Some Good Reads

Okay, this really is the last post of the night, as I should really get some sleep.

First, here are some GREAT books you should read that have helped me think more about the world and about issues of justice and humanity:

There is No Me Without You - Melissa Fay Greene (about Ethiopia, specifically the huge number of orphans & the AIDS epidemic and about a woman (and others) who have given their lives to take care for these kids)

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hossini (while a bestseller and now coming out as a movie, it is also a great book about Afghanistan & two boys growing up. definitely one of my favorite books of the year!)









And here are a couple of movies in the same vain (both are violent and definitely intense, but very good):

Blood Diamonds (if I remember right, it takes place in Sierra Leone; while Leonardo Di Caprio is in this movie, he plays a very different role before and in my opinion is the best role he has played - I'm generally not a fan of his and in fact wasn't going to see the movie because of that)

Innocent Voices (takes place in El Salvador during a war, showing child soldiers, which apparently is much more common than i'd like to believe in some of the more impoverished parts of the world) (http://www.innocentvoicesmovie.com/)

Noche Vieja (New Year's Eve) in Barcelona

This New Year's Eve was a bit different than normal. One, because I was in Barcelona. And, two, because of what we did. Generally, I have spent my New Year's Eves in Spain either at a party somewhere or in Puerta del Sol (Spain's equivalent to Times Square) and then out with friends (or last year sick in bed).

A few months ago when I was talking with Marc and Eva, the friends I would spend New Year's with, we talked about going to a beach town up the coast from Barcelona and having a little party with friends, about a few other options, and then somehow we began to talk about throwing a New Year's Eve party for the gente sin techo (the homeless people of Barcelona). And that is where we landed. After Eva talked to some of the people she knew, instead of inviting them to come somewhere (which seemed a bit improbable that they would actually come) we decided to make something better than our normal bocadillos (sandwiches). So we started the 31st at the grocery store where unlike the normal people who purchased cava/champagne, fancy pastries, some fancier foods, chocolates... we left with the makings for some noodles with broth and meatballs, san jacobo (a more simple version of cordon bleu), rice, fruit salad (aka macedonia), some individually wrapped bonbons, café con leche (coffee and milk) and all the plastic & paperware to go with it. With the help of another Eva and her mom we cooked, filled thermoses, packed little gladware packs, and set off for Plaça de Catalunya. People had also brought by some clothes, sleeping bags, and such to take as well.

So we set out. We started going down to the metro where Eva and the Existe Más Mundo folks of BCN know people. We stayed there a while and chatted it up with Eva's friends while they ate. Based on what they had we asked if they wanted some of the clothes/ sleeping bags that we had (such as for one of the women who was pregnant) and that we'd come back after we finished giving out the food.

We then went to the Renfe (train) station where there were a plethora of people. There was a guy from Peru, several men from Africa, from Morocco, other parts of South America, an older woman from Catalunya (the region of Spain in which Barcelona is situated), and several other places. We talked awhile to them and I felt a bit helpless as I talked to the older woman. Somehow more than anyone else, it breaks my heart to see elderly people who live on the street. I then talked to man from Kuwait who was living in Holland prior to coming to Spain, who knew near to no Spanish nor Catalan, who's passport and money had been stolen and who was stuck trying to find work and a way home. He talked about coming from a very wealthy family and it seemed really needed someone to talk with (and someone who spoke english). He was ashamed to be living on the street and more than anything else I just tried to listen and to help him think through some realistic options of getting back on his feet. Do pray for them. Our purpose for being there was primarily to show them that someone cares and do what we could. There are shelters and agencies both in Madrid and Barcelona which are more equipped to help them more substantially.

