I Will Never Be The Same Again

This hymn we sang in church really represents how I feel about my trip to Spain. Just thought I would share. :~}

I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I've closed the door.
I will walk the path, I'll run the race
And I will never be the same again.

Fall like fire, soak like rain,
Flow like mighty waters, again and again.

Sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff,
And let the flame burn to glorify Your name.

There are higher heights, there are deeper seas,
Whatever you need to do, Lord do in me.
The Glory of God fills my life,
And I will never be the same again.

Fall like fire, soak like rain,
Flow like mighty waters, again and again.
Sweep aways the darkness, burn away the chaff
And let a flame burn to glorify Your name.

I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I've closed the door.
I will walk the path, I will run the race
And I will never be the same again.
And I will never be the same again.
And I will never be the same again.

Last Few Days in Spain

The last few days in Spain, I had to myself.  The team flew home on Sunday, and I stayed until Wed morning.  On Sunday, I didn't do much except meander around the area and shop for souvenirs.  I had been sick and I just needed some down time.  

Monday, I took a tour bus around the city and saw the sights.  It was a pretty good deal.  You pay $20 and get on one of those convertible two story buses and they tell you all about the city and sights.  If you see something you want to do, the bus has scheduled stops at every major sight and you can get off.  Once you have seen what you want, you just catch the next bus that comes along and continue the tour until you are done.  Madrid is a beautiful city with a lot of history.  Below are a couple of picture of some of the city sights.

Well, the first one is of the bus....

Fun red tour bus...

Clock Tower in Puerta del Sol

I think this is the Ministry to Agriculture Bldg??

Fountain at Puerta del Sol

Below is a picture of Toledo, Spain. I went there with a friend that is a missionary in Spain the last day I was in Spain. If you ever go to Spain and are in the Madrid area....go to Toledo, especially at sunset. It was amazing! The whole time I was there I tried to get a picture that would capture how beautiful it was, especially when the sun was setting, but I couldn't. So, you are just going to have to go yourself! :~)

The city is on a hill surrounded by the river on 3 sides and a wall on the other. The two buildings that you see up above the city are a palace/castle and a cathedral. The religious history of this city is interesting, and worth hearing about. You actually cannot drive in the city because the streets are too narrow, so you have to park on the outskirts and walk around it. Trust me, you will get your exercise since the city is on a hill! I thought touring Toledo was the perfect way to end my trip!

Toledo, Spain

Spain Days 15-16 - I know, I skipped some. I will get back to those.

Hi!  Days 15 and 16 were filled with more travel, packing and unpacking.  We took a bus back to Cordoba, to hop a train to Madrid.  It was a WONDERFUL surprise every time we ran into people from the conference on Sat.  Many of us were taking the same route from Camp to Cordoba to Madrid, then flying out to wherever "home" is, just different trains and flights.

So we are in Madrid, the final leg of travel in Spain.  We went to the Catedral de la Almudena and Palacio Real.  Palacio Real is the Palace where the King and Queen of Spain used to live.  They don't live there any more, but do still have events there on occasion.  We got to tour 24 rooms.  It took us an hour....at a pretty quick pace.  There are over TWO THOUSAND (yes, that is 2,000) rooms in the Palace.  It was pretty amazing and beautiful.  The one thing that I thought was funny and out of place in every room was fire extinguishers.  They were everywhere!  You have all of this elegant tapestry, marble, gold, carpets, etc that are a couple of hundred years old, and a bright red fire extinguisher in literally every room, every corner, next to every table....

Royal Palace and courtyard in Madrid (Palacio Real)

We also walked around the Plaza mayor.  As soon as I walked through the "keyhole" into the plaza I knew I had seen at least one movie that was shot there.  I still can't remember what it is, but I know there has been at least one.  The plaza has an amazing and tragic history.  There have been bullfights, royal pageantry, fires, and events of the "gruesome Inquisition" (meaning they set up bleachers and the wealthy rented balconies while they performed hangings, and other executions). 

