Thanks to my adventurous mother, I enjoyed a new cultural experience today here in Spain: a Rotary International club meeting. Mom is a fairly new member of Rotary, and there's an open invitation for Rotary members from all around the world to drop in on a club meeting wherever they happen to be. So, she did all the legwork & found a group that meets for lunch every Tuesday at the Palace Hotel (a rather nice establishment). She took me along as her buddy/translator.
We were mildly underdressed for the occasion (I without a tie or jacket, Mom in her nicer vacation attire), but no one made us feel the lesser for it. I was probably the youngest person in the room by about fifteen years. I would guess about half of the 30-40 club members present spoke fluent English, including two Americans who had each spent half their lives in Spain (one man half of his 86 years, another woman half of her 50). The elder American gentleman lost his wife just last week; he was present at the meeting particularly because he needed a change of scenery. We sat between a Swiss gentleman who spent a generation as the CEO of a cosmetics company and a Spaniard who works as a headhunter. There were folks from a wide variety of career fields, as is the Rotary way, and generally speaking two generations present (the "white-haired" folks and those in the 45-50 range brought in to reinvigorate the group, as our headhunter friend explained).
The food and beverage were all delicious. The main presentation of the day focused on building an elite Spanish university. Based on global university rankings, the best university in Spain only ranks as #150 worldwide. Our resident expert (a physicist-turned-educational researcher who himself has spent time at Stanford, Berkeley, and Princeton) focused on two important traits for building such a university: independence from political oversight, and a global faculty and student body (which for him would require abandoning the regional languages). He also talked about the importance of philanthropy and independence between campuses. With a number of professors in the club, a heated conversation ensued in the Q&A time, so Mom and I got to witness the Spanish passion in full swing. It was a lot of fun. We spent part of our metro ride home talking about whether the eliteness of a university was its most important trait, plus the general equality of undergraduate education from one institution to the next, even in the hallowed halls of the upper-tier schools.
On our way out of the hotel, we decided not to pay 1,400 € for a purse. We'd rather take our pocket change elsewhere, thank you.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Recovery, thankfulness, and reflection.
Last week was a doozy! I had a few moments of not feeling well last Sunday, but the real jump-start to our family illness was Andy throwing up in his highchair during lunch on Tuesday. I was really grateful that the "my baby needs me more than this grosses me out" ability kicked in as I gave Andy a bath, started laundry, and cleaned up the highchair.
The next few days involved only one more vomit incident (poor Andy...poor crib this time), lots of body aches, and lots of toilet flushing. But, here we are, trying to get back into the swing of things, trying to tell the fatigue (and other lingering effects) to hop on the next train out of town, or at least out of our apartment.
Being sick will forever remind me of that horrible time last year when Ben was really sick, and we felt completely helpless as newcomers and foreigners in Madrid. This year wasn't nearly as serious, and we were able to get ourselves to the doctor (in our own car even!) without involving an ER visit.
Life in another country is all about celebrating the little things sometimes. This is one of those times. I am trying to be a person of thankfulness and a person of prayer. Sometimes by my own power, sometimes by relying on the Holy Spirit as my true power source. But, today, Father, I pause to say thank you for taking us through a week of illness and ask for a full restoration of health for the sake of your glory.
And now I'd better get Andy some more cereal.
The next few days involved only one more vomit incident (poor Andy...poor crib this time), lots of body aches, and lots of toilet flushing. But, here we are, trying to get back into the swing of things, trying to tell the fatigue (and other lingering effects) to hop on the next train out of town, or at least out of our apartment.
Being sick will forever remind me of that horrible time last year when Ben was really sick, and we felt completely helpless as newcomers and foreigners in Madrid. This year wasn't nearly as serious, and we were able to get ourselves to the doctor (in our own car even!) without involving an ER visit.
