It's beginning to feel like home.

A few weeks ago we crashed the home of a missionary family to spend a little with them before the head back to the States. We have not worked directly with this family but spent three weeks with them last summer in Cross-Training. Like good guests we requested that they pick us up at the bus stop and bring us back to their house to eat their food and sit in their living room. It was lovely.

As we talked about life and ministry our friend asked us a question that I had not given a lot of thought to. ¨When did Spain start to feel like home?¨ For this family it was about the ninth month. Funny enough, they are finishing up a 11ish month term and will be heading back to the States to press play on their lives in Kentucky.

I think at that point (a few weeks ago) we had already began thinking of Spain as home. Earlier I began training myself to stop referring to North Carolina/The States as home. Think what you may about that but, it just didn't seem right to me. Sure, I will always have ¨a home¨ there, but for me, now, Spain is my home.

Sometimes it is a scary thought. Sometimes it's intimidating and frustrating and a lot of other negative emotions. But other times it's beautiful and peaceful and better than I ever imagined. Every time I look out our window or otherwise catch a glimpse of the mountains that surround me almost all the time, I am reminded of the promise that God gave me.

The mountains will sing. 

Sometimes it might be my own single voice singing praises to God. Sometimes others will join and will make a chorus of joyful songs. But God promised me mountains. And to me, that promise is home.

The thing I am not thinking about...

In less than two weeks Jeremy and I will celebrate our third wedding anniversary. Today as I look forward to entering our fourth year of marriage, I really have no idea what it will look like. Many thoughts come to mind, but they are all sort of jumbled together and nothing seems very clear. Except for one thing.

May also marks our sixth month of living in Spain- half of a year. This time last year we were planning for graduation, leaving jobs and heading to Indiana for cross-training. Now, we don't have many specific goals or deadlines pressing. Well, except for getting a valid drivers license in June/July- no biggie. We have residency, we have a car (mostly functioning), we have an apartment and we're working on the whole language thing. 

I have realized something, for the last 7 or so years of my life, I have always been looking forward to something. Something that seemed better or more significant than I had on any given day. An accomplishment, a goal, something ¨bigger.¨ Now, finally, I am living in today.

Jim Elliot, a man who many Christians and missionaries admire, said this-

“Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” This quote has stuck with me for years, but not until now have I really taken it to heart. (If you get the chance, read the book ¨Shadow of the Almighty¨)

CS Lewis said, “To walk out of His will is to walk into nowhere.” I fully believe that Jeremy and I are living in the will of God in Spain. And with that said, I can answer the question that many have asked.

As I look into our fourth year of marriage, I do not see us leaving Spain. We are making Spain our home for as long as we can. I mean goodness, I have packed up all my things and moved them 7 times over the last three years- I just don't want to move again!

But really, I believe by this time next year, we will still only be crossing the starting line. There is still much work to be done- I do not believe that God called us here only for two years or even only four years.

I know, I know, you're thinking ¨Sweetie, none of us know what the Lord has planned.¨ And you are right. I don't and neither do you. Right now, I am happy finally embracing a day to day mentality when it comes to my life planning. So here I am, enjoying my new home, and blissfully NOT planning my next pack-up-and-move-everything event.

Life in the Works

Jeremy and I have been in Spain 139 days- almost five months. That number seems crazy. Some ways, it seems too small and in other ways, it seems too big. The first month and a half we spent living in a seminary dorm. The first three months we spent in language school. And March, well, it was something of it's own.

I had hoped that March would be our month of establishment. Establishing ourselves in the town, with the team and as a couple ministering in Spain. That didn't really happen. We finished our time in language school the very end of February. The first week of March we attended our first team meeting and had our first sessions with our tutor (who we love!). The second week we were in Croatia for a retreat/conference/workshop with OMS. We enjoyed time with friends from HQ and missionaries in other European countries. We heard about ministry and work in other fields and we worked as a team to consider our own field. We were home for another week and then I left for Ireland.

Our friend Megan is in Spain for six months with the Algete team and needed to leave the country in order to renew her tourist VISA. We arranged a trip to tour the OMS work in Ireland. It was an encouraging time to spend with her and with experienced missionaries who shared stories of work and life around the world (including Spain!)

Megan and I at the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

Visiting Anne (working with OMS through the Y and Innovista) in Dublin.

But now here we are in April and what are we doing? To be completely honest, some days it feels like a whole lot of nothing. With our limited language we are helping in all the ways we are able. We are generally just trying to get involved in the town. Jeremy is working on a new website for the group. I will be working more with an English group. We walk a lot. We get coffee. Jeremy is taking another Spanish class at a community center. I joined the sports-center and survived my first spin class this morning.
Let's just say, life is in the works.

I sit in my window and look out at a huge, 600 year old monastery seated on the mountain and wonder "how will we change the landscape of this town in such an unmistakable way?" But God has reminded me over and over again of the scripture He gave me when I was 15...

"You will go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
    will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12 

Our lives may be in the works, but God's plan is established in Spain and around the world.