How My God Sees Me

Part 1 of 4
Written by Bethany

“I stand in awe that You know my name. Just a glimpse of Your love for me and now I am changed. Because You showed me how to walk a different way. I have peace like I’ve never known. I am living.” - Natalie Grant

I am currently sitting in a beautiful little café, surrounded by the scent of “pasteles” baking and café con leche brewing. It is currently the siesta hour – the hour when Spain seems to stop moving. People stop running in every different direction and take some time for themselves. The stores close, the streets become lonely walkways, and the sounds of life seem to have become distant memories – if only for a brief moment in time. And I have found this little haven, with soft Jazz playing in the background. I recognize the current tune as “New York, New York.” And I chuckle to myself as I wonder if people here appreciate the tune as much as I do.

And as I take my own form of siesta, I pause to ponder a few things. I pause, fill my lungs with a deep breath of life-giving air, let the exhaustion of the day roll off my shoulders, and allow my mind to process the things I have seen and experienced in the last few weeks. The thoughts are many, and they run through my mind as though they have no direction, but none the less… I write.

I am so thankful for the blessing God has given me in being able to be comfortable in my own skin. It has taken a few years to get here, but I have finally reached a point in my life where I am comfortable to just be me. It has been a journey of self discovery. But being here in Europe, it would be easy to lose sight of all the progress I’ve made – because here, how you look is first and foremost. If you don’t look the part – you’re not worth the time really. This is really hard to explain, unless you’ve experienced it first hand, and since those of you loyal blog-readers aren’t here in Spain with me, I invite you to join me in your mind and I will do my best to allow you the opportunity to see through my eyes.

Riding the subway is a part of the culture in and of itself. Here, as I ride, I feel about as fashionable as Indiana Jones at the Grammys. I sit, in my super comfy Crocs, my well worn pair of Old Navy Jeans, and a sweater I very well may have had since college. (The comfy one I can’t bear to part with.) The only part of me that feels even partially European is the white puffy jacket lined with fur (one I had to purchase here out of necessity) – but even that makes me feel small as I am slowly surrounded and swallowed by the fashionable perfection that enters the Metro car. I sit and take in the images…

My first reaction is shock, as I spot a 3 year old who looks more fashionable than I do…with the tiniest pair of Chucks I have ever seen, and I’m fairly certain a pint sized pair of skinny jeans. A girl the age of 10 or 11 with huge hoop earrings and a designer pair of corduroy jeans which compliment perfectly her boots – with a heel. A boy, 15 at most, clothed from head to toe in skater gear – his hair spiked in all the right places with at least ½ a bottle of Gel. A girl, 18, wearing a pair of heels so pointed I’m not certain even a supermodel would wear them on the runway. It’s freezing outside, but she is wearing a short skirt, a shirt that has hundreds of sequins and perfectly coiffed hair. And as I caught her eye, I just happened to notice the numerous piercings that graced her very make-up covered face. How it looked fashionable I do not know, but put her next to me and I looked like I just rolled out of bed – and I had been up for hours.

I’ve got jewelry, but not the bling that I see around me. I’ve got highlights in my hair, but they look shabby and poor compared to the brilliant colors I see here. And then all of a sudden, I am shot out of my daydream and into reality – where I realize that for me to look like them, I would a) have to sell everything I own to purchase those items, and b) I’d have to move to Europe, cuz in the states, I’d look like a monkey who’d escaped from the zoo.

It is incredible to me how blatantly I stick out here. I thought I might fit in because I speak at least some of the language, can order food at a restaurant, talk on the phone in Spanish, use the subway system and shop without much difficulty. However, as time has passed I’ve realized that the only way I will completely fit in is to become slightly obsessed with my looks, what I wear and how I present myself upon leaving the house.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I take pride in how I look. I enjoy wearing clothes that make me feel good about myself. It is always nice to have someone compliment me. But their kind words are not the reason I dress the way I do. The reason I get up in the morning, and the reason I live my life the way I do, is because I have a God who loves me, just as I am. I don’t have to look a certain way for Him to accept me. I can wear sweatpants, a ratty t-shirt, and slippers all day and He will still tell me in His Word that He loves me. With Him, I fit in… I belong. How absolutely comforting it is to know that, and to be reminded of that in His Word.

