Sixth week in Spain :(

Hola friends,
    As I look back from the beginning of my journey to Spain, I didn't expect to love being overseas, I didn't expect to fall in love with the culture and more so the people. Truly, God has answered prayer when I ask him to give me his perspective of people and to have a heart broken for them. I can say that Spain will forever be a part of my life and my heart will remember the people. At the beginning of this week, it feels different, in that, I'm not busy at work but taking it slow. It's not a hard core week but maybe a time to really process everything and try to easy back to knowing that home is close by.
    On Monday, we had a time of evangelism training that helped us to prepare for that evening's event. It sounds easy to do but completely different when you actually evangelize to a person face to face. Street evangelism is not my strongest gift but it definitely teaches me that God can use any form of method to convey the Gospel into the hearts of people
     Tuesday, we spent a day in Segovia and it was AMAZING. This place has a lot of history-ancient history. Like the aqueducts are dated back 2,000 years when Jesus was born and still it is standing 90 feet tall completely together. There is no sign of decay or damage. The aqueduct was built by the Romans for the purpose of carrying water from the top throughout the town. Truly, the Romans knew a lot about constructing and very practical. We also saw the castle of the queen and king of Spain and it is believed that Columbus was commissioned to go to the new world. It was so big inside and the style of furniture looked like it wouldn't be comfortable. Then we saw the Cathedral which was beautiful in architecture. Still, there was a sadness to it. Some of the pictures were interesting to look at.
        Wednesday, we saw the outside of the Muslim Mosque that is the biggest in the world. We couldn't go in to see because of Ramadan but it still looked nice from the outside. Then we went and heard an evangelism session called red box which is a public preaching so all can come and go to hear the Gospel. Some of the Evangelist told their personal story and then related it to the Gospel and how God had changed their lives. It was amazing to see their passion to tell the Gospel and then talk with pass-byers to be more personal. I really enjoyed it and truly saw people moved by the message.
       
The remainder of our time here is assessments and having a last tour of Madrid. This week has definitely made me feel like I don't want to leave because I have loved the experiences.

Some prayer requests:

• The remaining time will still be a time of learning and growing
• Safe travels on Sunday. our flight leaves at 7am Spain time and we have a lay-over in London. Pray for clarity and a smooth transition from London to U.S. 
• The jetlag back to the states is harder, so just being able to have time to relax and process when back at home. 

Fifth week in Spain

Hola Friends,
    This week we said good-bye to Caceres which was the hardest thing to do. I think I understand what a missionary feels when they have to move from one location to another. After being in Caceres for 4 weeks, it becomes home to me. Whenever we travelled and came back to Caceres, in my mind and heart I feel like I've come home. I can say that anywhere I go for a lengthen of time, I have accumulated a place called home in my heart.
     On Sunday afternoon, we made our way back to Bejar and had the opportunity to teach English through doing crafts for 2 days. It felt weird to teach for a short amount of time, since the previous week was full of activity. I loved being around Craig's family and getting to know their ministry of church planting.
     On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to visit a Jewish museum about the Jews in Bejar. Their lives were drastically changed because of the Roman's influence and governing over the land. Most of the Jews were accused by the royalty that they were a bother in a sense and could not worship their God. So they were given two choices: convert to Catholicism or leave the country. Most Jews left and they were not allowed to bring anything with them. It is said that some Jews went on the ship with Columbus when he went to the new world.
      Wednesday morning, we had breakfast with the Bejar church women and it was soo sweet know that they want to know us. Some of the women I knew before when we were there the last time and I was so glad to see them again. I had the chance to tell my testimony and I was a bit nervous. I'm not sure why but I learned that telling my testimony is a blessing for others as a way of encouraging them of God's faithfulness. Each women told their testimony and hearing how God has been a big part of their life, truly shows their trust in his faithfulness. Their hearts are full of the joy of the Lord and I'm so encouraged by it. That evening, we had a prayer meeting and again I told my testimony. I found it to be easy to tell. It's true about what they say when you say it once it becomes easy to do again and again.
     Thursday, we left Bejar to stay in Madrid for the remainder of our time. Another good-bye but we won't say it, rather, see you later. It's hard to believe that 5 weeks are completed and the 6th week is about to begin. Friday, we traveled 7 hours to Santiago where our experience to walk the Camino began. We had an opportunity to see inside the Cathedral and experience mass. It was spiritually hard to see these people working their way to heaven. It's very sad but the experience was worth it as a way to pray for these people.
     Saturday, at 9:30 we began our Camino of 22km. The landscape was beautiful and cool. There were many hills that I felt like I couldn't breathe. Yet, I persevered to finish it. I saw some pilgrims walking and I had time to just observe them. In my mind, I know that their journey is spiritual and their search for answers. Other pilgrims' journey are for physical purposes and others for the experience. I of course went for the experience but still prayed for the unbelieving pilgrims. We arrived at our hostal that was amazing and much needed since my body was soo sore.
       Sunday, we took the bus back to Santiago because I was not able to walk it back. However, I can say that I would definitely do it again with much training before hand. My ideal plan is to do it for a week. We will see if this will ever happen. Hopefully.

