I guess this will be the last blog for me, as we've been home over 24 hours now. I keep saying how different this trip was from my expectations of "doing missions," but I am learning that the real mission of believers is to support, encourage and love one another as we work together to bring others into relationship with Jesus Christ, through the work of the local church or through other outreach activities. Because this was our church's first full team going to Spain, we're still building relationships and discovering how we can partner with the church and their leaders to realize their visions. Our presence alone shows that we care about them; our testimonies and messages bring a different point of view or present old points from new preachers; our participation in their activities and with their families gives us, and hopefully them, a sense of a world-wide family of God.
Mark's presence was huge when he finally got to Spain. Like with Tony in Sibiu, we became roadies again, basking in the glow of Mark's talent which he used to return all glory to God. The Saturday concert was wonderful, with other worship teams singing, the pastor of the Nigerian church singing two songs, and Mark closing the time with sharing and several songs. On Sunday, I got to sing with Mark for the service - gee, we got a lot of mileage (literally) out of "How Great Is Our God" singing the chorus in Romanian.
Now, back in the hot-but-not-humid East Bay, we've gone to Costco to restock the kitchen, Naomi has an orthodontic appointment and Rich has several meetings tomorrow. Routine life returns to normal, but I'm looking expectantly to the Lord for what He wants to do with my life in light of this experience.
I'm not done with my Spainia experience yet, though. Teo will be e-mailing me Immanuel's mother's recipe for gogosi!
Thanks for reading. Think about going yourself!
Joanne
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Pics from Spain
Here are some pics of our recent activities in Spain:
Steve leading a Bible study discussion with one of our translators, Christina.
Our wonderful hosts, Priscila and Teo Taban.
Naomi and Christina in Castellon.
The medieval town and fortress at Peñíscola.
Joanne sharing her testimony with another of our translators, Christie.
Today we will baptize Steve in the Mediterranen and Mark will finally arrive in Spain. Keep checking to see more pics.
Steve leading a Bible study discussion with one of our translators, Christina.
Our wonderful hosts, Priscila and Teo Taban.
Naomi and Christina in Castellon.
The medieval town and fortress at Peñíscola.
Joanne sharing her testimony with another of our translators, Christie.
Today we will baptize Steve in the Mediterranen and Mark will finally arrive in Spain. Keep checking to see more pics.
Is it the end of the week already?
What’s the saying? “Time flies when you’re having fun!” How about this: “Time flies when you’re on a mission trip!” Allow me to recap the past couple days…
After posting my last entry from Teo’s house (Tuesday morning), we stayed at his house for a bit and shared some good fellowship time (or, as I call it sometimes, we were shooting the breeze). However, as lunch fast approached, we split up to go to 3 different homes. I can’t say enough just how welcoming, accepting and hospitable these people are. Of course, they’re Romanian, so that explains it! :D
Originally, I was going to be joining a family nearby for lunch. However, as the husband was still at work, this would have left me alone with the wife and little daughter…not a good thing. So, Christina came with me, and I’m glad she did. This not only gave accountability but also allowed her to translate to and for me. We shared a lot of stories and I was able to share some of the pics that I had taken. And, of course, the food was great. We had a meat and cheese plate to start, followed by home-made chicken, potatoes and mushrooms. But, the best part was the dessert…homemade crêpes! Apparently, it was her mother’s recipe, and a good one it was too.
However, the time came that we had to leave, as the Bible study was starting at 6 and I was leading. Again, this was for the youth of the church (teens to 20’s). So, after giving my warmest thanks, Christina and I left and walked back to the church. Thankfully, like in Romania, everything is just a short walk away. We managed to arrive “on time”, which means we were a little late by American time but on time by Romanian time. :)
We started off with worship and prayer. I still have a hard time of knowing when to sit and stand, as we stand during worship and sit during prayer but they do the opposite, for the most part. So, my reactions are still a little delayed, but oh well. Vergie gave her testimony about how God is able to do more than most people think possible. This was a powerful message indeed, as many were moved by it and Pastor Luca (the head pastor of the church here in Castellón) wants her to give it again on Sunday morning. Afterwards, thanks to Teo’s suggestion, we split everyone up into groups to answer the three main questions I wanted to cover for the night regarding what it means to be in the family of God. It was great to hear the answers that everyone had, as it gave me more insight into who they are and where they are in their walk with Christ. Needless to say, we had a very good discussion.