Living here, it would be very easy for me to get caught up in the lifestyle – to spend so much time concerned about what I wear and how I look, that I would miss everyday blessings. The simple things that make life beautiful – a newborn child, children playing in the park, the sound of music in the air, the breeze that blows the smell of fresh baked bread my way, the sunset over a Barcelona skyline, and friends laughing. God has given me a chance to experience life without money to spend – and to avoid the temptation of squandering money on material possessions that won’t last 100 years, no less eternity. I’ve got eternity though – so why would I want anything less than what is eternal? I will not allow the “fashionistas” that I ride the subway with every morning to cause me to think less of myself. I will be grateful for the chance to be blessed by the beauty of their colorful and beautiful attire, but I will be blessed more by my God who allows me to live, and love and assures me eternity with Him. It truly doesn’t get much better than that.

A Hurricane? What?

Family and Friends,
Hello from the beautiful country of Spain. And by beautiful I mean wind-bashed, wet and reeling. I am posting this as I am certain that you have either read or heard about the storms that have been battering Eastern Europe, and more specifically Northern Spain and Southern France. I just wanted to write a quick post letting everyone know that everyone here is fine - we survived the ridiculously strong winds and crazy weather. We didn't know much about what was happening yesterday until this morning when I read the news and it turns out that we were in the middle of what they are calling a Level 2 Hurricane... There were winds of 99 mph and people began boarding up their windows and pulling in their clothing off the lines. The roof on our apartment building was damaged, and the roof on the apartment building where Sarah and Audrey are staying was completely broken. A brick was tossed by the wind through the glass covering on the courtyard. Sarah and Audrey watched the glass fall from the safety of their apartment with their host family. We watched as people struggled to walk from place to place and Sarah and audrey reported things flying past their window. Throughout some of yesterday we actually were doing errands through out it all, and we walked down to the church and could see the whitecaps on the water from there. There was a lot of damage to this area, and if you look up on CNN about the 4 boys who were killed by a stadium collapse, that stadium is in the town right next to ours. We are extremely grateful for God's protection over us - we didn't realize how dangerous it actually was because we don't get the newspaper, and we don't watch the news here b/c we are so busy. Maybe we should start! :-)
There are over 1.2 million homes in France without power at this moment, and much of the coast of Spain was battered by the high winds and water. In Barcelona, and in my town there is a lot of damage to buildings and the roads are continuing to be cleared of the fallen trees and trash from houses (tile roofing, rain gutters etc.)
So thank you so much for all of your continued support, love and prayers.

There will be more updates on here soon!

Blessings - Team Spain

The King has his own Holiday?

When I asked my host sister why exactly everything would be closed on the 6th she simply answered "Kings Day" I assumed that this meant the King of Spain had his own holiday and it was oddly close to Christmas. After viewing the parade I learned differently.

The first float was a glitering spinning star, followed closly by the first king. Through out the grandiose parade I was wondering why the theme seemed to be Arabian as opposed to Spanish. The dancing was amazing and the music tantalizing. Each and every float was unique and intricate. The amount of candy throw out from the floats was enough that each child left with pockets bulging. The second and third kings were mixed into the parade but were hard to miss with their floats that shot confetti into the air.

I realized that the three kings were the three kings - the ones from a far that came looking for Jesus, following a star. My realizaton was confirmed when my host father told me about the story of the three Maggi that accompanied the parade.

The next afternoon, we were asked if we would like to accompany our host family and our friends from the church to Port Adventura - to which we answered YES!! After a long train ride along the coast of the Sea, we arrived and found out that Port Adventura is a Universal Studios theme park. We rode rides, some more often than others, and we ate typical Spanish park food... churros and hot chocolate. As we were preparing to leave an announcement came on saying there would be a special water show. The name "water show" did no justice to what we witnessed. There were actors and boats adorned with kings and a star. There were fireworks and colored fountains. The most amazing thing of all though, was that the entire show was set to typical Christmas carols sung in English. I was moved to tears by the grandure of the show, and by the overwhelming presence of God that the people seemed to be unaware of. I knew then that we are needed here, if only to live as a Christian example.

