Donde es el banyo (Where is the bathroom?)

I was wandering through the local mall by myself, doing some souvenir shopping, when nature called.  Uh oh...I look around for signs that will help me figure out on my own where the bathroom is.  Unsuccessful, I look for someone who appears to know the store.  She doesn't know.  Breathing a prayer for God to direct me to what I need, I wander up to the next level of the mall looking for a store employee.  I got a lengthy reply in Spanish to my question, most of which I didn't understand, but the hand gestures clue me in that what I am looking for is at the front of the store somewhere.  Once at the front of the store, unable to find what I need, but with that sense of urgency increasing I find another employee, who in response to my question uses a lot of Espanol I don't know, but also points out into the mall itself.  I wander out into the main mall, where a little more walking around reveals the sign for "Aseos" and a universal symbol for what I am looking for.  Encouraged that I was able to manage on my own without a translator nearby.  Thankful for the little Spanish I know, and for God's help in getting my need met.

Caffeine and Las Aguilas

It is after 3am and I am awake.  Jet lag?  Caffeine I drank with the late night meal I ate?  Just wound up because of the things that are going on here?  Maybe it Is a combination of all of the above. 

Anyway, since I am up, I figured I would take time to post about a place nearby where we have been going to share Christ.  It is at a park right off the Las Aguilas metro stop.  We went here the second night after our arrival in Madrid, and have subsequently gone there a total of four times. 

Let me tell you a little about the park.  It is surrounded by apt. buildings and seems to be a social hub in this neighborhood., In the cool of the evening, people gather at the tiny park nightly.  At 8pm or so, when we have arrived each time, we find older people sitting on park benches, enjoying the breeze, chatting with another person, or just sitting quietly alone.  We see younger people sitting and chatting with their friends or waiting for people to meet.  In the fenced in concrete area that in the US might surround either a handball, tennis, or basketball court, one finds a mini soccer “field” with plenty of older boys playing.  We also see parents pushing their toddlers on swings, or letting them scoot around on the paving stones on their toy scooters.  Though most of the activity and many of the faces have remained the same each time we have gone, each visit we have made has been completely different.  Our first time our gospel presentation was done, with only guitar and flute on music, a couple of testimonies, a street drama, and a gospel message by the Pastor.  Conversations were had with people around and many kept a distance and did not seem receptive.  As we have come back each time, adding something new (puppets, little gifts for the kids, a worship dance, wordless books, different testimonies, etc. we have found more receptivity. 

It must have been the 3^rd night when the puppets were introduced that it seemed like people who had before really kept their distance were moving in, especially during the puppet presentation.  They seemed drawn to the paved area where we were presenting, and welcomed our showing kindness and Christ’s love to the kids.  So many good conversations were had, people were prayed for and prayed with, and some came to pray a prayer for salvation.  Good things were happening as it seemed people were accepting our outreach as part of what was going on in the park each night. 

I really appreciated that approach – going back to the same place for evangelism four times in a week.  It allowed those who came to hear the gospel message multiple times and allowed us to build relationship with some of those who were there, including a homeless man.  It allowed us to see some fruit, and to see the hearts of people change as we became part of that little social space for a while. 

Tonight we were in a new community – Navas del Rey.  While enroute, we spent a few hours siesta-ing by the shore of a lake.   While there, a few of our team began conversation with people who were swimming and sunbathing nearby.  Our drama team presented the drama they had prepared, right there under a highway bridge, just a few feet from the water.  I really marveled at the sensitivity of our team to be willing to take any opportunity to share Christ with others – even to spontaneously do a drama by the side of a graffiti covered underpass while swimmers sat on concrete blocks and a float watching the whole thing.  Some of us prayed while others shared Christ with those who watched the drama and were receptive to listen.  From there we went to the town “square” (really a fountain that was nearly dry) of this very charming little village and presented the gospel through song, puppets, dance, testimony, and preaching as well as in personal conversations.  We had a visit from the police checking to make sure we wouldn't be causing trouble, or violating the law, but the gospel was shared, and seeds were planted. 

http://youtu.be/XkRw2ZdU7zI

Sin Palabras (without words)

Keeping up on blog posts is a challenge when one has a shortage of time to write.  Since Day 1 it has been "Go! Go! Go!" for us here, but God has blessed us with a day of rest on this our seventh day.  


Processing the whole experience personally, I have to say, it has been neat to see our development as a team and our growing cohesiveness as we go along.  Watching team members minister to each other in time of need -- like when fatigue and frustration with things outside of our control puts one of us to tears or close to blowing up, or when one of us is dealing with insomnia, migraines, stomach issues, or news of sudden emergencies on the home front -- has been such an awe inspiring thing.