We were now out of food and, as we headed back to the car, we realized they had closed the metro stop we had been at previously due to New Year's Eve festivities. We tried to make our way down anyway or to find our friends in the crowd, but to no avail. Since we had yet to eat and it was nearing 11 pm (not really that late of a dinner for here - generally we eat at 9 or 10) and since we had none of the food remaining, we went to look for something to eat. Being Noche Vieja the menu of the night at nearly everywhere cost between 60 and 90 Euros (roughly $80-130, and I'm sure they went up from there). We walked around awhile, joked about buying a cooked turkey available for carryout for a mere 140 Euros, and finally stumbled upon a place called "Sandwhich & Friends." They had sandwiches, salads and wraps for 5-7 Euros. More what we were looking for this night. We waited in the queue for awhile and then enjoyed our food and company. The clock struck twelve and the camarreros (the waiters) and the other patrons began to make the rounds from to wish everyone a "Feliz Año" (or whatever the equivalent is in Catalán) along with besitos (two kisses). It was fun.

We went from there in search of the fireworks and festivities, but seemed to always be going the wrong direction (even though I was with people from Barcelona, who had lived their whole lives there - a bit comical). We came upon this sweet old 75 year old woman, who also lived on the street. We didn't have anything to give her at this point, but stopped to talk for awhile. She was Spanish, from La Coruña, so we talked about the great food of her region (Galicia), the beautiful views, about our lives, life and death, God, the church... She said that she always found a well lit street to spend the night on a park bench. She doesn't sleep at night because it isn't safe, but waits until the sun comes up (which is when there is a shelter she can spend the day at, get a shower, get something to eat, and relax a bit). From there we went home and while exhausted, talked for a bit longer. It was a good night. Hopefully, the Lord used our little bits of food, words, hot soup, coffee, and company to minister to these people and to give them some of the ánimo they need to take steps forward. Additionally, I know that he used it in my life to help me to think more and pray more for these people who live right around the corner from where I live (or people like them).

New Year's Resolutions

So, as we were sitting in "Sandwiches & Friends" (that was really the name) in Barcelona and as the clock began to near midnight, someone at our table asked what our wish for the New Year was. At first, to be honest, I thought it was a cheesy question, but in hindsight it got me thinking and for one of the few years I actually have a few "new year's resolutions" (Since I greatly dislike both clichés and cheesiness, I don't like to dub them "new year's resolutions." But since that is what they are, I leave the title.) and noche vieja (new year's eve) wishes.

(1) To really build a campus ministry that is self-sustaining, healthy, growing, and that really is reflecting Jesus to the campuses, students, and broader city of Madrid. (In process)

(2) To get back into good running shape so that I can run another marathon this year (and improve my time - i'd love to do it in the 3 hours that a friend did). It kind of goes without saying, but with this to run pretty much daily. (Also in process)

(3) Hmm... I know I had a third one, but can't think of it right now. Not a good sign... Okay, just found the list. There are several others...

(3) To grow in compassion, in prayer, in sharing my faith, and in loving people

and the "others" are more specifics on the above 3, more or less. (And a silly, but helpful one, is to try to read one book at a time, so I actually finish them, instead of the 4-10 I have been trying to read simultaneously, sometimes successfully and sometimes getting halfway through all of them and finishing near to none of them.)

Randomness & Blogging

So it seems like I'm kind of going to town on the blogging tonight. I've had a kind of intense evening, so it's nice to just type about nothingness or at least light subjects. I can't promise that I will keep this up, but for tonight you have some of my random thoughts.

Okay, while I am up and wide awake (despite it now being 2:31 am, and yes I do have to get up at a decent hour in the morning) I might as well write at least 2 more little posts -- New Year's Resolutions, how I spent my New Year's Eve and maybe after that some more serious thoughts about my life these days.

I love Madrid!

Okay, so today I was walking home from where I switch from the bus to metro on the way home from church. It drops me off at Avenida de América, right by where I used to live. I haven't walked home from there in awhile, but felt like venturing through the ritzy part of time (which has gorgeous architecture, fun shops to peak into, plenty of people, and just familiar madrid sites).

