London in eight hours - or less!

Step One: Arrive at Heathrow with an eight-hour layover and wisely decide not to drive yourself crazy by spending all eight of those hours in the airport.

Step Two: Go through customs and pay through the nose to ride the underground (mind the gap) to Covent Garden.

Step Three: Walk around a bit. (Pictured here is genuine Church of England, Tony! St. Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, a house of worship for the past 375 years. Smelled of incense inside & the whole deal. Could’ve celebrated the Eucharist at 1:00pm if we hadn’t had a plane to catch.)

Step Four: British Museum. Free, and chock full of good stuff that the Brits plundered from all sorts of civilizations over the years. Best relic - the Rosetta Stone, which Meggan deciphered in approximately twelve minutes, leaving plenty of time for shenanigans like getting scared by a scarab beetle. (Hey, it’s not like you can really appreciate it all the way it deserves to be when you’ve been up since 3:30am local time, but we did our best.)

Step Five: Grab a tasty lunch, then back on the tube to the airport.

Step Six: Back through security with plenty of time to spare, compose a lovely blog post, then find the lack of free WiFi disturbing. Wait to publish the post until later.

We’re back in Denver - woohoo!! It really does feel great to be home, seeing good friends, sleeping in our own bed (for two nights, at least). We’ve also had a good time lately naming our “bests” and “favorites” from these two months (“best meal,” “favorite tourist site,” etc.).

Another snippet of God’s leading from our summer: We’re thinking about working with high school youth in the greater Madrid area. It feels right to have our focus narrowing like that. At the moment, we think this would be primarily my ministry involvement, while Meggan would be in a supportive role, perhaps mentoring young women and (*gasp*) raising a kid.

Caution - shameless tourist...

Tying a Bow On the Trip

Sara and Ana, two campers. Sara became Ana’s big sister over the course of a week, largely because Sara cared for Ana more than her actual big sister does. Sara knows Jesus, and it shows.

This is us with our friends Mariano and María after a fun day at a theme park. (Spanish lesson - “Esa montaña rusa me mareó.” = “That rollercoaster made me queasy.”)

Liliana and Meggan are happy after a little Spanish coffee and chocolate-filled croissant.

The Roman aqueduct in Segovia is still strong, beautiful, and awe-inspiring after more than 2,000 years.

The cathedral in Segovia. (That's for you, Chone-chone!)

Nicole Gudeman “pets a horse” at the castle in Segovia.

Meggan with Angel, Sheryl, Navi, Nicole, and Ed Gudeman.

We leave Spain in 20 hours! (On a 7am flight... followed by an eight-hour layover in London...) We think we’ll go into town in London to see Covent Gardens and/or the British Museum. We’ll get to Denver Wednesday evening local time, have two days of unpacking, repacking, and seeing friends, and then hit the road for the Midwest on Saturday.

So, what has God been teaching us during our time here? Where do we sense he is leading us next? It has been a rich time, and we couldn’t do it all justice in blog format. We will continue to share more about our answers to these two questions in the coming weeks, but for now, I’ll just say one thing:

God is faithful; he is in control; and he knows what he’s doing.

¡Cachorro!

A PUPPY!!!! (Not for us, but hey, we can still celebrate!)

Sunday the Gudemans invited us to join them as they went to a local dog rescue area. Against their expectations to wait a few more days, they came home with a dog that very day. It was a privilege to be a part of the family moment... not to mention fun for us as dog-lovers (rumor has it Meggan asks me if we can get a dog a few times a day). Navi, the newest Gudeman, was found by the shelter on Christmas Day (Navidad in Spanish; hence, the name). They're actually the second family to take her home from the shelter, but the vice which brought her back the first time is not a problem for the Gudemans (she digs holes; nowhere to dig in an apartment). She's a lovely pup - we didn't hear her bark once, and she already knows that the kitchen is off-limits. We'll check with them soon to see how the first night went.

Not Much News, but Clowns and Jellyfish

Monday night was the big performance of Wet Side Story. It was a long day keeping the children from 8:30am until 6:30pm (when they started getting ready), but it all worked out in the end.