May you be loved and blessed wherever you may be.
Sarah

Out With The Old - In With The New

10....9....8....7...6...5...4...3...2...1!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! The common tradition of blowing horns, and yelling those three words, and hearing Aude Lang Syne will by a distant memory in the background. This year - something different awaits, and what it is, I am not entirely certain. I know it involves 12 green grapes, a very large party, lots of amazing food and friends, and dressing up to the nines. Yes, New Years this year will be VERY different...

Along with many things that I have recently been experiencing here in this beautiful country of Spain - I am continually seeing things that are vastly different from the traditions and lifestyle that I would encounter in the States. I continually am reminded that this country is a first world country, and you can definely tell, but at times i wonder if the definition of 1st world is a bit...skewed here. And possibly, MY definition was skewed back home in the states...i wont' be so quick to say "No..."


Being sick in another country is one way in which I can say I see the differences in the cultures with raging boldness. I have come down with some sort of cold-like sickness while here and so the last week has been a smorgasboard of attempting to get me back to full health - what a chore that is becoming. On Sunday, with a high fever, it was decided I needed a clinic - or basically a walk-in ER. Only problem - it was a holiday, so nothing was open. Including the clinics. I am certain the hospitals nearby were open, however it was decided FOR me, that I would just spend hours sitting and getting very few answers. My wondeful host-mom began calling everyone she knew (from her sister who is a nurse in Honduras, to one of the doctors from the church) in order to describe to them my current symptoms and to get some kind of medicine. Within the hour I was drinking (a very disgusting) Amoxicillian mixed with Orange Juice and water. I was baffled - how on earth did she get me a prescription without me seeing a doctor...with caution I asked my question. The answer shocked me a bit...apparently here, if you know what you have, and you know what you need, you go to the pharmacy, tell them what you need, and the attendent gets it off the shelf...including Amocillan apparently :-). I choose not to ask questions because I am extremely grateful for this medicine - and i can't wait until it actually starts working :-D


Within a few days, I had not improved at all, and it was then decided i actually needed to see a medic - it was important now. So, off my host mom went, with my Passport ready at hand and her cunning ability to describe my symptoms to a T. 20 minutes passed and I then found myself walking down the street to the medic - I finally had an appointment.


Yeah - not so much. There I stood in front of this desk and listened to the doctor as he informed me and my host mom that there was no appointments available that day and I would have to come back tomorrow night. And if I decided to come back for an appointment, it was merely going to be a 15 minute consultation. If I decided I wanted the 15 minute consultation, I would need to pay 50 Euros for the "emergency appointment" and then 30 Euros MORE for the actual consultation. With this description I realized with horrific clarity that it would cost me 80 Euros (right now that adds up to $113 American Dollars) just to get a 15 minute discussion with a doctor and that didn't even mean I would get an answer to what i had. And then he said something even more discouraging..."Ella es de Los Estados Unidos..." The only reason I was being asked to pay 80 Euros was because I was an American... wow. I guess thats one reason why health care in Europe is free... yikes.


Please know that at this point, my host mom was livid...We promptly turned down the offer and made our way out of the clinic. While walking back to the house, I was mulling over the experience in my head - just processing what I felt about the extra expectation on Americans here in Spain. I have always taken health care for granted back home - I've always known that if I had a problem, I could drive to the hospital and receive treatment - and I knew my insurance would cover the majority of the damage. Its not something I ever really thought about. But what about those people in the United States who do not have health insurance and their child gets sick. What then? And what if they aren't even legal immigrants...