Plaza Mayor

This morning (Day 16) the team went back to the States.  I decided to stay a few days longer to sight see.  Since I haven't kicked this "allergy turned to cold" thing, I got up and had breakfast with the remaining team members, saw them off to the airport, did laundry, and went back to bed for a while.  I meandered around La Puerta del Sol for a few hours shopping for souvenirs, taking pictures, looking for some coffee, and at lunch watched the policia break up a fight at the cafe I was eating in.  I thought I was going to watch 4 people go tumbling down some marble steps, but the policia showed up before it got very violet. (yay)

Tomorrow, I think I am going to catch a bus tour of the city in the morning, so I can figure out what I want to do for the afternoon and on Tuesday.  I want to go to Prodo, and I want to see the arena where they have the bull fights....beyond that, I am not really sure. :~)   

I have skipped a few days of blogging, but they will have to wait.  I am processing a lot of things about the conference, the people, what I can and can't share, etc...   I thought the things that would touch my life from this conference would be all of the amazing stories I heard from the field.....and they were.  What really has touched my heart is just the people.  Not so much their stories, but who they are, how the Lord has worked in each person, the struggles they have that they were willing to share openly, the heart they have for what they do and the people they work with, and the sacrifices they make for themselves and their families.  I know I have not begun to sufficiently put into words what I am trying to say, because it is hard to.  Which is why I have skipped blogging about the last two days of the conference.  I need time to process what I learned, who I met, the incredible bond that came so quickly with some of the kids/parents, and those darn good-byes...  :~)

Spain Days 9-12

Hello!  Day 9 was Sunday and our day off.  We got to sleep in an extra hour, which we all needed.  We went to the pool for a while and relaxed and then took off for Cordoba.  (We are staying at a camp just outside the city).    We basically had time to do 3 things.  First we went to the Mezquita Catedral, which was a huge Mosque that was built several hundred years ago, then the king declared Christianity in the southern part of Spain and it was torn down and a Cathedral was built in it's place.  It is HUGE, and it is beautiful.

This is the back side of the Mezquita Catedral

The second thing we did was go shopping.  There were were many small shops just outside the Cathedral.  We also crossed the Roman Bridge which crosses the Guadalquvir River.  The last thing worthy of honorable mention that we did was try a Magnum Bar.  Most of them had not tried them, and deemed them worthy of the praise I had been giving them since the day they met me. :~)

Later that night we stopped for pizza at a little place in La Carlota.  Some of the toppings were a little different than what we have in the states.  One of the pizzas had pineapple, ham, onion and corn.  It was pretty good, but a little different.

Days 10-12 we were back with the kids, but not without some new challenges.  First, about half of us on the team woke up sick Monday morning.  We can only assume that the strong wind on Sunday blew "something" in that seriously affected our allergies.  There were sore throats, coughing and sneezing for all but 2 of the team members.  We also had a couple of kids under the weather.  We also had a few "extra" kids for a couple of days.  Two new ones on Monday, two more on Tuesday, and today we are back to our normal numbers.  Also the conference hours are longer part of this week.  Despite the changes, the new kids (that are GREAT), and the sickness; we are still in good spirits and doing ok.  We just tag team who gets to sleep in, in the morning and who gets the long siesta in the afternoon.

That is all for today....

We only have 2 more days with the kids and we are already starting to miss them.

Spain Day 8 - Saturday

I heard the most amazing testimony I have ever heard.  She is a wife, mom, translator, prayer warrior, and has learned a "certain type of alternative medicine" on the field and uses it as a open door to minister to women and tell them about Jesus.  She lives in a place where you could be killed for this.  Her testimony was very powerful.  She talked to us about her struggles trying to figure out her place in ministry while raising kids.  Her struggle to be willing to give up her life and her children's lives to serve Christ and translate for the people group they are working with.  There are more details I wish I could tell you about her testimony, but I can't put it here. It was definitely the highlight of my day yesterday.  Hearing a testimony like hers really challenges me to think about my faith and my willingness to serve God, wherever, however and whenever he calls.  I know I can be VERY selfish about my time and being "inconvenienced" by and for others.  I wish I could put into words the affect her testimony had on all of us!

