Where has the month gone?

Really?  The calendar says it is November 26, but I still working on my to do list from the first week of November.  If this is any indication of how the rest of 2013 will be going, I should just forget a December to do list.

In October I started teaching just one class.  You teachers know that the first year you teach any new class it takes 3 times the amount of time to prepare your lessons.  Add to it that the class is 12th Grade English, British Literature, and I was sunk. 

Then, of course, there was the whole language proficiency exam (that happened last week) and the fact that I have no aptitude for learning a foreign language (I am sure what I am saying is what they are saying, but why do they look at me with that "I have no idea what you are saying" expression?  Could it perhaps be that my pronunciation really is no where near right?)  Desperately wanting to pass the exam this time I had tutoring four mornings a week (1 on 1) and then a group class for 10 evenings.

And oh yeah, then there was the whole let's see how many times we can go to the doctor in one month and how many different medicines will fit on the kitchen counter part of the month.  It started with a simple low grade fever, followed by the flu, then a cold, then a sinus infection, then an upper respiratory infection, and finally ended with bronchitis. 

Yep - that pretty much sums up my November. 

Everyday I would stop and think of what I was thankful for and be determined to write it here on the blog, and then.... well, just re-read the top.

So, so much for the daily thankful list... instead I think I will be thankful for an extra cup of coffee this morning and enjoy the fact that I am headed to the mountains this morning with Scott (so craziness equaled my forgetting all my cooking utensils at English camp (I taught a cooking workshop) a couple weekends ago and since I have 25 at my house for Thanksgiving lunch on Saturday I must go reclaim them.  But hey, the camp is in the mountains, there are bars (coffee shops) all over Spain, and it is only 28 degrees outside right now. 

And tomorrow, maybe I will write about other things for which I am thankful. 

Catch Up Day

The best laid plans were led astray by a sinus infection and upper respiratory infection.  After not feeling good for a month I gave in and went to the doctor this week.  Between starting a new exam prep class, new medications, and fighting this infection I got way behind on the blog.  But today is catch up day in so many ways - laundry, cooking, studying, correspondence, and yep, blogging.

Evangelical Christian Academy

#4  My students - I am thoroughly enjoying being back in the classroom.  I forgot how much I enjoyed teaching!  These 8 students are fabulous.  Each have their own story to tell - some are missionary kids others are not.  Some have lived more time in Spain than in the US, while others began their lives in other countries, including Morocco and Mexico.  Two of them are learning English as a second language and one is here only for a 6 month intercultural mission experience.  I am learning more from them than I think they are learning from me.

#5  Doctors and Medicine - Although I try to avoid the medical system here, it is actually very good.  I avoid it only because dealing with a foreign system while you are sick is just incredibly taxing, however, when I finally give in and go I am thankful.  I am thankful that the doctor understood my need to feel better quickly (exam is less than 2 weeks ago) and was willing to aggressively treat these infections.  I have been on a regimen of drugs for four days now and am finally beginning to feel better.  Now praying that this is the end of being sick and that I catch up on all I let go.

#6  2nd Chances - So many times I "mess up" and am so glad that God and life offers second chances.  I failed the Spanish proficiency exam last May and will be taking it a second time on the 22nd.  I am so glad that I am not judged on my first attempt.

#7  Flexible Husband - In preparation for taking the exam a second time I am taking an exam prep class.  It is from 7 to 9 PM at night and is in the town where I teach, an hour from our house.  As a one car family this has created a need for flexibility and creativity.  I am thankful for a husband who has been willing (and will be for another week and a half) to be creative in our daily routine.

#8  Fellowship with Friends  - As a result of the class I am taking I have not been home every night and have had lots of hours to kill.  Sophia and the Davis family have opened their house to us, allowing either Alex and I both or just Alex to crash at their house throughout the week.  Friday I got to have lunch with a group of 7 friends, some new and some old.  Then we went to a fellowship with a few teachers and their spouses.  The host even made a bed for me and let me crash for an hour so that I had the energy to enjoy the party.  I am so thankful that God created us to be relational people and then put beautiful relationships in our lives.