Originally, we had planned to go to the beach afterwards. However, due to the rain and the wind, Teo decided to order some pizzas and open up another part of the church for everyone. This gave us an opportunity to mingle with everyone throughout the night, which was great. However, we had some time to burn between my message and when the pizzas arrived, so Rich decided to talk with everyone about their church and encourage them to be active in the direction of the church.
Now on to the next day. As was mentioned before, Vergie was being encouraged to see a doctor, and praise God she did. So, while Helen, Vergie and Rich went to see what was going on, I went with Joanne, Naomi and Christina to explore the city (and the ladies decided to do some shopping as well). So, I managed to get a lot of great pictures of Castellón. I'll post them on Facebook for you all to see.
Afterwards, we went out to Peñiscola, a city north of Castellón. There, we had lunch just before visiting the castle there. This castle was used by Benedict XIII after his exile and was the site of the beginning of the Spanish inquisition. And, yes, I got pictures. I'll need to post the links to the albums in Facebook. Afterwards, Teo treated us to ice cream from one of the local stores. 4 words: melon and chocolate orange. YUM!! :D Apparently, I'm not the only one that likes those. Teo and Manuel had melon as well and Joanne tried the chocolate orange, which she seemed to like.
We came back to Teo's only to leave for dinner again. I can now say that I've had McDonald's in another country. Priscilia had come home the night before and was back at work...for McDonalds. So, we visited her and supported the McD's she works at. And all this before church last night.
This was our first service that we attended while we have been here in Spain. However, it was strangely familiar. This is because it is a Romanian church, so it was very similar to the services we attended in Sibiu. However, we were not the only guests, as another Pastor from one of the neighboring churches was there as well and did a couple of songs for the congregation. Afterwards, Rich delivered a great message (again :P ) on unity in the Body of Christ. This really struck a chord with the congregation, as this is something they are striving to work for with the other churches.
Afterwards, we came back to Teo and Priscilia's house to do some late-night posting and such (or, in my case, a very important phone call ;) ). Shortly after, we called it a night, said our goodnights to everyone and turned in for the evening.
This brings us to today. We are at Teo & Priscilia's right now posting and such before lunch. Tonight, I will be delivering a message on obedience before getting baptized in the Mediterranean. Needless to say this is a big day for us all. Have a wonderful day everyone and I'll post again soon.
After posting my last entry from Teo’s house (Tuesday morning), we stayed at his house for a bit and shared some good fellowship time (or, as I call it sometimes, we were shooting the breeze). However, as lunch fast approached, we split up to go to 3 different homes. I can’t say enough just how welcoming, accepting and hospitable these people are. Of course, they’re Romanian, so that explains it! :D
Originally, I was going to be joining a family nearby for lunch. However, as the husband was still at work, this would have left me alone with the wife and little daughter…not a good thing. So, Christina came with me, and I’m glad she did. This not only gave accountability but also allowed her to translate to and for me. We shared a lot of stories and I was able to share some of the pics that I had taken. And, of course, the food was great. We had a meat and cheese plate to start, followed by home-made chicken, potatoes and mushrooms. But, the best part was the dessert…homemade crêpes! Apparently, it was her mother’s recipe, and a good one it was too.