Today's lesson for the kids was "Saved by Jesus."  The kids have been responding very well to the lessons projects, crafts, songs, etc.  One of the favorite activities for the older kids is "stacking."  We have a few videos that show them how, and they are already becoming experts.  I cannot brag enough on these kids.  While they are kids and the mess around and have their moments of being rambunctious and ornery, they are very accepting of the other kids regardless of age, culture, or appearance.  They are quick to obey, apologize for accident (like kicking each other....or me....in the head while diving for rings in deep end of the pool.:~).  I have talked to the parents and they seem equally surprised and one said she has noticed a quicker obedience in her kids as well over the last few days.  We know we didn't do anything, and they claim it isn't them....so we just agree that God is good!

All for now!  Day 9 (Sunday) is our day off and we are headed to church with the conf group and then into Cordoba for some sight seeing.

Spain Day 7

I wish I could post some pictures of these kiddies I am working with.  They are 21 months to 14 years old and some of the best kids I have ever worked with....and cute!  It is the teams habit to have dinner, devotions and discuss our "high point" for the day just before bed.  Tonight everyone had more than one high point and they were all about the kids or the devotion we had this morning (We have devotion time with one of the people that are attending the conference each morning.  They give us their testimony and basically tell us about the area they are working in.)

Our youngest child *Jay (that is what I am calling him on the blog) had a really rough day yesterday, but today seemed all smiles and giggles (except one melt down just before a nap).  Another one was, as we were talking about Jesus walking on the water and the disciples reaction, Dee (one of the teachers) asked, "how do you think you will feel when you finally see Jesus."  Our newest kid (started today) said, with his arms stretched out in front of him, "I would just look at him and say 'FINALLY!"  He is 7 1/2 years old....  It makes it so worth it when they run back to you to hug you goodbye, smile at you when the culture they live in doesn't really promote a lot of smiling, the parent tell you that they can relax because they don't have to worry about their kids being well taken care of, listening to the lessons, helping the little ones without prodding, and know some Bible stories better than you do.  All but one ,*Jay, know at least 2 languages....most of them 3 or 4.  This morning 3/4 of the group were "teaching" us how to count in Arabic.  I have come to the conclusion that some of the 5-6 year olds are smarter than I am.....maybe you and I combined. :~)

Food in Spain: I have talked about the fabulous ice cream we had in Marbella, but many of my meals since coming to Spain have been more of an adventure.  I don't know Spanish very well, so sometimes I have to guess.  Lunch at the camp is just whatever they serve you.  Yesterday for lunch....well....it was a car wreck.  It was the first official day of the conference, the big group was here and "someone" in the kitchen didn't plan very well.  You have two plates, drink, bread, and desert.  It was like they would walk over, get your drink order, come back a while later with your drinks, then come with the first plate and serve part of the table (out of 4 people), then leave, then serve part or all of another table, then collect your first plate (if you ate it), without serving the other people at the table, then one person at the table got the second plate, and was completely done before a couple more of us at the table got our second plate.  One person never got her first plate and finally left.  Then there was desert.....I was afraid at this point.  Plate 1 was Gazpacho (I am not a fan of thick cold soup that is a combination of vegetables blended to puree).  Plate 2 was sardines.....3 big ones.  I heard they were cooked on the sand, salted, peppered and served with shredded lettuce and tomato on the side.  It took us two hours to have lunch....  I did eat the Gazpacho (bread dumbed down the taste a little) and some shredded lettuce, and some desert that I can't pronounce, and was average at best.  It was like flan....but it wasn't flan.  I did take a teenie weenie bite of the sardines (because I think I should at least experience the yucky-ness).  Below is a picture.  If you like Gazpacho and Sardines...this meal would have been right up your ally.

To make up the the yucky lunch I had a MAGNUM bar for a snack later.  Magnum bars make up for all bad food in Europe!

Better get to bed....more kiddies tomorrow!  G'night!

Spain Days 3-6

Sorry for the delay.  The last few days have been filled planes, trains, and automobiles.  Ok, really buses, trains and automobiles…

Day 3 we were in Marbella.  In the evening we went swimming in the Mediterranean and ate some of the best ice cream I have ever had!  If you ever decide to hit the beaches in Spain you should know that on many of the beaches you will find a lot of speedos (on men), and tops are optional (for women).  For obvious reasons, there is no picture posted of our time on the beach.