As I was walking, I was reminded of some of the things I love about this city. Incredible café solo (espresso) or a nice cappichino con soja (soy cappichino) - both of which I had at some point today... People who just stroll down the street on Sundays or in the Evenings... Beautifully blue skies... Great and clean (except for the recent cleaning strike) public transportation... Free books that come with the Sunday paper (today's was about JFK thanks to El Mundo)... Plaza de Colón (aka Columbus Square) - a square close to where I live and close to where I catch the train to go to the outlying pueblos/towns... Amazing Architecture that never seems to end - I nearly always find at least something I've never noticed before... Great balconies & rod iron benches on the street... Great tile sidewalks... Cute kids decked out to just walk around town... Running up and down stairs (in the metro mainly and even though I really am not in a hurry -- secretly (but of course without them knowing) I just like to beat everyone else)... Did I say the architecture? (which somehow makes me want to sketch)... The great places to run around Madrid (besides the metro) - the park by my house, Retiro Park (the Central Park of Madrid)... I could go on... but will stop there for now :-)

"BE WHO YOU ARE AND SAY WHAT YOU FEEL, BECAUSE THOSE WHO MIND DON'T MATTER AND THOSE WHO MATTER DON'T MIND..."

Gosh... I wish I actually lived according to that quote. I really do, but as was evidenced tonight, I am very much still in process and learning to be just fine with who I am and how I feel.

Love...

"Love Is Not Against The Law" - Derek Webb

politics or love
can make you blind or make you see
make you a slave or make you free
but only one does it all

and it’s giving up your life
for the ones you hate the most
it’s giving them your gown
when they'’ve taken your clothes

it’s learning to admit
when you’'ve had a hand in setting them up
in knocking them down

(chorus)
love is not against the law
love is not against the law

are we defending life
when we just pick and choose
lives acceptable to lose
and which ones to defend

‘cause you cannot choose your friends
but you choose your enemies
and what if they were one
one and the same

could you find a way
to love them both the same
to give them your name

(chorus)

I've been thinking a lot about what Love is and what it is not. I can't say that I've got it figured out, but it's something I've been thinking about. For instance, Love is not passive. It doesn't just put up with whatever nor let someone do that which will hurt them, for fear of coming across the wrong way, or fear of rejection. Love has no fear. Love is bold. Love speaks truth and is good.

Love is patient and kind and chooses to see the best in people, but is also not naive. It is not oblivious to the cost of loving, nor is it unwise. Love sets boundaries and at times chooses to love even though it is the harder, more risky, more dangerous road. Love is active. Love does not stand idlely by while another suffers. Love doesn't settle. Love believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Yet love is not just a fairy-tale feeling that is based merely in hope. Love has foundation. Love never fails because there is One created love and sustains love. He is love.

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or pride or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT)

"love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear... We love each other as a result of his loving us first." (1 John 4:18,19)

Poverty, Injustice, Apartheid,...

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about injustice in the world. Over the past few weeks I've been talking with some other staff about creating a community of students focused on looking beyond themselves to the needs around them, looking to the fact that more world exists beside them. The first step is just finding like-minded students and then beginning to create a community where we ask the question of "what kind of fingerprint am I leaving on the world?" and "how can I both individually and in this community leave a mark?" We want to have projects both for the students in this community persay, but also for the campus as a whole. That's the simple version of where we're going with that...

But going back to what I've been thinking about... injustice, how the world is somehow not the way it should be, something is horribly wrong and horribly broken. Not too long ago I watched "Hotel Rwanda" again and was reminded of the tragedies that not only occurred there, but which occur everyday around the world - maybe not in my backyard, but still in the world in which I live. Monday, I went with the group from campus to give out sandwiches to the homeless downtown and to talk to them, valuing their existence and being. I talked to a woman from Romania who can't get a job because she doesn't have papers to be here. I talked to a man who seems perfectly content, wandering from place to place. He seemed very well educated and read, but lives on the streets. Then we ran into a group of guys that are nearly always in the same place, who are fun to talk with and who I really never know what they say is true and what they say is not.