Thank you for your prayers and I've enjoyed sharing my experiences and the journey I have been doing.


   

Fourth week in Spain: Love without judgement

Hola Friends,
    This pass week was awesome!!!! This week we had our English and basketball camps and around 100 kids of various ages. The theme for the English camp, where I helped out, was travelling in a hot air balloon across the U.S.A. We began in GA to TN to CO, to UT, and landed in OR. In each state we learned the 5 senses and repeat over and over again what they are. Also, we had 5 values: character, thermostat, listen, opportunity, and commitment that was taught each day. We had two sessions: the older group and the younger group. Each table had both groups and at the tables we did conversations, repetition, asking questions of what each person would like to see, taste, hear, touch, and smell, and did either crafts or survival skills. Also, each table had a sports team with a chant with it. The hawks, the blazers, the nuggets, the jazz, and the grizzles. We would have a competition as to who could shout their chant the loudest. The younger groups enjoyed participating a lot. Then we had our theme song, I Get Around (altered). This song definitely sticks in your head. Haha. Learning/ teaching English is so much fun when you have visuals, songs, chants, journals, and a lot of love.

I could say that the foundation of teaching English is to first build relationships and get to know people. To express love and care since the Spaniards´culture is shame based. So, to love and encourage is something that the kids rarely hear in their schools. As Christians we are called to love and reveal the love of God. It takes patience, hope, care, and passion to love on kids. The most expressed statement that can´t be emphasized enough is that Spaniards want to see us Christians live out our faith. Our actions speaks volumes and penetrates the hearts and minds of people. A faith base action that I implimented this week was humbleness and listening to the kids. It´s hard to connect especially with a language barrier but living out a humble heart produces fruit. One of my kids, a boy, at the end of Friday (we had a pizza party/wrap-up with kids and parents) I went to say hi to him and his parents. His mom told me that her son did not want to go to camp but every day when he came home, he would talk about  what he learned. He would be so excited to go everyday. This made my heart sing with joy because this boy was shy and did not say much. But to know that we, as the English coaches, have made an impact on his life is a joy. I believe we had accomplish our task of loving and being there for the kids. It was truly a stretching and learning time of just loving on the kids.

 Today is our last day in Caceres and it is quite sad to say good-bye. The people have been amazing and they have been like family to me. Words can´t describe the heart felt impression they have left on my life. My prayer is to stay in touch with each Spaniard both believers and nonbelievers. Please pray for our last 2 weeks in Spain. That we will continue to have an attitude of servanthood and being a learner. To be aware of God´s promptings and wisdom as we interact with Spaniards. Pray for our hearts to be broken for the lost and truly depend on God for truth to speak out. Thank you for praying.

