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.