The Amazing Race

Today we went into town and did a game kind of like the amazing race. We were given a map and a list of places we had to find and take a picture with. This game required that we talked to people in Spanish because almost all of us had no idea where these places on our papers where so we had to ask people. We split into teams and spent all morning going around the town and searching for the places on our sheet of paper. My team was able to find all of the places and it was a lot of fun to be able to go around and look at all of these historical sites. Mixed in with the places we had to find we had some challenges that were extra credit, which were just for fun like finding the longest mullet. A lot of the people I talked to where very nice and made me laugh. A few people laughed at me but it was funny because I knew I was a sight to see running around and then asking for help and then whipping out my map. At least I know my directions in Spanish so for the most part I could understand people.

Besides the Amazing Race today I haven't really done anything except help around the house and reflect on my time in Murcia with the team. I loved the people in Murcia and God has shown me so much through my time there. Not once while I was in Murcia was I ever comfortable but I was happy. I was stretched a lot with the language, laid back lifestyle, and people. We often did not know what we were going to be doing until the last minute which was really hard. Eric would come downstairs and say something about street evangelism and the team doing a skit, then an hour till we left to go evangelize, which we would not know was that night, he would say "Is the skit ready?" We were always on our toes but we wouldn't have had it any other way because we were stretched in many ways. I am learning to let go to structure and just go with the flow.

I also honestly did not expect to miss home or struggle with the language as much as I do. I loved it when I was able to have a full conversation with people but there were many days when I was like " I am not even going to do this today because I am not going to know what they are saying anyways". I knew that I could speak the Spanish that I knew but following the people's responses was a lot harder. I am learning to be vulnerable and put myself out there. My last week in Murcia I tried to talk to people and since then I have tried a lot more with has been great!

I am learning that despite my weaknesses God still uses me to reach out and His Holy Spirit has been my guide. The night that Michal and I prayed with Elizabeth, my host mom, was completely from the Holy Spirit. She walked into our room and asked what time we had to be at the church and then told us she would not be there in the morning because she had to go to the hospital in the morning for tests. Before she left I asked to pray with her. Michal and I prayed in English and she prayed in Spanish. In the middle of her prayer she just started weeping and I know that all though I couldn't understand her God could. That was a hard night for me because God knows that I wish I could of understood her prayer more than anything, but I know it was God that knew that Elizabeth needed to pray and He heard her prayer so that is all that matters.

That is just a short reflection my time in Murcia and on what I have learned, and on what I am continuing to learn.

Hello Granada and Green Grass

Yesterday was great! I couldn't have asked for a better day. In the morning the team, the pastor's family, and our host families along with a few people from church went into the city and had a great time sightseeing and just spending time together. Even though many of them have spent a significant amount of time in Murcia many of them are not able to go into the city because of the cost of transportation and time. We all had a lot of fun and I was very grateful to be able to spend my last day with my host family.

That evening it was very hard for me as I said, "Adios" to some good friends. At the church we had a big dinner with our host family, the pastor's family, and some of the church members. It was a lot of fun! We laughed together and shared some time together before the team headed off for Granada. The host families expressed their love and appreciation for us, and the pastor's family also gave us a nice goodbye. I barely made it through the first speech before I started to cry. The people in the church have been so wonderful and my host family has been great! I didn't know what to expect coming on this internship but I know that any expectations I would have had would have been blown away by these people and the Alcantarilla community. I have loved my time here and even though it has not been easy it has been a blessing. I am blessed for having known these people for the short time that I have and I am blessed to be able to be apart of their lives. They have touched my heart deeply. Saying goodbye is never easy but I know that the friends I said goodbye to in Murcia is not forever for I am sure in my heart that I will see them in heaven one day. Their passion for the church and for Christ is outstanding, it was beautiful to be able to see such loving and selfless people working hard and with all their heart for God's Kingdom!