#9 - Sunshine  - It is November so the temperatures have dropped but today the sun has been shining.  Although I am always thankful for the sunshine in the winter I am especially thankful today because it means I might actually master the laundry pile this weekend.  Without a dryer I either depend on the sunshine to dry my clothes or allow 3 days for them to dry inside.  After a crazy week of classes with another crazy week ahead I don't have three days, so I am thankful that God blessed me with sunshine today.

Small Victories

Life is full of changes when you move to a foreign country.  One big one is that you find victory in

Alex and I at our victory lunch

things that are much smaller than when in your homeland.  I am learning to appreciate these small victories and to celebrate them grandly. 

We only have one car and and we live in a pueblo that has VERY limited train service, so we do a lot of driving to the next town to take the train.  There is a bus from our pueblo, but I have never been able to figure it out (normally there are signs on the bus stops that tell you which buses come there, which direction they are going, and the schedules - but here in our pueblo, just white little buildings).   However, for the next 2 1/2 weeks I am taking a class in another city and we are having to be creative with transportation, thus it was time to learn the buses.

I spent 30 minutes with my neighbor and google street view to understand the system.  Then yesterday Alex and I attacked the problem.  We won!  We made it to Madrid and celebrated with lunch out then managed to return, all without problems.  I was giddy with excitement that I had the language to ask the bus driver if we were on the right bus and had the knowledge of how things work to attack this problem without fear.  For many of you, it seems silly to be celebrating this - but for those of you who live in a foreign land you will understand. 

Small victories are precious gifts that I have missed before but am learning to stop and celebrate them.  I am thankful for the way God is teaching me to look for these small achievements and to celebrate them.  There are so many more little ones than big ones and that means we get to celebrate more often!

Water

Today I am thankful for water.  Earlier this week we found out that our mosquito infestation and high water bill and broken doorbell at the gate were all due to a broken water pipe under the house.  It took all day for them to fix it, but it is working now. They still have to return next week to finish putting things back together, but we have water.

It was kind of comical here on Thursday.  We live in a chalet (known as a townhome in USA) and they are connected.  You can't get to the backyard without going through the house.  The broken pipe was in the front of the house, but under it.  You can't get under the house from the front yard, only in the backyard.  So all day there was a constant flow of people going from the front yard to the backyard.  I kept thinking of all those days when the kids were little and we would tell them to use the gate and not walk through the house to get to the other side. 

But around mid-afternoon I realized how grateful I am to live where I turn on the faucet and water comes out.  Something so ordinary that I take for granted, yet life changing.  I wonder how many other ordinary things I will notice this month.

November Already?

How did it already get to be November?  I have done a horrible job at keeping the blog up to date, although it makes it to my to do list on a regular basis.  Life has just been crazy and the Spanish exam is in three weeks and I started teaching a 12th grade English class at the MK school, and .....  Somewhere along the way the blog got left behind.


But it is November and the posts may not be as long as in years past, but I want to once again return to the month of Thanksgiving.  So here we go -

#1:  I am thankful for the fabulous neighbors that we have.  God has richly blessed us with a family that feels fills many relational holes in our lives.  For example, this morning I had sent a "whatsapp" message to her asking about buses.  After a couple messages she sent back a message that said "ven."  Which in Spanish means, come.  In other words, come on over.  So we did.  Scott and I found ourselves still sitting at their table drinking coffee and chatting and practicing our Spanish and sharing stories.  Relationships like this don't happen often in Spain and we do not take this friendship for granted.  It is truly a gift from God for which I am thankful!

Taken in February when we celebrated the 2nd anniversary of Laura's heart transplant (the 8 year in the middle)

A School Comparison

Last week on facebook I made a comment about my presentation being a comparison between Spanish and American schools.  Many of you asked for the details.  So here it is - a comparison (public to public) - but not an evaluation.  There are good things in both systems and things that if I was in charge of the world would be different.  But definitely interesting to consider.





When do you have to begin school?

Spain: School attendance is mandatory at age 6, however there are optional schools from ages 0 to 3 and optional free schools from ages 3 to 5.
United States:  School attendance is mandatory at age 6, however there are optional schools from o to 4 and optional free schools at age 5 (kindergarten).



How are the schools divided?