As I walked home, I was reminded of a woman I met on Sunday morning, as I walked from the metro on the way to church. She asked for money or for something to eat, so I bought her a ham & cheese sandwich and a coke - that's what she said she wanted. We talked for a bit. She said her name was Rosa and that she is from NW Spain, has a baby, doesn't feel like she can go home, probably some other things have happened, and is having trouble finding work. I know I've given food to her before, but it was the first time we talked for very much time. I asked her if there was anything specific I could pray for her and she said for a job. She didn't seem to be without hope, just in a hard situation. I can remember seeing her for at least the past 6 months on and off. That fact, the fact that most people I see begging on the street are the same people I've seen for at least the past year, if not longer. I've asked some of them whey they are on the street and such, but still don't quite understand the "why" behind it.

I recently was looking at a friend's pictures from South Africa, pictures of an Apartheid museum, which again brought me back to "Hotel Rwanda" and the atrocities that occur around the world. Sometimes our discrimination has to do with race, sometimes with class, sometimes with other things, sometimes it seems more "sophisticated" but it always seems there to some degree. Why are we so quick to put ourselves above another? Why are we so quick to take care of ourselves and pay no attention to those around the corner? Why are we so quick to judge? so quick to hate? so quick to hurt one another? I say "we" because as much as I might like to think that I can be excluded, I know that isn't true.

Jesus talked about what goes on in our head, hurtful thoughts, hurtful words being like little murders. (Matthew 5.21-22) He talked again and again about our not judging one another because we really have the very thing we see in another in our own heart. I want to love as Jesus loved, and at times I do, yet I need him to change me from within or I am not much better than the people who commit the atrocities I see. Maybe I wouldn't do it actively, but by passively doing nothing I in a sense condone the same thing.

This morning I listened to a sermon from my pastor at home. His sermons really are like honey to my soul. He talked about in Acts 2, when the people heard about Jesus and were "cut to the heart." He talked about this phrase "cut to the heart." They were affected in a way that they encountered God. They saw the God of justice and truth, the God of love and hope. They saw him and saw that their lives didn't match up, that they were in a messed up, drastically broken world and that they were part of the mess. Yet they also saw the one who would make things right, the One who is just and good and true. While the world is broken and I need to be part of the change, some of that change can only begin within each of us. And, while that makes it seem even more impossible, particularly when I think of how far I still have to go, I also see the One who gives me hope and the One who makes it possible for the impossible to take place, the impossible to take place in me, but also in those around me. I have a lot more to say about all of this and hopefully will, but for now let me just write some of the HOPE that I do find, not in our messed up world, nor in myself, but in the One who made us and the One who redeems us...

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end." (Isaiah 9:6-7)

"The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord - and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth... Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat, and the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them... The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:2-9)

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread,a nd your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare... Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near... You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands..." (Isaiah 55)

Faith - Fe

"Tener fe es tener la plena seguirdad de recibir aquello que se espera; es estar convencido de la realidad de cosas que no vemos. Nuestros antepasados fueron aprobados por Dios porque tuvieron fe.

Por fe sabemos que Dios formó el universo mediante su palabra, de modo que lo que ahora vemos fue hecho de cosas que no eran visibles." (Hebreos 11:1-3, Dios Habla Hoy)

So... this year is for sure turning out to be harder than I expected. Somehow, I'm not surprised. And... it's affecting me more than I had hoped. BUT with that said, I'm finding that the Lord is teaching me a lot about what it means to walk by faith. Surprise, surprise. :-) After going to the evening service at a church that is just a 10 minute walk from my apartment, I put on "The Holiday" and began to read part of Ney Bailey´s book, "Faith is Not a Feeling" (which by the way is a great book). I've read most of it before, but it was timely for now. In chapter 8, which is where I began, she recounts a conversation she had once with a counseling friend. Let me quote a little bit of it:

"One day his secretary, Carol, was telling him about all the difficult circumstances she was facing. When she finished, Don said, 'Carol, what you have just told me is not unusual. Seventy-five percent of life is made up of struggles, concerns, frustrations, and trials. That 75 percent will always be with you. You need to let that 75 percent be characterized not by unbelief but by faith, by believing God and hoping in Him.'"

