Unleashed, Unabashed, Unafraid

11 January 2012

2012-01-11T16:10:00.001+01:00

This is for the 9th, 10th and 11th of January. Each day I thought about what I have been grateful for, but am struggling to figure out what time of day is the best to write these down. Do I write at the end of the day, or first thing the next morning for the day before? I guess I've got the rest of the year to figure it out!

25. Marie Mossner (the 9th was her birthday!)

26. Thai peanut sauce in a jar

27. receiving good news from afar

28. vegan friendly restaurants

29. chats with elizabeth

30. ginger peach tea

31. surviving and enjoying my new dance class

32. skyping with 2 great women and planning for ways that our CA community can enter into worship together

33. arranging a new mentoring opportunity

Year of Gratitude, Grace and Joy

2012-01-08T17:07:00.003+01:00

I've recently seen a few people joining in the challenge of spending the year focusing on gratitude, grace and joy. I feel as though, this is a wise challenge for me to join in. The goal is to write or photograph 3 things each day for which I am grateful, have brought me joy or are gifts of grace. As it is now the 8th, I have a few days to catch up on.

1. Celebrating New Years at our church space with friends above Puerta del Sol

2. Brunch with friends.

3. Fresh squeezed orange juice.

4. Sunshine on a January day.

5. A healthy relationship with my parents.

6. Laura from Romania who cleans our church locale.

7. Al, Elizabeth, Jay and Carolyn - I know that is technically 4, but I wanted to list their names instead of just say, my team.

8. Time to relax and watch silly movies.

9. Skype to talk with family and friends.

10. Falafel at Maoz.

11. Picking up a Christmas/birthday package from the post office, even though you do have to walk past about 3 other post offices to get to the one where you can pick up packages.

12. A Better exchange rate.

13. The receptionist at my dance school saying that they've missed seeing me and am glad I'm starting classes again.

14. 10% discount at Starbucks and free wifi access.

15. Cabalgata del Reyes on TV, Dr. Pepper and roscon with Tep.

16. Family time with the Crulls.

17. Love from a 5 year old.

18. Finding Wally and his friends with Chris.

19. Curry with my bestie!

20. Talking about seeking and finding God with good friends at a fun new bar.

21. Starting the year in prayer with my church family.

22. Finding more than 3 things a day to be grateful for.

23. Candy canes.

24. Motivation to blog after 3 years.

Breathing Eden's Air

2009-03-03T16:18:00.000+01:00

Take a moment to breathe Eden's air.
How I long to taste something so sweet and so crisp.
Filled with holiness and perfection.
Giving life to it's fullest.
Inhale.
Exhale.
To breathe Eden's air is to breathe in the presence.
Taste and see.
It is good.
It is now and not yet.
The not yet will be even sweeter.
How I long to taste the air of Eden yet to come.

Solitude, Silence, and Prayer

2008-10-12T20:45:00.000+02:00

Disciplines worth exploring! This is a picture I took at the Cathedral here in Madrid. It makes me think of these things. May you find the time to be in His presence!

Changes

2008-10-09T13:14:00.002+02:00

Sometimes I really like changes. New seasons, new clothes, living in a different place, rearranging my room or house, meeting new people. Right now I am in the midst of too many changes to really appreciate them or even want them.

-Everyone on my team is in transition, therefore, I am in transition.
-Lots of friends have left Spain and lots of new people have arrived.
-I'm attempting to get into a new Spanish class.
-My community group is different.
-My schedule has changed.
-The economy is changing, thus so is my support.
-One roommate moved out, another is here for just one more month, and hopefully one will be returning soon.
-My visa process.

Last month I was in the US for a few weeks and I think the fact that I am facing all of these changes really hit me because it felt so comfortable there. I was able to meet up with friends like I used to. I knew how everything worked and could understand everything around me. I realized how crazy my life in Spain really is. When it was time for me to return to Madrid, I was excited, but also not ready to jump back onto the moving train that is my life here. I miss the normalcy of the US and my life there. But, I'm choosing to trust that God has me here for a reason and all of these constant changes will only draw me closer to Him and mature me more.

Amidst my changes I follow the One who never changes! Thank you Lord!

1 Thessalonians 5:24 "The one who calls you is faithful..."
Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change..."
James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Psalm 23

2008-08-24T23:57:00.004+02:00

Yesterday I went to a half day silent prayer retreat. It was wonderful and refreshing!!! Thank you Daphne for leading that. During the morning, there were three different times of silence and each time there was a different question or idea to meditate on and pray about. The theme for the day was Psalm 23. During one of the times of solitude and silence a suggestion was to write out Psalm 23 in our own words and make it personal. For David, it made sense to write about God as a shepherd, for me it makes more sense to write about God as a backpacking guide. Here is my version of Psalm 23:

The Lord is my guide.
I don't have to worry about anything.
He's in charge.
He finds the soft grass and tells me to rest.
He leads me to the springs of pure water.
He gives me comfort.
He takes me down paths that only He can see.
How great He is!
Even though He leads me along the side of a narrow cliff,
I am not afraid because He is always beside me on the outside edge.
His walking stick is used to protect me and keep me safe.
I'm comforted.
He has prepared a feast for me
but allowed all the lies, which are my enemies, to attend.
He sits beside me and annoints me with the truth.
My heart overflows.
As we (He and I) continue on this journey;
Goodness
Joy
Love
Mercy
Chase after me forever.
I will never stray from His side.
And I will always find my home in Him.

Photo found on flickr by: buckforester

August What???

2008-08-20T23:42:00.002+02:00

How on earth did it already become 20 August? I left almost a month ago for Connect, our annual staff conference for Christian Associates (CA). Since then I was at the conference until the 2nd of August, helped Kelly move out on the 3rd, cleaned the house from the 4th until the 6th (it's hard to move fast when it is over 100 degrees), then I have had guests staying with me since then. From the 7th until the 13th my friend Kerri from France was here (so were Adam and Tasha but they didn't stay with me - shout out "Buster Brown") and then someone checking out CA came on the 13th and she leaves tomorrow. Then on Friday my roommate Shani returns. So needless to say, I haven't had a ton of time to write on here. I'm actually getting ready for a trip back to the US as well. Unfortunately when I applied for my residency this past year, it did not go through because of a huge miscommunication, so now I have to start all over and reapply for my visa again. I will be returning the US on Thursday 28 August until Thursday 18 September. While I'm not looking forward to having to pay for the plane ticket and reapplying for my visa and then residency, I am looking forward to some down time and time with family and friends. There is a lot that God has been teaching me lately about himself and myself. I need time to process it. Hopefully I'll be able to share some of that with you all soon. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write again before I head to the US (in a week), but I'll try, and if not, I'll see you on the other side of the ocean.

Washed in the River

2008-07-23T12:44:00.004+02:00

Sunday was a day of beauty. It was a day of going under old, and coming up new. Congratulations Vanessa and Christine. I am so happy for you both and so proud of you. May God give you strength and courage to live as those who are forgiven and set free!!!

Vacation and Reading

2008-07-15T13:03:00.005+02:00

Last week I went to England! It was amazing!!! I visited my roommate Shani and got to hang out in with her in her town. I have always wanted to visit England and what better way than with a friend who lives there. We did a lot of relaxing and visited Manchester, Black Pool, and Bolton. I had a spectacular time and wish I could have stayed longer. I haven't posted any pictures yet on flickr, but hopefully that will happen soon.

When I returned from England I read Heather's blog and noticed that she tagged me to post the same blog as her about books and reading. So, because I am trying to do a better job at writing on this blog, here are my responses to all the questions.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? No, but I'm guessing it stems from my mom always reading to me and my brothers. I loved going on road trips and mom reading from the front seat. Thanks Mom for such special memories.
What are some books you read as a child? Pilgrim's Progress, Chronicles of Narnia (both with Mom and Brothers), the Christy Miller series, and anything that had anything to do with dance
What is your favorite genre? I like fiction a lot but I also enjoy a good biography and also Christian non-fiction. Fiction is good for relaxing and non is good for learning and character development.
Do you have a favorite novel? That's really hard, but the first book that came to my mind is "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers.
Where do you usually read? Either on the couch or in bed. If I'm traveling alone on public transport then I'll often read a fiction there as well.
When do you usually read? Before bed, on vacation, my day off, or on the bus or metro.
Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time? Always (just like my dad!)
Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction? When I read non-fiction, I need to be much more alert so that I can really take in what I am reading. I often either write in my book or take notes when I am reading non-fiction so that I can remember what I've read. I usually don't read non-fiction on the metro or bus or in bed, but I will curl up on the couch with it.
Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library? I borrow as many as I can buy the used books (because they're cheaper), but I will buy books that I really love new. I miss the library!!!
Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them? I do keep most of the books that I buy, even if I don't like them. There are always people coming into my house so I hang on to them in case they catch someone else's fancy and then they can either borrow them or have them.
If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? I don't have children yet, but when I do, I will definitely read the Chronicles of Narnia and Pilgrim's Progress to them!
What are you reading now? Non-fiction: "The Ragamuffin Gospel", "The Way of the Heart" Fiction: "The Pact"
Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list? Not really, but I should. I think that I don't because it would be too overwhelming. There are just too many good books that I want to read.
What’s next? I really want to read "The Forgotten Ways" and I'll need a new fiction soon. I'll be done with "The Pact" in a day or two. Any recommendations?
What books would you like to reread? I would like to reread different series of books. Narnia, LOTR, Harry Potter. I do want to read some new ones first though.
Who are your favorite authors? C.S. Lewis, Donald Miller, Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Randy Alcorn, Eugene Peterson to name a very few.

I don't like tagging other people to do blogs, but if you'd like to answer these questions too, have at it. I think I should go read now.

Campeones de España

2008-07-06T23:35:00.001+02:00

One week ago today Spain won the Euro Cup. It was quite the feat and quite the day. I wouldn't be surprised at all if that day becomes a national holiday, that is if they can fit it in the year will all the other holidays we celebrate here. I'm pretty sure that everyday this week I have seen news and highlights from the game. Europeans sure know how to embrace a sport and make it a way of life. I think I made my brothers proud by following most of the tournament and especially the final games. It was so exciting! I think Spain is still feeling the high of the win. Spanish flags and jerseys can still be seen everywhere. I've enjoyed feeling a part of this country and this culture just by cheering for Spain. "A Por Ellos Oye!"

If it wasn't enough for Spain to win the Euro Cup, today Rafa Nadal won the men's singles in Wimbledon. Yet another reason for celebration. The support for Rafa isn't anything like what it was for the futbol team, but once again Spain raises to the top. One frustrating thing about TV here though is that you will see everything that Spain is involved in, but basically the only thing you'll see is Spain. There were hardly any other games from Wimbledon on TV. Maybe I just need to get more than 5 channels. Oh well. "Podemos!"

4th of July

2008-07-05T00:42:00.002+02:00

As basically all of you know, today is the 4th of July. That means a lot more to Americans in America than to most other people in the world. I'm actually really good friends with quite a few Brits, so this holiday can actually be a bit awkward. Anyway, I did celebrate today in a small way by going with 15 other Americans to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. It was a good time with friends eating way too much food. Here are a couple of things that I do miss from celebrating this holiday in the U.S.

Going to the Nes-L-Inn with Ross, Heidi, Nate, Lindsay, and Andy. I miss you guys!!!
Going to Antietam Battlefield with my parents to watch the fireworks and hanging out with Laura. Miss you Laura!!!
Going downtown GR early making a picnic, playing games with Rach (and beating her of course) and then watching the fireworks over the Grand River with her and Joe. I miss you guys too!!!
Eating wonderful American picnic food such as Italian sausage on the grill, potato salad, fruit salad, corn on the cob, and other great stuff.

There are certainly some wonderful traditions and friends that I miss during this time of year, but it is kind of fun to start new traditions and experience new holidays! For all you Americans, Happy 4th!

Why I suck at blogging

2008-06-29T14:14:00.002+02:00

So, if you haven't noticed, I go through phases on my blog. Every so often I do a good job at keeping up with my blog, but lots of times, I don't keep up at all. I think there are a few reasons why I often don't keep up with my blog.

1) I often spend most of my day working on my computer so when I'm done working, I get sick of being on my computer.

2) I don't think I'm very creative, so I have a hard time thinking of things to write about.

3) I forget that I have a blog.

4) I would rather relax in another way than writing.

5) I'm not very disciplined.

I'm sure I could come up with more reasons as to why I suck at blogging, but that's probably enough for now. I just wanted to put all that out there to let you know I am aware of my suckiness and I want to change. Isn't that how it works, first you admit you have a problem, then you start taking steps to make the change. Anyway, I really do want to do better. I think blogging is a good way for me to share my thoughts with those who I don't see often and I could use more discipline in my life. So, because the summer is a little more relaxed here in Madrid, I am going to attempt to blog once a week. I've put myself out there now and give you all permission to hold me accountable. Hopefully you'll hear from me soon!!!

Photos

2008-04-26T14:50:00.007+02:00

I have finally updated all of my photos on my flickr page. Make sure you go check them out here to see more.

My absence

2008-04-22T17:56:00.001+02:00

I apologize for my absence. I have no excuses. I'm just sorry. I promise to try harder, but I can't make any promises beyond that. I am sending out an email update this week. I will try to also post it here. Here's hoping you will hear from me again soon!!!

In My Bible

2008-04-22T17:53:00.002+02:00

Today I found this on a single sheet of paper in my Bible:

Lord, I am seeking you.
I seek your beauty.
I seek in silence.
The words of my silence are praise.
When silence is returned with silence,
I wait.
You seek me.
In your glory and power, you seek me.
As I wait, you seek.
Patience.
Silence.
Grace that leads to faith.
I trust.
I trust you.
I trust your beauty.
O Lord you're beautiful.
Your face is all I seek.

28

2008-02-22T20:09:00.003+01:00

So this past Monday I turned 28. It was a good day. I went to work, went to ballet, and went to dinner with good friends. Birthdays are weird. It seems like your birthday is supposed to feel different than every other day, but in reality it just doesn't. It did get me thinking though, about how blessed I am. God is just way too good. So in honor of the gift I received from Him, my 28th year, here is evidence of how blessed I am and how good God is.

1. I have the most incredible godly parents!
2. I have 2 brothers that actually love me and look out for me.
3. I have friends all over the world who care about me.
4. I live in Spain on financial support from over 75 people.
5. I go to ballet class twice a week.
6. I am learning a new language.
7. I have been given the privilege of worshiping my maker.
8. I am able to travel.
9. I have clean clothes to put on every morning.
10. I have skype and can talk to family and friends for really cheap.
11. I have a wonderful place to live in Madrid.
12. I have enough to be able to give to others.
13. I received birthday presents.
14. I am writing this on my own computer.
15. God died to save me.
16. The Lord's mercies are new every morning.
17. Have you been outside in a warm breeze on a sunny day? Enough said!
18. God loves us no matter what.
19. God forgives.
20. Jesus knows what it's like to live this thing we call life.
21. God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us.
22. We are able to come into the presence of God. (No mediators needed. Thank you!)
23. God provides all of our needs.
24. We are called to live in community. How cool is that. He doesn't want us to be alone!
25. God has gifted each person in a unique way.
26. He still works miracles!
27. My father comforts me and cries with me.
28. God wants only the best for me in this new year of life.

Don't forget, that He wants the best for you too. God is good!!!

One Word

2008-01-20T20:30:00.000+01:00

If God had one word for you, what would it be?