Third week in Spain: Tested, challenged and persevering

Hola friends,
  This week has been probably the most challenging since being in Spain. My team and I went to a pueblos called Navalmoral which is very small where everything is within walking distance. (yay, more walking) We had the opportunity to stay with a missionary family who are ministering to the Morrocan Muslims as well as the Spaniards. Their ministry of building trust and relationships with the Morrocans through teaching Spanish and incorporating the Gospel is amazing. When we arrived on Saturday, Samuel introduced us to his family and we had lunch together. As an ice breaker, or more like a skip to the heart, Samuel posed a question to us and our answer had to be in Spanish. My outward reqponse was great bring it on but my inward response was shear panic. My thought was please give me grace because I don´t know Spanish. I was able to give my answer in Spanish by asking how to say certain words in Spanish. My answer was very broken and slow and probably not pronounced perfectly but it was acceptable. Whew. Samuel gave us the run down of what we were going to do and all I could think of was how can I accomplish all that he asked of us. Our schedule of teaching English was packed and felt daunting. As a team, we had to come up with a lesson plan for Sunday school for both the morning and evening timeframes and English activities to teach twice on Monday and Tuesday. We felt like we were ready with nervousness.

The teaching of the lesson went well but Nica and I had to replan our lesson for Sunday evening. We had no idea what to do but we trust God to show us a plan. We learned that the leader for the kids´ club had an idea for us. Her son was going through a difficult time knowing where he belongs and who he is. As a M. K. (missionary kid) he feels out of place. This was a God send as an oppportunity to teach about our identity in Christ and that no matter where we go in life, we are meant to be set apart but at the end of the day, our identity is in Christ. We, as the body of Christ, can understand each other because we are not of the world. The kids were very open to share their experiences, ideas, and concerns.

On Monday and Tuesday, we taught English in a public school. We had no idea how to plan because we did not know what age groups we would be teaching. So, we felt like most of the time we were winging it and trusting on God´s help to communicate English to the kids. I had the opportunity to teach 6 year olds, 5th grade, and 3-5 year olds. The 3 year olds were the most difficult group to teach because they were just speaking Spanish as well as trying to learn English. This truly stretched me to be out of my comfort zone and just act silly with them. To get to their level of comprehension is not easy. The 5th graders were easy because they were able to comprehend Simon says, charades, and complete the story all in English. I should have mention this in the beginning of this paragraph but I was told that the schools have a shame-base approach when teaching children. They will divide the children from startest to dumbest. They will even point each person who is either smart or dumb. The smart kids have the opportunity to go to universities and as for the so called dumb, are not noticed. Knowing this before hand, walking in a class to teach, I could feel the strict atmosphere. In a sense, a fear. As if breathing would be too much. Yet I had to think that not all of the teachers were harsh but rather it was the way of the system.

During the late morning, we experienced the Morrocan Muslim women receive their diplomas for Spanish learning. This event was hard for me because they did not know English and I did not know Spanish. So, the language barrier was definitely evident, however, nonverbals came in use. They were sweet women and very interactive to learn. We taught them how to make American cookies and it was neat to see them participate.I know they really enjoyed it and they had huge smiles. Words can´t convey the feelings and emotions that happened but all I can say is that God was in the midst of it all. I believe they enjoyed our company and felt at ease to express themselves.

I must add that in between our activities, we met a guy named Josiah, who has been living in Navalmoral for nearly a year. His passion for God and connecting with the Spaniards was evident. We had a chance to just hang out because he has been living alone and seeing and hearing English from U.S.´people was a blessing to him.

Our last scheduled event was adult conversations which went amazing. It was great to see and talk with the teachers of the school come and feel like they could practice English as well as be themselves. We went out for drinks with the teachers after the session which was great because we just had good conversations about life.

On Wednesday, plans had changed and so it was a wake-up call to be asked to lead in one of the classes of the school. It was nerve racking and I was frantic to think of ideas but none came. This was a point of just trusting God that it will go well. And truly it did. It may have not been structured but I embraced flexibility. It was so sad to leave the teachers whom we got to know. They were wonderful women (Rebecca and Palet- I think that´s her name-) and it felt like we were friends forever. They will be on my heart and prayers because they are not Christians. Saying good-bye to Samuel and his family was definitely not easy. They prayer over each of us and gave words of encouragement that brought tears to my eyes. Their kindness was beyond I could ask or imagine.

At the end pf this week, we have been prepping for the basketball and English camp. And today, we welcomed the basketball team from LBC (whoot whoot).

