And just like that...

Jeremy and I have been in Spain almost three months. We have dedicated this time to language learning and adjusting to our new home. But really, this is just the beginning. In many ways we are still adjusting and will be "language learning" for many more months. Even though we have learned light years faster than our high school and college Spanish classes, we still have a lot to learn.

I have wanted to share with you a "day in the life" sort of post but really, our days are usually pretty boring. 

6:30- Wake up, eat breakfast, get ready.

7:40- Walk to train station.

7:58- Train leaves station.

8:42- Train arrives in Madrid.

9:00- Walk into school.

9:30- Class starts

11:30- 30 minute break

1:30- Class is over

Possibly stay in Madrid for lunch with friends or for an activity with the school. Or we make our way to the train station and head home.

Some days we have plans for the evening but a lot of days our brains are tired. About once a week now I have a group of kids over to practice English. (Today, I taught the group the word "disappointment."  I was quickly disappointed in myself for teaching them that word.) I have developed a wonderful habit of changing directly into sweatpants as soon as we get home. Actually, I asked our friend Josh the first night of our now weekly Sunday night dinner, if his friend Lucas was coming because if he wasn't, I was wearing sweatpants. Lucas came (and continues to come), I wore jeans. 

I don't know why I told you all that. I'm just really honest. It's a good thing I moved to Spain, the people are really honest here. 

Anyway, the crazy thing is, just as quickly as we have adjusted to this routine, it is coming to a close.

After the last week of this month, our time at language school will end.

Soon our days will look completely different. We will still have language study but instead with a tutor. I am considering taking a class or two at the Cultural Center in El Escorial. This will force me to step out of my Spanish comfort zone and interact with people in the town. Obviously that is why we are here- to interact.

Pray with us as we explore means of meeting people, and building relationships. 

We realize, culturally, that making new friends and building new relationships is different in Spain. But, while the culture is different, the need is the same. People need love. People need grace. People need community. Ultimately, people need Jesus.

Pray that we are aware of these needs everyday. Pray that we are sensitive to specific locations in our town. Pray that the Lord will lead us to new Spanish friends and that He will continue establish a community of people around us. Pray that will be light and life in dark and lifeless places.

Deuteronomy Chapter 6

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Father that created me, Son that saved me, Spirit that moves me, You are one. You are one God, the only God to whom I give all my praise. All my heart longs to love you. All my soul longs for your presence. All my strength longs to do your work. 

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

Place your words on my heart. Let them satisfy my soul. Let them give me strength. May my children know your love by example. Make my every action lead them to You. Let your words be always on my tongue. Let your words be first and last in my day. When I wake let them be fresh on my mind. When lay down to sleep let them be my meditation. 

You are tangible to me. I hold out my hands and feel the weight of your words. I carry them with me. I wear them on my sleeves. My my home be a place where your word is always present.

Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.

I will act boldly as you lead me. I will walk with the confidence in the way you have commanded. Your words will guide my life. You are good and will provide for me. I have hope. I have nothing but You. No breath but You. Your mercy alone.

In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?”

I will tell them of my Savior. I will tell them how you reached into my sin. My filth. I will tell them how you saved me! I will tell them about the only hope I have. Your love proved me wrong! Not all is lost. You set me free. You broke the chains that held me down. You broke my heart of stone.

I will follow you all the days of my life. My King lives. My King reigns. 

The Love Offering

A man and his wife sat quietly in the pew as the preacher spoke compellingly about missions. When the preacher was finished with his message he called for the ushers to come forward. He sent them out to collect an offering. The man, sitting by his wife reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. The wife looked at him knowing that inside the envelope was his two week pay check. The ushers reached their aisle and the plate was passed to the man. Without hesitation he placed the envelope in into the offering plate.

The woman was rightly concerned. Though they were not poor, she wondered how they would purchase groceries for the next two weeks. What would they eat? What if they needed something? But she said nothing.

Once the ushers had returned to the front they emptied the plates and the preacher stood up. This time he said, "Men, many of you are wearing gold watches. In these offering plates are tin watches. They tell the time just fine so I'm asking you to take off your gold watch and replace it with a tin one. We will sell your watches and use the money for missions."

Once again the plate reached the couple and the man removed this watch and replaced it with a tin one. The wife again watched in silence as her husband put on the new tin watch. She said nothing but was wondering what had overcome her husband.