Life in another country is all about celebrating the little things sometimes. This is one of those times. I am trying to be a person of thankfulness and a person of prayer. Sometimes by my own power, sometimes by relying on the Holy Spirit as my true power source. But, today, Father, I pause to say thank you for taking us through a week of illness and ask for a full restoration of health for the sake of your glory.
And now I'd better get Andy some more cereal.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Saving money - BOOM!
With a year under our belts, we're finally at the place where we know how to save money on general expenses. When we first arrived, we went with whatever bank, utility company, or phone provider was easiest/recommended without doing any of our own research. Then, when we bought a car in November, we did the research & saved a small fortune annually (almost 1,000 €) on the best insurance plan for our situation. Today I just moved our banking to a different bank, because the old bank was charging us exorbitant fees, whereas the new account has no fees or commissions on anything. This will probably save another 150 € per year or more. It's a good feeling to be able to navigate the culture well enough to make these decisions now. Also, since car insurance and banking fees officially came from the "work funds" portion of our budget, we've just gained about 100 € per month that we can spend on the youth rather than giving it to "the man."
Up next, our utilities and cell phone service providers... maybe. :)
Up next, our utilities and cell phone service providers... maybe. :)
Saturday, January 14, 2012
2 years of Parenthood
Two years already? I (Meggan) was showing my friend, Candela, the Shutterfly book of Andy's first year today as we were celebrating Andy's 2nd birthday. I have definitely had my moments of missing baby Andy (though I still call him that), but the joys of Andy growing and learning really are very joyful. He occasionally hugs, he frequently kisses, he spells his name out loud, has his favorite little movies... He also is obsessed with the metro and insists upon going there every time we leave the house, doesn't really like being put in his stroller when I have to go grocery shopping, and can flail like nobody's business when he's upset. Parenthood is quite the roller-coaster.
As a wise friend told me, having small children simplifies your life. I get Andy dressed, fed, cleaned up, and to bed day after day. We go the grocery store, the park...everywhere together. Sometimes it's monotony, sometimes it's wonderfully peaceful, sometimes it makes me stir-crazy. I'm trying to learn to be content every day, trying to take better care of myself, trying to be more patient, trying to enjoy each moment with Andy without being overly sentimental. I'm also trying to get Andy to stop hitting his head on things (including my face) when he's angry. There's a lot of trying going on, even in the midst of a rather simple life.
Parenthood is life-changing. There are days when I really miss being a student at UW and at Denver Seminary. Almost every day I miss ballet classes in Littleton. A lot of who I was seems very far away sometimes. I know that living in another country has a lot to do with that, too. What I know for sure, however, is that my life is much richer being a parent. I am very grateful for the gift and challenge of having Andy.
As a wise friend told me, having small children simplifies your life. I get Andy dressed, fed, cleaned up, and to bed day after day. We go the grocery store, the park...everywhere together. Sometimes it's monotony, sometimes it's wonderfully peaceful, sometimes it makes me stir-crazy. I'm trying to learn to be content every day, trying to take better care of myself, trying to be more patient, trying to enjoy each moment with Andy without being overly sentimental. I'm also trying to get Andy to stop hitting his head on things (including my face) when he's angry. There's a lot of trying going on, even in the midst of a rather simple life.
Parenthood is life-changing. There are days when I really miss being a student at UW and at Denver Seminary. Almost every day I miss ballet classes in Littleton. A lot of who I was seems very far away sometimes. I know that living in another country has a lot to do with that, too. What I know for sure, however, is that my life is much richer being a parent. I am very grateful for the gift and challenge of having Andy.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A gift of a weekend
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. (James 1:17a, NIV)
Last night was our first night of Fusión 47, our youth group at La Elipa Church. We had over 20 youth gathered, including friends of our regulars, and it was a good and fulfilling afternoon together. I got the opportunity to share about why we exist as a group, and we talked about our plans for the year to come. We also played a relaxed game of ultimate frisbee in the park with another teen, Jorge, who we met there. Jorge has Downs Syndrome, and as is so often the case with people with Downs, his spirit blessed us, and I hope our acceptance blessed his mom and grandma. (When he showed up with his grandma, she seemed disappointed that we were in the spot that was his routine play spot. Glad for the opportunity to turn the disappointment upside down!)