 Some prayer request:

• For the LBC basketball team to have energy and jetlag will not last long
• Engery for the whole team as next week will be crazy busy
• For the 100+ kids to be save, excited, open to the Gospel through our actions as Christians, and the virtues we will be teaching them to penetrate their life and their families will see the transformation and be effected by it
• Pray for the Navalmoral teachers in the schools, the kids, and for the Gospel to saurate their lives through Samuel´s and his family´s life and Josiah´s life too
• Good health as it will be very hot
• Patience, clarity, open hearts, and God´s spirit to work wonders in the Spaniards of Caceres 

Thank you for your prayer support. God is doing amazing things. His Kingdom will reign.

Second week in Spain: Prayer comes first

Hola Friends,
   What is the first word you think of for the word prayer? This question was asked of me as the beginning of our prayer conference. Prayer has a significant meaning and truly the way to commune to God. I believe the power of God is evident when people stand together to pray for specific request. Therefore, prayer builds character, breaks your heart for God´s heart, and truly humbles you to see the people around you. I believe prayer has the ability to make you become less of yourself and more like Christ. It´s not easy nor is it fast. One of my team memebers said that prayer is a process. I believe that is what God wants each of us to know and own for ourselves that praying for something or someone takes process. A process of depending on God and being reshaped for God´s plans for your life. Prayer to me is digging deeper with God and letting go of my control and being open to the Holy Spirit´s direction for my life.

During the week, I´ve had the opportunity to experience Spanish churches come together and devote themselves to prayer for their country and people. I´ve been broken for Spain as I heard the lifestyles of the Spaniards. It was anexperience to partner with another church and do a prayer walk around the community. This prayer walk was completely different than what I have ever experienced. We were a group of 30 or 40 people with banners that had Jesus´ name and Bible verses. As well as a megaphone to sing songs. As we walked through the streets, there were a lot of blank faces which made me feel uncomfortable. Our prayer walk felt more like a protest for Jesus because we were loud and definitely showed what we believe. It was different and hard to be a part of it but I´m glad I did it as a way to see another perspective of how the Christian Spaniards are on fire for God. Their passion led them to speak openly and declare who God is.

The next day, we spent time in the older part of Caceres to prayer walk within this community. Our team leader told the history of Caceres and then we prayer for specific areas of need like the Spaniards to receive Christ even though they have been hurt by the Catholic church. Other request were for the Evangelical church to reach out to the Catholic church and truly show them the purpose to living for Christ alone. We prayed for spiritual deadness and how so many of the Spaniards are fearful to trust and accept Christ.

Next we prayed for the different ministries that each missionaries have started and has really have had success. We travelled to Alburquerque and the different pueblos like San Vicente de Alcantara and Valencia de Alcantara. Within these pueblos, there is one Evangelical church or none at all. Like San Vicente de Alcantara had no church and maybe a couple of Believers but no one to really help disciple them deeper in their relationship with God. This truly broke my heart because I had read about the unreached people and now to see and hear with my own eyes is reality. It´s hard to imagine a town without the Gospel and sometimes it seems unreal. After experiencing the unreached area, the task of spreading the Gospel is daunting. Yet I had to learn to not have the task become overwhelming but at the same time, there is a desperate need for the Gospel. Only God can bring the workers out into the field that is hungering and thirsting for His rich Word of truth.

The next location was Bejar which is located in the mountains. This place was gorgeous and it reminded me of home being in the mountain region. However, this place only had one Evangelical church and the small pueblos around this location, those who are Believers, have 1 hour of driving to get to church. However, because of limited jobs, families have to choose either outting money for gas or for food on the table. This also, broke my heart to realize that I have the Gospel at my disposal and yet I´m not using the preciousness of it to learn.The Believers at Bejar church had a prayer meeting which I had the privilege of being a part of it. We split into English and Spanish speaking groups and we just started praying for needs of more workers, jobs, youth to have the passion of God, and the wisdom for the church leaders in knowing how to reach out to the people of Bejar.