Ney then talks about what she does in her difficult circumstances. (As a side note, forgive my horrendous spelling, which despite being almost entirely in english is a bit of a spanglish mess.) She says divides a sheet of paper into 4 quadrants, one listing the good, positive things she likes, one listing all the things she dislikes, the third listing her responses and reactions, and then what God might want to teach her and Bible verses to meet her in her need.

Now before continuing on about Ney Bailey's book, let me go back to the church service. In the sermon, the pastor talked about the fact that what is in our heart will come out sooner or later and that often in difficult situations we see things we dislike (or wish weren't there). Instead of excusing them as "not being who we really are," we should see that the Lord wants to bring them out so we'll actually see what is in our heart and allow him to change us.

So... going back to the book, as I read these words, I thought back to the sermon and began to make my list. Most of what I wrote wasn't brand new information about myself, but did shed some light on how I've been dealing with feeling in over my head and a bit alone. It also was encouraging to see what God IS doing in me and to be reminded of what is excited about being in over my head - that He has to be the One to work. It will be obvious that it is Him, not me.

An old college friend was a breath of fresh air the other day as he wrote me and said just that. Sadly, he's one of the few friends who has said that, instead of acting as if I'm insane to still be here. So... walking by faith and not by sight, trusting in God's greatness and that He is bigger than the obstacles I see around me, really trusting God and being courageous to step out in faith.

So, I have a litany of verses I'm going to begin reading and memorizing. But to begin, Joshua 1:9; Hebrews 11:1; and Hebrews 13:5-6 - "I am the one who tells you to be strong and courageous. Do not fear and do not be dismayed, for I, the Lord your God, will be with you wherever you may go." "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the certainty of things unseen." "(God said) 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' Thus we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my help; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'"

Beauty, Goodness, and Friends

A few days ago I decided that I needed to get out of the house to get some work done. I went to Starbucks, as it's right around the corner and has predictably good atmosphere to get work done in it (and unlike most other cafés, there actually are other people getting work done, or at least reading). So, I get my tall cappichino con soja and sit down. As is not uncommon at all, the guy in a chair closeby struck up a conversation with me. He was probably in his early 70s and told me that I looked like I just stepped out of "Friends." Now, I don't think I've ever been told that before.

Well, we began to talk a bit and he told me I should sit down with him to talk for awhile. I told him that I actually came to get some work done and began to pull out the stuff I needed to work on. He proceeded to ask if he could give me his e-mail, website and I don't remember all the other stuff he wrote down on the napkin I gave him. Apparently his website has poetry and pictures and such.

He told me that he has begun a new life. He has decided that he needs to spend more time with young, beautiful women. :-) He has decided that beauty and goodness go together. All things beautiful are good, or so goes his line of thinking. I mean, take for instance, Blancanieve or Snow White. Who is the good one and who is the bad one? This was his proof for his theory after I told him I didn't think that was the case. He asked me to give him an example of one case where this wasn't the case. And, while it took me a few seconds to think of one, I don't think they are far in between.

Anyway, I was obviously flattered that I was included in the "young and beautiful" category, which by the way is one great benefit of living in Spain - being called "guapa" on a regular basis. So, this man told me that he hangs out in Starbucks and at least recently has talked with quite a few guapa girls from the US.

Turning over a new leaf

So... I've been playing around with the whole idea of blogs and, honestly, can't say I've become fully convinced that I'm made for blogging, but I like to read other people's blogs after which I always think about my lame blog and how I should try to keep it up. I mean, really, there are plenty of interesting things to write about in my life or at least in my city. So... here is a new go at it. And, if it works, maybe more than just a handful of people would actually know that I have a blog. funny.