Tuesday, we took the children to an Aquarium. Though Aquarium is a bit of a strong word. There is a really nice Aquarium attached to the zoo here, but it was a little too expensive. So, instead, someone found a pet store that sells fish and gerbils and has two levels of exhibits in the basement. There were several very large snakes, including a yellow and white snake which I'd never seen before, little Australian squirrels that look sort of like tiny raccoons, a very sad looking armadillo, prairie dogs, a giant dinosaur-looking turtle, spiders, and several fish. Not bad for 2€ a kid. Then, we went to McDonalds and bought the kids ice cream cones. I'm not going to lie. It was pretty delicious. But, I've always been a sucker for soft-serve, or as the beautiful people of Vermont call it, Creamy.

We'd like to live in Vermont one day.

Ben and I have enjoyed several nice walks lately. It is really common for people to walk at night because the sun sets so late here. One night, Ben and I totally disagreed on how to get home. He was definitely right.

Yesterday, we walked about 3 miles to pick up tickets to Swan Lake in Madrid. Ben surprised me and is taking me to celebrate our 50th Month-iversary. What a guy!

Last night, we went to a park and a plaza, all dressed up to try and attract children to come to the camp next week. Currently we only have four children this session. So, it would be great if more kids came...but not too many as we have limited space and disciplinary skills. It was really fun though. Our friend, Dario, is a professional clown. So, he was the main part of the "show."

That's about it. Like the title says, not much news. We are enjoying ourselves, but we're anxious to go home, see friends and family, meet our new niece. When I think about living here, I know that I'll be able to do it. There will be some things that I'll love; others that I'll hate. For example, the peaches here continue to be amazing, but I really don't like croquetas (small, deep-fried nuggets of mashed meat and milk). I realize that's a really stupid example. Let me think of a better one. The people here are so loving, the city is filled with beautiful, green parks, the architecture (though we haven't seen a ton) is rich, and the coffee is delicious (back to food again, Meggan!). Not to mention that the Gudeman family is a huge draw for me to return here. I really enjoy talking with and hanging out with their kids, Mark, Angela, and Nicole. On the other hand, other things I don't like so much. Fashion is so important here - everyone is always dressed up. I'll miss the casual feel of the US. And obviously family will always be what I miss the most.

That said, I am grateful to God for the opportunity to return here if it is his will. This may be a country of hard soil for the gospel, but it is a wonderful place in many ways. So...join us!

Until next time,
-meggan

Day in the Life: Friday, July 11

We woke up around 6:45am, in time to see the sunrise. Liliana (our flat-mate and co-worker at the camp), Meggan, and I left our flat just after 7:30. We took the Metro (underground) and arrived at ARS School of Music and the Arts by 8:45.


The urban camp has eight kids enrolled for two-plus weeks, Monday through Friday, 9am-2pm. The kids have time in music, dance, painting, English, crafts, and theatre. Our primary role this day was to finish the costumes (or, as Meggan prefers to call them, “wearable crafts”) for the camp production of “Wet Side Story,” a bilingual musical about dolphins and jellyfish becoming friends and cleaning up the ocean together after an oil spill. Here’s Meggan working on a fish costume:


It’s good to get the kids outside for a while, so half of the adults went with them to the park for their mid-morning snack. Also in the park, they had their time with Nestor the painter (a very talented Bolivian with a gallery in Toledo) decorating traditional fans with finger-paint.


The late morning (translation: 12:30-2:00pm) was spent in rehearsal for the play. The last of the parents didn’t come for the kids until, say, 3pm, after which we ate lunch together as a team (this is a normal lunch time in Spain – lunch is the big meal, dinner is a little smaller, and both are shifted about 3 hours later than we’re used to in the U.S.). Our team is multicultural/multinational; Meggan and I are two of three white Americans, and two of the adjunct music teachers are Spaniards, but no two other people come from the same cultural background (on a team of 13). Here our flat-mate Liliana (who is Mexican) shows off a salad made by the professional chef on our team, Anthony (a Greek guy raised in England):


After lunch and a brief team meeting, Meggan and I got haircuts. We went to a nearby salon, where a good friend of the camp directors gave us great cuts with European style. For me that meant she didn’t trim my neckline as much as I would normally like (mullets are cool here for some reason), but her general hair advice was great – grow it out & get highlights (coming soon in a few months). As for Meggan, she got the best haircut she’s ever had. Afterwards, we took a leisurely stroll through the largest of Madrid’s many spacious natural areas, where we enjoyed a delicious Spanish melon.