Spain: Grades 1 to 6 are in one school and 7 to 12 are in another.
United States:  Normally the grades are divided into three schools:  kindergarten to 5th grade, 6 to 8, and 9 to 12.

When can a student drop out?
Spain: At age 16
United States:  At age 16

Who provides the books?

Spain: In most cases, the students buy the books and they can cost more than 200€ ($250) per year per student
United States:  The schools provide

Can parents visit?

Spain: It is very difficult for parents to get to the classroom.  Parents drop their children off at the gate and the students (even the kindergarteners) walk to the classroom alone.  Usually if you ask for an appointment with the teacher it will be in a conference room.  Parents usually do not even volunteer in the classrooms.
United States:  Parents are welcome to visit and volunteer in the classrooms.  More than once a year there is an opportunity to visit in the classroom.

The last two yearsSpain: The last two years of school are optional and are not guaranteed.  Acceptance to the last two years are based on your grades and in some instances based on attendance and behavior.
United States: Although you may not graduate, all students are allowed to attend school through the 12th grade.  You will receive either a diploma or certificate of attendance.

Who is responsible for remediation?

Spain: If a student fails a class, it is his responsibility to get remediation - either through a private tutor center, help of friends, or just studying.  All classes must be passed and thus if the fail the class they can retake the exam at the end of the year or again in September.  The students may move on to the next grade, but to be admitted to the last two years of school they must have passed all classes from the last four years.
United States:  If a student fails, there is summer school and the teacher helps with remediation.  Most school systems have a standardized testing program.  If the scores for a teacher or school are low, the teacher and school are held accountable.  In fact, some systems even award pay differences based on test scores.

High school options?
Spain: You may choose a tract - such as science, literature, vocation - but within that tract there is no flexibility or choices.
United States:  You may choose from a wide variety of classes and you will have students with different work goals in all your classes.  For example, you can take an accounting class, an art class, and a physical education class all at once.


Grades?

Spain: Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (perfect).  Passing is a 5 and acceptable is a 5.
United States:  Scale of A (perfect) to F(failing), skipping the E.  Passing is a D and acceptable is a C.  Although you need much higher grades for college.

Who changes classes in highschool?

Spain: Teachers
United States:  Students

What is the purpose of the teacher?

Spain: What you know.  Most exams are giving back a ton of facts.  Exams are based almost solely on memorization and very little writing.
United States:  What you think.  Most exams are based on processing information and putting in a new form.  In high school it isn't unusual to even have a written composition on a math exam.

What happens when you finish?

Spain: You take your final exams and wait on your scores.
United States:  A big graduation ceremony, gifts, and often parties.

First Week of School Lessons

We have survived the first week of Alex's new school (yep, 3rd school in 3 years).  You would think that since my first child started school in 1995 and since I taught school for more than ten years I would have this adjustment down to a science.  Uh, no!  So here are a few of the lessons I have learned in the first week...

• It does not matter how early I go to bed my body does not like 6:30 AM.  As the culture here is a late night culture, my bedtime is usually 12 or 12:30.  I went to bed at 10:30 last night just to see if it made a difference, and nope, my body didn't like 6:30 AM any more than the other nights.  Apparently, my teenage son's body doesn't like 6:30 AM anymore than mine.  Our mornings have been quite interesting!
• No matter how hard you try, school supplies will cost more than you expect and you will always forget at least one thing on the list.  At least this year I only forgot index cards and they weren't needed yet.
• I should ask Alex if he has his lunch before we leave the house, not as we are pulling into the school yard an hour away from our home.  Yep, Alex is gonna be one hungry boy when he gets home today.
• Laundry left in the basket for a week will need ironing.  Being just too tired to worry about it and Scott not being here to give me "that look," Alex and I have been living out of the clean laundry pile.  Uh oh - I might just have to find the iron.... or should I just rewash it or wear it wrinkled?
• Transitions like this go so much better with a spouse.  At least he could have gotten up at 6:30 some of these mornings and made the coffee.  :)  He has been in the states for a conference since last Tuesday.
• The rest of life doesn't seem to acknowledge that school has started... the floors still need cleaning, bills still need paying, dinner still needs cooking (and oh wait, that means I should have gone to the grocery store), and ministry still happens.  Did I mention that I start language school tomorrow?
• And the lesson from today.... the numbers on the calendar are just as important as the name of the day.  In my mind today was Monday, September 3.  In several correspondences from last week I referred to Monday, September 3 and made my schedule for today as if it were really the 3rd.  Well, apparently today is the 2nd and nope, I didn't have a breakfast meeting after that test that I didn't actually have.  So tomorrow, the real 3rd, I will do today's schedule.  Does that mean I am already behind or ahead for this week?