There are so many experiences I would want to write about, (and I will get to them later)  but will stick with one for now.  One day I sensed God moving particularly strongly in the area of my ministry (I have been doing more music on the streets)  I remember the 3rd night, when we were going to Las Aguilas park for the second time, and I was going to be sharing the invitation in Spanish (with it all written out on paper to read from)  and to play flute and sing worship with Pedro, a guitarist and one of the teens from the church here.  I had one of my bad migraines coming on, and that usually means that I need to lay down immediately and sleep for the night with a heat wrap on my head but I was not going to get that.  I had visions of getting to the park and puking on the side of the newsstand, or not being able to go at all.  My teammates prayed for me, and gradually the headache began to subside.  The time in the park was blessed, but a neat thing happened at the end.  We went and did our group gospel presentation with testimonies, music, and As the others were walking around stopping to share Jesus with others, Pedro felt impressed of the Holy Spirit to walk around with the guitar and just play a repeated chord progression and asked if I wanted to join him on flute improv.  It was a no brainer for me, as the prompting of the Holy Spirit was strong.  The anointing seemed so strong to me, as we walked around just declaring praise and doing what I can only call instrumental intercession to the Lord in that place through our instrumental.  I was playing and a new tune came on my heart which I played to fit the chord progression, a tune of intercession.  As I was playing the words that came to me matching the tune going through my head were "Rain (Reign) down". Maybe it sounds odd, but I had a sense of interceding in instrumental praise that night as with my flute I was impressed to ask God to come with intensity and move upon the hearts of those present.  It flowed so smoothly with everything else that was going on.   I have found that there is something so powerful about declaring praise through instruments.  Not sure if I can articulate it well, but I am reminded so often of  Psalm 150:4 "...praise him with the strings and flute", and I  had such a sense of how powerful praising Him with instruments is.  Even without words, God, in His word, has ordained that we can praise Him through instruments, and I feel so convicted that God uses the instrumental praise to work in hearts in ways that words cannot.  He called us to do it in Psalm 150 and has ordained that it might lead hearts to be open to Him, that "everything that has breath praise the LORD." (v.6)  Leading worship with a heart to draw all who have breath to praise of the LORD is indubitably evangelism at the core.  So amazed at God's ways.

First Few Days of Ministry in Spain

We arrived safely on  the morning of the 17th.  It has been a full and blessed few days!  Read on for a few highlights...

Andy using the ride into JFK as an opportunity to share Christ with our van driver to the airport, two of our ladies, Amy and Rachel, praying for an airport employee with a personal need....a few team members Mabel and Luis conversing with and sharing Christ at JFK with people waiting at the gate with us and ...outreach to the Metro Station in Aluche Spain...Cleaning in the church...Art and Kathy collecting food with Pastor Amigo for food distribution (Food "Pantry")...preparing meals...praying for each other's personal needs -- migraines, insomnia, pain, fatigue...seeing migraines disappear in a short time...being blessed by the fellowship of our co-laborers here in Madrid.  We have bonded in a true spirit of Christian unity in a very short time...managing to survive the extreme heat (daily temps over 95 degrees F since we arrived, and ten day forecast indicates more of the same...music ministry...street evangelism in KilometroCero area of Puerta del Sol and training with the Red Box ministry...Sharing testimonies of how Christ has saved us and changed our lives in the Puerta del Sol, a local park, and the Metro Station and talking to people about salvation...a few hours of sight seeing...devotional and meeting times with our team...trying to sleep at least a little...painting at the church and ministry again in the park we visited on Monday.  Several prayed to receive Christ and a good number heard the gospel message clearly again -- they since we were at the same park at the same time on Tuesday...tonight's ministry with music -- Tricia on voice and flute, Pedro on guitar, Amy and Mabel sharing testimonies, Pastor Antonio giving the gospel message, Luis (from the church here) leading, Rachel doing dance ministry, and all praying and sharing the gospel was so anointed and powerful.  God is alive and drawing people to himself here in the country of Spain, and we count ourselves incredibly blessed to be a part of it.

Roller Coaster Ride

It is such a roller coaster ride, this missions preparation stuff.   Honestly, I am just feeling tired.  Spent all weekend racing around taking care of details for the Ice Cream Fundraiser.  Spent the day doing that on Sunday, a lot of hard work, with an earnings of several hundred dollars, leaving me both discouraged that I might not have enough support, and wondering if I would even get to Spain, since the deadline for the balance was Monday (yesterday) at noon.  About mid afternoon yesterday, I got official word, that there is enough support in for all of us to go.  Got up early yesterday, to meet Kathy to go up to SGT to count out our ice cream earnings with Anna in the church office, take care of outstanding account balances, and cash in the recycling (our team got the bottles and cans from the church picnic to cash in as an additional donation for the trip).  Had team meeting last night to get some more practice in, but I think everyone is tired from the busy day we had on Sunday, and we mostly gabbed, and did very little practice.

The really good thing about Sunday was that we had an opportunity to work together as a team and it gave us an opportunity to serve the Body of Christ.  We had some incredibly generous people give large donations, but we had many more who helped themselves without a donation, or with a very small donation that didn't cover our costs.  Even still, God provided for our team.  I so often find that to be God's math -- it doesn't always look like the money will be there, but when the dust settles,  if it is something He has called you to do, it always ends up being there.  And, you can't look to people to meet your needs.  If you do, you get disappointed.

Another part of the roller coaster ride is that one of our team members, Luanne, who has been with us since the beginning of our Mission Bridge training, has had to withdraw at the last minute because of a serious family illness.  We are days away from leaving, but there is still hope that God will work a miracle and she will be able to make it.  (update:  7/12/12 -- all worked out so she can go with us)

Add to that, on Sunday, because of a family medical emergency, our team leader, Andy, had to leave the fundraiser early to run to the ER.  We prayed together, and some hours later heard that this family member's condition, though extremely painful, was not going to require surgery, and that rest and pain medicine was being prescribed.

Then, this morning, off again I go to White Plains for the first of 3 visits to that town for my specialized Chiropractic treatment for the neck problems that have gotten so much worse in recent months.  The treatment is helping, but making those trips to Westchester is tiring.

Busy, busy busy.  I feel like Lazarus' sister Martha from the NT, and need to take some time to be like her sister Mary.  Time for a break to slow the roller coaster down a bit and recharge the internal batteries.

7/12/12 -- Made Wednesday a genuine day of rest, and must admit that I feel a whole lot better.   Was busy today, another trip to White Plains, rushing back to take care of errands, including picking up some Spanish tracts for our outreach, and communicating with the team through out the day through facebook, email, text, and voicemail.  So much to do before we go, but amazed at how some things are falling into place easily (like getting tracts last minute) and those are encouraging things.  God is faithful.