Today I am safely in Granada. Hearing Chris Irwin, the Team Expansion missionary, speaking English to me after a long bus ride was a nice relief. Though I did cry a little because I know that life in Granada is going to be very different than in Murcia. Here in Granada I am going to be working with more language learning and starting this week we will begin language classes and next week we will begin language routes. Language routes will consist of me going into town with the team and then splitting up to find people to talk to in Spanish. Despite my difficulties and frustration in learning the language I am very determined to make the most out of this experience, and I am very excited to go out and meet new people! Well, it is almost time for dinner, yay! Nicia, Chris's wife, is an awesome cook!

Please pray for team unity because as of now, in Granada, we are going to be in some stressful situations with learning the language and in a smaller space. Pray that we would live in peace and also please pray for Chris and Nicia as they take on the task of having us in their home for the next 2 weeks. Also please pray for our language routes, pray that we would have open hearts, develop relationships with new people in Granada, and be stretched.

Getting Ready to Move Out..

In only a few days I will be living Murcia. I have grown to appreciate this laid back lifestyle. I have loved my time here in Murcia and though my time here has been short I have grown to love the people and the church here. I am sad that I am going to be leaving my host family and my new friends but I know that God will continue to be with them. I have learned so much from these people and from God by just being here. I know that I am going back to Granada changed for the better and with my eyes now wide open. I wish I could explain more but my time on the computer today is short. I hope all of you at home are celebrating and having a good Father´s day! (The Paster Eric has been going around singing Happy Birthday Father (in spanish) since we told him about this holiday, it is really funny, he is so much fun)

Please pray for team unity (which by the way has been great!). Also please pray for Jess, Tiffany, and myself as we still struggle a lot with the langauge, pray for a safe trip back to Granada, and please pray for our leader Stephanie for clarity in life and in where to direct the team. Also please pray for our youth and church events tonight that everything would go well and that God would be glorified.

The Seasons Change...

Life in Spain is not easy and there is a lot to get use to here, but I honestly love learning new things each and every day. I have struggled a lot with the langauge but slowly I am getting better. I am putting myself out there to try and talk to people, which has helped a lot. I am denying myself and putting God first. I am trying my hardest to glorify Him in everything I do. I have missed home a lot this past week, but I am getting through. I really do miss home but I do love it here!

These past few days I have been able to sleep in a little and get some much needed rest which has been great! Saturday youth group did not go as planned, but it was fun! There was 3 kids there for the first 45 minutes but then a few more came and we sang songs and played games. We sang worship songs together in English and Spanish which was really cool. Saturday night I went to the home Bible study and since our leader was gone for a few days we did not have a translator, but the pastor, Eric, tried very hard to translate for us with the English he knew. I ended up loving the home Bible study because I got to see more of the pastor´s heart for God and His passion for the word. He also does a wonderful job at making sure that all of the team members are involved in every discussion.

The Sunday youth night went well we were able to play games, sing songs, teach a lesson on Following God, and hang out with the kids. Jared, one of my team members, preached in the main church service and Steph, the team leader, made it back in time to translate. Jess also finally joined us on Sunday and has been a great addition to the team. Jess´s heart for people and life is contagious, I love it!

Well my time is almost up, please keep praying for team unity and for peace. Pray that we, as a team, continue to be stretched and broken in order for God to be glorifed completely in our lives.

Time...

There is so much to do here in Spain and my team and I have been making every effort to help out the church we are serving in every way possible. I know I have said this before but the people here are wonderful! I love everyone I work with and the people in the church have been so good to us.

The past few days the church has been doing some street evangelizing in a small area of Murcia. I have never participated in street evangelizing before this week, but I really do enjoy it. It is almost just like we are doing a church service outside and inviting whoever wants to come to come. I have been trying to communicate with the non-Christians that come to the service and it has been interesting. I am learning that sometimes sitting in silence is better than using words. I love sitting by the older women and watching them watch the service. They often try to speak to me and then we just laugh because my Spanish is terrible, haha it is really funny.