Then we took the Metro to Lavapiés, a picturesque neighborhood with a population more international than our team (and the stores and restaurants to show for it). We walked around a bit, then sat on a park bench reading good books and people-watching.


At 8:30 we met our friend Enric, the director of the Pequeños Gigantes camp from the week before. He took us to his apartment, most of which is the buhardilla (attic) of his building, low-slanted roofs and all. We sincerely enjoyed one another’s company for about three hours over a delicious three-course meal.


We took the Metro home and got to bed a little after 12:30. All in all, a full and fulfilling day. (We slept very well; thanks for asking.)

All Good Gifts

Before we left for Aguas Vivas, Meggan and I took some time to pray, reflect, and collect ourselves after the news that we received on Friday night (see previous entry). In that time, the Lord told Meggan that the week would be a gift to us. And it was. Aguas Vivas is a camp facility situated about an hour north of Madrid. It is absolutely beautiful, as you can see.

We joined the director, Enrique, and the team of counselors: Eugenio, Luna, Marta, Dámaris, Mariano, María, Juan-An. The team was so wonderful; we felt immediately welcomed into the family.

We arrived at the site on Saturday night to decorate. We weren't really sure what could take all night and the next morning, but that's because we'd never seen a camp so lovingly decorated. The theme was the story of Joseph; thus the decoration theme was Egypt. We cut out and painted nearly life-size mummies, Egyptian people, hung posters and Egyptian characters, prepared games, and finally went out to dinner as a team in the late-night Spanish style.

The 24 children arrived Sunday afternoon, and the fun began! In total, there ended up being 27 children as three more arrived. The days were filled with daily tournament games outside, trips to the local pool, crafts, workshops, and night activities. Several times Meggan was very nostaligic, remembering her very precious summer working at Arrowhead Bible Camp when she was 19.

In terms of the language, Meggan went through the normal feelings of frustration and joy as she learned and learned more. By the end of the week, she was more comfortable than ever, both in the quickness with which words would come to mind when speaking & in the ability to understand the accent. As for me, the week was a time of IMMENSE growth in the language; there's nothing like immersion, and this was our one week interacting heavily with people who spoke almost no English. In addition to comfort in speaking and listening, I picked up some important vocabulary for using in conversation with Spanish boys - words like culo (butt), pedo (fart), eructo (burp), and mocos (snot).

We continue to learn flexibility here. Meggan had prepared a dance to teach the children in her workshop; however, she shared the workshop with another counselor, and the workshop only met 2 days. Thus, they only had time to learn the other counselor's dance. She still enjoyed herself very much.

We are now back in Madrid, staying in the sixth and last apartment of our time here. It is a lovely apartment (huge in fact) that is owned by a local church. It is close to the metro and a grocery store - so we're very well settled.

Speaking of flexibility again, we have been assigned to head up the crafts for the next three weeks, though Meggan had planned to teach or assist in teaching the dance classes. We are slowly learning what it means to be open to serve in all ways. We will also meet with various other missionaries in the weeks to come, including the Gudemans who have recently returned to Spain. We also have a few "dates" with the counselors from Aguas Vivas.

Thank you for all your prayers and emails. Meggan sat in the Music School this afternoon, very teary-eyed, feeling very loved by all your emails of encouragement. We are learning what it means to trust. It is a place of contentment, even when we don't understand. Love to you all.

