{A Few Interesting Stories}

So naturally, being in a foreign country will lend itself to some funny and interesting stories of which I am not lacking in the least bit. So the first very interesting thing that happened to me actually occurred last summer. While flying home from Madrid, I happened to sit by this Kung Fu team from Sevilla. I began talking to these two guys sitting by me, Erasto [back] and Pedro [next to me]. We talked for about 5 hours and I told them I may be moving back to Spain this year...although at that time I thought I would be in Madrid. Sevilla was not even on my radar!! So we ended up swapping emails and talking a little during the year. In March, I found out I was moving to Sevilla, so I immediately emailed them!! Since I got here, we've been hanging out some and they have come to a lot of our Connexxion activities. Definitely NOT a coincidence that I met them last summer and now I live here. This is something only God could do, so please pray that we continue hanging out and God works in their lives!

So another funny foreigner story. In Spain, when you greet people and say goodbye to them you kiss them on both cheeks. So one night we were watching a movie at my apartment with some students and after, Danny and I [the guy next to me below], began talking. The conversation was kind of ending and he leaned in to me a little, so I assumed he was coming to kiss me to say goodbye. I leaned in and gave him two kisses then he backed away really quickly, looked very confused, and said "Why did you do that?" I told him I thought he was leaving, and he just started laughing and said, "No, I was just reaching for my bag." Everyone in the room saw and started laughing, and of course I felt so stupid for kissing him for no reason. Well, at least I'm learning the customs here!

Another night, we were in town and went to Starbucks to grab some coffee. So it's fall and in America I always get pumpkin spice lattes, so naturally I assumed Spain would have them too. I walked up to the counter and confidently asked for a pumpkin spice latte. The lady just stared at me like I had just asked if they had octopus. So I looked at my friend and asked what the word for pumpkin was in Spanish. He told me, so I proceeded to tell the lady. She began laughing at me, and acted like I was crazy for asking this! Come to find out that pumpkin spice lattes DO NOT exist in Europe and once again felt like a foreigner...oh wait, that's because I am! I'm grateful though that now I've got a treasure chest full of embarrassing stories to share the next time someone asks me about the most embarrassing moment in my life.

So Germans are known for being very blunt apparently and telling you exactly what they think. I think I would fit in well in Germany because I'm typically a very blunt person also. Anyways, one day at the conference I recently attended in Braunschweig, Germany, I was talking with this guy, Sebastian. We were talking about fast food and how Americans are known for being overweight. Then he looked at me and said, "I was really surprised when I found out you were an American because you are so skinny." Haha I guess this was a compliment?! [Sebastian and me below]

More to come I'm sure!

{A Little Time Alone}

So the second week I was living alone because my partner Lauren hasn't come yet and the two German women helping with the "Week of Welcoming" had left. I loved having time alone to explore the city some, decorate my apartment a little, and just rest and get acclimated to this new life. I have really enjoyed running by the river and through Parque Maria Luisa [below].

Monday, we had English club and about 10 students came, which was the biggest group yet! We use English club as a primary way to meet people and invite students to our other events, and already we've had some English club students come to our other events...PTL. After English club, I had an intercambio (where we speak English for a while then Spanish for a while) with Ana, a pharmacy student. She's really nice, and I hope to continue meeting with her. She also took me to the nearby student gym to help me register and we're going to go to some classes together! Then Monday night, we went to a Flamenco bar with some students and watched the gypsies singing and dancing Flamenco.

Tuesday, I went with three Spanish friends to Italica, an ancient Roman city that was located in Seville. These are the ruins of the old city, a mosaic floor that was in one of the houses and the coliseum where they had gladiator fights [below].

Wednesday, we had another English club with many new students as well. I had another intercambio with a university student I met the first week, Alejandra, who studies Arabic. She is so friendly and has already invited me to hang out with her friends some. I really love being with her, and at our intercambio last week, we had a long talk about God and what the Bible says about Him. She listened well and seemed very interested, so I'm excited for more opportunities to talk to her. Later, Wednesday night, we had some students over to my apartment to watch "Pay it Forward" and after, we discussed some themes in the movie and how it relates to our lives. It was a really good discussion, and we want to do these movie nights more often. We're hoping this will be a good, relaxed way to talk about Biblical themes with students and have some good spiritual conversations.

Thursday night was very interesting! I had to teach a dance class to about 30 Spanish old women. Apparently they really like learning country line dances, so I taught them the "Slappin' Leather" dance IN Spanish...pretty difficult!! But it provided some good laughs and good memories...and I think they actually learned a little too! Then after, I went with my two German teammates and two Spanish guys we know to this amazing restaurant!! The food in Spain isn't so fantastic, but this restaurant is really good so I definitely think I'll be eating there a lot! Then we went to the church to play ping pong a little because one of the guys has been bragging a lot about how good he is at ping pong, so I wanted to play him. He won, but it was a pretty close game [Erasto is on the right, and he's the one who wanted to play ping pong with me. Erasto and Pedro are also the two I went to Italica with and another girl].