If God had one word for me, it would be...

COME

New Start

2007-12-27T00:19:00.000+01:00

I'm working on a new look for my blog and hope to have a new start with my posts as well. I know I have been absent for the last couple of months and for that I am sorry. These last couple of months have been busier and more unexpected than what I had expected. I guess that's what unexpected means. Anyway, I am really hoping to start posting again soon. Thank you for your grace and patience. I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. I pray that you are all with those you love celebrating the one who loved us first. Until the next post...God bless!!!

Beautiful Holland

2007-10-15T22:29:00.000+02:00

I am in the midst of a two week trip to Holland right now. If you've ever heard anything about Holland, it has probably been that it is cold and rainy and gray. Well, over the past 7 days that I have been here, it has been sunny, mild, and we haven't had a drop of rain. I am here for Field Orientation with Christian Associates! It has been a great trip so far. I am learning a ton, getting to know fellow church planters from other parts of Europe (Holland, Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden, Spain, and Poland), and generally becoming more and more exhausted each day. We have 3 sessions every day. They have been great, but despite my exceptionally large brain and super human inteligence, I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around all that I'm hearing. Hopefully my notes will be a good reminder later when I can fully process all that I am hearing now. I will try to write again shortly after I return home and hopefully include some photos. Until then, make different mistakes!

(P.S. I do know that I spelled intelligence incorrectly above. I was just trying to be funny. HaHa. This is all the humor I have right now. I am tired!)

Beef Stew and Brothers

2007-09-20T21:55:00.001+02:00

Yesterday my roommate and I decided that we wanted to make dinner for a friend of ours. His parents are out of town and we just felt that he would really appreciate this. What's the best thing to make for a boy that eats as much as a whole village? Beef Stew of course. It was really fun to make the stew and then surprise him. He was totally taken aback and really appreciative. It was totally worth it just to see the look on his face and hear his question, "Why? Did you make this for me?". I like doing stuff like that for people. It's fun to give unexpectedly. It made me start thinking though.

This friend is basically my brother here in Spain. We pick on each other, fight (just in fun), and I really enjoy hanging out with him and talking to him. His friendship has been such a blessing to me. As I think about how much fun this was, I am missing my biological brothers and realizing how much I really savor and value the brother/sister relationship. I wish that they were here and that I could have made beef stew for them and surprised them. If you don't have brothers, you are missing out, although if you don't have my brothers you are missing out. I have the best brothers in the world. They know when to have fun and when to be serious. Whether they say it or not, I know I am loved by them and they would protect me at all costs.

All this to say, Matthew and Peter I miss you guys a lot. I doubt you even read this, but if you do, know that I love you, miss you, wish you were here, and next time I see you, I'll gladly make you beef stew.
Matt, Mom, Pete, Amy

My Version

2007-09-19T16:16:00.000+02:00

Psalm 113

O Hallelujah! O Praise God!!!

You who are servants of God, worship and praise Him!

His name alone is enough to cause you to fall to your knees in praise. Speak His name!

The fact that we can remember God is a blessing - one that will last forever and all eternity.

No matter where you are, no matter the time of day or night, continue raising your praise to the God who alone created place and time.

The highest height has nothing on God. Everything you can see in the sky pales in comparison to the beauty of God.

Who can compare with the God of the universe, my God, who is rightly enthroned in majesty and glory beyond imagination and compare as He mercifully examines HIS heaven and earth?

Those how have nothing, who have been forgotten, who have been ignored and thrown our, our God gently lifts, rescues, and redeems by honoring them as the beautiful creation that He made them to be.

You with no family, He alone will provide a family for you and the joy that overflows.

O Hallelujah! O Praise God!!!

I'm Standing

2007-08-23T20:33:00.000+02:00

I really like Patty Griffin. If you've not heard her sing before, I highly recommend you get off your butt right now and go listen to her. Her voice and her lyrics are so powerful! Her song "Standing" has gotten under my skin. When I listen to this song I can see myself standing in the shadow of the cross. I'm not sure if she intended to make it sound this way, but this is how I hear it and it moves me.

I'm standing in the shadow of the hill
I'm standing in the shadow of the hill
Feel the fear everywhere
Hope it don't get me killed
I'm standing in the shadow of the hill
I'm standing in the shadow walking blind
I've been unfair & unkind
Turned away from your suffering far too many times
Now I'm standing in the shadow walking blind
Sister, brother, there's a fire on the hill
And it's burning like a lantern
Making all this time stand still
I'm standing, I'm standing, I'm standing
I'm standing, standing, standing
Mother, I am weak but I am strong
Standing in the darkness this long
But in the deepest darkness I listen to your song
Mother I am weak but I am strong
I'm standing, and I'm standing, I'm standing
I'm standing, standing, standing, I'm standing
Standing in the shadow of the hill

This is just so true of how we should be living. Thank you Patty, God has used you!!!

What does your Jesus look like?

2007-08-10T17:10:00.001+02:00

I hope it's not this. I know this is not what my Jesus looks like, because this is creepy! How do you like those subtitles too?! (In case the text is too small, it says: "Makes a Major Comeback and Other Amazing Feats")

Visa, Women, and Soccer

2007-07-16T03:04:00.000+02:00

This past weekend was great!!! I experienced a huge answer to prayer; I got my visa for Spain!!! Thank you to all of you who were praying. This is just further confirmation to me that I am headed in the direction that God wants me to.It was also an answer to prayer that my visa came in at a time when I wouldn't have to schedule a separate trip to DC. My mom and I had already planned to be in DC for the weekend so it worked out perfect. Ever since I was 11 my mom and I have tried to go away for a weekend every summer. We have missed a couple of summers because of not living in the same state or even the same country, but we were able to fit it in this year. After picking up my shiny new visa we did the touristy thing for the day on Thursday. Then Friday and Saturday we spent our days with 16,000 other women. We attended the Women of Faith conference in DC. This years theme is "Amazing Freedom" and it was well worth the mile long lines for the bathroom and having to wade through more estrogen than I ever thought was possible in one place. It was so good to be reminded of the freedom that we have in Christ. The theme of freedom in Christ is one that God has really been reminding me of all year.This is a pic of me and my mama at the conference. We had a great time and I wouldn't have wanted to spend this weekend with anyone else. I love my mom and as much as I am looking forward to returning to Spain, I will sure miss this woman. She is my mentor, my friend, and my confidant. I love you Mom!!!

When the conference was over, we met my dad, younger brother Pete, and three extra brothers. I love that with brothers come all of their friends. It feels like they just fit into the family as well. The bigger the family the better. I'm so proud of all these guys and miss them when I'm in Spain. Matt and Mark, I hope that makes me #2 now or maybe even pushing #1!
Sorry it has taken me so long to blog. It just seems like most of the time nothing really exciting happens or I don't know what to write about. This furlough thing just really messes with your head. Hopefully you'll hear from me again before I head back across the ocean.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

2007-06-11T05:15:00.001+02:00

Some of these don't quite make sense, but what the heck...neither do I. Enjoy!

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

8 Things

2007-05-30T20:04:00.000+02:00

So Heather tagged me to do this 8 random things list. I will tell you all 8 random facts/habits about myself, but I'm not going to tag 8 people to also do it. If you want to participate, please feel free and let the rest of us know, but I don't want to tell you what to do.

“Rules:” After posting these rules, each player proceeds to list 8 relatively random facts/habits about himself/herself. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, leaving them a comment on their blogs to let them know.

1. Apparently I am a rule breaker. I have broken the rules of the game already. I'm not tagging anyone. I typically don't do these things, I guess I don't like having people tell me what to do.

2. I've danced in the Nutcracker 8 years in a row and played a total of 10 different parts. clown doll, military doll, snow, Chinese, Arabian, Russian, Spanish, sugar plum corps de ballet, flowers, and dew drop fairy

3. I have lived in the same house from the time my family moved to Maryland in 1981 until I left for college in 1998. I'm actually back there right now in my same room.

4. I've been to 42 of the 50 states. The only ones I haven't visited are Rhode Island, Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii.

5. During middle school I played soccer, volleyball, basketball, and ran cross country.

6. I can hold my breath for 1 minute and 20 seconds.

7. I was in the Miss Teen of Maryland scholarship pageant when I was 17, got 4th runner up and won the speech competition.

8. After college I was unemployed for 2 months and the first job I got I was fired from on the first day! I then got my job at the Hilton Hotel where I worked for three years.

I Was Just Wondering...

2007-04-11T03:46:00.000+02:00

I just finished reading "I Was Just Wondering" by Philip Yancey and parts of it really got me thinking. Yancey poses many common questions that we as Christians have as well as those who aren't yet believers. He describes this as "a book of many questions and a few answers." Yancey lists the questions and then just ruminates. You may find answers in this book, but I found it just made me think a lot!

In one chapter Philip Yancey addresses the issue of making God seem trivial and allowing other things to become idols to us. This is how he ends the chapter:

"A friend of mine was stopped dead in her tracks by a skeptic. After listening to her explain her faith, he said this: "But you don't act like you believe God is alive." I try to turn this accusation into a question: Do I act like God is alive? It is a good question, one that lies at the heart of all idolatry, and one that I must ask myself again every day."

Needless to say, this question also got me thinking a lot too. What does it look like to live and act like God is alive? I know I believe this to be true, but do I act like it? I think this has a lot to do with joy. If I know and believe that God is alive, I know He is everything He says He is, and I know that I am His child, loved, forgiven, and redeemed. I know that I am free! What could bring greater joy? What do you think it looks like to act like God is alive?

Another chapter that really stuck with me was one that discussed who has the right to scorn others. Yancey makes the point that we are all sinners and that no sin, no matter how horrible, is powerful enough to exclude a person from acceptance by God. He goes on to say, "only a refusal to repent stands between a sinner and God's free gift of forgiveness." He then poses another question: "What does a 'forgiven' person look like?'" This caused me to reflect on my own life. Do I look like a forgiven person? I know I've been forgiven, but do I live like it? What do you think a forgiven person looks like?

I just want to leave you with two more questions from this book that I loved when I read them. I would encourage anyone to check out this book.

"How can TV evangelists so buoyantly promote a health-and-wealth theology in a world as full of injustice and suffering as this one? Do any Iranian Christians believe in a health-and-wealth theology?"

"How can TV evangelists promise prosperity and security to the faithful even though Jesus promised them a cross, sent them out as lambs among wolves, and left most of his disciples to die martyrs' deaths?"

"Why do so many Christians feel more guilty than forgiven? What does feeling forgiven feel like? If the gospel consists of grace, acceptance, and forgiveness, why do counselors see so many Christian clients riddled with guilt, self-hatred, and a spirit of criticism?"

I was just wondering...

April 6

2007-04-06T17:44:00.000+02:00

This is what I read today in the Celtic Daily Prayer book. I really liked it and wanted to share it with you.

Let us try with all our strength to occupy our minds with only God. Even whilst doing our tasks we must keep our eyes fixed constantly on Him, never detaching our heart from Him, only keeping our attention on our tasks as much as is right and necessary, never our hearts. God must be the King of our minds, the Lord of our minds, so that the thought of Him never leaves us, and we speak, think and act always either for Him or guided by the love of Him. Let our souls be thus a house of prayer and not a den of thieves. Let no stranger enter in, no profanity even in passing. Let it always be occupied with its Beloved. When one loves on never loses sight of that which one loves.

Have a blessed Easter with your "eyes fixed constantly on Him."

New Hard Drive

2007-04-04T18:05:00.000+02:00

Bad news: I've lost everything on my computer. To attempt to retreive anything would cost way too much money. I have to start over on just about everything.

Good news: I get a new hard drive at no cost because my 6 month old computer is under warrenty.

I'm trying to stay positive but it is rather difficult at this point. If you have a computer, no matter how old it is, remember that hard drives are built to fail. I hope no one else has to go through this.

Hopefully you'll hear more positive posts from me soon. I should have my computer back by early next week.

Happy Easter!!!

Computers Hate Me

2007-03-25T23:16:00.000+02:00

So I don't know why it is, but computers hate me. I haven't been around recently because of my trip to Colorado but also because my hard drive failed. I have only had my new computer for six months and already it's dead. I will get a new hard drive under my warranty, but the content on my hard drive is not covered. Now before you say something smart like; "I hope you backed all your stuff up." Let me confirm that I have not backed up recently enough. Right now I am working on getting some if not all of the data retrieved from the crap hard drive without emptying my bank account. Hopefully you will hear from me again in the next couple of weeks from my own computer but until then...pray for my computer. Ask God to help it stop hating me!

JOY

2007-03-01T21:09:00.000+01:00

God, You are Joy!
You are freedom.
In You alone can I be saved.
With the face of a child,
You came to be hope.
In you there is love.
I am lost without You
But with You is life and trust.
Because of you there is reason
To sing, to dance, to create.
You are laughter.
God, You are Joy!

Snow

2007-02-27T00:05:00.000+01:00

I like snow. I like snow ball fights. Sometimes I even like shoveling. It gives me time to think and enjoy creation. This is my back yard. I think it looks so pretty. Thanks for visiting. That's all for this simple post. I'll be back soon with something more profound. Until then...watch your back!

I Missed It

2007-02-08T21:13:00.000+01:00

I can't believe I missed it. I missed the one year anniversary of when I started this blog. My first blog entry was on 2 February 2006. I'm a week late. Oh well, what's new right?! It seems like most of my entries are a week late, as in I should have written at least a week ago. Well, I'm going to hold you all in suspense again and let you know that I will be blogging more soon. Right now I have other things on my mind: adjusting to being back in the US after living in Spain for a year, getting over a cold, filling out my visa application so I can live in Spain again, working on support raising stuff, and generally not going crazy. So, sorry but you're gonna have to wait a little bit longer to get a real post from me. Until then... stay warm and God bless! To everyone in Madrid, I miss you!

Jesus has quite literally moved into our neighborhood

2007-01-17T16:53:00.000+01:00

Well, Gsus has moved in. Gsus is a clothing store from The Netherlands. It opened up on the corner of our street over Christmas. You can't really tell from this picture, but just above the store sign is a street sign. It is my street, Calle Espirtu Santo, which means Holy Spirit Street. I don't know if you believe in the spirit world or not, but I do and I think that our street is more than just "heaven's playground." I believe that our street is more of a battle ground than a playground. Holy Spirit Street is probably less than a quarter of a mile (1/2 a kilometer) and on our street we have a shop called "The Morgue", a couple of shops that have pictures of demons, a shop that has the word devil in it (there are quite a few goths around here), the Madrid Hare Krishna center, now Gsus, and our flat that is often used for church purposes.

Despite that fact that I know that this new shop has nothing to do with really being followers of the one true Jesus, it makes me feel like maybe we aren't alone here and that maybe Satan is losing his stronghold on our street. Now when people walk down our street, the first thing they see is this shop and whether they believe or not, they will think about Jesus, how can you not when you see that sign?! Hopefully as they make their way down the street, they will then feel His presence emanating from our flat. Before this shop was here, Jesus was already in this neighborhood, but now there is a visible reminder. This battle is not over yet, and when it is, only Jesus and His followers will be left standing on this street. I pray that the longer I live here and the longer our flat is used to serve Madrid, the number of followers will grow. Jesus is here to stay!!!

