ma-ri-po-sa

Last weekend was my favoritest of all the weekends in Sevilla/Spain. The top 10 highlights include:

1. Watching American Idol, Spain Edition-- "Numero Uno." The story goes that the missionary couple knows one of the contestants and he, Raul, grew up with their daughter here in Spain. He is a Christian and is not afraid to share his faith on the screen and give his testimony which is so awesome.

2. The intense process of removing a smallish lizard from our camp bedroom. I told them I was experienced in lizard-removal because of an experience a few years back (there was randomly a lizard in my friend's suitcase which escaped into my room) so my pride found me in a situation of being the guy in a group of girls and gettin it done..it took about 30 minutes.

3. The trek and swim in a beautiful, clear river/stream with 2 beautiful, fun, goofy kids named Eva and Raquel

4. Learning new hand-clapping games in Spanish (called mariposa, chocolate, among others),singing/making up songs from the girls, and basically every moment spent with Eva and Raquel (this morning/afternoon in Spain hanging out with the girls is what I needed more than anything at this point. I have not been able to interact with kids since I don't want to approach kids on the street and ask to play with them...creepy American.)

5. Hearing the experiences and what God is doing with another missionary couple here in Spain--one American and his native Spaniard wife.

6. Serving together with friends in this Christian retreat center/camp (Campamento)

7. Going to a flamenco show, though mega-touristy and hard to find, it was still great. (La Carboneria)

8. Finally (with only 2 weeks left) making native friends and hanging out with them Saturday night (Saturday I was 2 hours short of staying up a full 24 hours. crazy, but that is life here.)

9. Church on Sunday--gospel presented to a church full of over 30 non-believers that were there for a baby dedication.

10. Hanging out at Picalagartos with a small group of friends where we drank some soda and played some cards. Classic Sunday afternoon.


here are our "momentos"---

                                                    this face. She knows how to work it.

mexican food, puppies, and the global church

Last night was a beautiful night spent at the home of a wonderful Christian missionary family. My friends were almost at the point of tears from the moment we walked in at the smell of real, home-cooked Mexican food, and the sight of a little puppy. (I could care less about the dog, but am growing fonder of Mexican food when it isn't spicy...needless to say, I was not getting teary eyed)

But the conversation and discussion of the three hours spent around the dinner table made us all walk away from that night with an awe of what God is doing in Spain through the mission field and what God is doing through the Veritas Study Abroad groupies (6 girls from various religious backgrounds and ages).

This particular family used to live in Germany for 11 years before they moved to Spain 7 years ago. In Germany, their newly planted churches grew exponentially with crazy stories of God working in ways of Pauline-like conversions (for example, David, the husband, told us a story of a "vampire" coming to church and eventually getting saved. This particular man is now a missionary to the vampire community in Germany and witnesses faithfully to those in the graveyards every Saturday despite previous physical persecution from them. wow.). But in Spain, they have had a slower paced mission field as seven years after they started here, they are beginning to baptize more and more people and see them love God and develop a relationship with Him. It has been difficult in Spain because most people are Catholic and do not want anything to do with any other religions so they do not listen.

Yet, with this tension between Catholics and Christianity, there has been some discussion and dialogue amongst the Veritas girls as 2 girls in our group are Catholic Christians and have been questioning the perspective of other Christians that we have met here who talk about the difficulty of having the majority religion here Catholicism..

So we are all thankful of the perspective of this family. David went on to describe his ministry at the University of Sevilla along side a Catholic priest who is the only Catholic contact here who is willing to work with David in outreach and evangelism. David said that the many Catholics in Spain can easily get caught up in tradition and not focus on a personal relationship with Jesus. He acknowledged that the Catholic Churches are different here than in the U.S., as in the U.S. there are more genuine Catholic Christians who know and love Jesus whereas here, the Catholic population is mostly older folks whose hearts are not into the mass tend to drag their kids along when they do not want to go/do not know what it is all about. David also talked about the unity of the churches here. There are several Christian denominations here in Sevilla but they are all so small that the churches have to come together for evangelism, outreach programs and events, and bible studies/work days. He contrasted that with the divisions and distinctions within the churches/denominations in the U.S. It is encouraging to see the unity of the body of Christ in action here as churches come together over the common goal to reach as many people as they can for Christ.

David described their forms of outreach as well which are not deceitful at all. They host English clubs, date nights that help married couples focus on their relationship, conversation tables over food, movie nights, etc. where the goal is to get the people to see that Christians are normal people since many times, Spaniards are warned about Christians trying to "steal their children" and associate other negative ideas with Christians. They don't even talk about the Bible or Christianity at these events; they form relationships and invite them to church, leaving that window open for those conversations, but it is relational evangelism which is awesome.

In the end, the night was full of encouragement for successful Christian ministry in Spain, a bit of vision and reconciliation amongst our group of Veritas girls, and empowerment in the rest of our time here and in the mysterious ways that God works. I am so thankful that I am able to get these firsthand stories and experiences to see what life is like as a missionary in Spain.

