Keeping connected ...

Above are pictures from a big party we had as part of a cultural exchange week. It was October when the Braunschweig Connexxion group came -- how fun to have friends visit me in my "other home"! Including Inga, who was my roommate & an intern with us here last year.

We packed in really full days!

I thought you'd enjoy seeing some of the fun things we did (they don't correspond to the descriptions-- sorry!), such as an "Oktoberfest" party (Bavarian festival theme)...

meeting students on campus...

going out for late- night "tapas" (appetizers)....

and helping out with a worship time in a restaurant as well as a Friday Family Festival in a nearby suburb, Bormujos.

Weekend in the Sierra Mountains

Our Connexxion group organized a weekend in the Sierras, which is a low mountain area about 1 hour from Seville.

It was fun having extra friends with us, too, to lead 2 talks from the Bible. Sylvia is a profession

al singer/ composer, who teaches "sevillanas" traditional dance & also works with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (the Spain equivalent). Ruben is a social worker administrator for a youth detention center and an active leader in my church.

We all cooked together, had a picnic, played music, went hiking (about 15 kilometers on Saturday & a few more on Sunday afternoon),

explored a waterfall, and enjoyed the cozy fireplace!

A Night in Morocco

Who doesn't love a theme party? Especially with fun college friends in Sevilla, like Javi at the top, studying education, with Andrea, who's doing an internship here.

We're so close to North Africa; the cultures, languages, and architecture have overlapped here a great deal over the centuries. Just watch Carlos, beating out the djembe drum!

Any room can be transformed into an arab tea house with plenty of pillows, sheets, comforters & throw rugs. Just be sure to cover everything you can with them. Offer extra socks for your guests! A few low tables or stools, maybe some figs, nuts and mandarine oranges in a bowl --

(and of course hot tea) - & the atmosphere is complete! Here are 2 very special friends, Fran and Dani, who have been great "coaches" of the culture and language, during my first months adjusting to life in Spain.

We cooked varieties of cous cous together

(depending on the ingredients each person brought),

which was an adventure in the kitchen as well. Fatima and Marta are wearing a "palestino," as am I, which has been a popular scarf here for about 4 years. Jake, an American exchange student, is "hidden" behind his very colorful garb, between Amy and Abraham.

Back to School party

It was really fun in October to have a "back to school" party with college students here. We encouraged people to wear a white shirt, a bit reminiscent of their traditional school uniforms, and played silly kids' games.

ICU intensity

what if i lived life most days (well, at least a bunch of the "important" ones!), as if it really mattered?! is if it truly made a difference-- the choices that i made (both big & "small"). the food i ate (pre-packaged & fatty, or fresh & leaner). the friends that i kept up with. how much money i donated to special needs (vs. spending "it ONLY cost 4 Euro" on un-necessary home decorations from IKEA). the paths that i walked on. where i had my lunch (confined to my apartment leisurely, or venturing out on campus to one of the 4 university cafeterias across the street).

living life with intensity and intentionality. i thought that that was something that i did a lot anyway... or so i've been told before-- on both accounts.

having a mom in ICU over weeks of time has made me ponder. and evaluate the intensity & radicality of my devotion to Jesus. my commitment to others. to what might be worth getting "all that worked up about!"

• I have wondered-- what kinds of OTHER things make me cry? I guess I don't get tearful that much (at least these days). are some things... or people or injustice or the reality of spiritual death... worth my tears, but i just can't seem to get that worried about it (but should?)?
• for what other reason, of an eternal nature ("it's a matter of life and death") would i fast? How important is food to me?
• what about prayer-- what drives me to my knees? what puts my face on the floor? how often? what is worth my intercession, my lifting praise up to God? what would make me stop and plead with Jesus, long and hard?
• i spent 30 days of my vacation this fall, using it all up, a good part every day (& 4 nights) in a hospital room in Florida. that was a total overhaul of my schedule. what else would be worth turning my plans upside down for? what else would merit that amount of dedication, observation, devotion?
• for what would i call my stock broker or bank the same day, & feel totally justified in immediately getting out a large sum of money? or what would be worth putting a large charge on my credit card? a last-minute plane trip to be with mom on her surgery day? yes, of course. but what else? how about giving to christian ministries and needy causes? will i live long enough to need those savings (that the stock market has already taken big chunks out of?)