Dazed and Confused

Last night, Ben and I met with Héctor, director of the school of music and dance in Madrid that we once considered Aslan Center for the Performing Arts. As it turns out, the website is out of date, and the ministry once called Aslan does not actually exist. What it has been for the past year is a school of music and dance, owned and directed by Héctor and his wife, Lilli. Most of the faculty are non-believers. The ministry strategy is completely based on relationship building, or friendship evangelism. Nothing about the school is overtly Christian by any means.

Anyways, we met with Héctor last night (Lilli was teaching a class). We'd been anticipating this meeting for over a year. I, in particular, felt that I had a lot riding on this meeting. Seeing the website and their ministry (obviously at the time we didn't know that it was out of date) was really the first time that I said, "Yes, Lord, I will go." It seemed to be the perfect fit, even in light of the new information about their ministry focus (the school is what always interested me more than the performance troupe the old website spoke of).

However, Héctor told me last night that I need a degree in dance, preferably a major, perhaps a minor, to teach there. This is a legal requirement of Spain, he said. I told him that I didn't have a degree in dance. He said that I could be an assistant teacher and still help in other ways, but Ben and I still feel very... well... dazed and confused. Is this a door closing? I had asked that day for a big sign, telling God that I wanted to be on his path, not just a "good" path. Is this that sign? We do not know.

What I do know is that I feel at peace. Or perhaps shocked? I don't know what the future holds. God is in control. Please pray for wisdom and discernment. Please pray for me that I wouldn't believe things that the enemy would want me to believe, like that I've been fooling myself all this time, thinking I was good enough to teach dance. Or that I don't have a place in Spain at all, only Ben does. I'm struggling with questions like that right now. Are my degrees worthless?

Lord, I cling to your word. Isaiah 30:19-21
19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Good food, blessed couple

Do we look happy? Well, yesterday was a pleasant day. This is us in front of the national library after enjoying a free museum, some window shopping, and a pleasant stroll. Just an hour later, we would be enjoying our first meal in a restaurant we would recommend to others - delicious, great atmosphere, and reasonable prices. And, I guessed the right bathroom ("C" is for "Caballeros").

Spaniards have been happy lately, too. Spain is on to the final of the Euro Cup against Germany after giving Russia a drubbing for the second time in the tournament. This shot is from the Plaza de Colón (Colón = Columbus), where lots of folks gather to watch the games. I decided to stay away from the Plaza and the pubs, which I'm sure were crazy again last night. Alas, we will miss the final...

...because it's Sunday night, and we'll be up at Aguas Vivas (Living Waters) by then. Aguas Vivas is a retreat center where one of the churches we're connected with is having its children's camp next week (they call the week Pequeños Gigantes = Little Giants). We will go there tomorrow and get back to Madrid next Sunday. While there, we'll be corralling the kids, teaching dance (Meggan) and rhythm (Ben as the assistant) workshops, doing a dance for the kids during the counselor talent show, teaching two Bible lessons (Meggan), and doing whatever else our wonderful leader Enrique tells us to do.

Please pray for us throughout the week; it will probably be our most intensive immersion experience, which is a great learning opportunity and probably a high-stress environment. In addition, we might not have much time alone together to encourage one another, so we will need to press into the Lord (and be creative in carving out some time together). Also, of course, pray for the camp kids. The church's hope is that we will have a mix of Christian kids and their non-Christian friends. Pray that God would be at work in children's hearts and minds (and in their parents' lives as well).

We probably will not have net access all week, so we expect this will be our last post for awhile. When we return to Madrid, we will jump into ministry with ARS School of Music and the Arts. ARS has day camps throughout July. Tonight we are meeting with the directors, Héctor and Lilli Ramírez, to discuss our roles with them. We have been anticipating this conversation for a long time! Meggan could potentially see herself serving with ARS when we come here in the future. We'll have more to share about all that a couple weeks down the road.

A pretty tree in Retiro Park. Hasta luego.