One Year Anniversary

2007-01-07T13:35:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, January 6, 2007, was my one year anniversary of living in Madrid. Where has the time gone? I intended to blog yesterday about this but ended up not getting home until late. I had a rip roaring party with Troy, Heather, and Kelly. We ordered in Chinese and watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. It was really fun actually. I really can't believe it's already been a year. I remember the day I arrived in Madrid like it was yesterday.

Troy and Kelly met me at the airport last year. They were going to help with my luggage, had the airline not forgotten to send it with me. We ended up going straight from the airport to Troy and Heather's house for lunch. In what I now know to be typical Troy fashion, we had to run to catch one of the trains to get out to their house. I remember sitting at the table with Troy, Heather, Meg, Nic, Kelly, Jay and Carolyn eating soup and bread. I remember thinking, "Oh crap, what have I done?!" "I am in Spain, I'm stuck, there is no going back." The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent at the Cady's trying to stay awake and act like I wasn't terrified about the decision I had made to be here.

My luggage finally arrived about 10 pm, just after I had climbed into my mattress on the floor. I looked around my empty room and the two suitcases I had brought with me for a year, and cried myself to sleep.

One year later, things are very different. I once again was at Troy and Heather's with their kids and Kelly, but this time, I wasn't terrified (well not for the same reasons at least) and I didn't feel stuck. I felt like this is where I am supposed to be. I felt like I was hanging out with family. Last night when I got home I looked around my room that is full of my stuff and fell asleep content knowing that God has protected, provided, and guided me to this point. I can't wait to see what He has in store for my next year.

Pink Hot Chocolate

2006-12-28T23:04:00.000+01:00

To drink, or not to drink. That is the question! I chose to drink. That may have been the wrong choice. If ever given pink hot chocolate, think twice before consuming!

Christmas #2 of 3

2006-12-25T11:37:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas!!! So, I didn't expect that spending my first Christmas away from home would mean that I get 3 times as many Christmas'. It all started last Sunday when I celebrated with Kelly and Victoria. We had a spectacular day! It began with a trip to the Rastro then a visit to Victoria's new apartment. After that I took a much needed nap. This holiday stuff is exhausting! Next on the agenda was a trip to the Cine to watch "The Holiday." When we arrived home I baked some cookies and Victoria cooked a delicious dinner of chicken and spinach fettuccini. After dinner we exchanged gifts and opened our stockings. One of Victoria's gifts was "Pride and Prejudice" so of course we had to watch it. So that was Christmas #1.
Christmas #2 started yesterday with a Christmas Eve lunch with people from church. Then last night me and my friends Kristy and Ian who are visiting from the UK went to Troy and Heather's for a rousing game of Bingo and Polar Express. We spent the night and this morning we opened stockings and presents with the Cady's. This has been a wonderful Christmas. I get to spend it with new family here in Madrid and also old family. I've been friends with Kristy since I can remember and it is so great to have her here with me. It makes it a bit easier to be away from my family at home. I do look forward to Christmas #3 with my parents at the end of January when I go home. God has really blessed me this year. It amazes me how he looks out for us for even small things like making Christmas wonderful no matter where you are. It is all about Him anyway. So, where ever you are this holiday I pray that you remember the true meaning of this Holiday, Christ's coming, and can celebrate that with family and friends.
(More pictures from Christmas #2 to follow in a later post.)

A Month Later...and a Decision

2006-12-06T18:31:00.000+01:00

So here it is a month after my last post. I always have such good intentions to blog more often, but this month has been absolutely insane. I usually don't have enough to write, but this time, there was just too much to write about. I have been too overwhelmed. I know this seems like cheating, but I am posting my most recent update here so if you don't receive my updates but after reading this would like too, please let me know.Hey Everyone! Where on earth has November gone? I guess I know, first it was a trip to Germany, then a trip to Morocco, then my parents were here and it has just been wrapped up with a Thanksgiving Feast with our church. The first two picture are from my trip to Muenster, Germany where I visited another Christian Associates church. If you weren't aware, I started my search for missions organizations in Western Europe so that I could serve in Germany. I didn't find a place in Germany at the time so God opened the door for me to come to Madrid. Over the past 11 months Germany has still been in my mind and I have been wondering if God was using that burden for Germany just to get me to Europe so He could lead me to Spain, of if He still had plans for me in Germany. I felt it was important for me to visit a church plant there and pray about what God might have in store for me. It was a great week with Stefan and Andrea, the couple that started Epic Church in Muenster. I visited a couple of their community groups, got to meet a ton of people from their church, and even dance and share a little of my story at their church service. It was an exhausting week as everything was in German and it has been quite a while since I've practiced that language. The people there were very gracious though and helped me out a ton and translated for me or just helped me out.

Two days after I returned from Germany, I went with a group from my church, Oasis Madrid, to Morocco. Our church has a relationship with some missionaries there and have gone in the past to help out. We spent the week helping in an orphanage and attended a church service there. It was an incredible trip. I have never been to a Muslim country so that was an eye opening experience. My heart just broke for the women there who seem to be treated as second class citizens. The Muslim women must keep their heads covered anytime there is a man around and when out in public, they can't look a man in the eyes. It was interesting to realize that you automatically know who does not know Jesus just by looking at someone's clothing. It is so easy for people in a Western culture to hide what they believe and in Muslim cultures they literally "wear" their beliefs. I often think it is difficult bringing the message of Jesus to people in Spain, but it is so much easier for me than it is for those trying to bring the love of Christ to Morocco or any closed or Muslim country.
I returned from Morocco with three days to rest up and and prepare for my parents visit. My parents arrived on the 16th and left on the 25th. We had an incredible time. We spent a few days sight-seeing in Madrid, a few days exploring Barcelona together, and a day in Segovia. In some ways it felt strange to mix my two worlds together, but I enjoyed every minute they were here and loved being able to introduce them to my team and my friends. I enjoyed introducing my parents to so many new things. I'll never forget my mom's excitement at seeing her first castle or my parents seeing the Mediterranean for the first time, or even my dad getting so excited by seeing so many Harley Davidson motorcycles. For those of you who know him, I'm sure that comes as no surprise to you. It was also wonderful being able to spend Thanksgiving together.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I never assumed that I would have two Thanksgiving celebrations during my first year here in Spain. First was the dinner with my parents, my team, and a couple of friends, and then on Sunday we had a Thanksgiving feast for our church. We had about 40 people show up and almost half of them don't usually go to church at all. It was a fun day of TONS of good food, meeting new people, playing games, and loving people the way God loves us, unconditionally. It was a blast.

Another factor that added to this already crazy month was the fact that I needed to decide what to do with my future. I signed on with Christian Associates for a one year internship which is over in a month so it was time for me to figure out what comes next. After much prayer and talking with my team, mentors, and my parents I feel that God is calling me to stay in Spain. I am really excited about this decision, but it certainly wasn't easy. This means continuing to live far away from my family, giving up the comfort of a country and culture that I have grown up in, and trusting God to provide for me financially through the generosity of others. I will be returning to the U.S. for about six months though to raise more support so I can continue working here and also to get the paperwork sorted out so I can get my visa. I will fly home at the end of January and then return to Spain at the end of July. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to let me know. I am hoping that I can see as many people as possible during the six months that I am home. I will be spending time in both Maryland and Michigan and will be in touch about exact dates when I have that information. Until then, I have some prayer requests and answers to prayer that I would love to share with you.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for my finances as I am coming to the end of the year and my account is getting low. I will have some extra expenses with having to travel home and obtain my visa. If you already support me financially, please pray about continuing that support and if you don't please pray about the possibility of supporting me financially in the future.
- Please pray for me as I spend my first Christmas away from home and family.
- Please pray for some friends that are starting to get involved in Oasis Madrid but aren't yet followers of Christ. Maybe this Christmas will be the time they realize the true meaning of Christmas.
- Please pray for our church as we are searching for a ministry center and are trying some new programs.
- Please pray for my roommate/teammate who has just lost some support and has to find a way to get that back. Also pray for her safety as she travels home for Christmas.

Praises:
- God has provided miraculously for my team leaders family! They were in a severe financial crisis that seemed impossible to remedy, but within a week and a half, they received all the money they needed and more.
- We have a lot of new people becoming interested in Oasis Madrid who are not Christians and who have never really been fond of the church.
- Praise God for speaking clearly to me about where He wants me after this year.
- Thank God for my wonderful team and friends here in Spain. Troy, Heather, Meaghan, Nic, Kelly, Kelly, April, Alleke and many more.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support. I can't express enough how thankful I am for all of you. May God bless you richly!

A Day Between...

2006-11-07T22:35:00.000+01:00

November is crazy! I just returned from a week in Germany yesterday and tomorrow morning I am leaving for Morocco for five days. I was in Germany to visit another Christian Associates church in Münster. I had an incredible time but am thoroughly exhausted already. It was tiring trying to understand so much German. The church I visited is in German. There was always someone to help translate and everyone was so gracious in trying to speak English with me as well. I just felt so blessed the whole time. The purpose of this trip was to check out what is happening in Germany with Christian Associates. My internship with CA in Madrid is technically over in January, just two months from now and I am trying to figure out where God may be leading me after that. Is it Madrid, is it Germany, is it the US, is it somewhere else that hasn't been revealed to me yet? I DON'T KNOW YET. Sometimes it seems when all I want are answers, all I get are more questions. I'll have plenty to think about tomorrow on the 8 hour bus ride to the southern tip of Spain.

For the next five days in Morocco a group of seven of us from Oasis Madrid are heading to an orphanage to help out in anyway we can. I am really excited as this is unlike anything I have ever done before. I am also a bit nervous as I've never experienced an African and Muslim culture. I am just praying that God will use us as we love these children and offer our help. I think that's about it for now. I really need to be off to bed as we are meeting at the bus stop in just over seven hours. I'll write again after I return and before my parents arrive. I'll have three days between then... I tried to put some pictures on here, but it's not working out right now so I'll try again next week. Sorry.

Post

2006-10-28T23:18:00.000+02:00

Last Thursday I went to Troy and Heather's to just hang out on our day off. Heather helped (aka, did everything) change the colors on my blog and we watched a couple of movies. Troy posted a couple of new blog entries and told me that I needed to post again. I have been meaning to and even have a few things written down to blog about but here I am over a week later and finally getting around to it. Better late than never right?!

Something that I really appreciate about God is that He doesn't need any of us. He will reveal Himself however He wants. He doesn't need us Christians to show Him to others. I really appreciate that He uses us but I also appreciate that you can see God in many things, even if they aren't "Christian." For example, I recently read "Pigs in Heaven" by Barbara Kingsolver and saw God in this "secular" book. At one point one of the characters is in a casino in Vegas and this is what she says, "In truth, Alice thinks Las Vegas was far more interesting the list time. She remembers people crowded around a green felt table, each one bringing a different story and a different need to that smoky room, joined together in a moment of risk and hope. In a way it was like church, with more interesting clothes." I think that this is a pretty accurate description of what the church should be; a place that people come together with different stories and needs taking a risk and acting in hope.

Another place in the book Kingsolver gives us a glimpse of what love should look like by using the example of a mother protecting her children. This is what it says, "For the reason mothers throw themselves in front of traffic or gunfire to save their offspring. 'I don't have children,' she says finally, 'I suppose I don't know that kind of love.' 'I suppose I don't either. To put yourself second, every time, no questions asked? Sounds like holy communion.'" What a beautiful picture of love. Always putting the other person first.

Thanks God for revealing yourself everywhere, thanks for not having to depend on humans. He really is amazing!!!

Community

2006-10-11T18:49:00.000+02:00

This past weekend I had the privilege of speaking for our service. The following is the manuscript from my talk. Sorry it is quite long as it was a 20 - 25 minute talk. I think it is worth the read though. It went really well and I feel like God used me to talk to my community.

Welcome! I’m glad you could join us tonight as we continue our talk about our mission as a church. This is the 3rd in a 5 week series. We started on September 2nd with Troy giving us an overview of our mission, “We are a Christ-centered community that helps people follow Jesus.” Two weeks ago, Troy focused on the first part of that statement and what it means to be Christ-centered. Tonight I am going to touch on the second part of that, community and in two weeks Troy will be speaking on evangelism and discipleship, the helping people follow Jesus part of our mission. Another way that we can look at our mission of being a Christ-centered community that helps people follow Jesus, is to first say that we exist for God, second we exist for each other, and third we exist for others. There is also an essence of reaching up, reaching in, and reaching out. It has been really cool to be in on the process of coming up with this mission statement. We met all last semester talking about this and in the past few weeks, each time Troy has talked, God has taught me something new. I would highly recommend making it a priority to be here again in two weeks when Troy talks about evangelism and discipleship. I know it will be good.

Ok, enough review and preview: on to the topic at hand, community. When I prepare to talk to other people about something I often think, what do I really know about this topic? I would have to say that in life experience, I know a good bit about community, but I also want to share what I have learned in the process of preparing for this talk. Let’s start with the basics. What is community? Please jump in here. Well, I know you guys are smart and you have said some great stuff, but here’s what Mr. Webster had to say in his dictionary; community is a unified body of individuals. If you ask me, that definition sounds an awful lot like the church. Wikipedia says that community usually refers to a group of people who interact and share certain things as a group. Again, sounds a little like the church maybe. An even wiser man that I know personally, you can get autographs later, Reverend Troy Benton Cady has used the phrase that the church is the people of God, anywhere, gathered together to accomplish God’s purposes. Now this sounds a bit like community. Another way that you can look at community is to break up the word into two root words, common and unity. Common implies similar, shared, reoccurring… Can you think of any other descriptors? Unity implies together, harmony, whole… Can you think of any other descriptors for unity?

Now that we all really know what community is and are on the same page, lets explore why community is so important, especially within the church. I think the best place to start is to see what the Bible has to say about it. Lets look at Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…’” What does this passage tell us about God? God is part of a community. He is part of the Holy community of the trinity, the father, son and Holy Spirit. This passage also points out that we, humans, are made in the image of God. I think it is safe to say then that if we are made in the image of God, we were made to be in communion with others. This is something that is embedded into our very nature. God has it in the trinity and we long for it. I don’t think you have to look much further than out the doors of this building to see evidence of this. This culture thrives on longing to be known and be with others. How often do you see people doing things alone? Look into any bar, people are sharing tapas, pass a botellon on the street, people aren’t alone. We are engrained with the desire for community.

Another example from scripture of why community is important is from John 17:20-23 (in this passage, Jesus is praying for all believers)

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Jesus wants us to achieve unity with fellow believers as well as with him as He and the Father are one. This is also so people will know who we follow. People need to see that we can love each other.

I want to share a few more Biblical examples that I believe also point to the fact that we are to be a part of community and the importance of that. For me, to know that something is important, I need it to be beaten into me so I don’t forget so, if this seems redundant, too bad, I’m just beating it into you so you don’t forget or question whether or not this is important. Ok, next example Genesis 2:18 “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” That is pretty self-explanatory right. I Peter 3:8 says “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brother, be compassionate and humble.” This is coming from a man who spent a few years of his life in community with Jesus and his disciples. This also reflects Jesus’ statement that people will know that we are his followers by our love. How can that be possible if we aren’t loving each other. Finally Ephesians 4:13-16 says

“…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

This reference tells us of the importance of community for our maturity in the faith. I think these Biblical examples have made pretty clear to us why community is important. So, what does this mean for us? It means we need to be part of a community. It also means that each of us has a role to play in a community. This passage briefly mentions the idea that Christ is the head of the body, but let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 to get a better idea of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ.