Thankfully in my case, my host-mom knows a lot of doctors throughout Spain and within 20 minutes I had yet another medicine in hand...but this time I was much more grateful for it. She promptly gave her quite descriptive example of the health care throughout Europe as - "In Honduras, they look at you, shake your hand and already know whats wrong with you. In Europe - you could be stone cold dead and they'd still not know what was wrong with you."
I personally wouldn't go that far - I am thankful for the medicines I have received and I do hope they start taking effect sooner than later, and I am even more grateful for my renewed appreciation for the hospitals in the states. I know little about health care policies, and to be honest, I'd just as soon stay out of that mess, but I am extremely grateful that I know if I walk into a hospital and ask for treatment - I will receive it. And I am grateful that through it all God has promised "Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you." - Ex. 23:25.


On this New Year, I am going to celebrate the fact that I am blessed. The New Year, I think my resolution will be something like "don't take the most important things (like health care) for granted". This New Year, I'll celebrate with grapes and food and friends. And this year I have decided to celebrate with my friends across the globe as well - so here in Spain I will have 6 different New Years. I have bought a bottle of soda just for me, to send up a toast to every different country as they ring in the new year in the different ways - starting at 5:00 PM with my friends in Asia, then (around) 8:00 PM with my friends in India, at 10:00 PM with my friends in Kenya. I will celebrate here at my own midnight, and then at 1:00 AM with my friends in North Africa. And in the morning, I will toast a glass of OJ at 5am (yes, I will be setting an alarm...) with my friends in Guatemala and Honduras and finally at 6 am with my friends in the US.


And through all of it, I will remember that God's Grace is what got me this far, to this New Year, and it will be His Grace that goes with me through the year that is to come. I look back and I see His handwriting all over the wall of my life - and my prayer is that you can too.



May God Bless your New Year as much as He has already blessed mine.

It was the Best of Times, it was the Worst of Times!

So here I sit, next to a woodstove, in the mountains of Spain an hour away from France, with Sarah using my leg as a foot stool and Melanie trying her hardest to figure out the four by four Rubik’s Cube. Beth just walked in the door after trying to find gas for the house that we are currently staying at (more on that later). I will start by telling you how we got here.
Christmas Eve morning, Sarah and I headed for the train station, with four bags and a random box (containing Beth's Christmas presents from her family). Once the two of us got to the station we sat for an hour until Melanie, Marlene, Daniella, and Amy arrived. We boarded the train with four minutes to spare. Beth and Irma were not there as they had to take the car with the food.
After a two hour train ride we arrived in the town of San Quirze de Besora. As we were getting off the train Beth called to let us know that at that moment she and Irma were lost - they were a mere 40 km. away from France! We waited in a square in the center of town until Beth got there and we loaded all of our stuff in the car. On the car ride to the house, we had story time, and Beth recounted, as we marvelled at the scenery, all that had happend during her first drive up to the house with some of the women from the church earlier that week. Her tale included almost falling off a cliff, driving up and down the lane that was just past the correct drive way, and yelling for a woman named Amelia, (they never did find Amelia, but luckly they found the house). We were greeted by a beautiful veiw of mountains and small stucco houses built into the mountain. The sun was shining on the houses and the surrounding montains, making it almost too warm for a coat. However, inside the house was a different story - we knew it would be a long three days if we didn't get the fire going, or the heat turned on. We had to wear our coats inside as opposed to outside - it was freezing! After dumping our stuff off, we started preparing for the weekend - Beth attempted to start the fire while Melanie, Sarah and I helped put up Christmas lights.
Now, some cultural differences - the Latin American culture has a really big Christmas dinner at 11:00 on Christmas Eve and then at midnight they open presents. Unfourtunatly by 10:00 Sarah started getting sick so she wasn't able to eat dinner. After supper we prayed for Sarah and she started feeeling a little better but just wanted to go to bed. We thought that Beth should go ahead and open up the package from her family even though it techniqly was not the 25th (sorry Linda, but Sarah and I wanted to have the satisfaction of seeing her open the box we had to lug through the metro station). Just after Beth opened her present we were all called out of our room to open presents from our host family. We were given a brand new wallet that perfectly matched our personalities. The team took a few minutes to exchange gifts with each other - some had managed to travel with them stuffed in their suitcases all the way from PA! Dessert and a Christmas Day toast followed, with bed not too far behind.
Christmas Day was filled to the brim - cooking meals, hiking mountains and receiving much desired Christmas Day phone calls from family. Every day was ended by sitting next to the fire reading books, doing rubix cubes and crossword puzzles, and enjoying each others company. It was a different feel for Christmas Day - as we didn't have all of the hullabaloo that encompasses Christmas back home...just a bunch of friends in a random house, with goats and sheep as neighbors...and some hot cocoa. It was perfect.
Christmas Day was wonderful - however the day after Christmas brought...calamity after calamity. The hot water heater stopped working which meant cold showers for most - Beth and Melanie somehow escaped the torture... And I being the graceful ballerina that I am, slipped on the floor in the bathroom and sprained my ankle... We ran out of gas (I mentioned this part earlier) which in turn sent Beth, and 3 others on a wild goose chase across 4 various "pueblos" in search of Gas... only problem being the day after christmas is ALSO a holiday in Spain so nothing was open and no one was selling. On the bright side - the house actually DID have gas...and Beth got to visit the monastery she had hoped to see while in town. We lost power for a few minutes, and continued with no hot water.
Overall we had a great 3 days and we were so blessed by our new friends and the new traditions that we got to experience. Thanks go out to our devoted families who called us on Christmas Day - it meant the world and more.