Day 4 we got up EARLY and went to “La Roca” in Gibraltar.  It is beautiful.  The day was very clear and we could see Morocco, Africa across the Atlantic Ocean/Med Sea.  The picture here really doesn’t do it justice though.  We did a lot of traveling that day as well.  We rode in a car for an hour to Gibraltar, took the bus to the tram to go up on top, took another bus back to the boarder (it circled the entire city first – it was not our intention to have the city tour J), took the car and hour back to Marbella, took a bus an hour to Malaga, hopped a train to Cordoba, and a car to the “camp” we are staying at outside the city.  Got settled in and went to bed.  It was a long day.

(La Roca - in Gibraltar)

Day 5 was set up day.  We got all of the kids rooms set up for the conference, got all of the logistics figured out (as well as we could).  It was a bit of a frustrating day just trying to get everything ready and working with contingency plans b, c, d, e……z.  Since we don’t always know what to expect in another country, sometimes trying to plan can be “interesting.”J

Day 6 (today) flew by!  The conference started and we meet lots-o-kids and parents.  We had a great time working with them.  Our curriculum has a new lesson every day, and today was accepted by Jesus.  It is so appropriate for the first day working with the kids.  We discussed that everyone has different gifts and talents and God made them that way, and he accepts us that way.  We had puppets, skits, songs, crafts, and the pool.  Thank God for the pool!  I didn’t hear the exact temp today, but yesterday and the day before it was 107.  The kids are great and we are looking forward to tomorrow, getting to know the kids better and getting to know the parents and hearing about their work on the field.  

Spain Day Two (first full day - 8/8/10)

This, my friends, is called "Chocolate y Churros," and it is a fabulous dessert that is popular in Spain. Especially when you eat it with "cafe con leche." I recommend it to all!

Today has been a better day for all of us. We got some sleep and feel human again. :~) Today was our first full day in Spain. We took 3 buses to Marbella, where we are staying for a couple of days, and are settled in our hotel. We had lunch (at 4pm) on the beach, went swimming in the Meditarrenean Sea, and went to Los Naranjas Centre where we had dinner and the afore mentioned Chocolate y Churros. Dinner at 10pm and dessert at 11:30pm. That schedule is totally normal in Spain. You can barley find a restaurant open for dinner before 9pm.

Our last team member arrived from Budapest today, so we are a complete team now. Yay! Our team is the best! It is a great combination of personalities and gifts.

Please pray for our team for the next few weeks as we work together to serve and minister to Bible Translators and missionaries from countries I can't even mention. They work and live in areas most of us wouldn't want to, and in conditions I am sure most of us would never consider.

That's all for now....must sleep....it is after 1am here.  G'night!

Spain Day One (Sat - 8/7/10)

I thought I would start with something pretty....like the view from the balcony of our hotel out to the Mediterranean Sea. The picture doesn't do it justice.
Later we went and swam in it for an hour or so. It was a nice break after traveling for the last 24 hours. It has been a little bit of a rough start for all of us. We had all of the little annoying things like turbulent flights, maxed out flights, flights running late so you are running to your next gate hoping to make the flight to find out that flight is delayed 30 mintes that turns into 3 hours and, the worst flight crew any of us have ever had. Then some of the bigger issues were lost luggage (now safely back in our hands), lost/stolen purse, and death of a friend (not on the trip, back in the States). All of that with literally no sleep from 6am Friday to 1am Sunday, made it a trying day for all of us.

SO! We are glad the bad stuff is behind us, so we could move to our new hotel and start preparing for our work for the conference in Cordoba in a couple of days.  We have one more team member, Peg, joining us in Marbella today and then we will be complete.

Time To Take Off - SPAIN

THE TEAM: Paula, Margie, Dee, Becky, Bonnie, Peg (not shown)

I lo-lo-love Palm Trees!!

Orlando Training before we take off for Spain tomorrow.