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”

We all play a different role, but we are all important. Because we play different roles, we are able to help each other in specific ways. We are in community with God and also with each other. We need each other. Remember, we are created in the image of a communal God.

Because of this though we have to be very intentional about being a part of this community. We earlier read the passage in Ephesians where Paul tells us we need others to help us grow. In order for us to grow we need to allow others to help us. We can easily be a part of a community and at the same time be hiding and not really be part of the community. I think this is often times quite easy to do in a “church” community, especially if we have the misconception that in order to belong to a church community we have to have all our ducks in a row we can easily just show up for services twice a moth and never give or do anything else. Relevant Magazine recently had an article titled “A Community of Undevout Sinners” by John Havens. In this article Havens said, “Why do we keep secrets? The truth is we’re lost, broken, and hurting people who need repair and God has chosen community to be the context of healing and growth.” I like this because I believe it to be quite true. None of us has it all together!!! NONE OF US!!!

If we want to grow, we have to be intentional and vulnerable. As Troy says, you can’t see your own butt! (Sorry about the hideous picture but I did actually use this picture during my talk with the caption, "Be honest, okay? Does this bikini make my butt look big?") The purpose of community and more specifically our community is to encourage one another and spur each other on. It is very easy to lie to ourselves, deceive ourselves, and ignore our issues so we need others who are on this journey with us to hold us accountable. This is something I sometimes struggle with so I want to start with me. I too often deceive myself into thinking that God’s opinion of me isn’t enough. I compare myself to others. I see that I am not as good as someone else and start to think that God made a mistake with me. I want to grow, but I need others to help me get out of my own way. Now, I’ve just allowed you to see my “butt” let’s be a community that is in the habit of spurring each other on. In context of the saying, “You can’t see your own butt,” let’s allow others to see our butts and encourage us in growth. Is this going to be easy, neat, and a rockin’ good time? Absolutely not. But, is it necessary and is it worth it? Absolutely.

Now, I was a little hesitant when Troy asked me if I’d be willing to speak on this topic. I thought what do I have to say about this? As I thought about it more though, I realized just how important community is to me and I’ll tell you why. I actually came up with this really difficult equation to show you why. Church=Community=Family. As a single person who has lived away from my immediate family for over 8 years, my community has become my family so, this is my family, this is my family, this is my family, and this is my family (Oasis Madrid). I think for us community is even more important than it is for some. Most of us are away from our home countries, away from our family, and experiencing struggles that most people won’t ever know in their lifetimes; learning and adapting to new languages, cultures, etc. We need each other! So, practically, how do we do this? Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

We need to continue being intentional about getting together and being vulnerable with each other so we can grow in faith and love. I think there are times when we do this well, but there have also been times when we fail miserably. When we are in true community with each other, this is what it will look like according to Acts 2:44-45, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” So, let’s encourage each other, grow together and give to each other. I want to just close with my hope for our community.

Acts 4:32-37 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

Magnifying God

2006-10-06T20:19:00.001+02:00

This past Wednesday at community group we did a really neat exercise for our time of worship. We tried to magnify God more that He already is. You can't get bigger than God, but we attempted to make Him bigger through our magnification. It was cool to see how different everyone did this. One girl who is a first grade teacher made a thank you card like her students would make, someone wrote a poem, someone drew a picture, someone talked about the grandeur of God, someone wrote about the tiny details that God pays attention to, someone drew a picture. These are just a few of the ways that God was magnified by our group of over 20 women. I want to share how I tried to magnify God. As many of you know, I am a dancer and have been for over 20 years. Dancing gives me life, so this is what I wrote.

You are the Lord of the Dance. You are the most intricate choreography. You are infinitely better than everyone and everything. You are more wonderful than the most incredible balled I have ever seen. You are the only prima! You dance circles around us all. You make me want to dance, leap, jump, turn, bow, and worship. You are more sustaining that the corps de ballet in Giselle, you bring more joy than Coppelia, you are more beautiful than Swan Lake, you are more innovative than Martha Graham, you are stronger than Mikhail Baryshnikov, you far surpass Balanchine's choreography, you are more original than Anna Pavlova. You are the Lord of the Dance!!!

Solitude Sunday

2006-10-01T20:07:00.000+02:00

Silence and Solitude.
Words thought but not spoken.
The trees cry out on my behalf,
They cry out to you.
In this silence, I worship you.
You want nothing more than all of me.
In this solitude, I give it to you.
My mouth is closed, but my heart is open.
I'm alone, but you are here.
Speak your words so I may hear.
I'm sitting and waiting for you.
I may not feel you, but I know
You are with me sharing in my
Silence and Solitude.

The Gathering

2006-09-24T20:20:00.000+02:00

When Troy is talking about the church and community he often uses the phrase, "The church is the people of God anywhere gathered to accomplish God's purposes." I like that. I especially like the gathering part. We are attempting to put that into practice, gathering "to accomplish God's purposes." Starting in September Oasis Madrid began meeting on a weekly basis. We are still sticking to the twice a month services but now on the off weeks we are getting together in a more casual atmosphere and inviting lots of friends. So far, we have had 2 picnics. The first one was such a huge success, we decided to have another one.

This past Sunday was the second picnic. I had an incredible time. I was a bit nervous because I invited a friend of mine who speaks little to no English at all. She and I do a language exchange so usually when we are together we speak by using our dictionaries a lot! Well, as I look back, I realize I had nothing to be nervous about. My friend, Margarita, showed up with 4 other friends who also speak little to no English. They all seemed to have a wonderful time. I think that's because I belong to a community of grace. Everyone was so gracious and spoke with them in Spanish or tried to help them with English. Margarita and her friend Marianna played Bocche Ball with some of us and fit right in. There was picking on each other all around, in English and in Spanish. I'd like to just add right here that there were two teams of women and one team of men and yes, the men came in last place!!! Sorry guys, but I just had to rub that in a little more.

Anyway, as the picnic was ending Kelly and I were talking about how well things had gone. She reassured me it was ok that I don't speak much Spanish and that my friends don't speak much English. We then realized that there were at least 2 other languages spoken during the picnic as well, Dutch and French. We figured it out and these were all the countries represented at our picnic; US, Canada, Ecuador, Colombia, Russia, Holland, England, France, Germany, Ireland, and Nigeria. I think that was it and there were only 34 people there. It still baffles me sometimes that I am a part of an international community. We really were the people of God from everywhere gathered to accomplish God's purpose. Loving each other, showing grace, and having a rockin' good time. I look forward to the next Gathering!

My Spanish Hair Cut

2006-09-15T17:48:00.000+02:00

Thursday was my day off this week. Kelly and I decided to take a trip to Principe Pio Mall, do some shopping and get our hair cut before heading to Troy and Heather's for dinner. The shopping was great, I finally found denim capris, although I probably won't be able to wear them much longer this season as it is already the middle of September, oh well, I don't think they'll be out of style by next spring. Anyway, after walking around for a bit we headed for Marco Aldany, the hair salon. Kelly has already successfully survived a Spanish haircut from this same place so she was feeling much more confident than I. I was very nervous for a couple of reasons. One, have you ever seen a young Spaniard? More likely than not they either have a mullet, a Mohawk, dreads, a rat tail, or some other bizarre hair cut that I can't even describe in words. Basically most hairstyles are hideous here. I didn't want one of these, I figure I already stand out enough just being a foreigner. The other thing that made me nervous is that you usually have to talk to the person cutting your hair to tell them what you want. Granted, I have learned quite a bit of Spanish since I've been here, however I am still very limited in what I know how to say, especially when it comes to "hair Spanish." I did try to prepare and had a small sheet of paper with vocabulary written on it that I thought I might need. It helped some, but it didn't prevent me from being the freak in the hair salon.

Let me just give you the play-by-play. The instant I get in the salon, they know I am a foreigner. I sit in a chair waiting for the next available person to wash my hair. The girls seems nice enough and asks if I'm there for a cut or dye. In broken nervous Spanish I convey that I am there for a cut. She sets me up in the chair and leans me back to shampoo and condition. So far it's ok. As she's washing my hair I notice that she is picking at my scalp. This isn't normal. I also notice that my back is getting wet from the wash. I was wearing a short sleeve shirt under a long sleeve shirt. By the time the wash was done both shirts were soaked down to the middle of my back. This is still not too bad, I can live with this. Now I am sent over to the guy with the dreadlocked mullet rat tail to cut my hair. Before that happens however, the hair washing girl picks at my scalp some more and shows it to the hair cut guy. Last week at the park my head got burned and it was peeling some. I also have incredibly dry skin so I know that this is what they are looking at. In their simplest Spanish they try to explain that I need this extra treatment because it is "very good for your head." I agree just because I don't know how to argue enough to say no. They apply the special serum and I sit for five minutes so it can thoroughly burn my scalp and anyone who didn't notice me before can stop and stare. Finally, the serum is rinsed and it is time to tell the hair cut guy how I want my hair cut. I explain (in Spanish of course) that I want it to start at the top of my neck and then angle down to my chin. After repeating this a few times with hand motions he looks at me points at the top of my neck and says "Vale, una punta" (literally ok, at a point). I say ok and start praying. In my mind I am picturing my hair coming to a sharp point at the back of my head forming an upside down V. I just sit and try to relax as I notice multiple hair stylists stopping by to learn a little from my hair cut man, check out my scalp, and try out their English on me. It's going smoothly until the hair cut guy cuts his hand with the scissors. I've never seen this happen before. He takes a break to clean the wound and apply a band-aid, then continues on. Finally he's done cutting and starts to style, without asking. It's ok, I usually like to have them style my hair for me so I can get an idea how to do it myself even though it costs extra. Finally, the cut is finished, I pay, and walk out feeling much lighter. I've lost some hair, and a burden has been lifted, I've successfully made it through my first Spanish hair cut. I love it!

The City of Randomness

2006-08-27T19:09:00.000+02:00

Over the past few days, I have been noticing many random events. Some of these may seem out of the ordinary, however, randomness is actually quite common here in Madrid. I think if you are observing carefully, each town, city, country, culture is filled with these kind of "random" occurances. I went to the park the other day and this is where it all began...

I was sitting on a bench minding my own business when I heard something falling through the leaves of the tree above me. I only realized what it was when I looked down and say pigeon poop on my leg.
While also sitting on the poop bench, as I'll refer to it now, I watched a couple of guys play soccer. This may seem normal except that it was one on one and one guy was wearing a shirt and the other guy was shirtless. I wondered, did they do that on purpose so as to remember whose team they were on?
After being pooped on while sitting on the poop bench, I decided it was time to find a new spot in the shade, but not directly under a tree. As I walked through the part to a new spot I passed a slightly paranoid looking woman sitting on a bench. Only when I looked closer did I realize why she was paranoid. She wasn't wearing a shirt. No, she wasn't playing soccer on the shirtless team. She was just cillin' on the bench in just her bra. This wasn't one of those cute bras either that could be mistaken for a bikini top. This was your grandma's white lace bra.
I found a new bench and continued on with my reading, only to be disturbed by a large group of people walking my way. I looked up to see it was a bride, groom, I'm guessing their best man and maid of honor, and a large posse behind them. This doesn't seem too out of the ordinary because there was a photographer with them and Retiro is a beautiful park. The random part was that they were all wearing red ribbons. Not the little red ribbons that say you support something, like the troops or breast cancer awareness. These were grade school fun day 1st place size ribbons. Weird?!

So, now I've had enough and left the park. Hours have passed and I think I've seen all I can handle. Please, who am I trying to kid. One thing in Madrid that is guaranteed to always be random is fashion. I could list a hundred different weird things I've seen people wear but let me just mention a few that I have seen just in the last couple of days.

A man that could be mistaken for a lumberjack. I don't think they really have those here though. He had the big boots, the white socks coming out of them, the carpenter style khaki colored shorts, and to top it off, the flanel shirt.
This was followed by the two sets of mothers and daughters in matching outfits. Cute, right. Not when they are in their 30s and 50s. The first pair was wearing all opposite white and orange so the mother had on orange shoes, white pants, orange shirt, and a white purse. The daughter was just the opposite. The second pair was a bit cuter as it was a small girl and her mom who were wearing the exact same outfit.
Now on to the not so cute, a man with one of the most incredible mohawks I've ever seen. He was past the rebelious mohawk age too.
Finally, 2 men that look like they have just stepped out of the time machine. What was their time and place of origin you ask. 1980's death metal complete with the tight ripped jeans on one and the mega short cut-off shorts on the other. Long flowing hair in head bands and more. I can't even describe all of it.

Ok, I'll end with just a couple of other random things that just happened.

I saw a sign that had the temperature outside posted on it. It said it was 69 degrees celcius. For you farenheit people out there, that is 156.2. Not possible. I think it was only in the 80s (F).
Just in the last 3 days I have seen at least 5 different men peeing on the street. This is actually pretty common here so maybe I shouldn't list that in this post of randomness, but before I moved to Madrid, I would have considered that to be random.
Victoria and I saw R.U.M.H. from the bus. Trust me, you don't even want to know. It's too bizarre to actually say, we had to come up with an acronym.
The cute, but obnoxious, little dog in our building named Luli is a boy, despite what his name may lead you to believe.
I was walking home with Victoria and say a man smelling his socks. He apparently didn't appreciate me seeing him doing that so he threw his hands up at me as I walked by to scare me. All it did was make me want to punch him.
This is the last one, I promise. In Madrid, or even Spain for that matter, this is not random, but again from a Giri(foreigner) this may seem random. Many shops close down for almost the entire month of August so the owners can go on vacation. They often just post a hand written note on the building letting you know when they'll open again.

Well, I think that's it for now. It's been an interesting couple of days. My mind is still spinning.

My Prayers are Heard

2006-08-18T10:16:00.000+02:00

I've kind of gone on a blogging spree here. This morning as I was reading from "The Message" (thanks for getting me hooked Heather) and read Psalm 6. It says:

Please, God, no more yelling,
no more trips to the woodshed.
Treat me nice for a change;
I'm so starved for affection.

Can't you see I'm black-and-blue,
beat up badly in bones and soul?
God, how long will it take
for you to let up?

Break in, God, and break up this fight;
if you love me at all, get me out of here.
I'm no good to you dead, am I?
I can't sing in your choir if I'm buried in some tomb!

I'm tired of all this—so tired. My bed
has been floating forty days and nights
On the flood of my tears.
My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.
The sockets of my eyes are black holes;
nearly blind, I squint and grope.

Get out of here, you Devil's crew:
at last God has heard my sobs.
My requests have all been granted,
my prayers are answered.

Cowards, my enemies disappear.
Disgraced, they turn tail and run.

I really resonated with David in his moaning and wailing. So many times I feel like I am crying out to no one but my mattress. Sometimes it's because my future seems undiscernable, or because I'm tired of being alone, or just because things don't seem to be going my way. As I read this passage today it hit me, sure I may feel beat up, starved for affection, dead, and tired. But the simple fact of the matter is that I'm not. "God has heard my sobs!" Amen and thank you father. The devil may try to infiltrate my emotions and encourage me in these self-absorbed feelings, but he is a coward and can not stand up to my Almighty God who makes him flee at the mere mention of his name out of fear. Whether I see the results of my moans and cries to God, I know that "God has heard my sobs" and that "My requests have all been granted, my prayers are answered." What a way to start the day, reminded of His love and mercy to this daughter of His. Thank you and thank you!!!