I am hoping we find our groove this week, but if not - there is always another week since the school year is about 36 weeks long.

Traditions

Every Labor Day for as many years as I can remember our family along with the Billips family would spend one day together during Labor Day weekend.  The where and what always varied slightly, but it always included water - some years more water than others.  The majority of the years we would go tubing or canoeing but our last year together we rented a pontoon boat for the day.  Some years it was just us, other years we included other friends.

Those kinds of traditions often hit hard, so this year we took things into our own hands.  Today was a fiesta day here in Spain.  Not Labor Day, but close enough (especially since Scott will be in the states on the actual Labor Day).  We drove about 45 km to Aldeo del Fresno, a pueblo in the Madrid province.  We had been there once before and had pizza and the best garlic oiled potatoes to be found in Spain.  We had seen the river and easy access but we really had no idea what to expect.

It was great.  Now we are looking for a day to go back - really soon!  (Is tomorrow too soon?)  Next time we'll go more prepared.  We should have brought tubes - but hey, who needs tubes when there is a strong current.  It was a great break from the heat and soothing to the soul for the missed traditions that are coming.  Now if we can just convince the Billips family to spend Labor Day here one year.

It Is Finished

The campaign is done.  Now the real work begins.  We have nearly 150 contacts from the campaign for follow-up.  We begin two weeks of English Club twice a day on Monday.  We begin church every week tomorrow.  We are tired but blessed.  Next week when I am sure which way is up I will tell you about the activities that are coming, but for now, here is a picture of the entire group that was here to help with campaign.  They were fabulous!

Final Day of Active Ministry and Marijuana

Yesterday was gratefully a little cooler (only 95 instead of 100+) and filled with great times.

It was our last morning of Festival de la Biblia and there were around 20 kids in attendance.  I was able to chat with several moms who were interested in their children attending English Club that starts on Monday.  The struggle is to make English our second priority and sharing Christ our first.  We could very easily become full time English teachers and have very little to do with church planting and sharing Christ.  Pray for that balance.

The afternoon involved a quick trip to Toledo to look for more chairs - we have more people who have indicated an interest in the church than we have chairs - a good problem.  Then at night was the final rounds of the basketball tournament.  It was great fun to see the families cheering on the teams.  Anyone interested in coming and doing a basketball camp in the future?  Great opportunities.  The tournament was ended with a teammate sharing about fears and the offer to anyone there that if they were struggling with something or fears that anyone in the blue t-shirts (yep, we have worn the same t-shirt every day for 10 days - thank goodness it is hot enough to dry them quickly!) would love to talk with them.  They were also given the gift of a new testament - in an easy to read Spanish version (Spain Spanish! very difficult to find) that had great pictures.  I loved it when one of the by standers asked if it would be possible to also get one, even though they did not participate in the tournament.

And, at 11 PM an illusionist shared in the park.

The formal activities are almost finished.  This morning we will personally deliver the photos from the Bible Festival.  One of the stations was a photo booth with a clown.  The children/parents left their address for the photo be delivered today.  We will be inviting them to church, English club, and Cine Forum with each visit.

The interesting point of the day (culturally speaking) was in the park and the constant aroma of marijuana.  This of course led me to research the laws of marijuana in Spain.  Quite interesting - it is illegal to grow for the purpose of sale, to sell, export, or use in public.  But this is only a misdemeanor and there is a small fine and it is confiscated.   It is not illegal to grow for personal use (if you are 18+ years old) nor to use it for personal purposes.  As I was reading about the laws I came across a news article about a town in Spain that has decided to use marijuana to help combat the unemployment crisis here.  In partnership with a private Marijuana Club (yep, those are legal too)  This club has invested $40,000 to have marijuana planted on a 17-acre plot of land next to city hall.  They will employ people to maintain the land and will use this land as their club's source (yep - private club equals private use) and will pay more $800,000 each year to the city hall for the land and other perks.  Guess that is one way to solve the problem?   Pray for Spain.  The economic, housing, and employment crisis is bad.  it is causing people to make desperate decisions.  Pray for our ministry as we reach out to these people and share the only true source of hope.