Hopefully I explained that okay. It was crystal clear last night but there are lots of words and I feel like it was all over the place.

Gracias.

10 things I hate about you

In attempts to make it more interesting to tell about my observations of the Spanish culture and everyday life, I am doing it in the form of things I will not miss about Spain. However, I do love Spain and consider myself to be a rather positive, optimistic person--therefore, humor me and get to know Spain through these 10 things that I will not particularly miss when I return to the U.S.

1.  Creepy homeless cats everywhere--especially at night
2. The lack and complete absence, in some cases, of street signs
3. The temptations of helado (ice cream) on almost every corner downtown
4. The scary driving when I am on the other side as a pedestrian or biker
5. The extremely narrow streets that are in fact meant to be 2 way streets..as well as sidewalks in there, somewhere.
6. The long gap between breakfast and lunch. (7 hours..)
7. The 9-hour time difference to contact friends and family back home
8. Guys saying "guapa" or "bueno" as my friends and I walk by (normal thing, not just because we are American)
9. I like walking, but 30 minutes one way to school is something I will not miss
10. The PDA like no other -- when there are many couples making out inside of a McDonalds...you know you are in a different country where the concept of McDonalds MUST be different..


See, the negatives aren't even that bad. Therefore, Spain is wonderful. Many of those pet peeves concerning cars, bikes, etc. are frustrations derived from adventures on the bikes the past few days. There were definately some scary moments where there was no room for us on the sidewalks with our bikes when a car was coming by. But we made it! Bueno.
Old ball photos--
1. First day exploring the city of Sevilla..trying to take jumping pictures and failing.

2. Hole in the wall (actually it was an old cave home...) flamenco show in Granada with live music (musica en vivo)

 3. Lastly, one of the many a times we have shared delicious helado together. This is in front of part of the Mezquita.

 

"hermano"

I miss Arrested Development. We couldn't even get netflix here if we tried to watch the next season (we did try.).

Anyway, this is a spotlight post on my hermano mayor (older brother) here in Spain! Last week we didn't see him much after he picked us up the first day but this week I had some fun conversations with him over mealtimes.

His name is Jose. He is probably mid-late thirties and is a policeman here in Sevilla. These days, he greets me and Amanda with a fist-bump and a skater boy"whassap" and I think it is the greatest greeting ever. But he does not speak much english after that.

We discussed movies yesterday--his favorite is Batman, although he is a huge Brad Pitt fan as well. I obviously shared his sentiments about Batman but didn't know many of the Pitt movies he was referencing. Apparently one of them makes him cry and he can't even watch the whole thing.

The day before, we talked about my desire to have native Spanish friends. He essentially crushed my dreams. (it is still going to happen! Next week..) He said that I shouldn't even try to be friends with boys because they are all ...(bad word). "I speak because I know. I am a Spaniard boy" (Jose's few words in English to make sure he got the point across.) I said I wasn't interested in guys here anyway and he was glad, haha. Then he said girls won't talk to American girls because they do not know english..but I want to speak spanish but I guess they are still intimidated. Regardless, I plan on teaching english this upcoming week to both kids and University students--that is my plan to become BFFs with at least one native Spaniard..

So Jose is awesome and he adds to the fun element of this household. He asked Amanda to teach him how to be flexible and do the splits since she is a ballet dancer. He has got some ambition.

Speaking of home, here are some pictures of the small suburb of "Triana" (where our home is). We get to cross this beautiful bridge everyday when we go to school or into downtown for anything (which is everyday). The mornings are lovely and peaceful, the nights are glowing and magical. I could never get used to this everyday.

fotos de amigos

In case you don't like to read blogs without pictures, this makes up for the last post. Nice pictures that I stole from my friends on facebook of the past weekend in Cordoba and Granada! Bueno.

Here are the beautiful arches of the Mezquita temple that is a catholic church today. So many!

Part of the inside of the Mezquita...this was my favorite part. The dark wood (mahogany, I think the tour guide said..) carvings are beautiful. I would never have the patience to do art like this. (okay, I wouldn't have the skill either..)

Picturesque and unreal view from a lookout point in Granada. This is the Alhambra castle.

Inside of part of Alhambra. Some of the Muslim temples with gardens and fountains in between.

My friend, Diana, and I in front of the detailed marble-carved walls I was talking about.

There is a bit of this past weekend in Cordoba and Granada! I have friends with better cameras than my little ipod anyways so this works. In other news, my roomie and I are in the process of watching "Sonrisas y Lagrimas" with our mother, Pudi. That is the Sound of Music in Spanish! Weird that the translation of that in english is "Laughter and Tears.." not so similar but it is so fun to hear the songs in spanish. One funny note that I thought was cute--" Far a long, long way to run!" in the spanish edition, is "fa-lejos en ingles!" which means, "Fa--long distance in english" ahaha. Anyway. Big four day weekend ahead--exploring adventures and getting lost in Sevilla is definitely happening.

una vida mas simple...claro.