In the midst of a busy week, it just made sense to take the day off today... and it's been a great day. We really had a great Meggan and Ben day as a couple; we connected well together throughout the day. It's amazing how clean we can get the house when we're working together! (Translation: it's amazing how clean Meggan can get the house when she has a little help from me.) We had multiple conversations about stuff deeper than just the urgent or current stuff in our lives. We Skyped with Meggan's parents after over a week w/o chatting (they had been on vacation), and we also watched a sermon online that got us talking and processing about our present & future on a healthy level.
It certainly helps that Andrew has been incredible all day; he was in a good mood all morning, even after getting a big g-DONK on his forehead. (He likes to walk around with his eyes closed sometimes, and that can be dangerous, as you might imagine.) He ate well at lunch and dinner, and he took a 3.5-hour nap, which certainly doesn't hurt in the mood department. We Skyped with Mima, and for twenty minutes during our conversation after his bath, he was just shutting himself in Mommy and Daddy's closet and popping back out. When he was done, he picked up the milk cup Mommy had brought back for him and walked to the rocking chair in his room to tell us he was ready for his bedtime routine. That was a pretty incredible first to witness as a parent. What a boy!
Our friend Hannah also arrived today. She'll be living in Madrid this year, working at a Spanish public elementary school not too far from us as an English teacher. It's a blessing to serve as a welcoming party, and it certainly doesn't hurt when one's guest is a highly agreeable person.
Pork stir fry for lunch; spaghetti for dinner; apple crisp for dessert, with a Dutch beer and a fútbol match before bed. Tomorrow morning I'll eat breakfast w/ the youth before church, and it'll be another good day. Giving thanks profundamente.
(And to think, when I first wrote this post, I didn't even remember that I woke up this morning to find out the Brewers had clinched the division. Seriously, where are my priorities?)
Last night was our first night of Fusión 47, our youth group at La Elipa Church. We had over 20 youth gathered, including friends of our regulars, and it was a good and fulfilling afternoon together. I got the opportunity to share about why we exist as a group, and we talked about our plans for the year to come. We also played a relaxed game of ultimate frisbee in the park with another teen, Jorge, who we met there. Jorge has Downs Syndrome, and as is so often the case with people with Downs, his spirit blessed us, and I hope our acceptance blessed his mom and grandma. (When he showed up with his grandma, she seemed disappointed that we were in the spot that was his routine play spot. Glad for the opportunity to turn the disappointment upside down!)
In the midst of a busy week, it just made sense to take the day off today... and it's been a great day. We really had a great Meggan and Ben day as a couple; we connected well together throughout the day. It's amazing how clean we can get the house when we're working together! (Translation: it's amazing how clean Meggan can get the house when she has a little help from me.) We had multiple conversations about stuff deeper than just the urgent or current stuff in our lives. We Skyped with Meggan's parents after over a week w/o chatting (they had been on vacation), and we also watched a sermon online that got us talking and processing about our present & future on a healthy level.
It certainly helps that Andrew has been incredible all day; he was in a good mood all morning, even after getting a big g-DONK on his forehead. (He likes to walk around with his eyes closed sometimes, and that can be dangerous, as you might imagine.) He ate well at lunch and dinner, and he took a 3.5-hour nap, which certainly doesn't hurt in the mood department. We Skyped with Mima, and for twenty minutes during our conversation after his bath, he was just shutting himself in Mommy and Daddy's closet and popping back out. When he was done, he picked up the milk cup Mommy had brought back for him and walked to the rocking chair in his room to tell us he was ready for his bedtime routine. That was a pretty incredible first to witness as a parent. What a boy!