Church, Chorizo, and a Good Cry

Church
Yesterday, our fourth Sunday in Spain, we attended La Elipa Church, named for the neighborhood in which it is located. What a wonderful experience. We arrived at 10:30am for Sunday School, basically a bible study in the main room. The topic was evangelism, particularly an examination of what is a personal testimony. Lots of interaction between the leader and the listeners, even a question from a young girl who was visiting with a friend. There is a lot to be said about the Spanish quality of speaking your mind. There is little walking on eggshells here.

The service began at 11:30am with a few songs. Unfortunately, they didn't have overheads for all of them, so Ben and I had to clap and look a bit stupid as everyone else sang. Then, there was a time to share a reading if the Spirit led, or to pray out loud. Several songs were requested during this time, which the band played. The sermon followed, on Matthew 14: Jesus walking on the water. I understood about 90% of the sermon. It was really wonderful. The speaker hypothesized that the reason Peter starts to sink in the water is not because he doubts that Jesus is God, all powerful, and certainly greater than the storm. Of course Peter knew that Jesus was greater. Rather, Peter doubted because he perhaps started to feel that he was unworthy to be walking out to Jesus on the water. He started realizing his own overwhelming sin, his insignificance compared to Jesus. In that moment, Peter's eyes left Jesus: that is why he started sinking.

That was quite profound for me. I've been recently thinking, God, why me? Don't you know that moving overseas will probably be harder for me than for a lot of people? Don't you know that I will really miss my family, that I want a "normal" life, etc. And of course, God knows all of that. None of those things are surprises to him. That is both comforting and freeing. I don't have to try to squelch those parts of me. God knows those parts of me; he made me to love my family and cherish home.

And yet he still chose me to do this. I don't know why, and I don't have to know why. Or perhaps it is more so that he has called all of us to go. Could it be that most of us wait for a call to go, don't hear it, and thus stay? But, the Great Commission is clear, calling us all. Could it be that we should be waiting for a call to stay? Should "Go!" be the default? For anyone considering mission, Western Europe is a dark place, needing the light of Christ. Come with us! (Enough preaching for now.)

Back to church. After the sermon, the floor was again opened for people to share thoughts, request songs, lead prayers, etc. We then took communion. It was perfectly silent and the bread and wine (interestingly white) were passed. Each ate or drank as the bread or cup came, and I missed the communal aspect at Bethany (our church in Littleton).

However, as a whole, I had never experienced such a community-oriented service ever before. I felt like I was seeing the body in worship together. It was a really special time.

Chorizo (by Ben)
Last night provided a neat moment around 11:20pm. I stepped onto our back patio to hear the whole country of Spain celebrating the victory over Italy in the Euro Cup. What a noise!

The experience was oddly sweetened by the fact that I was feeling okay. About nine hours earlier, I made the dubious decision to go for the chorizo sandwich at lunch. Mr. Sausage left me the direction he came around the 78th minute of the soccer match, and if you're like me, you can identify with the fact that I felt much better after vomiting. (In honor of all our art museum trips, we'll give this picture a name - "Sweet Recovery.") He still did a minor number on my sleeping - my normal resting postures brought on waves of mini-nausea, so I had to sleep on my back (fitfully) until around 5:45am, and my lower back is rather sore this morning.

And that, my dear friends, is a faithful rendering of all my dealings with Sr. Chorizo. For its veracity you can appeal to my lovely wife, who babied me tremendously well in my time of need.

A Good Cry (back to Meggan)
After church, we attended a meeting for La Elipa's camp to be held at a facility called Aguas Vivas (living waters). Unfortunately, the three hour meeting was far from pleasant for me, though of course the people are all lovely and the camp will be great for the 23 children currently registered. The group of people going up have been friends for some time and have worked many camps before. In addition, all had many ideas and thoughts to share. All that adds up to many jokes, fast talking, and many talking at once. Sadly, I only understood about 25% of the meeting, despite all my straining. It was very frustrating and discouraging, and I left with not a small headache. For the first time, I thought, "I can't do this."

After getting home, I cried a little, but was encouraged by Héctor, the director of the arts camp, who assured me that Spaniards speak very quickly, even for him, a native South American Spanish-speaker. His words were kind, but I know that the week at Aguas Vivas will be very challenging for me.

