This Week - Sept 25

So...there are 3 "major" events happening in my life this week.

(1) I'm moving, which is turning out to be somewhat of an ordeal. From finding a decent size moving truck, to hoping that the gas (to heat the water and for the stove) will be repaired in time, to trying to find a day when everything we're getting from IKEA is actually in stock, so we can pay one small price for it to be deliverd, and that we'll be fully moved by Friday, when I need to give my keys to my former landlord. Please pray that everything will go smoothly.

(2) Katie & Bekah, the other STINT girls arrive - Katie on Friday and Bekah tomorrow. This is GREAT news!

(3) Classes start this week and next on campus, which means our lives go into overdrive. I'm super excited! This is probably my favorite time of the year. (see the pic below of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid - the largest campus in Madrid, with about 200,000 students!)



All this to say, life is a bit crazy right now. I am definitely seeing my need to cling to Jesus and I'm definitely seeing myself get stressed out now and then with details or frustrations, etc., As I've been reading Joshua & Exodus, I've been reminded of how BIG and MIGHTY God is, along with how compassionate and gracious He is. I've also been reminded of my quickness, like Israel when Moses was leading them out of Egypt (in Exodus), to become anxious and to question God's provision. By God's grace, I think I'm learning some patience, to trust HIM and, God-willing, being made more in His likeness. I love the passages that say "Be strong and courageous! Do not be anxious or dismayed for the Lord thy God is with you." and also when Moses talks to Israel after the Passover and when they see the Egyptians coming after them and say something to the effect of "why didn't you just let us stay in Egypt instead of bringing us here to die?" They are IN THE MIDST of being delivered from Pharaoh and not more than a day has passed since they had left and at the closest sign of danger, they fear. Moses then says, "God is going to show up. He is in fact going to do some amazing things! Just sit back and wait. All you need to do is be still (and trust me)." Amazing. This is my prayer - that I would trust Jesus in the midst of the craziness of life, that I would let HIM be God and that I would be still, that I would be bold and courageous, trusting in His power and might not my own. ;)

Tidbits from the Week of September 11

This week has been a whirlwind. Jessica arrived Monday afternoon, we've been intensely apartment shopping, we signed for a piso (apartment) and paid a bunch of money, we walked ALL over Madrid, we've figured out how we're decorating, and we've been praying for our new roommates to come.

(1) Here is a map of where we are. We live (or will soon) right be San Bernardo metro stop, just about smack dab in the center, on the brown or 4 line. I used to live at Avenida de America on the northeast edge of Madrid.



I'll post pictures of my piso after we move in 2 weeks. In the meantime they are painting. But to describe my place... :) It's fabulous! So you walk in, there is a littel foyer, then there are two bedrooms on the right, where Katie, Bekah, and Jessica will live. Then you turn left and walk down the hall for a little ways to find the kitchen on your left right next to a half bath. The next room on the left is a full sized bathroom that is HUGE by Madrid apartment standards and it is a fun 1940s green, kind of foam green. You then turn a corner to the left and find a triangular closet on the right you could walk in, the HUGE (by Madrid standards) living room and dining room, which are surprisingly 2 rooms. I might also add that this room, or rooms, have one full wall of windows, which are beautiful! and which face the outside world :) We're on the 3rd floor so we have a good ammount of light and a nice view. So, now if you go back to the hallway and finish walking straight, you end up in my oddly shaped room, which is between a trapizoid and a rectangle with 2 curved corners and 1 wall that is a bit diagonal.

So that's my new home. I'll add a picture, just because I can, but it will be better once you can get the full effect with our stuff in it :)

(2) Here is a picture of the STINT team this year:



They are Bekah, Jessica, and Katie. I'm so excited to have them both on my team and my roommates for the year.

(3) So, with my staff team composed of people from all the different ministries with Agape in Madrid, we built a tower of balloons as a teamwork exercise. The goal was to build a tall, sturdy, and pretty tower. Well, we did that and the balloons went from the ground to the ceiling. But the problem is that the room we did it in is my living room and I live in an apartment and don't want to make a TON of noise by popping 100 or so balloons. The balloons are FULL, so it's hard to puncture them without popping them. AND there are just so many of them. Here is our tower and, more importantly, our team. ;)



And this weekend we're going to have a little retreat with all of us on this team to bond, seek the Lord, and plan for the year. We're going to one of the couple's houses in a little pueblo in the mountains outside of Madrid. It is definitely out in the country compared to Madrid.

Blogging

So...the reality is that I'm not quite into this thing we call "blogging." I'd like to be. I'm in awe of some friends who have this skill down, but I've come to realize that I am not as witty as some and that is just the way it is. Now that I've gotten over my lack of wittiness nor wittiness in what to talk about, I'll write when I can and about whatever seems to be on my mind. This all began with a desire to better keep up with friends and family, as a kind of "postcard from Dawn's life" without sending a physical card (although I do think that writing letters is highly underrated in our day and age of "instant-ness").