Our friend Hannah also arrived today. She'll be living in Madrid this year, working at a Spanish public elementary school not too far from us as an English teacher. It's a blessing to serve as a welcoming party, and it certainly doesn't hurt when one's guest is a highly agreeable person.
Pork stir fry for lunch; spaghetti for dinner; apple crisp for dessert, with a Dutch beer and a fútbol match before bed. Tomorrow morning I'll eat breakfast w/ the youth before church, and it'll be another good day. Giving thanks profundamente.
(And to think, when I first wrote this post, I didn't even remember that I woke up this morning to find out the Brewers had clinched the division. Seriously, where are my priorities?)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Hillsong in Madrid
On Saturday, September 10, Hillsong came to Madrid for a one-night concert. One of the students in our youth group said, "hey, let's go!" - so ten of us went and had a great time. (Note: ANYTIME a student takes the initiative to plan an event that involves spiritual content, you jump on board!!!)
There were a handful of songs where the crowd - surprisingly large for an evangelical crowd in Spain - sang their guts out, in Spanish, while the singers just backed off from the mics and listened to the people. I was overcome with the sense of the artist's joy they must have experienced, hearing people sing the art they had written and created, in a language they could not understand, in worship of the God they share and together desire to see glorified. Powerful stuff.
There were a handful of songs where the crowd - surprisingly large for an evangelical crowd in Spain - sang their guts out, in Spanish, while the singers just backed off from the mics and listened to the people. I was overcome with the sense of the artist's joy they must have experienced, hearing people sing the art they had written and created, in a language they could not understand, in worship of the God they share and together desire to see glorified. Powerful stuff.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Reflections from Newark
As detailed in the previous post, we have been in the U.S. for the last two weeks. This was our first visit back since moving to Spain nine months ago. What follows is a stream-of-consciousness journal entry of reverse culture shock from our layover in Newark when we first entered the country.
Friday, July 29
Right away in the C concourse there's a tchotchke store called "AMERICA." Big eagle over the store sign, everything red-white-n-blue... wow. Ya no estamos en España (we're not in Spain anymore). Besides the fact that it's American stuff rather than Spanish stuff, it's that Spain is not a very patriotic country. You would be hard-pressed to find a store like that in a Spanish airport.
It was strange to me to hear people cheer when the captain welcomed everyone to the "good old U.S.A." It was the cheer of folks glad to be home, and it was strange not to feel like one of them - this is our home in one sense, but the home where we put up our feet & relax is an apartment in Madrid. It's not necessarily that I feel more at him in Spain than in the U.S., but the coming-home place for us as a family of three is our piso, our neighbors, our grocery store, our swimming pool, and our regular routine.
I spent a good chunk of the flight reading a couple chapters of Meggan's driver's ed textbook (I should sign up soon after we get back). Something I noticed in getting off the plane is that I understand every word on any sign - "it is advisable to maintain custody..." etc. Paragraphs like that in the driver's ed manual, I get the gist of it 98% of the time, but I'm not familiar w/ every word. Or take a restaurant name here - "Cheeburger Cheeburger" - I know instinctively that "cheeburger" is not a real word, but rather a shortened version of "cheeseburger" that one might say in a silly voice when one is particularly in the mood for said food item. In Spanish w/ something similar, I would look, think, ponder, maybe eventually figure it out (whether in seconds or in ten months), then feel particularly accomplished/proud for such a feat. (Example: there is a cell phone service provider in Spain called "yoigo," and months after our arrival, Meggan said, "hey, 'yoigo' is short for 'yo oigo' [meaning 'I hear']." Me: "ohhh...")
Just look at that paragraph! I just rolled that off in English, and it felt so... fluent. Uff. Natural. Nuanced. It's very hard yet for me to do nuance in Spanish.
Most chatter is in English, and that sounds weird (Sheryl warned us about this). Our language of common courtesy with strangers is English (this is a context that has only existed in Spanish for us for nine months, so that was a genuine adjustment). Airport personnel have been very kind.