The ushers reached the front of the church again and emptied all of the watches out of the plates. Again the preacher stood up. This time he said, "Ladies, many of you are wearing expensive jewelry that you really do not need. Take it off and place it in the offering plates. We will sell it and use the money for missions."

The man quietly took his wife's hand and she was comforted. When the plate reached their row, he lifted her and gently slipped off her diamond engagement ring. Stunned, she sat in silent as her eyes filled with tears. With a quiet "plink" the ring dropped into the offering plate.

One last time the ushers emptied the plates at the front of the church and the preacher stood up. Now he said, "For this last offering, I will not send the ushers out. Instead, this time you will offer yourselves. If you are led, come to the front of the church and give yourselves to missions."

The man took his wife by the hand and together they went to the front of the church. They knelt beside a Japanese couple and prayed.

The man and his wife were Charles and Lettie Cowman. The Japanese couple were Juji and Katsuko Nakada. Together with E.A. and Julie Kilbourne they would later form Oriental Missionary Society which is now known as One Mission Society.

Jesus Across Cultures Pt. 2

You may want to go here first:
Jesus Across Culture Pt. 1

I am an Intercultural Studies major. This means that I'm not sure what I want to do with my life following graduation besides throwing a nice little party for myself. Maybe graduate school. Maybe straight into a new job (Sorry, Liz, makes me sad too). But who knows.

I chose this major because after years of dreaming of travel and new places and cultures I have never encountered before I knew that it was more than just a daydream, this is a calling. A calling God has placed on my heart to see His creation. To experience the hearts of His people across the world. I need to know not just through the television or internet or the stories of others, that there is a whole world out there that experiences the same God I do in ways that are completely foreign to me.

You see, we get into this rut thinking that "the church" is just our building with out sign out front, with our pews, with our pastor, with our sanctuary. You see, that's just not it.  You see, the church is so much more than just a building or a few certain people that we associate with. It's not just one denomination who sings similar songs or preaches similar messages. NO. The church is so much greater. So much larger. So much more beautiful than a steeple or a freshly carpeted sanctuary.

The church is God's children. His children who worship Him with unity only found in Jesus Christ who is our salvation. A unity found not in the color of our skin or the language that we speak, but the same love that flows down from heaven and fills the hearts of those who know God as their Father and Redeemer. The true church knows no boundaries. No walls, no confines to keep it from growing and loving.

The church loves the broken and wounded.
The lost and abandoned.
The scared and the scarred.
The poor and the rich.
Those in darkness who need the true Light of Life.
Those who seem so unlovable, they need the church the most.

These needs know no cultural boundaries. But neither does the love that cures them all.

Jesus Across Cultures

The children ran to greet us as we arrived on our great, yellow, well-loved school bus. They yelled, sang,  pulled, pushed and jumped all in efforts to get our attention. We made our way through the crowd and out into the village. The children followed us wherever we went, some of them attaching themselves to a certain member of the team and throwing themselves at anyone who had a camera. Luckily I know these children are not drawn to us, but the love of Jesus that is filling our hearts. 

Our bus driver pulled us into what seemed like someone's side-yard, turned the bus around and we filed out. As soon as we set foot outside a group of women greeted us with a welcome song that would bring tears to anyone's eyes. They brimmed with pride, excitement and a pure love of Christ. Many of these women have walked nearly all day to be here for their weekly Bible Study. They have gathered to study the book of Ruth which has lessons to teach them that many women of our culture could not grasp as tightly as they can. In this group there is a mother-in-law who came to beat her daughter-in-law over an argument they had recently had. When she arrived here she heard what they were discussing and took the message of Ruth and Naomi to heart. She is now a believer. Relationships between mother and daughter-in-laws are often difficult in this culture. But Jesus' love is still the same.

Nicaragua and Kenya are two of the seven mission trips I have been so blessed to have taken. I love culture. I love seeing people of other cultures coming together. I love seeing people of other cultures worshiping together. It, I believe, is one of the most beautiful things a Christian can experience. To feel the Holy Spirit moving in a place completely strange to you, in a way that seems so familiar and realize that HE is the same. No matter where you are, no matter who you are or who you are with, God still moves. Jesus crosses all cultures.