One of the memebers, Moncy, told us her story of teaching at an English academy and that day, she was persecuted verbally for sharing about Christ. She was given permission to express before hand but someone thought she did not have permission and so it became a terrible scene. My heart just broke in two at hearing her battle but she persist in Christ to keep sharing. This was mind opening to first experience a sister in Christ fighting for God and being hurt verbally. We prayed for her and later I had a chance to just pray for her through a translater. This family of Christ asked us if there was anything we need prayer for and we just sat in amazement and humbleness to be asked of something that we did not think about. It was a blessing to be prayed for by the Spaniards and truly their hearts were Spirit led to ask God´s power over us as we continue our time in Spain. After the meeting, they wanted to talk to us and ask questions through translation. They didn´t care if we spoke Spanish it was a blessing that they wanted to be in our presence and vice versa.

Thurdays, we travelled to Velille outside of Madrid to visit a mission agency called Decision and had the chance to pray for God to continue his work within this agency. Then Friday, we finished our prayer conference praying in groups for 4 different stations. Each station was a people group or location that we had visited, so it was good to pray again. We had more of a perspective of  each area or pueblos to pray for them. To be honest, the whole week of prayer was a battle because Satan did not want me to grow deeper in my relationship with God, however, the more he tried to fight me, the more I drew closer to God. I depended on God to be my hope, joy, and security as I endured times of struggle and restlessness. I thank God for the opportunities to grow and experience Spanish culture. Know the people is my favorite, even when I could not communicate. It´s true that nonverbals speak loud and clear because I get to know them through expressions and love.
 

First Week in Spain.

Hola friends,

    Spain has been wonderful. :) The beginning of my practicum started in Warrington, PA at World Team's headquarters. I spent two days of orientation and getting the basic history of World Team. As well as getting to know my team. A couple from Spain, who was beginning their home furlough, gave us details of what to expect when we are in Spain. We heard about the cultural greeting in Spain which is a double kiss (one on each side of the face) blown out into the air. My team and I were confused on which side of the face you kiss first. This was a major concern. ;) We found out we begin on the right side of the face and then the left. Another cultural awareness was knowing that the Spaniards enjoy their siesta. Also, during this time all shops are closed and only on Sundays is everything is closed. All the preparations definitely made me more excited to be in Spain.

      On Saturday evening, May 30th, my team left on a train to Philly airport and waited 3 hours until our flight took off. At 6:45 we boarded our plane which was big. It was so cool to watch movies and to keep track of our destination on the GPS. It felt weird to know that we were flying at night time and then to arrive in the morning. The time change is sooo hard to comprehend. It was not easy to sleep on the plane because of the different distractions that were around me. However, I was able to snooze. Our flight took 7 hours. When we were close to Madrid, Spain, I was not even sleepy but quite wide awake even though in the states it would be 2 am and Spain was 8 am. A 6 hours difference that my mind could not wrap around. Once we landed, I was nervous to go through customs but it went great. I was successfully in SPAIN!!!!!

         We were directed to the bus station to go to Caceres, where we would be serving. We were told the bus trip would take 2.5 hours which gave me a chance to sleep because by then the exhaustion came over me. As the 2.5 hours were nearly pass, we stopped at a rest and found out (the driver only spoke Spanish) that we were taking a 25 min rest. Then we got back on the bus and we kept going until we reached a station and we were not sure if we arrived yet. However, it was not our stop, so we kept going. It felt forever. Finally, we arrived in Caceres. YAY. So it took us 3.5-4 hours. Oh new things to experience. At this point, I was tired, hot, and gross. Our intern leader took us to our apt. which is located in the older part of Caceres.

        Our apt is quite quaint with 4 bedrooms (there are 4 of us interns), 2 full bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and patio. I found out that we walk to everything which has stretched me (physically) and also seeing all of Caceres. Our leader, Kristin, took us to a cafe' to have lunch which is around 2 for the Spaniards. That evening, we walked to the Spanish church and experience the service all in Spanish. I thought that it would be in English but it was not so. I also thought that there would be an interpreter but this was not so. Therefore, I couldn't understand but I quite enjoyed it.