Surprisingly enough, that was about the end of the reverse culture shock for me. Once we got into the A concourse and found out our next flight might be delayed, we entered into mildly-stressed-American-traveler mode. When we got to Wisconsin, even though we were seeing things that were abnormal for our recent experience, they looked like they "belonged" here (big SUVs, orange cones, cornfields, outlet malls, etc.). The remaining big "wow" moment for me the rest of the trip came when we were on our way to a family gathering. Our caravan with John was to converge in Princeton, Wisconsin, and he got there first. He called us with the most convenient meeting spot: "I'll be in the church parking lot with the signs for the gun show." A gun show in a church parking lot. Boy, are we ever back in rural America. :-)
Friday, July 29
Right away in the C concourse there's a tchotchke store called "AMERICA." Big eagle over the store sign, everything red-white-n-blue... wow. Ya no estamos en España (we're not in Spain anymore). Besides the fact that it's American stuff rather than Spanish stuff, it's that Spain is not a very patriotic country. You would be hard-pressed to find a store like that in a Spanish airport.
It was strange to me to hear people cheer when the captain welcomed everyone to the "good old U.S.A." It was the cheer of folks glad to be home, and it was strange not to feel like one of them - this is our home in one sense, but the home where we put up our feet & relax is an apartment in Madrid. It's not necessarily that I feel more at him in Spain than in the U.S., but the coming-home place for us as a family of three is our piso, our neighbors, our grocery store, our swimming pool, and our regular routine.
I spent a good chunk of the flight reading a couple chapters of Meggan's driver's ed textbook (I should sign up soon after we get back). Something I noticed in getting off the plane is that I understand every word on any sign - "it is advisable to maintain custody..." etc. Paragraphs like that in the driver's ed manual, I get the gist of it 98% of the time, but I'm not familiar w/ every word. Or take a restaurant name here - "Cheeburger Cheeburger" - I know instinctively that "cheeburger" is not a real word, but rather a shortened version of "cheeseburger" that one might say in a silly voice when one is particularly in the mood for said food item. In Spanish w/ something similar, I would look, think, ponder, maybe eventually figure it out (whether in seconds or in ten months), then feel particularly accomplished/proud for such a feat. (Example: there is a cell phone service provider in Spain called "yoigo," and months after our arrival, Meggan said, "hey, 'yoigo' is short for 'yo oigo' [meaning 'I hear']." Me: "ohhh...")
Just look at that paragraph! I just rolled that off in English, and it felt so... fluent. Uff. Natural. Nuanced. It's very hard yet for me to do nuance in Spanish.
Most chatter is in English, and that sounds weird (Sheryl warned us about this). Our language of common courtesy with strangers is English (this is a context that has only existed in Spanish for us for nine months, so that was a genuine adjustment). Airport personnel have been very kind.
Surprisingly enough, that was about the end of the reverse culture shock for me. Once we got into the A concourse and found out our next flight might be delayed, we entered into mildly-stressed-American-traveler mode. When we got to Wisconsin, even though we were seeing things that were abnormal for our recent experience, they looked like they "belonged" here (big SUVs, orange cones, cornfields, outlet malls, etc.). The remaining big "wow" moment for me the rest of the trip came when we were on our way to a family gathering. Our caravan with John was to converge in Princeton, Wisconsin, and he got there first. He called us with the most convenient meeting spot: "I'll be in the church parking lot with the signs for the gun show." A gun show in a church parking lot. Boy, are we ever back in rural America. :-)
Our unexpected Wisconsin visit
As some of you know, Meggan, Andrew, and I have made an unexpected trip to the U.S. for my grandpa's funeral. Today is our last full day here, and it has been a real blessing to be able to spend quality time with family. Before planning our trip, we wondered how long to come, whether our time here would be able to feel restful, and whether it would be okay for us to be here from the standpoint of continuing our healthy transition to life in Spain. After a good chat with Ed and Sheryl, we decided to make it a two-week trip, cancel our plans for Dublin, and make this our summer vacation. That turned out to be a very good decision. We have had a lovely time with both sides of our family, and I feel particularly refreshed. I also feel a sense of "we can do this" between now and the next time we get to see everyone, whenever that may be. Thanks be to God for a great trip.