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God..."

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. he came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, 'This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ahs surpassed me becasue he was before me.' ' From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus chrsit. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." (John 1:1-18)

Somehow, as the beginning of the semester is drawing near, and, as a new and challenging year is beginning, it is good for me to be reminded of John 1. It sets my compass to the right place, it reminds me of who I am and what is true. It reminds me of Jesus's great humility to come to earth and live amongst us, but also of his majesty. He was with God in the beginning! He in fact is God. And, it says here, that nothing was made that didn't come into existence through him. That means a lot! That means that not a detail goes without his notice. That means that He does in fact have power over nature, power over my life, power over the details of my life in Madrid, Spain, power over even the things that seem far out of my control. That is very good news!!!

I need to be reminded that the rock I am clinging to will in fact hold me, that it's not just a nice thing I tell myself, but it is a firm and reliable foundation. And this Word, this Light, this Jesus, is the one who gives LIFE. That is why I'm here. That is why I have given everything to follow him. Oh, that I may be reminded of these truths every moment of every day, so that I would have confidence to encounter the winds and waves of life.

John 1

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").

Chi-town

Chicago, the windy city, and in August the steamy hot city. So, about a week ago I got a call from the Spanish consulate to say that my visa was ready to pick up.

This is amazing on two counts, one because this is the Spanish consulate, the land where things don’t necessarily happen as quickly or as they “should.” But in this case they did, two months after applying for a visa, I was able to pick it up. Praise the Lord! It’s definitely been something on my mind.

So, up on Monday and back on Wednesday (today). Trains, metros, city living, lots of people, Spanish while not the first language, definitely the second. It feels much like Madrid to me. In fact, after coming out of the subway at one point, I honestly felt like I had time warped back to Madrid. I guess you could say I’m a bit homesick and ready to be back at a home, a city that has become mine.

Compassion that amazes me

So, the past few days, as I’ve spent time with God journaling and reading the Bible and praying, I continue to come back to the question, which has a lot of emotion behind it: Lord, why don’t you make all people see you and understand the Gospel? Why must all these people I walk around and order coffee from and live around, why don’t they see? Why have I tasted the sweetness of the Gospel, of being saved by another, when they haven’t, at least not yet? And, why aren’t people quicker to hear? There may be curiosity and there are some who hear the Gospel and immediately believe, but at times it seems that culture and man’s abuses of using the name of God for evil have put big barriers up, at least that’s the way it seems to me.

Now I can’t say that I’ve figured it all out, but I can share how the Lord has met me in this. First of all, I’ve been reading through the book of Acts in the Bible. It talks of the early church. There I see God reveal himself again and again through common men and women of that time – people who had experienced Jesus in their own lives and are quick and very outspoken in word and action.

Secondly, the Lord continues to bring to mind passages in the book of Romans, remembering that in chapter one, it says that the Gospel is “the power of God for salvation for all who believe” by faith. What I’ve continued to read and mull over has been Romans, chapter 9 and 10, where Paul shares the same sentiment with me. He says:

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit – that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh…”

He then goes on to talk about God being God and, thus, although we may not understand it, we’re the created one not the creator. God can do what he wants (which is only comforting because I know his character and know that he is trustworthy and for sure the source of all goodness). But then, at the end of chapter 9, he begins to talk about God’s compassion and mercy and the fact that the only way one can be saved is not through trying to be good, but instead through faith in Jesus Christ.

Then in chapter ten, this is what I love, is says this:

“ ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

What I love about this is that it is for EVERYONE who believes. It is NEAR. And it isn’t about what we do or don’t do. It is based on God’s goodness and us just trusting in Him to carry us. And even more, it talks about God revealing himself even to those who did not seek him nor ask for him. I may not fully understand God’s ways, but He is making people whole and new. In fact, I read Acts 8 and 9 where Paul’s conversion is recounted. Paul, who persecuted the followers of Christ in his day and age, was not even too far away from God, or too much an enemy of God, that he couldn’t be saved. Nope, the Lord revealed himself to Paul and God empowered Paul to tell many about his love and way of salvation. :)

English, Menus, & My Few Hours in Philly

<-- a picture of my brother Drew

I returned to St. Louis last Tuesday night at 11pm, or 6am in Madrid. Before arriving to St. Louis I had a 9 hour flight from Madrid and a 6 hour layover in Philadelphia.