However, the time came that we had to leave, as the Bible study was starting at 6 and I was leading. Again, this was for the youth of the church (teens to 20’s). So, after giving my warmest thanks, Christina and I left and walked back to the church. Thankfully, like in Romania, everything is just a short walk away. We managed to arrive “on time”, which means we were a little late by American time but on time by Romanian time. :)
We started off with worship and prayer. I still have a hard time of knowing when to sit and stand, as we stand during worship and sit during prayer but they do the opposite, for the most part. So, my reactions are still a little delayed, but oh well. Vergie gave her testimony about how God is able to do more than most people think possible. This was a powerful message indeed, as many were moved by it and Pastor Luca (the head pastor of the church here in Castellón) wants her to give it again on Sunday morning. Afterwards, thanks to Teo’s suggestion, we split everyone up into groups to answer the three main questions I wanted to cover for the night regarding what it means to be in the family of God. It was great to hear the answers that everyone had, as it gave me more insight into who they are and where they are in their walk with Christ. Needless to say, we had a very good discussion.
Originally, we had planned to go to the beach afterwards. However, due to the rain and the wind, Teo decided to order some pizzas and open up another part of the church for everyone. This gave us an opportunity to mingle with everyone throughout the night, which was great. However, we had some time to burn between my message and when the pizzas arrived, so Rich decided to talk with everyone about their church and encourage them to be active in the direction of the church.
Now on to the next day. As was mentioned before, Vergie was being encouraged to see a doctor, and praise God she did. So, while Helen, Vergie and Rich went to see what was going on, I went with Joanne, Naomi and Christina to explore the city (and the ladies decided to do some shopping as well). So, I managed to get a lot of great pictures of Castellón. I'll post them on Facebook for you all to see.
Afterwards, we went out to Peñiscola, a city north of Castellón. There, we had lunch just before visiting the castle there. This castle was used by Benedict XIII after his exile and was the site of the beginning of the Spanish inquisition. And, yes, I got pictures. I'll need to post the links to the albums in Facebook. Afterwards, Teo treated us to ice cream from one of the local stores. 4 words: melon and chocolate orange. YUM!! :D Apparently, I'm not the only one that likes those. Teo and Manuel had melon as well and Joanne tried the chocolate orange, which she seemed to like.
We came back to Teo's only to leave for dinner again. I can now say that I've had McDonald's in another country. Priscilia had come home the night before and was back at work...for McDonalds. So, we visited her and supported the McD's she works at. And all this before church last night.
This was our first service that we attended while we have been here in Spain. However, it was strangely familiar. This is because it is a Romanian church, so it was very similar to the services we attended in Sibiu. However, we were not the only guests, as another Pastor from one of the neighboring churches was there as well and did a couple of songs for the congregation. Afterwards, Rich delivered a great message (again :P ) on unity in the Body of Christ. This really struck a chord with the congregation, as this is something they are striving to work for with the other churches.
Afterwards, we came back to Teo and Priscilia's house to do some late-night posting and such (or, in my case, a very important phone call ;) ). Shortly after, we called it a night, said our goodnights to everyone and turned in for the evening.
This brings us to today. We are at Teo & Priscilia's right now posting and such before lunch. Tonight, I will be delivering a message on obedience before getting baptized in the Mediterranean. Needless to say this is a big day for us all. Have a wonderful day everyone and I'll post again soon.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Short Expectations
It´s 10:45pm and we just returned to Teo´s flat after the Thursday night service in order to use his Wi-fi connection for the blogging because our house doesn´t have an internet connection.
I gave a testimony tonight about expectations, because this missions trip has shattered all my expectations, both good and bad, about what I thought God might have in mind. What I said was that as long as I know that God loves me and that God is in control, I should only expect that God will do great things. It´s the ability to see God´s hand that needs more practice.
I think it´s the ability to see the inside of my eyelids that I need right now, so, more later.
Joanne
I gave a testimony tonight about expectations, because this missions trip has shattered all my expectations, both good and bad, about what I thought God might have in mind. What I said was that as long as I know that God loves me and that God is in control, I should only expect that God will do great things. It´s the ability to see God´s hand that needs more practice.
I think it´s the ability to see the inside of my eyelids that I need right now, so, more later.