Thanks be to God even more for the life of my grandpa, Bill Ward. He was a good man and a wonderful grandpa. A farmer, a family man, a servant, an intellectual, a craftsman, an historian, a lifelong learner. He was the most insatiably curious man I have ever known, and he was always willing to engage in a friendly conversation with a stranger who might be able to teach him something interesting. Grandma and Grandpa came along with our immediate family on numerous family vacations, and he always kept a detailed journal of each day's happenings. He continued learning new things throughout his life, from taking flying lessons at age 50 to picking up stained glass as a hobby in his latter years. I think it's time for me to put a little extra effort into learning something new myself - I've picked up the guitar again, and I'm gonna try to give it what it takes this time. We went through the journey of Alzheimer's as a family with him in his last years, and it is a comfort to know that he has been released from that disease. I look forward to spending time with the curious, loving man I knew when the resurrection comes. Here is the touching newspaper article commemorating his life.
We apologize for not being super open about our travel plans in advance of our trip. I hope you can understand that this needed to be a family-centered trip, and as such, we didn't spend any appreciable time with friends or ministry supporters. We appreciate your prayers for a good month of readjustment and planning back in Madrid before the ministry year shifts into gear.
Thanks be to God even more for the life of my grandpa, Bill Ward. He was a good man and a wonderful grandpa. A farmer, a family man, a servant, an intellectual, a craftsman, an historian, a lifelong learner. He was the most insatiably curious man I have ever known, and he was always willing to engage in a friendly conversation with a stranger who might be able to teach him something interesting. Grandma and Grandpa came along with our immediate family on numerous family vacations, and he always kept a detailed journal of each day's happenings. He continued learning new things throughout his life, from taking flying lessons at age 50 to picking up stained glass as a hobby in his latter years. I think it's time for me to put a little extra effort into learning something new myself - I've picked up the guitar again, and I'm gonna try to give it what it takes this time. We went through the journey of Alzheimer's as a family with him in his last years, and it is a comfort to know that he has been released from that disease. I look forward to spending time with the curious, loving man I knew when the resurrection comes. Here is the touching newspaper article commemorating his life.
We apologize for not being super open about our travel plans in advance of our trip. I hope you can understand that this needed to be a family-centered trip, and as such, we didn't spend any appreciable time with friends or ministry supporters. We appreciate your prayers for a good month of readjustment and planning back in Madrid before the ministry year shifts into gear.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Camp Week 2.0 - God at work
After a few days' "breather," we took the camp plunge once again. This time we went as a family; it was tough for Andy to work on a rigid schedule, but it was well worth it. This camp, Nuevas Aventuras ("New Adventures"), brought together almost 50 teenagers from all over Spain. The camp ran nine days, July 8-16. We arrived toward the end of their week together, on July 14 (also my brother's birthday; a shout out to Indy) and stayed for their last 48 hours.
We had been invited by our friend David (he of paella fame), and I had the privilege of teaching for one session, within an hour of our arrival. Later in the evening we also got to share together as a couple about how the Lord worked in our lives to bring us to Spain.
After teaching, Dani wanted to talk. Dani is a youth of Romanian descent (of which there are many in Spain) who lives in a suburb of Madrid on our side of town. I was humbled by his desire to talk on a deeper level about the theme from my lesson, and it was clear that God had a purpose for our presence at the camp. (He's happier in person than he looks in the picture, I promise!)
Here's Mommy and Andy goofing off in our room. The accommodations at Pinos Reales ("Royal Pines") were quite nice for a camp. We basically had a hotel room, with our own bathroom and everything. We did have trouble getting the little man to eat well. We didn't have a highchair, and he seemed to be a bit stressed by the atmosphere of the dining hall...