Upon arriving to Philly, I met my brother and we went into town for dinner and a walk around town. Granted, I was a bit tired, but my first impressions of the States were of those in the airport and then those that walked by us as we walked around West Philly, not too far from U. Penn. I was surprised to be surrounded by English-speakers and it took me most of the night to figure out that they weren’t all foreign exchange students.

As we sat down to eat, the waiter came and gave of the specials of the evening and Drew (my brother) said that I looked at the waiter with a blank stare, as if I couldn’t fully process much of anything he said. Which is exactly what happened. I’m not quite sure if it’s the fact that I haven’t heard a waiter nor read a menu in English for about a year, or what, but I couldn’t process much of what the menu nor the man had said. So, I asked Drew what he wanted to get and we split a plate of grilled octopus, shrimp scampi, grilled veggies, an avocado and citrus salad, and some tasty red wine. One thing that has never let me down about Philadelphia is the great, gourmet food. And this nice little café lived up to the reputation of fine food, I’ve come to appreciate.

Bono & the One Campaign

“When I was a boy, my first impression of America was a man walking on the moon – Neil Armstrong, 1969. And I thought, ‘These Americans are mad! They are mad.’ For I thought, ‘What can this country do? What can these people do if they put their mind to it? It’s incredible.’

John F. Kennedy is the one in 1963… he said, ‘By the end of the decade, we’re going to put a man on the moon.’ Well… it’s not because it was on everyone’s mind. It just was the right thing to do and it was…

It’s what we’re asking now. President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, and all the other world leaders to do. We’re asking them to do something extraordinary… not put a man on the moon, more like put mankind back on Earth.

We have the technology. We have the resources. We have the know-how… to end the extreme poverty… if we have the will… and I believe we have the will.

Others, you know, the other civil rights movement. Others ended apartheid. Others tore back the iron curtain. That’s what this generation… that’s what’s up to us… our moon shot… our putting a man on the moon – we’re going to end extreme poverty. We’re going to make poverty history. That’s what’s fallen to us to do. And I believe that’s not an impossible venture.

I believe in 50 years, when I look back on this moment,… and they’ll say, ‘there were some people at a time who said:

It’s not okay to have a child die for a lack of a 20 cent immunization.
It’s not okay to have a child die for lack of food in his belly in the 21st century.
That’s not okay anymore.’

Now I now that you know that. But I’d like you to tell President Bush that, Prime Minister Blair that and any other politician you see that. And you can do it quite easily. So… we’re looking for a million Americans to e-mail us to join the ONE campaign, not looking for your money; looking for your voice.”

Bono, Vertigo Tour, 9 & 10 May 2005 – Chicago, IL – prior to singing “One”

“One” – by U2

Is it getting better, or do you feel the same
Will it make it easier on you now
You’ve got someone to blame

You say...
One love, One life
When it's one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you, darling,
If you don't care for it

Did I disappoint you,
Leave a bad taste in your mouth

You act like you never had love,
And you want me to go without

Well it's...It’s too late… tonight…
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to carry each other
Carry each other
One...

Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?

Have you come here to play Jesus
To the lepers in your head?
Did I ask too much?
More than a lot?
You gave me nothing
Now it's all I got.

We're one,
But we're not the same
Well....we, hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say…

Love is a temple
Love, a higher law
Love is a temple
Love, the higher law

You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl

And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

One love,
One blood
One life
You get to do what you should
One life… with each other
Sisters and Brothers

One life,
But we're not the same
We get to carry each other
Carry each other

One love
One