i don't want to "preach" here... we all have to have a sane estimate and good conscience of how we SPEND our resources and time and tears. what our life's blood is being poured into. seeing my mom stuck on a breathing machine, i have seen how fragile MY life is, too. we're kidding ourselves if we don't see the NOW in light of ETERNITY. and how serious things can get.

me? i grew up practically next door to Disneyworld. i spent many saturdays cheering on the home team at football games in high school & college. i relish the fun of DVD's & a good sitcom. and being out until 4 a.m. (i was, just yesterday, in fact-- more common here in Spain than in some countries where i've lived-- live salsa music!). so i have to admit i'm not "serious" all the time. but i have a gnawing sensation that i want to GET this thing-- to realize that we are all in an intense situation (ICU)-- and God has first claims on our lives. i don't wanna miss the VISION that He is trying to give me-- to think & pray & give --globally. eternally. with perspective.

well, my eyes are tired. it's time for bed-- it's 2:57 a.m., actually. (so, what keeps YOU up until 3 a.m.?)

Tampa Tribune: life all mixed together

In the past weeks, we celebrated 2 birthdays from a hospital room...

and a "repeat" celebration in a darling Cafe Chocolate Pi in Tampa. We also blessed (a BIT similar to a baby christening, for my Catholic friends) darling Gwendolyn at LifePoint Church.

I bought the white with pink trim dress for Gwen in Sevilla that she's wearing for the baby dedication.

My sweet mama after 2 surgeries, and some hard challenges, back here in ICU, where we watching (sleepily) a worship service from LA together.

Tampa Tribune is the name of our newspaper locally... and since I'm spending time with my wonderful family here during some special highs & lows, I thought it appropriate to share some of those ups and downs. When Bruce and Heather got married, Mom was recuperating from another surgery (up & around, but still going slowly), she reminded me recently. And I was in Germany having back surgery and missing the whole thing. It certainly seems, doesn't it, that sometimes our biggest blessings & our deepest valleys run on "parallel tracks."

pilgrims...

A friend of mine, Darby, is going to go hiking on the Camino de Santiago (English: "St. James' way" or deutsch - "Jakobsweg") in August. One student in Jena I talked to just got back. Some do about 200 kilometers and others do more like 700-800 km., backpacking the whole way. Some explore faith, as a pilgrimage. Others are just interested in encountering all kinds of people from different countries, staying in youth hostels, over various weeks and the feeling of accomplishment-- "I did it" --to this huge hiking exploration. 

I'm not sure if I'll ever do something this physically demanding, carrying that kind of weight around on my back. But maybe could imagine doing a part of it, and then driving or taking the train to different parts, to encourage our student group on a pilgrimage...

Anyway, I was fascinated today with some words in the Bible translated (from Greek) as "aliens," "strangers," "sojourners" and "pilgrims." 

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.... All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth... Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

-- Hebrews, chapter 11, verses 9, 10, 13, & 16

What amazes me are the ideas of:

1) starting a journey, with no assurance of where it will lead you. Scary. If I may use a personal comparison (at least to some extent), I never figured when moving to Germany that I would later move to Spain! So, what guarantees do YOU have that next year you will live in the same place? Have the same friends near you? Be able to work with the same co-workers?

2) faith-- it's all about the "dive" into God's arms and ocean of love-- but without seeing it all layed out and planned and on the calendar, tickets purchased, no changes, etc. formula.

3) living long-term in a tent (no real complaints here, if you've seen my lovely apartment). It reminded me of the fact that I have an apartments-worth of furniture stored in Germany at the moment.