Joanne
The Journey Continues
I love being able to do mission work in Spain. It’s so neat to be in a country where the principle language is Castilian Spanish yet each region has its own dialect, i.e. Valenciana or Catalan. Throw in the fact that we’re working with a Romanian community and that really confuses the languages we work with and with the kind of translations that will take place. And even the Romanians are caught speaking a mixture of Spanish and Romanian as they speak. They understand each other but then laugh when they realize that others might not.
The other thing that is so much fun is that Romanians come from all over Romania. We’ve met people from Timişoara, Arad, Moldova, Bucureşti, and yes, even from Sibiu. They are just as warm, friendly, and generous as their compatriots back in Romania.
The first few days here have been full of spiritual warfare yet we have seen God work in mighty ways. Steve’s Bible study for the youth last night went really well especially since we got a good discussion and interaction going. It began with a wonderful testimony from Virgie. Yet, Virgie has gotten ill and we are encouraging her to see a doctor here in Spain.
Today, we’ll get a chance to see a little bit more of the country. We got to go up north to see Peñíscola. After a marvelous lunch by the seashore, we had a wonderful time exploring the medival town and castle. We have now returned to Castellón for their weekly midweek church service tonight. Tomorrow evening we will baptize Steve when we go to the beach after the Bible study and even later, Mark Kenoly will arrive in Castellón.
Continue to pray for us as we continue to do ministry here in Spain.
The other thing that is so much fun is that Romanians come from all over Romania. We’ve met people from Timişoara, Arad, Moldova, Bucureşti, and yes, even from Sibiu. They are just as warm, friendly, and generous as their compatriots back in Romania.
The first few days here have been full of spiritual warfare yet we have seen God work in mighty ways. Steve’s Bible study for the youth last night went really well especially since we got a good discussion and interaction going. It began with a wonderful testimony from Virgie. Yet, Virgie has gotten ill and we are encouraging her to see a doctor here in Spain.
Today, we’ll get a chance to see a little bit more of the country. We got to go up north to see Peñíscola. After a marvelous lunch by the seashore, we had a wonderful time exploring the medival town and castle. We have now returned to Castellón for their weekly midweek church service tonight. Tomorrow evening we will baptize Steve when we go to the beach after the Bible study and even later, Mark Kenoly will arrive in Castellón.
Continue to pray for us as we continue to do ministry here in Spain.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A Minute in the Mediterranean
Spain is quite different from Romania, or should I say, Castellon is very different from Sibiu. Castellon is a city filled with buildings that have businesses on the bottom and apartments on top. We're staying in the outskirts of Castellon in a separate house that one of the church members does not live in any more, so it's considered the "rich" area. Like I said before, not my expectation of the hard-life missionary! Not to mention that the weather is now what we thought we were going to have - hot (in the high 80s) and semi-humid.
It was wonderful to welcome the Spain team, but I didn't know I'd be nursing Naomi the first two days. It seems that the enemy is working hard against this team - Mark not getting his passport, the VBS being cancelled, Virgie trying to get over an allergy cold, Naomi getting sick on the plane - so as you continue to pray with us, I can only imagine what great work God has in mind by the end of our trip to give glory to His name!
Teo has a strong vision for the youth of this Romanian church in Spain. His passion for his calling is inspiring. At this moment, he is taking care of his two beautiful children, Lukas (2-yrs.) and Jonathan (4 yrs.), as his wife, Prisilia, was a finalist in the "Voice of McDonalds" competition, so she is in another city singing her last song. She is singing "Because He lives" to give God the glory. We found out already that she came is second. She'll be back tonight.
Last night, Tuesday, we went to the beach for the "youth" (teenage through early 20s) Bible study, followed by volleyball and soccer. Naomi felt good enough to play volleyball, maybe because she was invited to join one of the teams. Steve played on an opposing team, or is "play" the correct term? (JK, Steve!) Rich and I stuck our feet in the Mediterranean, the very warm waters of the Mediterranean - it seems like such a far-off concept to have become a reality.