Photos!

2006-08-18T10:10:00.000+02:00

I just wanted to let you know that I have posted another album of pictures to my webshots. They are picture from my weekend in Castellon and my trip to Holland. Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite. The first two are from Amsterdam and the third one is the DeBron conference center where the CA staff conference was held. Enjoy!

CAI Staff Conference 2006

2006-08-13T17:58:00.000+02:00

It's now been over a week since I returned from my very first CA staff conference. I have been wanting to post about it for some time now, but because my computer can't decide when it wants to work and when it doesn't and because I still don't feel like I've been able to process all that God has been teaching me, I haven't posted yet. I still don't think that I have been able to properly process everthing, but it's time to work through some of it through blogging about it. This weekend Kelly and I are sharing the talk for our service. We are addressing the question, "What is the Church?" Kelly is going to talk more about the history of the church and what the Bible has to say about it. I am going to talk more about the modern church and what that looks like. I'm planning to use a lot of things from our staff conference in my half of the talk. Basically my point is going to be that Jesus still needs to be absolute central to the church. I think a lot of times, Christians get too focused on religion and forget about the only thing worth worshipping. Jesus. If we are focused on Jesus, there is no stopping the revolution that can come from that. We want to infiltrate every area of our lives with the mission of Christ. We want to be radically free in Christ! I could go on and on, but this post would be really long. I am hoping to post what I come up with for our service this weekend too so check back and that will give you an even deeper look into the muck that I am currently wrestling in. Until then...

What makes an addict?

2006-08-13T17:45:00.000+02:00

So I was playing my favorite computer game today, Jewel Quest and it got me thinking. What makes someone an addict. Now, I don't think I am one. Not that I'm in denial, because I'm not, I'm not addicted! Anyway as I was playing my game Kelly said she was going to go start making lunch. I said, "Ok, I'll be in there in just a second to help, I just need to lose this game. Oh wait, that's not going to happen. I'm too good. Let me pause it." She asked why I didn't just quit the game and of course I replied "I'm not a quiter." So after lunch I picked up on my game where I left off and felt the need to promptly defend myself and told Kelly, I'm not addicted, I just can't stop once I start. She said, right that's just like saying I'm not an alcoholic, I just can't stop drinking once I start. I said ok, well, when I'm not playing the game, I don't crave it or anything, and I could quit, it's just then I won't see what my score is. So the question is, am I an addict? By the way, I did let myself lose, after I obtained my highest score ever. I have now moved on and won't play Jewel Quest again, at least not today.

Computer Woes

2006-08-06T23:12:00.000+02:00

Let me just start off by saying, I really hope that this posts before my computer decides that it doesn't want to work again and just shut off. I have really been wanting to post about this past week but have been having major problems with my computer. First it didn't want to come on and now just turns off with out even asking me. I am getting so frustrated! I did buy an external hard drive and have pretty much everything backed up, but I just keep praying that this computer will last through the year. It has served me well though. It is almost 4 and a half years old and I have not had many problems. I know, I know all you MAC people out there, I need to convert, but this computer was a gift for college graduation and I don't have the money right now to upgrade. You have all made your point and I hear you. Just be patient though, I'm sure I'll join the dark side soon enough.

Anyway, last week I was in Holland with Christian Associates staff for our annual staff conference. There is so much to say and so much to process. It was an incredible time meeting new friends, spending time in worship and hearing from various speakers. We had a couple of guest speakers, Alan and Debra Hirsch. Alan is a co-author of the book "Shaping of Things to Come." It is a great book and they both had a lot to say that was challenging and good to be reminded of. Just a preview (I will write more about this later) the gathering topics were "Nets and Networking," "Belonging Before Believing," "Putting the Adventure back into the Venture," "Self-deception's Devastating Effect," "Cummunitas From the Inside," "Jesus Made Me Do It," "Radical Freedom in Jesus," and "Embedding Grace." We also had a great concert of prayer, fun play times, and plenty of time to just chill and be together. It was so good.

I need to process more what was said but after that, and if my computer is still working, I will process some of that here, for now I need to try to get more done on my computer before it stops working again. Until then...

Weekend of Firsts

2006-07-26T00:23:00.000+02:00

Ever since I have moved to Madrid, I feel like I am constantly experiencing "firsts." This past weekend was filled with an exceptional amount. I took my first bus trip in Spain all by my self. Before I can even get that far though, I missed my first bus in Spain. Now, I know, after six and a half months, that Spain uses the 24 hour clock, but when you look at a bus schedule that says that a bus leaves at 1:00, do you think am or pm? I was thinking pm, but had I thought properly, it should have occurred to me that 1 pm is 13:00. Needless to say I showed up for my bus to Castellon 12 hours late. Unfortunately, no one else really seems to care about these mistakes so the only way to remedy it is to buy another ticket. So I guess this was my first time buying 2 tickets for one trip. Anyway, once I finally got on the bus, I was headed to Castellon, which is a smaller town on the Mediterranean where my friends, Kelly and April live. I worked on my day off last week so I could spend three days with friends and at the beach. Once I finally arrived, only 14 and a half hours after I was really supposed to, I made it to Kelly and April's flat with no other problems.

Just some back ground here, Kelly and April used to be on the team in Madrid, but took a one year hiatus so April could finish her masters but Kelly has still been working with Christian Associates just in a different capacity. Anyway, after they have their first child, due in October, they are heading home to the States to do some support raising and then returning to Madrid in the spring. I have gotten the chance to get to know them over the past six months and would consider them good friends. They, along with the rest of my team, make me want to stay in Madrid, just to be with all of them. (No Heather, Troy, Kelly, Kelly, and April that doesn't mean I have made any decisions yet, it just means I really like you guys!)Ok, back to the weekend. Friday I got up and explored Castellon a little bit. I had a wonderful walk through lots of shade, the sun is just too hot. Kelly had told me of a Bascillica that he and April walk to sometimes so I checked that out too. It was beautiful! Later in the afternoon, I experienced another major first, I swam in the Mediterranean. It was incredible, it was so different from any body of water I have ever been in. First of all, the water is warm. I mean, fill the tub warm. Unlike the Atlantic or Lake Michigan, which are more like stepping into a glass of ice water, this was warm. It still baffles me that you actually have to get out of the water after a while to cool off. Another oddity about the sea is the buoyancy. April and I tried with all our might to swim under water, but without fail after about 2 strokes we would bob back up to the top. I guess that's good news if you aren't a fan of drowning, and I'm not. It was great to be able to float and not have to use any energy what-so-ever. I could just lay back and relax. Treading water was a new experience too as all you had to do was kick your legs like once every couple of minutes. It was pretty spectacular! Besides experiencing the sea up close and personal, it was beautiful to behold from not so up close. Saturday was more of the same. Reading, relaxing, laying on the beach, and chatting with friends. I also spent some time just watching the families at the beach. It is nice to be out of the city and see some normal family interaction. The little kids are so much fun to watch. This one little girl was so cute and she was a very determined little girl. I watched her over and over again bring her sand toys to the water to wash them off, run back to join her friends in the sand and then moments later run back to the water to wash of the newly sand covered shovel and bucket. It was just too cute. It was another glorious day! Sunday morning was another first experience for me. I attended my first mass. It was really interesting. Seeing as how most of Spain, if they have any religious affiliation at all, is Catholic, I thought it would bee a good experience to see what it is all about. Kelly and April have been going to this mass for a little while so they can learn more about Catholicism. I definately learned more from this one mass that just what I have heard. I think there are some valuable things that the Catholic church is doing, I just question their means of doing them. It was impossible for me to participate in the service, despite the fact that my Spanish is inadequate. The entire service seemed choreographed, which in some ways I think it is. It is the same routine that I'm sure they have been doing every mass since the doors opened to this church. I was witness to a series of standing up, sitting down, singing, listening, repeating liturgy. None of this was posted anywhere so I just went a long for the ride, standing and sitting when everyone else was, but that was the extent of my particpation. Unless you have always done this or just determine to go and learn from week to week what is going on, there is no guide book. I wonder how significant those liturgies are to the people who have been saying them out of habit all their lives. Anyway, I'm really glad I went to the mass and got a chance to kind of debrief the experience with Kelly and April in a little air conditioned cafe' over breakfast. It was good to talk through the service and learn from what I observed. After breakfast, we decided the best way to spend my last few hours in Castellon was at the beach, so off we went. When it was time to finally go, I grudgingly packed my backpack and we headed to the bus station. I was on time and everything. Unfortunately the bus was not. It was 45 minutes late and once it finally got there I took my seat in the very front of the bus. This was a first for me as well, and I hope it will be a last too. Let's just say, when the bus driver slams on his brakes, I would much rather not be able to see how close we are to the car in front of us. I think I would instead like to be back far enough that I can't see and just imagine that we are really close to that car. I did manage to survive the 8 hour trip back, which should have only taken 5 hours by the way, and got home safely. All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I feel as though I am somehow a little bit of a better person to have experienced so many more "firsts." Thanks again Kelly and April for your hospitality.

Oasis Madrid

2006-07-14T17:30:00.000+02:00

Well, tonight was a momentous occasion. I spoke at Oasis Madrid. The following is the manuscript of what I said. This is very basic as I can't stay with what I write. I said a lot more than what is here, but as I didn't record myself, this is the closest we'll get. I hope you enjoy what God led me to talk about. I think it went well, but you'd have to ask one of the 14 people who were there. Sure it doesn't seem like much, but 14 is good for the summer, especially for the middle of July. Madrid clears out in the summer. People heading home for the summer, or gone on holiday. It was a good group and I was so excited to be able to speak. I just pray that God used it.

We started by singing "Blessed Be Your Name"

I wanted it to be fairly interactive so we started with small group discussions. I asked these two questions.

1) Matthew 22:37-39 says, “Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” What does this mean to us as Jesus followers?

2) Matthew 20:26-28 says, “…Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” What does this mean to us as Jesus followers?

There was some great discussion and it was really interesting looking at both of these in context of the other. Well, according to these verses, which I believe to be true, Jesus came to set an example for us as a servant. I want to read an account of Jesus setting the perfect example as a servant and then we are going to serve one another as a form of worship.

John 13:3-17 “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand,” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and head as well!” Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

Ok, let’s try it. I just thought this would be a good way to get us in the right mind-set for everything else I want to say tonight. You know that in Madrid, this is actually a pretty practical thing to do with as dusty as this city gets. While we are washing each others feet, we are going to be singing "Humble King." If you do not feel comfortable participating, just pass on to the next person. (By the way, everyone participated and when we were done singing we just spent some time in silence. It was cool.)

Pray

Alright, jumping right in, here is what I want to talk about. Because the name of our church is Oasis Madrid, I want us to think about the implications that has for us. We are going to do this by looking at how God is an Oasis, Jesus was a moving Oasis, and as His followers, we are to emulate His life. So let’s get into it, this has been really exciting for me to research and study. I love this church and I am becoming more and more passionate about what it means for us to be an oasis. Ok, but before we can discuss how God is an oasis, let’s make sure we know what an oasis is. Anyone… Yeah, I looked up oasis in an online dictionary and here are the definitions I got that I really like:
• In geography, an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source
• A shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary
• A haven
• A fertile or green spot in a desert or wasteland, made so by the presence of water
• A situation or place preserved from surrounding unpleasantness; a refuge; an oasis of serenity amid chaos (I think that is my favorite definition)

I’m guessing, because I know how smart all of you are, you have a pretty good idea as to where I am going with this, so without further adue.

There are many instances in the Bible where God is referred to as a refuge or sanctuary. I looked it up on Bible Gateway and about 70 passages popped up that refer to God as a refuge. Here are just a couple of them.

Psalm 9:9 says, “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”

Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Psalm 141:8 says, “But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge – do not give me over to death.”

This should be enough of an example as to why we should strive to be an oasis, a refuge, a help, a stronghold, a source of life, but God made it even easier for us. He sent his son to set a human example for us. I think that for God and Jesus to attract people to them, they needed to offer something that no one else had, such as water in a desert. Is it ironic that in John 4 Jesus offered the Samaritan woman living WATER that will quench her thirst so she would never be thirsty again?! Where else can we go to be completely filled? Another way that Jesus can be seen as an oasis is through serving others. Jesus cared for and served the poor, weak, sick, and broken, just to name a few. He met their needs. And if God in the flesh can serve His creation shouldn’t we as his followers also be willing to serve in order to glorify Him.

I just read a story the other day about a man called Brother James Kimpton. I believe that he knows what it means to follow God’s example and serve. He has served the poor and broken in India for over 50 years. Here is a brief description of what he does there. He digs wells, builds homes, runs schools, dresses wounds, rescues orphans, rehabilitates the disabled, feeds the hungry, trains the unskilled, and shelters the abandoned. Wow, it doesn't sound like he's doing much. (Ha Ha) Needless to say, people are drawn to him, like an oasis in a desert. When asked why he does some of the things he does he replied, “To me, every child I serve is Jesus.” Pavi Krishnan, the woman who wrote this story says this after her visit to some of the Children’s Villages that Brother James has established, “The love you’ve seen everywhere comes from one man at the center. It radiates from him, and everything he touches ripples forward.” Like the water source in an oasis, one person, or one action can start a ripple effect. When we focus our lives on serving God and trying to reflect his image to those around us, people notice. Imagine the impact. Lambert Dolphin says, “When the world looks at the church, it should see a different way of life, a different standard of behavior. People should say of the church, ‘They know how to love, how to reach out.’” Are we living like that? Are we making ripples?

Now I want to talk a little more about how we can follow Christ’s example and God’s call to us to be like Him and be an oasis in the desert, but first let’s listen to this song and read the words on the power point. I think this song clearly describes how our love for God should move us to want to serve and obey him.

Love of My Heart, by CeCe Winans PowerPoint

Ok, now let’s step back a bit to the Old Testament for a second. Even before Jesus had come to set a human example of what it means for a person to be an oasis, a refuge, God was already instructing his people how to live worshipful, vibrant, godly lives so as to attract others to him.

Isaiah 58:6-12 says this: (I’m reading from the Message because I really like how it is worded here – Heather would be so proud, she loves the Message)

“This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’ If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims; quit gossiping about other people’s sins, if you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places – firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.”

I know that most of you have heard this passage before. I actually read it at the last service in June. I find this passage to be quite convicting especially for myself. This is a huge call we have to answer as Christians, but the promises for doing so seem make it well worth the sacrifice. The main theme of these verses is; what does it mean to know and serve God? The late pastor, Ray Stedman said, “the ultimate test of faith has always been: does it lead you to serve, to help somebody in need? Do you feel motivated to act?”

I think this passage has some implications for us as individuals as well as for us as a community. Our name is Oasis Madrid. You could say we live in a desert wasteland. People are wandering around out there searching for the source of living water. So I want to end with a little more discussion. And this week, take some time to look over this passage from Isaiah and really just let it sink it and then let it move you.

We discussed this question in our small groups and in honor of Troy, who always uses the time limit of 7 minutes, we talked for 7 minutes and wrote our ideas on post-it-notes (also in honor of Troy) and then after that, shared our ideas with the rest of the group.

What are some real tangible ways that we as individuals, as well as, we as a community can be an Oasis here in Madrid?

After the discussion Kelly led us in a couple more songs, "All Who are Thirsty" and "Heart of Worship." It was a great night! After the service, half the group went out for dinner and drinks at a place right down the street from our house. The service was actually at our house. I know I already said it, but tonight was great. Well, that's all I have to say. Later...