Elizabeth, my host mother, is definately continuing to capture my heart. I love my host family so much and we have such a great time talking about church and learning about one another. I found out the other night that Acts is here favorite book in the Bible. Michal, my roommate, and I got to pray with her the other night before she went to the hospital the next morning. She had to go to another doctor to get another diagnosis and see about having surgery. During our prayer even though we couldn´t understand Elizabeth she broke down in tears. I wanted so much to be able to comfort her but all I could do was continue to pray for her and hold her hand. I know God has control over everything and even though I couldn´t understand her prayer or needs that night He did.

Please continue to prayer for Elizabeth and her family. Pray for healing for Elizabeth.

Also, I have some exciting news Jessica will be joining us in Murcia on Sunday! Despite the lost in her family and her illness she is finally going to be able to join the team!

Please pray for team unity and peace for all of us. Also, please pray for opportunities for me to learn Spanish. Thank you!

Time to Grow

This blog does not give me enough space to express to you how much my heart is breaking. I am learning so much from my team and from the people in Murcia. God is doing amazing things in this city and God´s people here just amaze me. The few churches and people that love God in Murcia have such a passion for Christ!

While I am in Murcia I am staying with a host family from Peru, who attend the church where the team is serving. My host family has been amazing:Elizabeth, the mother, and Mario, the father, and their three children have been trying so hard to teach me Spanish and make me feel welcomed. The other night during one of the church services I got to hear her testimony, Elizabeth has a brain tumor and since she found out she has been seeking the Lord. Despite her condition her family is so happy and full of joy. My heart just goes out to the family and despite the langauge barrier we have been able to communicate fairly well.

Trying to communicate makes me very tired because there is just so much to take in. The American culture is just so different from the culture here is España. Though I am loving every minute here in España because my time here is just flying by.

Yesterday, I got to share my testimony in front of the congregation and as a team we got to sing worship songs in English for them. It felt great to worship with this church because it amazes me how diverse and different everyone is. The pastor, Eric, is from Nicaragua, my host family is from Peru, some of the people are from Costa Rica, some are from Brazil, and some are from Bolivia. It just blows me away that God has brought all of these people together here in España! God is doing amazing things here in Spain! I feel Him at work here, but I also feel Satan have a strong hold on a lot of the people here, it just breaks my heart.

The team overall has been doing very good. Satan has been definately trying to pull us back but through our daily team talks, prayers, and devotions we continue to move forward in our work for the Lord.

Please continue to pray for the team and pray that we will continue to live in unity with one another. Also please continue to pray for Jessica, we are still not sure if she is going to be able to join us. Please pray for the team´s housing arrangments because some of the team members are having to switch host families so please pray that they would be able to find a good host family.

Thank you all for your notes of encouragement!

Time to Move

Tomorrow we are leaving for Murcia to work in the English camp. We are leaving a day later because they were not prepared for us to come, but now we are packing to leave tomorrow at around one. One thing I learned over and over again in missions is to be flexible, so we are all trying our best to just go with the flow.

At night our team meets together for team time to debrief and do devotionals together. Our team times have been awesome and as a team we are really coming together. Tonight we shared our fears and failures with one another, which was really hard and great at the same time. In order to let God completely use us on this trip we need to give ourselves completely over to Him.

During out time in Granada we have learned alot about the culture and the people here. We have had the chance to meet some very nice Spaniards and I amazed at how friendly and nice everyone is here. I am looking forward to talking with people during our langauge routes in a few weeks. My Spanish is coming along slowly but surely :-)

Today we did a prayer walk around the Irwins' block and I was amazed at how much you can learn about an area by just observing and praying for the houses and families in the area. As we did our prayer walk we took note on what stood out to us and we found a lot of interesting details about the homes around us. 

God is so good! This trip is opening my eyes to many things about missions and myself that I have never noticed before. I know this is where God wants me to be for this point in time, but seeing Him daily at work in the people around me is awesome! God is definately doing something big in this city and it will be very interesting to see what God has planned for the rest of this summer.

Please continue to pray for Jessica! Her uncle passed away and she was suppose to join us in a week here in Spain but now she is unsure if she wants to come and leave her family. Jess has faced many problems and obstacles trying to make it here, so please pray for guidance for her as she debates coming to Spain.