home who miss me terribly and my nerves about the traveling. I know that prayers for me are very important, but please also take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the needs of Spain and the people there. Start praying that God would lead us to the people who need to hear his gospel and that we would have many opportunities to make a difference in the communities.

Orientation

2007-08-22T19:34:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone. I made it safely to Philadelphia. Only a slight delay out of Houston due to bad weather around Philadelphia. Today was our first full day of orientation. We took a tour around the WEC campus here and sat through a few informational classes. This campus is full of missionaries and staff who are so international and from so many different backgrounds and languages. I love it. I sat around a table today for an afternoon break with people from Venezuela, Korea, Africa, England and we spoke French, English, Spanish and we ate banana bread and drank coffee. I think I'm going to enjoy this very much.

Now that all the busy-ness at home is ended and I'm in a place where I'm immersed in learning and preparing for this trip I am learning a new humble sort of being overwhelmed. There's so many people that have traveled so much and to them it's a normal experience, and it's okay that it's not normal for me. That it can be scary and I'm nervous. I told Laura today that I have been on the verge of tears all day because of the reality that is setting in and she said that was normal. She cried herself to sleep the first couple of nights she was at orientation. That made me feel better.

I've already learned more about Spain than I did the whole time I was researching from home just through talking to people and reading the wealth of information they have here. I'm definitely keeping an attitude of being teachable. It feels good.

I won't have as much time to keep up with correspondence like I had hoped. I will make an effort to update this blog and check emails and such probably once a week.

Talk to you soon!

I have it!

2007-08-20T15:26:00.000-06:00

I have my passport. In my possession. In my two little hands.

Plane leaves tomorrow!! See you soon!

Prayers, Por Favor

2007-08-17T12:04:00.000-06:00

1. I am still waiting to get my hands on my passport. It's in the mail system somewhere.
1.5. Pray I can accurately pack my suitcase to not exceed the 44 lb weight limit. My first attempt yesterday was a few pounds over.
2. Pray my flight through Houston on Tuesday doesn't get interrupted by any hurricanes coming through the area.
3. Pray I can navigate through the Philadelphia train system to get to WEC headquarters once my plane arrives. This will be my first opportunity to need to get somewhere in a strange city.
4. Thank God for the fact I'm moving out of the "I'm terrified" stage and into the "I've got the joy" stage.
5. Thank you for being interested in my packing and navigating.
6. I'm grateful for those of you reading this. And those who aren't. And those who are praying.

Passport!

2007-08-10T13:11:00.001-06:00

My passport is on its way!! Should be here early next week.

I'm almost done packing and the big moving day is tomorrow.

Things are coming together...=)

Getting ready

2007-08-03T09:59:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. I am down to the last couple weeks before I fly out. Yesterday was my last day at work. It's a hard thing being happy and sad at the same time!

The next two weeks are going to be filled with shopping and reading and packing and many many phone calls. I have no doubts that it will all get done and I'll hop on a plane on Tuesday morning the 21st and not look back.

In the meantime you can be praying for a couple of things: I haven't gotten my passport yet. It's been 14 weeks and still nothing. I kind of need that before I can go. Also, I'm still fund raising and haven't recieved all I need (That's not a plug to send me money, just pray that God would provide it however he sees fit).

More later...

Testing Testing

2007-07-02T11:34:00.000-06:00

I wanted to set up a blog so that I could keep in touch with everyone back at home while I'm in Spain. Hopefully this works and will be as awesome as I expect it to be. I will put updates, pictures, stories, whatever it is I want to share with you while I'm busily doing what I need to in Espana. I just might start blogging in Spanish once I know more...I'm sure you'll appreciate that. Feel free to comment and reply and talk to me too!

I don't leave for another 6 weeks or so, but I wanted to check this off my list of things to be doing.

See you soon!