What's So Amazing About Grace?

2006-07-13T14:47:00.000+02:00

I just finished reading that book, "What's so Amazing about Grace?" byPhilip Yancey yesterday. Wow, it was good. It was eyeopening, heart breaking, and beautiful all at the same time. I want to share some of it with you so here are some quotes from the book that spoke to me.

There is only one thing the world cannot do that the church can - offer grace
Grace is shockingly personal. As Henri Nouwen points out, "God rejoices. Not because the problems of the world have been solved, not because all human pain and suffering have come to an end, not becuase thousands of people have been converted and are now praising him for his goodness. No, God rejoices because one of his children who was lost has been found."
The problem of pain meets its match in the scandal of grace.
Grace costs nothing for the recipients but everything for the giver. Grace is free only because the giver himself has borne the cost.
Grace delcares that we are still God's pride and joy.
If grace is so amazing, why don't Christians show more of it? How is it that Christians called to dispense the aroma of grace instead emit the noxious fumes of ungrace?
Those most conscious of another world have made the most effective Christians in this one. -C. S. Lewis
The world thirsts for grace. When grace descends, the world falls silent before it.

I hope these quotes have served to wet your appitite to read this book. I would highly recommend it. I wish that I had some deep theological conclusion to make about grace right now, but I don't. I just know that grace is a gift that we maybe hold onto too tightly sometimes when we should be eager to give it away. I hope you receive this gift, especially from those of us who claim to be Jesus' followers. Grace is amazing!!!

Blog Abuse

2006-07-07T16:14:00.000+02:00

Did you think I fell off the face of the earth? Well, I did't. I just fell off the face of cyber earth for a while. My friend Jo would call what has happened here "Blog Abuse". She doesn't want to have her own blog for fear that she would neglect her faithful readers and not post often enough. Well, I am guilty of both. I'm sorry. Let me fill you in a bit on all that has kept me away from faithfully updating my blog. These may sound like excuses, but to each his own. I know Pete, "Excuses are for losers," I don't think these are valid reasons. Anyway, at the beginning of June I headed home to Michigan for a week to visit family, friends, supporters, and witness my older brother's wedding. It was such a beautiful wedding and a great time with family and friends. I only wish I could have visited for longer. It came at a perfect time though. I had been in Madrid for 5 months when I got to go home for a visit. It was much needed! One week later I reluctantly boarded the plane back to Madrid. The trip went fine but needless to say I was exhausted when I returned to Madrid. I got home, dropped my things off and went straight to my staff meeting. Let me just say, I do not like jet lag at all!!! So then I was back in Madrid for 4 full days before Kelly (my roommate) and I left for vacation to Prague. We spent a week in Prague checking out all that we could possibly see and walk more than we thought possible. It was incredible! Everyone has always told me, "If you can go anywhere in Europe, go to Prague." I am now saying those exact words. The city is just amazingly beautiful. We returned to Madrid on 25 June. Three days later our team leaders, Troy and Heather, and their kids left for the States for the rest of the summer on furlough. Needless to say, those few days with them before they left were quite busy. So now a week and a half after that, things are finally settling back into a routine. Again I apoligize and hope you except my explanation.

I don't want to write much more now so I don't run out of things to say so I can blog again soon. Make sure you check out the "My Pictures" link to the right. I just posted all the pictures from my trip to the States, and more specifically from Matt and Mandace's wedding and all the pictures from my trip to Prague. I will go ahead and apologize now, because there are loads of photos. You may want to grab a glass of lemonaid and get comfortable. I hope you enjoy them though. I had an incredible time in both places and I love taking photos, hence the absurd amount of photos. Well, thanks for being patient with me and I'll write again soon. (Hopefully;))

I'm Back, sort of...

2006-06-17T13:00:00.000+02:00

Wow, it has been a while. Sorry to all my faithful readers, all 3 of you. I kind of have an excuse though, if you'll let me use it. I was home in Grand Rapids for a week and since I've been back, I've been trying to get back into the swing of things with jet lag. I left for the states on Monday June 5th and returned to Madrid on Tuesday June 13th. I realized from this trip, that when you've been out of the country for 5 months, a one week visit is not long enough; especially when half of it is taken up with wedding stuff. My brother got married on Saturday June 10th. It was such a perfect day! He looked so handsome and Mandace (my new sister-in-law) looked beautiful. The weather was perfect and it was an all around great time. During the week I was able to see friends, family, and enjoy some of the conviences of America, such as Meijer. It was just such a great trip. I would like to write more about it, but that will come later. I have posted just a couple of pictures and you'll have to check my webshots album later to see the rest of them. I don't have them all posted yet. It could be a couple of weeks though as my roommate Kelly and I leave for vacation tomorrow morning at about 4 am. I am so excited, we are going to Prague. Anyone that I've ever talked to that has traveled through Europe always says to visit Prague. I'm sure it will be incredible! Some of my roots are Czech too. That's were the name Swacina is from. Well, I'll be sure to write more after this trip and I get back into normal life. Thanks for being patient in the meantime. Until later...

Fun Tidbits About Me

2006-05-24T16:58:00.000+02:00

How well do you know me? My cousin, Karen sent this to me in an email a while ago and I thought I would share it here with you. I was suprised that I learned some new things about her even though I have known her my whole life. Karen I love you and can't wait to see you!!! Here goes:

Four Jobs I have had in my life:

Cedar Ridge Adventures (High Ropes Challenge Course)
Whitetail Ski Resort
Pizzaria Uno's Chicago Bar and Grill
Moving Company Dance School

Four Places I have lived:

Chicago, IL
Williamsport, MD
Grand Rapids, MI
Madrid, Spain

Four Movies I could watch over and over again:

Newsies
White Christmas
Count of Monte Cristo
Good Will Hunting

Four TV shows I love to watch:

Right now, anything in English!
Friends
ER
Amazing Race

Four songs that will always be on my IPOD (I'll actually have an IPOD soon!)

In Christ Alone
Anything U2
Anything Derek Webb
Movin' Out Soundtrack

Four Places I've been on Vacation

Florida (West Palm Beach, Orlando)
Out West (Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico, etc.)
Costa Rica (if you could call a 3 week back packing trip that ends with a broken foot vacation)
Spain (I live here now, but I have vacationed some too)

Four Websites I visit daily

About 20 different blogs
My yahoo mail
Various online magazines
MSN news

Four of my favorite foods

My mom's spaghetti
Anything chocolate
Breakfast food (I love breakfast!)
Fresh fruits and vegetables

Four places I'd rather be right now

In bed!
In the states with family and friends
Laying on a beach somewhere
Greece, I really want to visit there someday

Four jobs that I wish I could do

Professional Dancer (preferably ballet)
Tri-lingual interpreter (maybe someday, I'm working on my Spanish and once I am fluent in that, I'll brush up on my German)
Professional Chocolate Eater
Professional Shopper

So now you know a little more about me. I hope you enjoyed this little diversion and that I didn't scare you. By the way, this pictures are of my cousin Karen her daughter Naomi, and her son Joshua. Sorry there are no pictures of Sam (Karen's husband). I love Naomi so much and get to see thier whole family soon. Karen recently told me that Naomi looked at a picture of me and said "Amy! Dance wis you!" This makes my heart so happy. Naomi is 2 now and I haven't seen her since August. Karen thanks for not letting her forget me. That means so much to me. Karen has also had a son since the last time I've seen her, so I can't wait to meet Joshua too. Yeah, 15 days until I get to see them all!!!

Gibraltar, Malaga, and Cordoba

2006-05-23T13:23:00.000+02:00

Last weekend was incredible! This is the first time I have really traveled here in Spain and it was so wonderful. Although some of the trip wasn't really spent in Spain. Last Friday, 12 May, my roommate Victoria, one of our friends, Jo, and I set out for the train station to begin our journey. We were very excited as all three of us would be experiencing a sleeper train for the first time. We decided it was worth the 10 extra euros to have a bed rather than spend the whole night trying to sleep in a train or bus seat. It was worth it. In my mind the idea of sleeper train was much more romantic than real life. I think I had romanticised it because of "White Christmas" (my favorite Christmas movie ever). In reality the beds, and room for that matter, are very small and every time the train stops there is the danger of being flung out of your bed. I must say though that I did sleep better than I would have sitting up. We arrived in Algeciras, a small town near Gibraltar Saturday morning moderately refreshed and ready to explore. We found a cheap and pretty nice hostal and set off for "Little England."

Gibraltar is so interesting. It is on the southern coast of Spain, but is owned by England. When you cross the border, everything instantly changes to English. It was great haveing Jo with us as well, as she is from England. Every corner we turned revealed another shop or phone booth or post box that is reminiscent of Jo's homeland. She was so excited, and I was learning so much. Some day I'll have to travel to England to see how accurate this "Rock" is.

After just walking around a bit, we found a typical English pub to fill our growling stomachs with a typical English breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, baked beans, and tea. It was delicious! Once we were sufficiently full, we headed out for more exploring. We visited a glass blowing studio and shop, window shopped in some posh stores and then meandered through the botanical garden. By this point we realised it was too late to head to the top of the rock to explore so we set off on a quest to see Euorpa Point, the southern tip of Gibraltar, and the light house there. It was a long walk that took us past numerous huge Navy ships, the 100 ton gun (weird huh?), through two tunnels, a pit stop by the Mediterranean for oranges and English chocolate bars (we also saw a dolphin), a small cafe' where we learned the Spanish word for Lighthouse, Farola, and finally to Europa point. Unfortunately it was pretty hazy so we couldn't see Africa, which is possible on a clear day, but it was a fun adventure. By this point our feet were killing us so we caught a bus back to the main square for a dinner of fish and chips. Once again our stomachs were full so we headed back to our hostal to rest up for our next adventure.

Sunday morning it was back to Gibraltar to conquer the top of the rock and see some apes. That's right, there are apes that are native to the Rock of Gibraltar. Victoria, Jo, and I dished out the money to take the cable car to the top and so started a day of firsts. Once we reached the top, it was amazing, there were apes everywhere. You are encouraged to not take any food with you and not touch the apes as they may bite. We treaded softly but apparently not softly enough as one of the smaller apes decided that Jo's back looked like a fun place to climb and that her blond hair looked like some sort of delicacy that it should try to eat. While this is quite possibly one of the funniest things I have seen in a really long time, Jo I am pretty sure would disagree. She managed to thrash violently enough to throw the ape off her back without being scarred, unless you count emotionally. We proceded to explore the top a bit but couldn't see much as clouds tend to cling to the top of the rock. As you can see by the picture, there wasn't much to be seen. With the fear of being attacked again we began the descent back down the rock. We decided to walk half way down and then catch the cable car at the mid-point back down to the bottom. It was a beautiful walk, which we thoroughly enjoyed. As we waited for the cable car to pick us up, we struck up a conversation with an older local gentleman who shared many interesting facts and tid-bits about Gibraltar. One tid-bit for you, there are more roads inside the rock than there are outside of the rock on Gibraltar. When we finally made it back down to the bottom we set off for the bus station and city number two, Malaga.

Two and a half hours later we arrived in Malaga. We found another hostal, put our things down and set out to explore this tourist trap of a city. It actually was pretty nice. We visited the Alcazaba, not sure what exactly it was, but it was old and beautiful. It was even better because admission was free on Sundays. It was very peaceful as we wound our way through various courtyards and gardens. From the higher spots in the Alcazaba, you could see pretty much the whole city, the cathedral, the castle, the bull ring, ruins of an ancient Roman theater being dug up, and the coast line. The water began to call to us so we left the Alcazaba in pursuit of the Mediterranean and seafood for dinner. We were successful in finding both. Dinner was amazing and then another first for me, putting my feet in the Mediterranean! The water was actually pretty warm. It was so much fun to just walk along the shore, pick up shells, skip rocks, and enjoy the company of friends. The last time I got to do that was in August with my family at the Atlantic near Ocean City, Maryland.

Monday morning we made our way to the last bus station for the trip to Cordoba and eventually Madrid. Monday was hot. When we arrived in Cordoba we saw signs showing the temperature to be 37 degrees celcius which is somewhere close to 98 degrees F. We found a nice little restaurant with a decently priced menu and a terrace to sit outside and enjoyed a leisurely lunch while shooing pigeons away from our good food. After lunch we eventually found the main attraction of Cordoba, the Mesquita, a former Mosque turned Cathedral. The Mesquita is claimed to be one of the most beautiful sites to see in Europe. I would now agree. It was amazing. The mix of Muslim arcitecture and Catholic statues and such was bizarre and awe inspiring at the same time. The enormity of the Mesquita simply added to its brillance. This made the trip well worth it.I think I will leave you with this because I really don't want to relive the 5 and a half hour bus ride back to Madrid with the obnoxious teenagers, the man next to me who sneezed and had snot all over himself, the German movie in Spanish that we couldn't hear, the woman in front of me who kept leaning into the aisle so I couldn't see out the window, and the fact that I couldn't sleep at all. It would just bring up things I don't want to think about. All in all, this was an incredible trip and I had so much fun visiting new places with good friends. By the way, Jo is my guest writer in the next blog entry. Check it out. Also I have posted more pictures from the trip in my webshots albums. Just click on the link on the side. Until later...God bless!

Guest Writer!!!

2006-05-21T19:53:00.000+02:00

First off I have been looking into getting a blog and so i went to blogspot and they told me that it could be my "personal pulpit"- I like that idea a lot more than having to go to seminary to become a priestess. Maybe we could call this my temporary pulpit, and so, to all you laypeople i best introduce myself- My name is Jo. Not Joan as most spanish people assume. Another thing the spanish don't understand about me is my slightly crazed fashion sense that comes out once in while. Don't get me wrong i'm no super model but today i thought my top looked better inside out (there were no labels showing- this wouldn't be cool- it's a thin line). So, with my cool attire i embarked the market in Madrid....i made it a few hours until the bus where a lady told me- 3 times- "you are wearing your top backwards". and when i thanked her she gave me a look which spoke volumes of her opinion of me.....

the thing about blogging is once i start i have to subject people to ever increasing amounts of my own self important thoguhts and credences. and do i really need any encouragement? i feel, after this, you know me. have i exposed myself too much?! The other percieveable danger is that i could become a blog-abuser. Building the hopes up the internet population with my witty insights only to forget to blog and thereby deprive them. it would be abuse in the form of neglect- what would i do to them. i don't know if they'd cope- so maybe the good christiian thing to do would be to shut up, de-blog and leave you all in peace.....

This is my friend Jo from here in Madrid, although she is actually from England. She is trying to decide on whether or not she should get her own blog. I think she should! But until that happens, I told her she needs to share some of her unique experiences through mine. Hope you enjoyed the guest appearance and look for a new post from me in the next day or so. Last weekend I went to Gibraltar, Malaga, and Cordoba with a couple of friends, Jo being one of them. I will tell you all about it soon. Until then...

In a Funk!