I was preparing my mind to change to Spanish, and arriving in Valencia I learned that there's a dialect common to this area called Valenciana, so the signs have both Valenciana and Castilian Spanish. Then when Teo and another church member came to pick us up at the train station (which is how we got from Valencia to Castellon), they were speaking to each other in Romanian. So now I'm confusing everyone by speaking Spanish, English and a little Romanian. Of course, as I listen to them talk, I hear a combination of those languages also.
So to close this first blog from Castellon, adios, pacea, and later.
Joanne
It was wonderful to welcome the Spain team, but I didn't know I'd be nursing Naomi the first two days. It seems that the enemy is working hard against this team - Mark not getting his passport, the VBS being cancelled, Virgie trying to get over an allergy cold, Naomi getting sick on the plane - so as you continue to pray with us, I can only imagine what great work God has in mind by the end of our trip to give glory to His name!
Teo has a strong vision for the youth of this Romanian church in Spain. His passion for his calling is inspiring. At this moment, he is taking care of his two beautiful children, Lukas (2-yrs.) and Jonathan (4 yrs.), as his wife, Prisilia, was a finalist in the "Voice of McDonalds" competition, so she is in another city singing her last song. She is singing "Because He lives" to give God the glory. We found out already that she came is second. She'll be back tonight.
Last night, Tuesday, we went to the beach for the "youth" (teenage through early 20s) Bible study, followed by volleyball and soccer. Naomi felt good enough to play volleyball, maybe because she was invited to join one of the teams. Steve played on an opposing team, or is "play" the correct term? (JK, Steve!) Rich and I stuck our feet in the Mediterranean, the very warm waters of the Mediterranean - it seems like such a far-off concept to have become a reality.
I was preparing my mind to change to Spanish, and arriving in Valencia I learned that there's a dialect common to this area called Valenciana, so the signs have both Valenciana and Castilian Spanish. Then when Teo and another church member came to pick us up at the train station (which is how we got from Valencia to Castellon), they were speaking to each other in Romanian. So now I'm confusing everyone by speaking Spanish, English and a little Romanian. Of course, as I listen to them talk, I hear a combination of those languages also.
So to close this first blog from Castellon, adios, pacea, and later.
Joanne
Arrival in Spain
This is Naomi using my mom´s username to blog. We arrived safely in Spain. Kim Hensley took me to the Wells´ house where we piled our suitcases into their van. We drove to the airport, which didn´t take long thanks to the traffic.
Once we got there I leaded Helen and Virgie Wells to the Lufthansa check-in counter, since they weren´t quite sure where they were supposed to go, because this was their first time out of the country. Surprisingly, it didn´t take that long to check-in even though we were pretty early (about 3 or 4 hours ahead of time). Unfortunately, we didn´t get bulkhead seating because there was a lot of kids on our flight.
By the time we got through security, we had plenty of time to relax at the gate. I got a sandwhich and some fruit for my dinner before the plane. Because she had a wheelchair, we got to pre-board. The Wells sat next to each other, while I sat behind them. I sat next to an older man who also pre-boarded, because he had trouble walking. The man next to me was very nice, even though he didn´t speak English that well. He was from the Ukraine, and spoke Russian. He lived in the US for 22 years, but apparently lived in a community filled with Russians, so he
wasn´t able to speak fluent English.
The flight was about 10 or 11 hours. It was good for the first 5 hours or so for me, because I was able to watch a good movie. But after that, I started to feel really nautious. I ended up throwing up quite a bit twice after that. I´m not quite sure why I threw up, but I´m pretty sure it was because of some food poisoning. After our plane landed, we were able to get to our connecting flight easily because of the good wheelchair service. We even got to ride on one of those cool cart things for the disabled.
The second flight was a little bit hard for me, because I still felt bad. I only threw up once at the beginning, and after I felt a little bit better. I was so happy to finally see my parents when we landed in Valencia.
However, it took awhile to get to our hotel. We had to take the subway and wait 10 stops, then switch trains, and finally on the next stop we were able to walk about one block to our hotel. When we finally go to our room, I couldn´t wait to sleep.
Naomi
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