Concert in the Plaza

Yesterday was a good day, filled with lots of sunshine and a surprise thunderstorm.  The temperatures were definitely a tad bit better.

The morning was day 2 of Festival de la Biblia - clowns, puppets, dancing, singing, crafts, stories, water balloons, and children.  There were a few more children yesterday than day 1 and we pray that today there are even more.
 

The evening was the beginning of the basketball tournament.  Alex played 3 games and lost 3 games, but he said it was fun anyhow.  :)  Gotta love that kid!  The end of the tournament brought thunderstorms - unfortunately I had the car about an hour away and Scott and Alex and Sarai were left walking in the rain.

Dinner each night is in the plaza under tents.  Last night Alex Sampedro entertained the diners with his music.  What fun!

First stop this morning - churros.  Then we head to the Festival de la Biblia, lunch, quick siesta, basketball tournament, dinner, and at 11 tonight an illusionist in the park.  Praying for some great contacts today (and that the cooler temperatures we have this morning last all day).

Copy Cat Days

Yesterday was the beginning of three days that have almost the exact same schedule.  Familiarity is nice, but of course we will mix it up with our own personal activities along the way.

Each morning we are hosting a Bible Festival in the plaza.  There are clowns and music to help attract people.  There are nine tables with different activities. Each table teaches a Bible story and has a craft or game or visual.  Each child who participates received a card that takes them through all the stations.  One station is a photo station with clowns.  If they leave their contact information on Thursday we will hand deliver their photos.  We had about 20 children show up yesterday.  We hope that today we have more.  The heat gave us a little break during the morning and hopefully that will repeat today and tomorrow.

For the evenings we began a 3 day 3 on 3 basketball tournament.  8 teams have registered, including

one team that is made up of the son of one of our new church members (who has never participated before) and Alex with two other team members.  I love to see Alex get involved and share his love for meeting new people.  Pray for cool temperatures tonight and tomorrow.

And not to call it an early evening, at 11 PM last night (and again on Wednesday) we have an illusionist who is sharing in the park.  We didn't make it out to this event last night, but will be there on Wednesday.

And in the midst of it, I am heading to Alcala de Henares tonight to work with another short termers who is coming out here on Saturday.  He will be helping teach two weeks (two sessions every day) of English Club.  Right now we have nearly 20 people registered.  Never bored in Spain!

All these activities make you wish you were here?  If so, let me know - lots of opportunities over the next year to join us in person!

One of my favorite parts of being here full time is working with those who come short term - one week to two years.  Makes me feel like I have a growing family!

Movie Night

Yesterday morning was a joint worship service with the team who is here to serve as well as with those

 who have already been attending our monthly church services.  It was exciting to see that one of the new believers had invited a friend.  I love to watch her face with how excited she is with her new relationship with Christ.  At times it makes me wonder if people look at my face and see the same.

The afternoon allowed for a siesta, thank goodness!  We are feeling the schedule and heat.  This morning I tried to make a pot of Spanish coffee without the coffee.  Wasn't terribly successful!

Last night we showed Grace Card (movie summary) at the outdoor theater.  Before the movie the team did the cardboard testimonies.  I enjoyed hearing the testimonies, but even more enjoyed watching Hannah struggle with what to put on hers. She reminded me she had always believed in Christ and her the before and after were very blurred.  But when she given permission to not just look at before and after salvation, but instead at before and after total surrender she came up with too many ideas.  She ended up with before she had her own plans and after she followed his plans.

We ended the night at our favorite bar with tapas for dinner - yep at midnight we sat down to order dinner.  We have found this little bar on the plaza that for 2.50€ you can have a large soda and a large tapa.  My favorite is Huevos Rotos con Jamon.  This is french fries (and they are homemade there) with a fried egg on top (soft yellow), and sprinkled with ham.  A perfect light dinner when it is 90 degrees and midnight.