Lots of love to family and friends!!

Audrey

"Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat..."

Wait...Christmas? Are you serious?

And honestly - what geese?! Let's talk pollo y frijoles here...:-)

So - it's Christmas on Thursday, which we can't believe! It doesn't feel like the Christmas season to those of us in Spain. We're all used to seeing lights, decorations and Christmas trees everywhere, hearing Christmas music, smelling the delicious Christmas cookies baking, and then experiencing the joy of tasting all the Christmas treats. We are experiencing a little of what we have every other year of our life, but not nearly as much we would be if we were in the States. Because of the lack of this familiarity, it's hard for us to believe it's so soon... We also can't help but realize that our Christmas this year will be quite different from anything any of us have experienced before.

However, as we were discussing this change we were swiftly reminded that those things are not the true reason for Christmas. The true reason, is a manger, a baby, a star, and a promise. Miracles and signs. Angels, shepherds and wisemen. (Luke 2:1-20.) Jesus Christ is the reason we celebrate. Jesus Christ is the reason we sing songs like "Away in a Manger" and "Silent Night". While we will definitely think back fondly on memories of Christmas's past, of the traditions and routines that I am sure we all have, we, as a team, are excited that we have the opportunity to focus on the true reason for the season.

During our first Christmas away from home, we will be going to a house in the country, from Wednesday to Saturday. It will be the four of us, Antonio & Irma's family of 4, as well as 3 of their closest friends, and on Christmas morning, we will welcome more friends from the church. We will be disconnected from the world, where we will just spend time together. No internet, no phone and no television. Just us, the beautiful countryside, friends and family. And all the time in the world.

It will be different, but it will be good.

To those parents who would like to get ahold of us on Christmas morning, (which, PLEASE do call us...PLEASE!!) you can call our cell phone (incoming calls are free for us - unfortunately it might cost you all a little....) The number is as follows... 011 (thats the code to dial OUT of the states.) 34 (thats the country code for spain) 645 411 204 (that's Beth's cell). Also, in case you weren't quite yet used to the time difference, we here in Spain are 6 hours ahead of you. Therefore, we will be available YOUR TIME from when you get up, to approximately 6-7PM. That puts us at 1am...on a rare occasion Beth and Melanie will still be up..:-)

For now, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. We may be apart from you this Christmas, and we will miss you all, a lot. But as you think of us, take time to also remember the true meaning of Christmas, and the gift that was given to us that morning so long ago in Bethlehem. We will be doing the same thing, from across the ocean. Feliz Navidad y Dios te bendiga!