Friday, I had another intercambio with a Spanish girl, Elena, who actually studies English. It's been helpful having intercambios for speaking purposes and also just to build relationships with students. Later that afternoon, I got to play tennis with a friend so that was really exciting because I've missed tennis a lot! My friend has a court at his house, so that was really cool to go there and play although it wasn't full size, but it was still a great treat to play! Then that night I had some friends over for dinner, and we all cooked together. I made a chicken casserole that my grandmother makes a lot. It was pretty crazy though trying to convert all the measurements! And Spain does not have sour cream, so I had to use Greek yogurt...but it worked ok. The casserole definitely didn't taste like it does in America though! Then we had a squid dish that my Spanish friend, Pedro, made. Squid is very popular here in Spain! And for dessert, my Belgium friend, Clemence, made crepes for us with nutella! These were definitely the best part of the meal!!! [The two guys above are who we had dinner with...I'll try to get a picture of me and Clemence up soon].

Saturday night was really encouraging because I went to a big Spanish church in town that was started by some missionaries about 50 years ago. It's called Seville Este church, and it has about 150 members from Spain, Latin America, Africa, and America. It's the biggest evangelical church in Seville. On Saturday nights there is a service for young people, so I went to that and worshipped with fellow Spanish believers. It blessed my heart to see that there are young Spanish believers here, and to see them worshipping our Lord gave me hope that God will continue to bring more students to Himself! I look forward to going back to this service every Saturday night! It was definitely a great way to end a really good second week!

{Week of Welcoming}

So the first week here was soo crazy and busy, but so much fun! My first day here we had a huge party at my house as a welcome back for the university students, and I got to meet a lot of students who have been involved in Connexxion (the Christian university group with whom I am working). [fiesta pictures below]

The next day, Saturday, I just went to the beach with some of my teammates, and it was really nice to just relax and get to know them better. We also saw a man getting baptized in the ocean, so that was really cool and extremely rare to see here considering there are so few Christians!

Monday, we went to the university to talk to people about English club, and there I met a lot of students, and they gave me their phone numbers so we could hang out again and practice English and Spanish together. Then Monday night we had our first English club where we just spoke English with the students. Every Monday and Wednesday we have English club at the university where we break up into groups and talk about different topics such as family, travel, work, culture, etc. [English club below]

Tuesday we went to the park to hang out with students, and I ended up meeting a lot of new people who weren't with our group. I saw this girl by herself sitting near us, so I went to talk to her and invite her to come hang out with us. She is from Belgium and studying here for the semester. We got along really well and traded phone numbers. Since then we have hung out a lot, and I believe God is going to do something really cool through this relationship! Later in the park, there was a group of medical students playing soccer, and they invited me over to play with them. It was so fun and they were all really cool, but unfortunately I didn't get any of their numbers :( [medical students below]

Wednesday night we had a Bible discussion group called "charlemos" (let's chat) where we talked about the Good Samaritan story and how it relates to our lives. We met in a local sandwich shop and one believer came along with two non-believers. It was a good discussion, and after we went to the festival of nations in a nearby park where there are all sorts of food, vendors, and shops representing different countries. [people from "charlemos"]

Thursday night, we went to a salsa bar to hang out with people and dance salsa, but unfortunately the band didn't show up until 1am and by that time we were super tired and went home to sleep. But it was cool because some new students we had never met before came and we got to build some good relationships with them, and since, they have been coming to a lot of our activities! And Friday was awesome because we had another party at my apartment, and a lot of new students we met during the week came! Hendrik, my teammate, got to share the gospel with a few students and they were really interested! And I also got to learn Sevillanas, which is a very famous dance here in Seville that all the girls do during the Flamenco festival in April. So I'm excited to wear a flamenco dress and do Sevillanas in the spring. [pictures from the back to school party below]

{First Thoughts}

Wow it's so weird to finally be here after waiting for this moment almost two years! Although I was excited to get this job in Seville, I was a little sad that I wouldn't be in Madrid where I originally wanted to work. But now I'm loving Seville and so glad to be here! The city is absolutely beautiful with so much Middle Eastern architecture from when the Moors were in control of Spain, parks on every corner, a covering of palm trees on every road, and a gorgeous river with an infinite number of bridges and riverwalks on which to run or bike. Not only is the city incredible, but the people are so friendly (and really difficult to understand) and always wanting to talk to me (mainly because I speak English) and willing to help. The first three days I was here, I got like 7 phone numbers and emails from students who wanted to hang out with me again...not expected at all but soo welcome! But I think the best part about being here is my team! On my university team, it's a German couple, Maggie and Hendrik, Lauren from Louisiana, and me. Then I have my head boss, David, who pastors the church, and his wife and four children. Then Christy who teaches English in schools. They are absolutely phenomenal and so much fun!! I love hanging out with all of them, and it's a joy to see their passion for this place and what God has called them to do! They will definitely be a great family and support system for me while I am away from friends and family at home. So here are a few pictures of my new home and my teammates...