On tap for today - we begin the Bible Festival for children this morning and this evening we start a 3 day basketball tournament.  Somewhere in between I must take Alex for shoes.  His tennis shoes fell to their fate at camp - of course, they were already in danger of dying - but apparently caving finished them off - you can see his feet all the way through them.

We also have a young lady Sarai (19 years old) staying with us this week.  She is part of the San

Fernando church (where we attend when not in Illescas) and wanted to participate in the campaign.  Due to financial circumstances the full boarding cost was more than she could afford, so she is living with us and eating with us and participating in the campaign.  Alex thinks he has another big sister and Hannah is enjoying having another girl in the house.

No Fireworks, but ...

... an outdoor Gospel Choir concert served as a great replacement for Fourth of July Fireworks.  More often than not, it is the little things that we really miss, but occasionally those BIG things show up.  For as long as I can remember, my mother's side has celebrated Christmas in July.  I know - sounds crazy, but so many of us worked in churches or lived far away from the core of the family that December became impossible.  So, we moved it to July 4th.  For awhile we even decorated and exchanged presents, but as the youngest generation got older we forsake presents and began to all donate to a single cause/need each year.  And thus, for 3 or 4 days around July 4th, four generations of family gather for lots of food, games, laughter, story telling, and of course - 4th of July fireworks.

I miss this gathering and hope that one summer, we will be back in the states to celebrate with them. And of course in Spain July 4th is just any ordinary day and with the campaign there was no time to celebrate it anyhow.  But last night, as part of the campaign we hosted the Madrid Gospel Choir for an outdoor concert.  They were fabulous.  It was hosted at an outdoor ampitheater here in Illescas and went from 9:30 to 11:15 - longer than fireworks we have seen.  Many of the songs were sung in English, but the Spanish words of every song were projected for all to read.  Here is a video of the grand finale - better than any grand finale of fireworks!

When we finally got home around midnight I realized I had become a true Spaniard, because I started cooking dinner.  It was only grilled cheese sandwiches, but still... cooking dinner at midnight?

Calm Before the "Storm"

Yesterday was a calmer day.  For me, I started the day by taking one of the team members to the doctors to get stitches out.  It hit me that I was serving as the cultural navigator and translator.  Boy have things changed over the last 20 months.  As we were waiting for his appointment I had a flashback to our first doctor's appointment with no idea what the process was and handing the doctor my electronic translator and asking her to type in what she was saying.  Yesterday I found myself laughing with the doctor (and hoping that I understood what we were laughing at).  Proof that God is still in the miracle business!  I ended the day with dinner with a friend/co-worker that was filled with laughter and then picking Alex up from the airport.  He had a fabulous time at camp and hopefully today I can pray out of him some of the details.

The team yesterday spent a lot of time prepping for the activities over the next six days.  They had a chance to take a breather and move at a slower pace.  And after lunch they began a 24 hour fast, filled with prayer for the coming activities.  Due to a communication issue (and it wasn't my Spanish that got in the way this time) they needed a new location for the 3 hour prayer vigil.  Guess where it ended up?  Yep, in our house. 40 people filled our house for prayer.  Unfortunately I was in Madrid getting Alex and missed it, but Scott cleaned house and then hosted.  At least with them fasting all he had to do was provide water.  :)

On the agenda today - the storm of activity begins.  This morning we are hosting an Expo for the Millennium 2015 - I have no idea what that means, so I'll post pictures and tell you tomorrow.  Tonight a 50 member Gospel Choir from Madrid will be doing a concert.  I have invited a friend to join me, but she hasn't responded yet.

It continues to be incredibly hot.  Yesterday we hit 39°C (yep, we use Celsius here) - which is 102°F.  Pray for gentle breezes, clouds, and protection from the heat.

Talk to you tomorrow -

The Same, Yet Different

Yesterday was another packed day.  Surprisingly my laundry is under control and we have only succumbed to a restaurant for one meal.  (we are not eating with the campaign team as it gets really expensive to pay to eat at a restaurant every meal (theirs was included with their hotel and fees) and we live right here in town.  But, on Wednesday night we did enjoy tapas for dinner at my favorite little bar on the plaza. (I wonder why I have no pictures of there.  Hmm, perhaps we need another visit).  For 2.50€ we can have a large bottle of soda and a large tapa.  And they have homemade french fries.