2006-05-12T16:19:00.000+02:00

Every time I blog I have such noble intentions of blogging more regularly. Some how it stops at intention and isn't followed through on. I guess life gets the better of me. I am always thinking of things to write about but actually sitting down at the computer to write is easier said than done. (Side note: I took that picture of a rose from Heather's garden.) Anyway, I'll just let you know what has been going on in my life recently. Last weekend was pretty full. On Friday I went to a going away party (No Tawney family, it was not a "Go Away!" party.) for Rosy, a friend from community group and church. We had dinner out at the Cady's house. It was a really fun time of telling stories and just laughing. When we left to go home we saw a bus go by not realizing that we should have run faster than our legs could carry us because this was that last bus going into Madrid. After waiting awhile we realized that we would have to have Heather take us to the last train which was in half an hour. Half of the group went with Heather on the first trip while the other half of us walked down the street to check and see if there would be a night bus coming. There was. However I think we all wished we would have had Heather come back and take us to the train too. There aren't as many buses at night so of course they stop at every stop possible. It was so bizarre too, I felt like I was on a school bus, besides me and Jonathan (who was part of our group with me, Victoria, and Jo) I am pretty sure everyone on the bus was under the age of 21. All these kids were in their hottest outfits to go out in Madrid. Another really odd and hilarious thing that happened on the way back into Madrid was that we got to a round about (pictured below) and the street we were supposed to go down was blocked off. Needless to say, the driver was as surprised as us. The funny part was that he didn't know what to do and ended up driving around the round about twice before calling for back up and finding a new route. It was definately interesting!Saturday we had our service, which was awesome. Troy finished our series on "Body Parts". After the service Nic, Troy and Heather's 6 year old son fell outside and had to be taken to the hospital for stitches on his head. After that fiasco, I went home with Victoria to change quickly before going to a birthday party for Jonathan. While at home Victoria decided to cut her hair. By cut her hair I mean she chopped off about 5 or 6 inches of hair. It was hilarious, but it looks really cute. She did a great job. I could never do that. We then went to the party. It was a lot of fun. Food, friends, and dancing, what more do you need?!

Sunday I visited Mountainview Church, the other church here in Madrid that was started by my organization, Christian Associates International. This church is actually located out is the suburbs of Madrid. This week has been pretty normal. I have had work, Spanish class, dance class, and watched movies with Kelly and Victoria.

This weekend, as in tonight through Monday, Victoria, Jo and I are going to the Rock of Gibraltar. Madrid has an absurd amount of holidays in May and Monday is one of them so we have a long weekend to travel. Be sure to check back next week, I'll tell ya'll about my trip and have some pictures posted. Until then, God bless!

Tomorrow is May?!

2006-04-30T17:03:00.000+02:00

In the spirit of trying to post on my blog more often, here is another entry. It nothing big or important, just me trying to stay in touch with you all. Anyway, I can't believe it is May tomorrow. Where has the time gone? I can't believe that I have been in Madrid for almost 4 months, I can't believe that I go home for my brother, Matt's wedding in just over a month, I can't believe it has been so long since I have seen most of you, and I can't believe that another year is almost half way over already. In some aspects it seems so natural for me to be in Spain, like I've been here for ever, but in other ways it seems like I just got here. It is funny how time feels. Some days feel like a lifetime, and some years fly by like it's just been one week. I wonder how ETERNITY will feel? I am glad that it is spring though. I love the warm weather here, the blue sky, and the flowers and trees in bloom. It seems like things are coming to life again. I pray that my spirit will reflect how Christ is alive and that He will become alive to more people here in Madrid. Just the other night I spent about a half hour talking with a Spanish friend about Christianity and the church. It was a great conversation! I know that she is searching for that which gives life. Pray with me that as life is spring up around us here in Madrid, that it will also spring up in her life. Until later, may His peace and His life giving love be with you.

"Grace Like Rain"

2006-04-21T11:47:00.000+02:00

Todd Agnew sings a song called "Grace like Rain". The verses are the words to Amazing Grace and then the chorus says, "Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me. Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away." I tell you this as a preface to writing about last weekend. My church, Oasis Madrid, had an Easter retreat at a camp, Aguas Vivas (which means Living Water), about an hour north of Madrid. It was incredible!!! As I have been thinking back on it this week, the song, "Grace like Rain" has been popping into my head. "Why?" you ask. Well let me tell you.

First of all, when I think about my church and the community that it is, I think about grace. This weekend was evidence that I am a part of a community of grace. We had the best retreat ever!!! During the weekend we had a Maunday Thursday service, a Messianic Seder, someone went through the Rite of Conversion, someone got baptised, and we had worship services each morning. Spiritually it was so refreshing. I also danced during four of the different services.
The Maunday Thursday service was very solemn and reflective. There was a time of silent confession, hand washing, partaking in the Lord's supper, and I danced to the hymn, O Sacred Head now Wounded. When the service was over, all the lights were turned out and we left in silence and darkness. It was very meaningfull.

On Friday we had a worship service in the morning with singing, Godly Play (a way of telling the story of the Bible that is interesting for kids and adults), Rosy professed her faith in Jesus publically, and I danced to a song called "Jesus Hail the Lamb." Some of us did some hiking and then in the afternoon we participated in a Messianic Jewish Passover Seder. It was so interesting. There were readings that we did and different food that was eaten that signified different things having to do with Christ's death and resurection. It was so cool. After the Seder, I spent some time in the prayer room. We had a room set up with various things to help us connect with God. The walls were completely covered with paper so we could write or draw, there were communion elements, candles, stones to write our burdens on and a cross to set them at the foot of, nails, thorns, and chains, to remind us of Christ's suffering, and much more. It was such a significant time for me with my father, creator, and savior. In the evening, there was time to either watch "The Passion of the Christ" or just hang out with people.

Saturday we started with a worship service again and I danced/did American Sign Language to the song, "Lord Have Mercy." I also taught a dance to 9 other people today that we performed on Sunday. (More about that later.) This was a glorious day as this was our only planned activity. In the afternoon 7 of us decided to climb to the top of the mountain. It was difficult, but so worth it. I love to hike, but I am kind of a wuss sometimes. I had grace extended to me on various occasions when the hike got hard, or the jump from one rock to another was a bit scary. God is so good in providing people who care about you for who you are and not for what you can do! Anyway, the view from the top was amazing. The only problem was that it started to rain while we were at the top. It didn't just rain either, it hailed. Needless to say, we were soaked. The rain was so refressing. It was another reminder on this significant weekend that His love and grace has been poured down on us like rain. Christ's death is the ultimate example of this. What greater example of love and grace could we ask for. Thank you Lord for tangible reminders through something as simple as rain. After the rain let up some, we made it back down to the bottom safely. It was quite the adventure. God then proceeded to seal His promise to us once again through one of the clearest rainbows I have ever seen. I just can't help but smile and praise Him again right now! Yeah God!!! After dinner we celebrated Phil's birthday and just had a great day.

Sunday - HE IS RISEN!!! On Sunday morning we had a service and Troy baptised Monaca. Troy spoke, which was awesome and I highly recommend that everyone read what he had to say by clicking here. The dance I taught on Saturday was performed during the service too. We danced to a song called "Today" by the group Iona. It was so cool to have 9 other people woshiping with me in this way. This is a dream come true. I think that dance is an incredibly effective way of worshiping and connecting with God with our whole selves. After the service the kids had a candy/Easter egg hunt. They were pretty funny to watch. We also took some pictures of my team and also with my roommates. They turned out pretty good. I don't know if it is surprising or not, but I think we got more silly pictures than normal ones. Maybe that says something about all of us?! By the way, if you want to see all of my pictures from the weekend just click on my pictures on the side. There are also some pictures from my trip to Segovia.

Well, that in a nutshell was my Easter Weekend. It was so wonderful. I think I've said that a few times now, but I guess you get the point. More to come later but until then, remember, HE IS RISEN and "grace like rain falls down on me and all my stains have been washed away!"

New Title!

2006-04-08T19:15:00.000+02:00

Since I started my blog a couple of months ago, I've been trying to think of a creative title for my blog. My previous title, "My Life (as I see it)" was direct and to the point, but I guess I want to be a little more creative. Hence the new title. It is pretty self explanitory, but let me just delve into it a bit more. Over the last couple of weeks, the word unleashed as been repeatedly popping into my head. Huh, do we think that could be the prompting of the Holy Spirit?! Anyway, I want this word to describe me and I believe in someways it already does. Somehow, I have been unleashed into Spain, I want the power of the Holy Spirit to be unleashed in me, I want to unleash the love of Christ here in Madrid, or where ever God leads me. As I was thinking about my new title the next word that came to me was unabashed. As I am being unleashed, I want to be unabashed about it. I want to unabashedly be who God has created me to be, and I want to unabashedly help others to be who Christ has made them to be. Finally, the word unafraid. This one is definately a struggle for me. I am often afraid of God's plan for me, the unknowingness of it, I am afraid to make a fool of my self, and I am sometimes afraid to try new things. I am afraid of what people think of me when I share my beliefs, and I am afraid of letting go. If I truly want to embody these three words, I need to let go and allow God to have complete reign in my life. This is my public declaration that I am working hard at letting go and becoming Unleashed, Unabashed, and Unafraid.

This is a picture of my dancing at a worship conference in January, but in this moment, I had completely let go. I pray for this to be my constant posture.

Culture Shock!!!

2006-04-06T22:19:00.000+02:00

Readers Advisory: Warning, Amy is experiencing culture shock so this blog entry may contain a fair amount of complaining and whining. She just needs to vent. So, proceed with caution.

When I came to Spain, exactly 3 months ago today, I was aware that I would experience culture shock. After further discussion with Heather, my supervisor for my internship, we discussed how culture shock takes on different forms and will last the entire year I am here. I'll give you a brief overview of the different stages.

Entry into new culture: You are experiencing new things, learning, excited, experimenting, and seeing new things. Sounds good huh?!

3 - 6 Months: The novelty has worn off, problems are exaggerated, and you are more prone to be anxious, angry, homesick, and disappointed.

7 - 18 Months: There is tentative acceptance, marginal risk taking, trust issues, yet you are also fearfull.

All that to say, I have hit the second phase. I am definately easily annoyed and am so frustrated with a lot of stuff. So on with my complaints:

I don't like seista right now. It is so annoying that I can't go to most shops between about 1:30 and 5:30. I have Spanish class until 11:30 so it gives me very little time to run the errands I need to.

Over the past couple of weeks there have been strikes on the metro during rush hour in the morning and in the evening. I just started dance classes 3 weeks ago and have gone to class 7 times now. Of those 7 times, the strike was going on for 5 of those metro trips. Last Thrusday it was absolutely horrible. First I had to wait half an hour for a metro, it usually only takes 3 to 5 minutes. Then when one finally came there were so many people, the only way I can explain it is to say it was like sardines in a can. The fact that I was actuallly able to squeeze onto the train was quite a feat. At the first stop I was pushed in every direction. People were pushing me on the right and left trying to get off the train but then people were also pushing me from behind trying to get on the train. Finally this one guy starts coming toward me to get off the train and yells at me in my face than then proceeds to run right into me and push me off the train. Fortunately I didn't fall, but needless to say, I was incredibly frustrated and angry. I can't even respond because my Spanish isn't good enough. I was pretty late for my dance class that night.

Despite the fact that in my dance class I am probably the only one who has danced for more than two years, I am one of the only people that gets corrections.

Everything always starts later than it is supposed to. I consistently show up about 15 minutes late for my Spanish class and I am 99% of the time there before my professor.

Things don't happen when they are supposed to. We got natural gas in our apartment about a month ago now for our heat and hot water. Since then my roommates have called the propane company at least 3 or 4 times to come pick up the old empty propane bottles and guess where they are?! Yep, you guessed it, they are still in our house. Go figure.

People are very public in their relationships. One any given day you will see at least 5 couples making out and probably 1 or 2 fighting. Some things are meant for behind closed doors. I am tired of seeing public make out sessions!

It seems like no one knows how to clean up their dog's poop. Our street is especially bad. That's not the only crap that happens in the street either, men here feel it is their job to make cat calls at just about every woman that passes by them.

Ok, I guess that may be enough complaining for now. I really do like it here, but this is the time when everything seems worse than it really is so I thought I would share with you all. Don't worry too much, I'll get over it. Thanks for listening!

Mi Casa

2006-03-29T00:07:00.000+02:00

Hey everyone! I've been living here for almost 3 months now and have finally taken video of my flat. Unfortunately my camera doesn't have sound on it though so I'll walk you through a tour of the Holy Spirit House (our street is Calle Espiritu Santo which means Holy Spirit street). So as you walk in the door you are in the foyer, turn left into the studio/office, keep going and you are in the living room. That's Kelly (roommate) at her desk, Jo at the table, Marianna by the tv, and Victoria (roommate) massaging her own head. As you can see, we have some really interesting wall decor. We have 2 balconies that overlook the street. Ok, now turn back around and go back through the living room, studio, and foyer and head down the hall. This is the guest bathroom, next is our yellow kitchen. Notice we have a dish washer, microwave, oven, and washing maching in there. Ok, back out into the hall and turn right. The next room is Victoria's. Sorry I didn't film that at all. Last but not least, me and Kelly's room. My side of the room is first and then into Kelly's. Yes, we do have the same armoir's, they were on sale at Ikea. Through our room is the bathroom fit for royalty. As you can see, the sinks are really high and our tub/shower is huge and has jets!!! We do have a bidet, it works well for washing feet and bleaching things. Back out into my room and you can see my friends that came with me, Kermit, Scruffy Bunny, and my prayer bear. My family is here with me too. Mom, Dad, Matt, and Pete I miss you guys and love you! Aunt Jean, Steve, Tim, Karen, Sam, Naomi, and Joshua I see you guys everyday above me desk. Thanks for always bringing a smile to my face. Hope you enjoyed your tour. The fee is minimal, now that you've seen a video of my house, you have to verify how accurate it is and visit Madrid!!!

My Trip to the Post Office

2006-03-28T00:28:00.000+02:00

So I got a notice the other day that I had a package to pick up from the post office. Let me just assure that that kind of notice made my day. Anyway, yesterday Kelly and I set off for the Post Office by way this cool building and by way of the Thyssen Museum. I went to the Thyssen on Friday with my Spanish class to check out the temporary Russian Avant-Gardes exhibit. It was pretty interesting and yet slightly stressful as our teacher was explaining the exhibit in Spanish, and I thought just every day conversation was difficult... So before I left I of course had to visit the gift shop. I found a really cool book that is all about Madrid, but for kids. I decided to get it because I really like it when I looked at it and the Spanish isn't too difficult. I picked up one of the books that was wrapped in plastic and bought it. When I got home I realized that it is in English. I don't really need a children's book in English right now. Anyway, all of that to say that I wanted to exchange the book for the one in Spanish. So on the way to the post office we went by there and of course, it was closed today. That is one annoyance I have with Madrid, you often never know when something will be open or closed. After walking out of the way to go to a museum that was closed we finally got to the post office, or should I say the "Palace of Communications." This is actually the name of this building. It was incredible! Everything was marble and quite grand. I'm pretty sure you won't find anything quite like this in the states.
Besides the grandeur of the building I was most taken with the small brown package that traveled over the Atlantic ocean from home just for me. In everything that is different and amazing, there is something also amazing about the normalcy of home. It has been very interesting trying to live a life of both over the last couple of months. This form of communication has been such a blessing with keeping me connected to home as well as the spectacular post office.
I was glad to experience the "Palace of Communications" yesterday but let me just ask you this question, did it make sense that I had to go there for my package when we passed at least 2 post offices between my house and there? I don't know either! We'll be in touch!