          Monday began our sessions of Sonship which focuses on our relationship with God and our inward spiritual life with Christ. We started with worship time and a time to give God praise. The first session began with the definition of the Gospel and what it means to each of us. This we made a list and added to it everyday. We learned about passive righteousness and knowing what it really means. I really didn't  know what passive righteousness was but I thought that it should have been active. What I learned was that when Christ died for my sins he actively brought righteousness, therefore, I can do nothing to earn righteousness. So, when I think that I have to earn righteousness, I'm the one making it active when in reality it is to be passive. This really blew my mind. It made me aware how often I actively seek for righteousness rather than just receive. Another session I learned
was the difference between orphan/save and child of God. I realized how often I place myself at the orphan table when od has clearly made a place for me at his royal table. I learned that don't "have to" earn grace, mercy, love etc but rather "get to" because the relationship between God and I has been restored by Jesus' blood that he sacrificed for me.

            Tuesday, I learned the cross chart and knowing the difference between minimizing God's holiness and elevating my own righteousness by seeing my sin less than it is. The purpose of my relationship with God is to make the cross (Christ) bigger in my life. The next session was understanding what it means to fellowship with God. It is doing life together whether the good, the bad, and the ugly. A quote that caught my attention was "Religion says do, Jesus says done. Religion says slave, Jesus says Son." This is what it feels like to be in fellowship with God. He delights in me and only wants what is good for me. He longs for me to interact and to trust in him. Another quote, "The favor of God is over you, it is unpealable." Wow how glorious is God and truly relational he is. After our sessions, we went on our first successful grocery shopping in Caceres, Spain. All of the product was in Spanish and my team spoke Spanish to the cashier. At this point, I was in culture shock that everyone speaks Spanish, even the missionaries and I felt alone. So, I took the initiative to learn basic phrases of Spanish.

            Wednesday, I learned about repentance and forgiveness and realizing how little I understand about true repentance and forgiveness. Much less repent with deep sickness for my sin. The purpose of repenting is turning away from what I did wrong and turning to God to receive his forgiveness. Sometimes I don't even know my sin and this is where I need to ask God to bring to my attention where I have wronged him so that I can fully receive his forgiveness. After our sessions, I had the opportunity to observe both a 10th and 6th grader English classes. All the 6th graders asked me questions in English and they thought what I introduced of myself what fascinating.

             Thursday, I learned about the propulsion of grace which means that since I have learned the Gospel now it is time to share it. Also, the importance of sharing the Gospel is that we must have the fragrance of God that is contagious. However, as Christians, we become so self-centered which overlaps the fragrance of God. Sometimes we no longer recognize God's aroma. Then when it comes to sharing the Gospel, we choose and pick because of our self-centeredness and judgment of others. Then we took a train to Merida which has old ruins of the Roman Empire. The architecture is amazing. I had to touch the buildings to make sure I wasn't dreaming and that this was really real. These buildings of Roman structure were here since A.D. which astounds me. Seeing the amphitheater, Diana's temple, aqueducts, and an underground cistern. All of it was amazing. Then we went for ice-cream because of the temperature being in the high 100's and I had a chance to order in Spanish, which was neat but difficult. Though the Spaniard was kind, patient, and smiled u=in understanding because for them speaking English is difficult for them.

               Today, we wrapped up the Sonship series and reflecting back to what we learned and how God has taught us so much. Then we went to lunch, which I had the chance to trying asking a question in Spanish with one of the church members, Maria. Again it was difficult, but I'm so glad that God is giving me the courage to just try. Then we got ready for an English party which was loads of fun. I was in charge of a group of 6th graders as we went to station to station to play games. They had to speak in English to communicate with us. It was neat to see their excitement and getting to know us interns.

               I thank God for what he is doing in my heart for the Spaniards and seeking the career of a missionary. My prayer is that I will always have an attitude of a learner and to be available for God. He can always use me for his glory.

   Please pray:

•  The Spaniards hearts to be open and receptive to receive God as their personal savior
• Our team to find rest and be healthy as it is very hot in Caceres
• For the remaining 5 weeks to be fruitful and memorable
• I will keep being courageous to try to communicate in Spanish and just to show the love of God.

  I miss you all and am so thankful for your prayer support.