In the morning I cooked with Maria (my friend who is learning English) and our neighbor's daughter (Laura who is 8).  We had a blast and yes, we made something with chocolate.  Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins.  They were definitely a hit and we had lots of English practice!  Now I am looking to buy each of them a set of standardized measuring cups and spoons.  Wonder where I can find them in Spain?


Then off to a reception with the mayor and his assistant.  One of the major differences in Spain and America is that there is no separation of church and state here.  The Catholic Church and the Country are nearly one.  The mayor welcomed the team to Illescas, shared his gratitude and included in his speech "we are more alike than different and we know that God will help Illescas and its people be better."  (Or at least I think that is what he said).  He is right, we are more alike than different - but where there are differences they are big.  But I am always surprised when I hear government talking of the part that religion plays in government here.

After a quick lunch and siesta we returned to help host a Blood

Drive.  The purpose of the blood drive was of course to support the need for blood donations, but even more so - to separate ourselves from the Jehovah Witnesses.  There is a large Jehovah Witness population in Spain.  There are more than 1500 churches, had the 6th greatest number of believers participate in their "Mission Gathering"(a commemoration of the death of Christ) and the 5th largest percentage of believers from all of Europe.  They are known by Spaniards and many run from anything that resembles them.  They do a lot of street corner evangelism and door to door visits.  They do not, however, give or receive blood.  So, in an effort for the people of the town to realize we are not them, we sponsored a blood drive.  Wearing our blue shirts we gave out hundreds of invitations to a blood drive.  We even had a few who asked "but I didn't think you gave blood?"  We then helped at the blood drive by chatting, serving drinks and snacks, and just creating an atmosphere of relationship.

What's up for today?  I am out of commission for today.  Have to take a team member to get stitches removed (had an accident last week) and then tonight Alex comes home from summer camp.  He has been gone for a week and I am definitely ready to see him.  But as for the others, a morning of training for the Bible Festival next week, a fast at dinner, a prayer time, and more time inviting people to the coming activities.

No idea what they are doing - but looks like a fun camp game.

Sweating And Snacks

It is hot.  No other explanation - just plain hot.  We reached 97 yesterday and for the rest of the week we are to be at 100.  Good news for the participants in the campaign - they have air condition in their rooms.  Bad news for the Hunters - we do not.  But after a friend shared her trick for cheap screens, we are back in business (we have had to choose between being eaten alive by mosquitoes or keeping our windows closed all night).  I bought velcro and some mosquito netting and we have temporary, removable screens.  They aren't pretty, but it sure was nice to feel a breeze last night (we dropped to 70 last night).

The team here handles the heat much better than this American.  They kept on trucking - knew to walk in the shade, took a break at the public pool, and found nothing unusual about postponing one of our activities until 10:30 PM when it would be cooler and people would be out.

The morning was spent handing out invitations to the various activities and then a time of worship and
teaching.  Each day different team members aid the worship team.  I love when I hear songs we know in English being sung in Spanish.  Just makes the world feel a little smaller!

Last night in groups of 2 and 4 the team went out offering packages of KIKOS (a salt snack made up of nuts, corn nuts, sometimes dried fruit, ...) to people they passed in the street. Some would take the snacks just as a gift and keep on walking, others would ask why, and of course some would refuse.

The hope was that a generous gift would open the doors to a conversation about the generous gift of Christ.  The team was taught there was to be no pressure in the gift - offer and answer any questions they were asked.  If possible (and appropriate for where the conversation was going) offer to pray for the person.  We left before the reports were given (12 hour days plus laundry, cooking, heat, ....) but this morning have read that one young lady accepted Christ.  Excited to return this morning and hear all that God is doing.

Of course, before I head out - life as normal must happen.  Two loads of laundry to wash (at least with 100 degrees it dries REALLY fast), lunch to prepare, and English to teach.  My Thursday group is a young lady in her 30's who is expecting her first child and our 8 year old neighbor.  They are so cute together.  There is a breeze this morning, so taking advantage of cool temperatures and cooking for class - and yep, it has chocolate!  Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Muffins.  Will post pictures tomorrow.