The Incarnation and Jack Johnson

2006-03-16T17:13:00.000+01:00

This past Sunday was an incredible day. It started with a core building meeting with the leaders of my church, Oasis Madrid and ended with a concert. During our morning meeting we talked about the incarnation and what it means. It was such a great discussion about how the church, as the body of Christ, is in and of itself the incarnation. What heavy implications that brings!!! We as believers need to be a presence in the community and bring the love of Christ to all we come into contact with. Often times this just means being and loving, what beautiful simplicity.

All of that to say that in the evening a few of us went to the Jack Johnson concert here in Madrid. It is interesting thinking about it now as we had the tickets before the incarnation discussion. While at the concert, I had a plethera of observances. One, there were more North Americans and Brits than I have seen in one place here in Spain. I had to constantly remind myself where I was. Two, wow is it loud and smoky in this bull fighting stadium. Three, there are so many lost people here. And four, how can I love these people with the love of Christ. I think an to answer that last observance is by simply being there and not being ashamed of who Christ has made me. Another way, thanks to Calvin College, is to discern what I was seeing and hearing and thus appreciate the beauty of the music, the gifts that Jack Johnson has been blessed with, and the joy that music brings to so many people. Let me just finish with a line from one of Jack Johnson's songs and you tell me if Christ could possibly speak through this: "Love is the answer at least for most of the questions of my heart...It's always better when we're together!" Thanks for listening to my ramblings, more to come soon!

The Best Mom Ever!!!

2006-03-07T19:40:00.000+01:00

I think this may turn out to be a somewhat contraversial post, but I am willing to take that risk. So here goes, despite what you think about your own mom, if there was a contest, my mom would by far win for "Best Mom Ever" hands down. We may have some issues if you disagree! (He He He) Anyway, I just wanted you all to know that I love my mom so much that I am willing to start fights over it. Mom, you are amazing. You have set such an example for me to follow, I am sure that when you meet our Saviour face to face He will say "Well done my good and faithful servant." You are one of the most dedicated people I know, your love for Christ permeates everthing you are. Your unconditional love for Dad and for me, Matt, and Pete is unquestionable. I'm not sure why God has blessed us so, but I am greatful beyond words that He did. I keep hoping that because I look like you, I will end up picking up some of your incredible characteristics as well. Let me assure you all that if my mom says she will pray for you, she will, even if she doesn't know you. Mom, you are a warrior for the Kingdom. Although I don't necessarily want to obtain your enjoyment of cleaning, I do want to be disciplined like you. I pray that someday I can be half the wife and mother you are. Mom, I love you so much and wish I could be with you on your birthday. I miss you tons and think about you often. Those of you in Maryland, please tell my mom Happy Birthday and give her a hug for me today.

2-Month-Aversary

2006-03-06T17:44:00.000+01:00

Holy cow, I can't even believe that I have been living in Madrid for two months now. It is simply unbelievable, but it is true. God has been so good to me over the past couple of months. I have been able to see quite a bit of Madrid, go to Geneva, dance a few times, make some incredible new friends, and serve Madrid. I feel like I am finally starting to settle in. I have a more regular schedule now and will even be starting to take some classical ballet/spanish ballet classes this week. I am so excited!!! This past week our team leaders were gone to Lisbon for a conference with other team leaders from Christian Associates. Kelly and I watched their kids and put together our Oasis service for Saturday night. We are in a series on "body parts" and offering them to God. Kelly talked about the right brain and it was great. You should check it out here. When Kelly was finished talking, I danced the prayer. It was really cool. Because the room we meet in is pretty small there isn't much space to dance so I used American Sign Language and some smaller dance steps to pray the Lord's Prayer, sung by Jennifer Knapp. I am so thankful that God invites us to worship Him in creative and engaging ways. HE IS SO GOOD!!!

Another highlight from this weekend was that the founder/director of my organization, CAI, Linus Morris came to visit. He and his wife Sharon came to our Oasis Madrid service Saturday night and then visited Mountainview Church, another CAI church in Madrid on Sunday. Last night all of the CAI missionaries got together with Linus and Sharon. This is just one more thing I love about CAI, a director who really cares about what is going on, even with the little interns like me, and is incredibly real and down to earth. I know that God is pleased with what Christian Associates is doing. I am so greatful to be a part of a community of grace like this. Speaking of community, our community of believers is getting together tonight for a slightly late Ash Wednesday service, Troy and Heather were gone last week. I am really looking forward to this time of being vulnerable and open with my brothers and sisters in Christ and beginning to prepare for Easter. What a loving and powerful God we serve.

Well, I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to post another blog, would you believe culture shock if I used that as an excuse?! Seriously, it is interesting how moving away from everyone you know into a completely new culture can mess with your brain. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but there are days when I really miss my family, friends who really know me, my church in the states, and hearing English spoken on the street and in shops. On those days, I know that God is with me and wants me to be here, out of my comfort zone, taking a risk for His kingdom. I pray that where ever you are, God will take you out of your comfort zone for the furthering of His kingdom.

To Toast or Not to Toast?!

2006-02-19T19:48:00.000+01:00

We had quite the adventure here today. My roommate Kelly posted an hilarious blog about it today. I will just show you a couple of pictures to wet your appetite, but I highly reccomend reading what she wrote. Click here to read it.

My Birthday!!!

2006-02-19T01:24:00.000+01:00

Well, I am now posting for the third time in the last hour. I just posted the blog about "The Queen of the Nile" and I also typed this whole thing up once and somehow when I hit the back key as I was previewing the post ended up erasing the entire entry, which was really long and well thought out. I will try to redo it, but I am now really tired and really frustrated. Anyway, this is pretty much how it went...

My birthday is now officially over in Spain, however I was thinking of flying back to the states so that I could extend it another 6 hours and have a 30 hour birthday but decided against it becuase, I am not a huge fan of jet lag. I had quite a full day anyway. It began with sleeping in until 10 am. Then my roommates, Kelly and Victoria, and I went out to breakfast. We really wanted to go to Patatin, which is a really good breakfast place just a couple of blocks from our flat but suprisingly it was closed today. We really wanted breakfast so we decided to walk just a bit farther to try to find a place that serves eggs for breakfast. It is actually somewhat of a rarity as we ended up walking about 15 minutes to Plaza de Espana when Kelly and Victoria remembered that VIPS serves English/American breakfast (we had already passed 2 or 3 of these restaurants by this point). Let me just say though that it was well worth the walk. I had pancakes (that rival IHOP), eggs, fries, cafe con leche, and fresh squeezed orange juice. It was so good and it cost less than 5 euros. Yeah!

After the spectacular start to my day, I decided I needed to spend some birthday money at my favorite store, that's right, H & M. Rach, I wish you could have gone with me. I found a few things and then came home in time to get ready for Kelly and I to head out to St. Louis University, where Oasis Madrid holds it's services. We got there at 3:30 to set up for tonight's service, which was awesome by the way. Way to go Troy! Right now we are in a series on Body Parts and how we can offer different body parts to God. Tonight was the left brain and he talked about wisdom, knowledge, obedience, etc. It was really good. You should check out his website as he has some of the previous topics posted there. Anyway, after the service I was surprised with cake from my team. It was really good and fun to share with everyone in the church. When the cake was gone and our room where we meet was cleaned up a group of us went to Casa Mingo to party more.

It was a great time at Casa Mingo with good new friends and good food, except for the cheese that smelled and tasted like B. O. I have definately felt loved today with numerous email cards from people, calls, and gifts from friends. Although last year's birthday was a bit warmer in West Palm Beach, Florida with Kristi, Becky, and Hannah, this was still a good birthday. (By the way, Happy Anniversary Kristi and Mick!) I was a bit worried about being in a new place with new friends of only a month and a half on my birthday, but once again my worries were wasted. God really knows what he is doing. I know that this is where I am supposed to be right now and I felt so loved by my new family here and I feel at home.

I have so appreciated hearing from a lot of you today and over the last month and a half. It has made this transition much easier and I have felt connected to you all even though we are half a world apart. I can feel His loving arms wrapped around me through your encouragement and love. Now let's see what God has in store for my 26th year. It should be an adventure!

By the way, the pictures at the top are from the party tonight at Casa Mingo.

Queen of the Nile

2006-02-19T00:49:00.000+01:00

Ok I bet you are thinking, where is she going with that title. Well, let me fill you in a bit about my team and the church plant we have here in Madrid. Our church is called Oasis Madrid. Basically, we want to be an oasis to the people of Madrid. We pray that in the desert of their lives they may find peace, hope, and the love of Christ here at Oasis Madrid. Going along with the theme of oasis, desert, etc. each of our team members have interesting and funny nicknames. Troy is "The Village Idiot" mostly because he is hilarious, Kelly is "The Town Cryer" because she "cries" loudly and actually cries, she has a sensitive spirit, I am "The Resident Belly Dancer," I think that is a play on words (ballet/belly). Rest assured, I do not know how to belly dance, maybe someday though. Anyway, that leaves Heather, "The Queen of the Nile" because she is the queen and also because like the Nile she brings sustenance and refreshment to all who come in contact with her. I told Heather that my next blog would be dedicated to her, because if it wasn't for her, I would not be blogging. I have had quite a few minor but annoying issues with my computer and blog sight. She has helped fix them all. She knows quite a bit more about computers than me. She has been my computer's saving grace on a number of occasions when my solution is to throw my computer off our balcony. So Heather I thank you and so does my computer. I love ya!!! You are the best oh wise Queen! By the way, please check out her blog, the link is on the side, it is great.

Why I love my Parents...

2006-02-12T23:34:00.000+01:00

There are many reasons why I love my parents. One main reason is because they love each other so much. Another reason is because they crack me up. Let me assure you that there are many many more, but in this posting I just want to highlight these two. A perfect example is from the email I received today, from my car, Susie the Saturn, that is in the states with my parents. I am a bit possesive as this is the one huge purchase I have made in my life. Anyway, here is the email that I received today:

Dear Amy, as my true owner I feel I should let you know what is happening to me here in Maryland while you are away playing in Europe. Now, when we were together in Michigan you took such good care of me. You kept me dry and warm in Tricia's garage even though I would have to transport you around on cold winter days. Do you realize what is happening to me here?! I'm sitting outside - I said OUTSIDE! Last night I sat in the driveway helplessly while snow - yes snow - covered me completely! And I don't mean just a few flakes - we're talking 6 to 8 inches!!! At least I wasn't alone, Auntie Olds was parked real close to me and Uncle Denali was in front of me. Auntie Olds was very nice, she kept saying everything would be alright and wasn't it beautiful. Uncle Denali kept calling me a wimp, he's rather big and scary. Well Auntie was right, it is beautiful here in the snow. I could hear the waterfall flowing and the wind in the trees, it was very peaceful. She was also right that everything would be OK, she must have a wonderful owner. The old people came out and cleaned me off this morning. The lady was very gentle as she took care of me and Auntie Olds. The guy cleaned off Uncle Denali, I'm glad he stayed away from me. They had a very strange ritual, throwing snow on each other and then they stopped to kiss. GROSS!!!!!!! Why didn't they do that before my windshield was cleared off?! It's going to take a long time to wipe that image from my computer chip! Well anyway, I guess I'll survive. They get sunshine after snow storms, have you ever heard of such a thing? At least there was a little, I'm sure that's what I saw. You have fun in Spain, knowing what I have to endure here. I guess I can take the snow with no garage, but would you please tell those old people not to kiss again - I'm not sure I can handle any more of that! Barely making it, Susie

Alright, now let me analyze this a bit for you. I can totally picture my dad behind the denali laughing to himself like an adolescent as he gathers snow to throw at my mom, thinking he is so funny. I'm sure my mom just rolled her eyes and said in her mom voice, "David!". At this response, I'm pretty sure my dad just laughed harder and did it again. I am laughing right now as I picture the scene. What a couple of kids in love?! Makes me sick! Then the fact that my mom sent me this email is hilarious. I don't know if this is any evidence that she works with emotionally and behaviourly disturbed boys, but it is random and I loved it. My parents are the best and if you don't agree with me, "I will fight you!" Pete, what movie is that from? I love you Mom and Dad!

I Saw Putin!

2006-02-10T18:44:00.000+01:00

So, I did some sight seeing on Wednesday with my friend Miriami, from Finland. She is here in Madrid as an Au Pair. Anyway, we went to all the really touristy places that I have posted pictures to before and also earlier today. We saw the symbol of Madrid, the Bear and the Strawberry tree in Puerta del Sol (don't ask me why this is the symbol of Madrid, I don't know), went to Plaza Mayor, went into the cathedral, La Almudena, and wanted to tour the palace, but couldn't. We went to visitor's center and could see from the sign that it was closed for tours because of official ceremonies. As we were leaving we saw a lot of people looking down the street and decide to see what is going on. As we turn the corner we almost run into about 30 to 40 horses with people on them all decked out in uniform and armor. It was one of the most surreal things I have ever seen. We had no idea what was going on but decided to just stand around and wait to see what would happen. It definately looked like they were waiting for something. Anyway, after about 20 minutes all of a sudden all the horses formed rank and started trotting down the street. What more could we do but follow?! We followed them about a block when they all stop again right in front of an entrance ramp up onto the main road. Shortly after they stop about 20 police cars and motorcycles come up the ramp. In the midst of all the police was a limo town car type thing and as soon as it got onto the main road all of the horses completely surrounded the car and escorted it down the street and then around the corner. At the time we wondered if it was the king or who it was, but Miriami noticed that the car liscence number was from Russia. Either way, we knew that whoever the mysterious person was, they are very important. It was so incredible. There is a lot of fanfare for President Bush, but I think Knights in armor carring swords and riding horses is way cooler. Anyway, I just found out today that President Vladimir Putin was in town meeting with the king and who we saw was in fact the one and only President of the Russian Federation. Wow, that was a really long story to tell about one small 30 minute event from my week. Oh well, I hope you enjoyed this, my enounter with the elite.

Retraction to "My First blog ever"

2006-02-08T13:03:00.000+01:00

So, if you've read my first blog, you think that I have grown in my knowledge of computers. Well let me tell you that I am sorry, I misled you. I was so close to doing the blog thing on my own but then had problems with posting links on the side. I was unable to fix it on my own (surprise, surprise). Heather was able to help me figure it out and now I finally have a functioning blog that I hope to post my thoughts and observances on as often as possible. I hope you enjoy my ramblings. By the way, the links on the side are to the organization I am with, all the pictures I have taken here so far, all the people on my team and my roommates, and to the organization that my dad is the administrator for and where I grew up. Please check these all out as they are all important to me.

My First Blog Ever!!!

2006-02-02T15:29:00.000+01:00

So here I am, my day off and I am trying to figure out this whole blog thing. You'd think that as a college graduate in my mid-twenties, I would understand computers better. Somehow, I've managed to get this far in life knowing as much about computers as most grandparents do. I think I am learning though. This is the first new thing I have done on the computer by myself for a while though. I usually need someones confirmation that I am not about to delete everything and destroy the hard drive. I think that I am definately capable of that.

Anyway, as I am now on a new adventure in my life, I find it appropriate and even convient for all of my family, friends, and supporters to stay updated on my life in this manner. I left the US a month ago for Madrid, Spain where I am now living. This has definately been the biggest risk I have taken in my life, besides disobeying my parents growing up, (I'm just kidding Mom and Dad, I never disobeyed!). So far the transition to a new culture, new job, new home, and new language has gone pretty smooth. God has proven Himself faithful once again. I hope that I can use this forum to continue to recount God's blessings and what I am learning while serving Him here.