... but that didn't stop him from enjoying some chocolate ice cream. (Anyone interested in signing up for the Knox School of Parenting, give us a call anytime. Operators are standing by.)
We spent an hour or two each day at the pool, mostly playing water polo and watching a handful of guys throw anyone they could into the pool. It was convenient to have Andy in our hands, cuz, you know, even rambunctious young'ns know you don't throw a baby in the pool.
We met all sorts of good people from churches around the Madrid area. Here's Andrew with Monica.
On the last night they had a variety show. This student, Melissa, sang a song for the whole group. She took a song she likes by a German artist, with English lyrics, and rewrote the lyrics - in English! - with a Christian message. She did an artful job, both writing and singing, particularly when you consider she was conveying spiritual themes in her second language. She wanted to conserve bits and pieces of the original lyrics, and it came off... well, like a song. She asked for my English help to work through some writer's block on the second verse, and it was an honor to be invited into the creative process of a bright young woman with a passionate desire to follow Christ.
A very full 50 hours. We're very thankful to David for his invitation and to God for all he was doing in the lives of everyone at the camp.
We had been invited by our friend David (he of paella fame), and I had the privilege of teaching for one session, within an hour of our arrival. Later in the evening we also got to share together as a couple about how the Lord worked in our lives to bring us to Spain.
After teaching, Dani wanted to talk. Dani is a youth of Romanian descent (of which there are many in Spain) who lives in a suburb of Madrid on our side of town. I was humbled by his desire to talk on a deeper level about the theme from my lesson, and it was clear that God had a purpose for our presence at the camp. (He's happier in person than he looks in the picture, I promise!)
Here's Mommy and Andy goofing off in our room. The accommodations at Pinos Reales ("Royal Pines") were quite nice for a camp. We basically had a hotel room, with our own bathroom and everything. We did have trouble getting the little man to eat well. We didn't have a highchair, and he seemed to be a bit stressed by the atmosphere of the dining hall...
... but that didn't stop him from enjoying some chocolate ice cream. (Anyone interested in signing up for the Knox School of Parenting, give us a call anytime. Operators are standing by.)
We spent an hour or two each day at the pool, mostly playing water polo and watching a handful of guys throw anyone they could into the pool. It was convenient to have Andy in our hands, cuz, you know, even rambunctious young'ns know you don't throw a baby in the pool.
We met all sorts of good people from churches around the Madrid area. Here's Andrew with Monica.
On the last night they had a variety show. This student, Melissa, sang a song for the whole group. She took a song she likes by a German artist, with English lyrics, and rewrote the lyrics - in English! - with a Christian message. She did an artful job, both writing and singing, particularly when you consider she was conveying spiritual themes in her second language. She wanted to conserve bits and pieces of the original lyrics, and it came off... well, like a song. She asked for my English help to work through some writer's block on the second verse, and it was an honor to be invited into the creative process of a bright young woman with a passionate desire to follow Christ.A very full 50 hours. We're very thankful to David for his invitation and to God for all he was doing in the lives of everyone at the camp.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Snapshots from Nómadas 2011
As a lad I went to Hell with my family. Now I've been to purgatory (or, more specifically, Purgatory Falls). It's a proud day.
David plays Gollum with a dead trout we found.
Two hippies and a guy who just got out of the shower - must be costume night.
Three guard dogs stopped us in our tracks on this hike.What can't be captured in pictures: an incredible surge in the level of connection I have with these students; an opportunity to teach and a chance to share my life's story of how Christ got a hold of me in my teen years; a youth trusting me confidentially as we processed through his personal stuff; the mix of emotions I feel (excited, nervous, humbled) as I take over as the "point person" for the youth group. Also night games. Don't have the right kind of camera. And the smell of teenage man-sweat in our bunk room; still waiting on the scratch-n-sniff technology to come to digital cameras and computer screens.
My sentiments exactly, Eli - it was a great week, but I'm exhausted. :-)
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