Training and Inviting

Day 2

Today was filled with training and inviting.  First thing this morning we met with a leader in the ayuntamiento (remember... city hall) who gave us fliers that outlined rules for cleaning up after your pets, loud music, where to put your trash, and other things like that.  We had volunteered to do any project that they needed and this was their request.

Part of the rationale behind these projects is that we all are wearing the same t-shirt (yep, laundry every

night) and the community begins to associate our willingness to help the community, our attitudes, our smiles, our laughter, etc with the evangelistic activities that will occur later in the week.  We are a little "weird" in the eyes of Spaniards and activities such as this morning help erase some of that image.

This afternoon (of course after a siesta) there was training on how to give your testimony in two minutes.

Then tonight everyone went back out and began inviting people in the streets, plazas, and parks to the activities later in the week.

To separate ourselves from Jehovah Witnesses,
part of the campaign is a blood drive.

Activities for the coming 10 days include a blood drive, Gospel Choir Concert,
Summer Movie (El Poder Del Perdón is the movie Grace Card in Spanish),
Basketball Tournament, Bible Festival, and an open aire expo.

Welcome

After nearly a year of planning, the Illescas Campaign has finally begun.  39 Believers from 8 different countries joined together last night for the campaign, named "Illescas Amiga."  (Illescas Friend).  The evening was filled with logistics, getting to know each other, prayer, and worship.  Today our act of service is to walk the streets and parks and hand out pamphlets on what you are supposed to do while walking your dog (uh, pick up after it).  The ayuntamiento (city hall) has asked for us to do this as a way to help them out.  Our goal - to demonstrate our love for the people of Illescas.

We are blessed to have been able to contract with a small, local hotel in the center of Illescas.  Estella (the owner/manager) has been incredibly gracious and the entire staff has really worked to provide all that we could possibly need.  We of course, are staying in our home - but the team is being well cared for!  And yes, the meeting room has air condition - and since we are supposed to be 100 several days this week, that will be a nice break.  Hmm, maybe we should sleep in the meeting room - we don't have a/c.

Surprising Moments

This morning as I was working through my to do list for the next week I had one of those "boy has reality changed!" moments.  Here just a glimpse at those moments from the last 24 hours.

Friday I was buying chicken wings to fry for a picnic tomorrow.  As the butcher was cutting them apart

for me I thought "hmm, these have less feathers than some others I have bought.  I need to remember that for the future."  Feathers!  Less feathers!  Not so long ago I wouldn't have even thought of cooking chicken parts that still had feathers on them!  (Hey, earlier in the week I had bought a whole fish - yep whole - and in "perfect" spanish explained to the fish man I did not want the head or back bone)

I found myself sorting laundry in my kitchen and thinking - I'm gonna do it all today since the sun is shining and it will dry during the same day.  Then I caught myself thanking God for the sun and warmth - not because I am very happy to see winter end, but because it means laundry dries in one day instead of three.  Uh - what happened?  Those thoughts were not part of my past.  But even funnier, I thought since I am going to do it all in one day I'll just leave the piles in the kitchen floor, but since we have company I'll make sure there are no intimate garments on top of the piles.  Laundry on the kitchen floor?  Didn't I used to have a laundry room?

Next week we have commitments with the church we attend (when our home church doesn't meet).

Hannah and I need to be there many hours earlier than Scott and Alex.  We need to carry popcorn machines, mashed potatoes for 30, caramel apples for 50, and more.  But we only have one car so I spent an hour mapping out train routes and who had less to carry each day.  I remember the days with two cars and we couldn't figure out how to get everyone where they needed.  I definitely was not grateful enough!

I was out front this morning when one of our neighbors came out.  I wanted to invite them to an English Club we are sponsoring at the end of July and I realized, "hey - I can confidently approach them to invite them."  Of course, quickly after that it hit me that to one side of our house are Italians (who speak Italian, Spanish, and pretty good English), to the other side are Columbians (who speak Spanish and whose daughter is learning English) and in front of us are Spaniards.  Whole world right here!

Wow!  If all this was in 24 hours, imagine what happens in my mind in a whole week!