This weekend we visited the beautiful cities of Cordoba and Granada. In Cordoba we saw "La Mezquita," a huge Muslim temple (famous black and white arches) that is now a catholic church. Granada is famous for the magical castle, "La Alhambra," which is the most visited attraction in all of Spain--with tickets sold out at 7,000 visitors each day. It was filled with detailed and intricate carvings in all four white marble walls and the ginormous ceilings of most of the buildings. Wish I could post some pictures, but alas, an unfortunate event happened that makes this difficult for me.

My family's problems of losing/getting stolen/breaking cameras has continued, and my ipod was stolen today while visiting the Alhambra castle. I forgot it in the bathroom for one second and went back to get it and it wasn't there. So it was my fault, but still...I was still praying it would turnup in the lost and found. My primary source of photos/videos, contacting friends/family, keeping track of money, and music for long travels is gone for the remaining 5 weeks of this journey. Well, it was really hard at first since I do have so many pictures and videos on that device in hopes to make a video montage, photo book, etc. of all my pictures. This happened when I went to Kenya a few years ago...I had memory card/camera 100% full of pictures and videos of my experiences there and it was stolen/disappeared on the last day at the hotel. So I now have my roommate's laptop when she does not need it, and a precious disposable camera with 18 pictures left for the journey ahead.

I've become more or less content with the situation, though. I read a bit of 1 Samuel this morning as my sad attempt at some sort of church since we weren't able to go to church because of our weekend trip. And in chapter 2 (Hannah's prayer), it says, "The LORD makes poor and He makes rich. He brings low, He exalts, He lifts the needy from the ask heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor." So a bit after the sadness of losing pictures, knowing communication back home and with friends here will be more difficult, and not having much of a camera for the rest of the huge trip, I thought about this passage and realized that God was teaching me a lesson about His sovereignty and joy that I will always have in eternal, nonmaterial things which I was thankful for (yeah, it is only an ipod, but still, a very powerful lesson to be learned). I am now more free to experience Spain in all its beauty rather than obsessing over the next spot to connect to wifi to imessage friends or post pictures. I was beginning to get annoyed with the many, many iphones that are still out in public from all of us American students who are in Spain...but still cannot get away from the U.S. So this change was just forced upon me instead since I did not have the willpower to change that anyways. If that makes sense...

So this upcoming week, we are renting bikes (small fee involved so it is a special week) and there is a 4 day weekend for some study abroad students that are traveling to Morocco. So my roommate and I are taking the day Friday to explore Sevilla on our bikes...maybe get McDonalds (don't judge, I am really excited to eat a Big n Tasty) and be adventurous. We have a growing list of bucket list things in Sevilla such as: going to Arab baths and trying their cinnamon tea, flea markets in town, Murillo gardens, play Parchis and grab a drink at this restaurant (love them games), and row boats in Plaza de Espana! So some of those will get crossed off this next weekend..and we will go to a church which is the most exciting thing for me.

So that is the cinch of life here right now.

"My heart exalts in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation. There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides You. There is no rock like our God."
1 Samuel 2:1,2

When everything's new

In the morning, let the morning find us in bloom. So come in, come on, let's follow this through. Come on, come on, the skies are in fire. We will rise with the wings of the dawn when everything's new. 

-switchfoot, "c'mon, c'mon"

Hola! This foto is a bit of sevilla-scape..old beautiful buildings, countless statues, and narrow streets. The past few days have been a blast, full of new experiences, new friends, new schedule...I am so thankful to be able to live in a different country for these few weeks!

Tuesday, our host mom, Pudi took us to a community dance recital/showcase. We got to see workout classes (resources of community center I think? Strange to be part of the performance), flamenco, belly dancing, and sevillana dancing (with the wooden finger instruments, really cool). Here is a view of the show, including a pic of Pudi! Her energy, enthusiasm, and sense of humor are well captured

Today was also a big day for authentic Spanish adventure. First we went to plaza de España and took tons of pictures (very tourist part of the day). The journey was about 45 minutes on foot in the hot sevillana sun (I know it's not as bad as Phoenix -yet--which scares me but walking that long makes everything seem more intense..). Worth it though since we walked by the river. Plaza de España:

Then Pudi took us to a local bar for lunch with a huge table with her friends. Love these experiences without any tourists in sight..we also went to the bullfight. Three words- sad. Interesting. Smokey. The guys next to me loved to smoke and the wind was blowing my way. But that is Spain for ya. It was hard to watch the bulls get killed, especially at the end. I'm glad we were able to go though since it is a big part of Spanish culture. The women at lunch did not want to identify Spanish culture with bullfights because they think it is an ugly sport/part of the culture..so it's not a unanimously accepted concept here.

Mañana, some friends and I are starting a small weekly bible study going through 1 and 2 Peter. I am excited for it as we all come from different backgrounds. Prayers for that ministry are appreciated.

Adios