Please continue to keep language acquisition in your prayers for both of us.

Superficial likes and dislikes about Spain

Likes...in no particular order
1. Peaches are in season here, and I really love peaches. The spanish word for peach (for all you language buffs) is "el melocotón."

2. Public transportation is amazing. The Metro (underground) and the Renfe Cercanías (above ground) are very efficient and inexpensive train systems.

3. The countryside is really lovely. We took the Renfe to El Escorial on Monday. The hour and a half ride was mostly in the rain, but the country was so green and beautiful. Once we reached El Escorial, we were taken by car to little cities nearby. Wildflowers and tall grasses covered the land.

4. Friends in Spain are friends for life. It takes a little longer to make friends here (so we've been told), but once made, they are fiercely loyal and honest. Spaniards will definitely tell you if they don't like your new haircut. Even if you don't ask.

5. IKEA.

6. You can order a cup of coffee and stay as long as you want in a restaurant.

7. The coffee (café con leche) is quite good.

8. Having a clothes-line in the back yard.

9. Lots of dogs everywhere.

10. Lots of Fanta or Trina flavors.

11. The juxtaposition of old and new architecture.

12. Quite a bit of green space in the cities since most people live in apartments, not houses.

13. Relatively inexpensive travel within Europe.

14. Lots of walking everywhere. Even at night, it is really safe to walk. Walking just for fun is called "pasear."

15. Learning to REALLY cook from scratch.

16. The possibility of raising kids who could be fluent in another language.

17. Trying new foods.

18. Big apartments aren't that uncommon. I always want to have a place for guests to stay with us comfortably.

19. Lots of common space where people just hang out.

20. Going out to eat with friends is to enjoy "sobremesa," which means the talking. Food is important, too, but that hanging out is more important.

21. Nutella.

Dislikes...in no particular order either.
1. Late nights. I have never been a night person, but I'm getting better. The sun sets here at about 10/10:30pm in the summer, so it is always later than you think it is, which helps. All the same, I prefer early mornings. But, breakfast at 7am is pretty tough because no one eats lunch before 2pm.

2. Children can begin school at age 2 or 3. It is not mandatory until age 5 or 6, but breaking the norm can bring criticism to your door. See number 4 above.

3. The summer is really hot in Madrid. But, come to think about it, it is hot everywhere in the summer. Even in the Shire...I mean, Wisconsin: the Shire of my heart.

4. The Spanish fry a lot of food; bad for my cholesterol. But, the churros aren't really my thing anyways. The cup of chocolate, on the other hand...or should I say warm chocolate pudding!

5. The "new tolerance" of Postmodernism is very strong here. Certainly it's in the US, too. But, there we continue to live with the false illusion that we're still a "Christian" culture. The same problems face youth today in Spain: pressure to smoke, drink, have sex etc. But, here it is a lot more visible everywhere.

6. Life is very expensive in Madrid.

7. Lots of poop on the sidewalks, but not as much as I thought. The price of lots of doggies around, I guess.

8. You can't walk on the grass in public places.

9. Family very far away.

10. I can't find Teriyaki sauce or hummus anywhere.

11. Milk isn't always refrigerated. I like really cold milk.

12. People have mentioned not having chocolate chips. I'd rather chop up some awesome chocolate to make cookies, personally. But, still - what is so special about chocolate chips that makes them so "rare" and expensive here? Let's work on this, import people.

13. Learning to REALLY cook from scratch.

14. Knowing that no matter how long I live here, in many ways I will always be an outsider.

15. The constant process of learning to understand EVERY word people say, not just getting the "jist" of what they're saying.

16. Dryers (for clothes) aren't that common here, but you can find them.

17. The possibility of our future kids never knowing normal life in the US; being far away from extended family; being "third- culture kids."

18. In our garden, there is an enormous, black, flying, buzzing bug.

19. Lots of nudity in advertisements.

20. Learning to drive here and passing the very difficult exam here will be a huge step of faith for me. Some drivers are crazy!

21. When you order shrimp in a restaurant, they come with their heads still on.