The Spain Team

Yet Another Priceless Moment

Train Ticket to Gerona = 12 € each.
Supper = 7 € each.
Taxi ride home = 100 € for 12 people.
Missing all 4 trains home = priceless!

Now, let me explain: on Saturday, we went to Gerona for the day. The day started out uneventfully. We left for the train station at 10:30, and to make things easier, we discussed our drama on the train. Nothing too exciting, except when Sarah and Melanie accidently clotheslined a random man while practicing with the rope used in the drama...and so it begins.

Once in Gerona, we went to a house, where we, surprise, surprise - ate. A lot. Some ate more than others, as Beth was served 2 plates. Fascinating...she had gone to throw away her plate, and instead ended up with more food. We practiced our drama in a nearby parking lot, while being watched by some local hoodlums. Awkward.

Evangelism included walking down the street and handed out tracts to people, while repeating the phrases we were told: "Dios te bendiga" (God bless you) and "Feliz Navidad". Evangelism in Spanish was new for all of us. Some people completely ignored us, or said "no." Others accepted the tracts. Some said "Gracias," and a few even replied with "Dios te bendiga." A couple people responded in French, and others in Catalan. Whatever the langauge, we knew God was present.

We ended up at a square in Gerona where we stayed for awhile, handing out tracts. We thought we were going to do our drama, but ended up doing it for a church service that we didn't know we were going to be attending. It's funny how the agenda can get lost in translation - we just follow Irma like little ducklings following the mother duck, doing whatever she tells us to do.

The church service was held in a meeting room in a hotel on the square, which was quite beautiful. The service was with the sister church of Amor Viviente in Barcelona. It was a Christmas celebration. These churches sure do know how to celebrate - the passion for Jesus is amazing. When we entered the meeting room, we were served candy and water and the service included some songs, our drama, a mime, a message by Antonio, and more singing. We are all growing to love the church services in Spain, even though they are all in Spanish, and we don't always know what's going on.

Now: a new discovery - Spain (possibly all of Europe) puts their lights on a 2-minute timer, including the bathrooms. If for some reason you are not finished in the bathroom prior to the 2 minutes, you will be in the dark. Literally. And if you happen to find yourself in the dark, you will also find yourself slapping frantically at the wall for whatever light switch you can find to press....Interesting. And yes, we are speaking from experience.

The conclusion of our evening was not without incident. Almost immediately upon arriving at the station, a train left that we should have been on. Instead, we got coffee, a common pasttime in Spain. The next train was at 9:15. We had a little while, so we ate supper. Let's just say this wasn't our favorite meal. We all got (cold) chicken wings and french fries. Sarah informed us after we were done eating, thankfully, that there was still some hair on her chicken. Also, Melanie found out that her coat is waterproof when a large bottle of water was knocked over and splashed in her general direction. Nice to know.

Then we sat some more, waiting for the 10:15 train. We went outside by the tracks when we thought our train was going to come. Interestingly enough, a train came from the opposite direction at the same time that we thought our train was coming. We commented on that to those we were with, but noone seemed concerned. After waiting awhile, in the cold, we went back inside to check the times again. At this point, Beth realized that everyone had been looking at Arrival times of trains, not Departure times. There were 4 trains that went back to Barcelona that we could have been on. And we managed to miss them all. By the time we realized what we had done, the last train had already left. At this point, we figured we would either be spending the night in the train station, or sleeping under the stars.

Our solution: we took 2 big taxis. The taxi ride was...interesting. We traveled fast - literally. We reached speeds of over 170 kilometers per hour, which is over 105 mph. Normally in America, when you go through construction, you slow down. Not here - we actually sped up. Police: who needs them? or pays attention to them? Actually, the police passed us at one point. Who doesn't love driving in Europe? Oh wait, Beth still doesn't. The whole night...what an experience. We all actually found the experience to be quite funny, and had fun laughing about it...

Once on solid ground, that is.

And we get to do it all again....next month. :-) Stay tuned...

Melanie & Team