4) getting very comfortable or maybe just attached to the idea of being a stranger, a foreigner-- long -term! The longer I live in Europe, for example, the less I feel like an "alien" here and actually feel more like one in the USA. (I believe this is no UN-usual occurrence, for many who live overseas and move around. And if you've never tried it, I mean, moving because the Lord has something in another location for you-- you might be surprised and discover that it's wonderful!!) And since moving to Spain, I have had to re-visit some of those "old" patterns-- how much do I  simply RELISH life-- and "settle in" to culture & language here? --  versus falling into a pattern of contrasting the differences, or verbalizing what I left behind. 

5) I also love the word "admitted" -- like "hey, guys, could we all just face the facts and grab hold of the reality-- this is NOT home! No matter how much you buy it, own it, paint it, cut the lawn, plant, decorate, fix it up, re-furbish, color- coordinate, light the candles-- you are STILL living in a tent. A temporary state of being, on the earth. 

One day, though, it will feel "right." It will truly be...

home.

zu Hause.

mi hogar.

nuevos amigos

I just made some new friends this week, who study biology and bio-chemistry. Laura was nice enough to invite Yasmin and I for a swim (standing beside me). Her good friends Daniela and Abraham are pictured here. The pool really helps when you have temps in the 90's & 100's (without an air conditioner in the apartment!).

Team in Thüringen

Despite the rain (sigh!), our Connexxion staff team enjoyed a fun weekend away at a rented apartment in the Thüringen Forest -- to learn, plan, fellowship and prepare for the coming year. 

I had just visited Jena, my first Connexxion group, so it was great to see the team "in action" and catch up with old friends-- (watch for a new post to come).

Our team is mostly German: Thomas and Anja K., and Vera -- in Jena; Birthe, Anja G. and Vincent (from Georgia, USA) -- in Braunschweig; and me in Sevilla. And let's not forget baby Immanuel, who makes sure we relax & don't take ourselves too seriously!!

We also had fun comparing each others strengths and giftings, based on an on-line test. If you're interested, it's really excellent and part of a book called "Now, Find Your Strengths" or the new version "Strengths Finder 2.0." There are 7 of us on staff (well, Yasmin in Sevilla makes it 8 but sadly she finishes her internship this coming week). I am SO blessed to call them "friends" and get to exchange amazing, creative ideas with like-hearted people reaching out to the campuses of Western Europe! 

family festival fotos, part 2

Here is David, one of my colleagues who did lots of coordination for the Family Festivals, as well as 2 friends who study computer science, Arias & Roberto.
Yasmin is wearing the green shirt here, explaining the bracelets to kids. It was a wild ride for one week of full-blast activities, 

and probably the most fun was had by us during 4 nights of a family festival in the town of Bormujos (a suburb of Sevilla). Enjoy the views...

family festivals & fun

Above I am at a literature table with 2 friends who helped. And here is a family I met (he's a pilot) while handing out flyers that day advertising a special week of events! We had a recent, fun-filled, crazy week with 17 youth & sponsors here from the USA who were helping out with various activities of lacomunidadaljarafe, 

some friends of mine starting a new church community in the suburbs, Bormujos. 

4 of the evenings we all participated in a family festival in a city park, complete with jumping castle, face painting, colored bead bracelets with a story, painting toe nails, handing out literature, a skit & live music (from my friends Inga-- a former intern here-- Esther and Tommy from Germany), and country line dancing thrown in there!

The first night was a July 4th theme (on the 5th!) with over 200 attending. Here I am talking with some college students (they're twins) we'd just met.

pooper scooper day

My friends asked the local government of the town where they live, how a group of visiting Americans could help out. The answer: pooper scoopers & instructions on the environmental dangers of letting your dog "do his thing" just anywhere. So, with a group of several Americans doing a cultural exchange. We even got an official T-shirt! :-)

Thankfully my friend Jose was also there to help us explain things better in Spanish to the citizens we approached along the road and near the park. A side benefit of getting to know the locals-- Christy got to try out a jack hammer!