My dining room...yet to be decorated

My living room...yet to be decorated

My bedroom

Teammates Hendrik and Maggie

Teammate Christy and I in town my first night in Seville

{Light}

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light...and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them...But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it said: 'Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' " - Ephesians 5:8-14

The idea of light has been very fascinating to me recently. Jesus is the light of the world, and as followers of Jesus, we are also commanded to be the light of the world. But why? Light has a profound effect on darkness. Even if there is just a small light in a dark room, it will penetrate the whole space. What was once unseen will now be visible. Light wakes us up and pierces our eyes in the morning. The light of the sun is so powerful that we can't even look directly at it. Likewise, the light of the Son is powerful. We were asleep in darkness, oblivious to the truth, but Jesus shined his light upon us and woke us from our slumber. Jesus continues to pierce our hearts and exposes the darkness in our lives. His power is undeniable, and once we truly encounter Him, we cannot be the same. Once Jesus has impacted us, He will permeate throughout our lives. And in turn, we will spread His light to others and expose the darkness in the world around us. We cannot be "children of light" if we ourselves have not truly experienced the life-changing power of Christ.

I received the following graduation card recently regarding light. Normally I think greeting cards are cheesy and insignificant, but this one struck me deeply. It is not a Christian card either, but I think it perfectly describes the light that we as followers of Jesus are called to be in this dark world.

"If I could give you anything, I would give you a candle that burns as brightly as the light within you. I would tell you to keep it burning, no matter what. I would say don't let the well-intentioned extinguish it. Don't let the mean-spirited blow it out. Don't let your light flicker and fade because of everyday challenges and concerns. The world is large, and no one can illuminate it alone, but it is amazing how a single candle, burning brightly, can light so many others. The world needs your light. Hold your candle high." - Hallmark

The world doesn't need my light; it needs the light of Christ! If we hold up His light, people will be drawn to it and changed for eternity. I pray that I would be a beacon of light for the remainder of my days.

{My Story}

Reflecting on my past, I can see that my passion for international service began at a young age. I always enjoyed GAs at church and was eager to learn about other cultures and how God was working in those places. Through middle and high school, I was excited to participate in church trips, and I have always had a desire to help other people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In 2002, at our church’s first Global Impact Celebration, there was a commitment night where people could fill out a card committing to pray for church planters, go on short-term trips, give financially, or even commit to full time service. At that time, I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to commit to full time service; however, for the next six years I didn’t receive any further direction from God, so I started to doubt the legitimacy of that decision and assumed it was a decision that I had simply fabricated myself.

However, as Scripture promises, God is faithful to complete the work He has begun within us, and two summers ago, while studying abroad in Spain, God began stirring that desire for international service in my heart again. Through a close relationship with a Spaniard, God broke my heart for her salvation, and I began to weep for her. I had never cried over someone’s salvation before; this was the initial experience that God used to burden my heart for Spaniards and open my eyes to the idea of international service. As the trip continued, I fell in love with the Spanish people and culture even more. After these experiences, I desired to return the next summer to see if this is indeed the path God has for me.

Last summer, I traveled to various cities in Spain to work with different churches and their ministries in the community. In each city I visited, I built wonderful relationships and got to share the good news with at least one person. Not only did God present many opportunities to share the good news, but He allowed my spiritual gifts to thrive! I have never seen my spiritual gifts as strongly as I did last summer, and it was such a joy to be fully serving God with the gifts He gave me. God also opened multiple doors for me to return to Spain after graduation, confirming that Spain is where He was leading.

One open door was an opportunity to be on a university ministry team in Madrid. I was in contact with the team leaders in Madrid and all of their ideas, passions, and ministry philosophies aligned perfectly with mine, so I automatically assumed this was where God wanted me to be. However, two weeks before my interview in Richmond, I received a phone call from the man saying that there was not enough funding to send me to Madrid and that there probably weren't any other Spain jobs available either. I was upset but at the same time, God gave me an overwhelming peace about the situation and allowed me to surrender my placement to Him. I no longer told God where I wanted to go, but I asked Him to send me where He wanted me to go.

When I got to the interview I found out there was one job available in Seville, Spain, working with children and youth ministry. One day in our small groups we shared our callings, and another girl in my group began to talk about Spain and her love for the people. Later, she approached me and said that the Seville job was written for her, so basically this meant that I couldn't apply for it. However, she told me that she was going to be getting engaged soon and wanted me to have the Seville job! I wasn't sure though because I wanted to work with a university ministry. The next day I had the opportunity to call the team leaders in Seville, and before I could tell the lady about my desire to work with university students, she told me the job would not be with children and youth but rather with university students!! This absolutely sold me on the Seville job, and I was so blown away at how God worked everything out in such a cool way!