A week from today, this very second, I will be on my journey back to the US of A. I don't even believe it. This summer has both flown by and dragged on. It has been difficult, but so rewarding.
Tuesday we sent our second and last group of one weekers back to Texas. They were a younger and more rowdy group than the first, but they were still rock stars. Spain is very much a night culture. They take their siestas very seriously here. Our students spent a majority of their time out plowing (pr walking) for hours with little opportunity to sow (have gspl conversations). Not only do people just now come out until the evening, it is Ramadan. This is where the vast majority of the people in the areas we work in fast from sunrise to sunset. They do not even drink water during the day. Because of this, it was much harder to find people to talk to. Despite this obstacle, our students pushed through. They took joy in knowing their prs were softening the ground (hence plowing) for future workers to come and sow, and eventually be a part of the harvest. It was a hard week, but they were not discouraged. They were able to grasp the importance of pr in a way only Father could show them.
Our JSIs rocked it. Most of them had nothing left in the tank, nothing more to pour out. But they all learned to turn everything over to Father. He provides the strength we need when we have none. We all learned about what Paul talks about in Col 1:28-29. We have nothing on our own, but we toil with the energy that is provided from beyond our abilities. It was a sweet week. But it was not without hardship. In the middle of the week we had to say goodbye to the couple who had been guiding us through the summer. A complication with their pregnancy sent them back to the States much sooner than they expected. Even though their world was turned upside down, they clung tightly to the One who weaves us together in our mother's womb as well as weaves our lives into his marvelous redemptive story, all for his glory. They taught us much about suffering well and how to keep emotions from distorting our we view Father or his word. It was sad to see them go, but we had all we needed to keep the week running smoothly.
And by grace, it did. I don't think the one week students really even noticed a difference. Our second week, also by grace, had no sickies or any thing else that made the first week a little crazy. Hunter, Meredith and I were given the wisdom and words we needed to keep things going. It has been modeled for us well. Father is faithful in every situation. He just is.
Tomorrow we leave for a retreat outside of the city. Monday we will come back with just enough time to get the JSIs to the airport. They will leave on Monday. Sarah will join us from Paris and we will have a few days to rejoice together in what Father has done this summer, as well as rejoice in some much needed down time before we also leave.
Please pr both for team Madrid and team Paris as we all retreat and recount what has gone on this summer. Pr that it will be sweet time as a team, but even more so with father. I am hoping we will use the time well.
Please pr for all of us as we go back home. I always struggle between resting and just being lazy. We will all need rest. We don't need to be lazy. Pr as we all go home and fight with jetlag, we will rest well in the word and in sleep, but not let it slip into laziness.
Please pr for safe travels to retreat, to airports, and on planes as we make our ways home.
Thank you so much for your prs. I know I probably say this every single time, but I would be nowhere without them. I wouldn't have been able to do anything without support you have given me through words and prs. I look forward to telling y'all all my stories. Only one more week!
Love y'all!
Tuesday we sent our second and last group of one weekers back to Texas. They were a younger and more rowdy group than the first, but they were still rock stars. Spain is very much a night culture. They take their siestas very seriously here. Our students spent a majority of their time out plowing (pr walking) for hours with little opportunity to sow (have gspl conversations). Not only do people just now come out until the evening, it is Ramadan. This is where the vast majority of the people in the areas we work in fast from sunrise to sunset. They do not even drink water during the day. Because of this, it was much harder to find people to talk to. Despite this obstacle, our students pushed through. They took joy in knowing their prs were softening the ground (hence plowing) for future workers to come and sow, and eventually be a part of the harvest. It was a hard week, but they were not discouraged. They were able to grasp the importance of pr in a way only Father could show them.
Our JSIs rocked it. Most of them had nothing left in the tank, nothing more to pour out. But they all learned to turn everything over to Father. He provides the strength we need when we have none. We all learned about what Paul talks about in Col 1:28-29. We have nothing on our own, but we toil with the energy that is provided from beyond our abilities. It was a sweet week. But it was not without hardship. In the middle of the week we had to say goodbye to the couple who had been guiding us through the summer. A complication with their pregnancy sent them back to the States much sooner than they expected. Even though their world was turned upside down, they clung tightly to the One who weaves us together in our mother's womb as well as weaves our lives into his marvelous redemptive story, all for his glory. They taught us much about suffering well and how to keep emotions from distorting our we view Father or his word. It was sad to see them go, but we had all we needed to keep the week running smoothly.
And by grace, it did. I don't think the one week students really even noticed a difference. Our second week, also by grace, had no sickies or any thing else that made the first week a little crazy. Hunter, Meredith and I were given the wisdom and words we needed to keep things going. It has been modeled for us well. Father is faithful in every situation. He just is.
Tomorrow we leave for a retreat outside of the city. Monday we will come back with just enough time to get the JSIs to the airport. They will leave on Monday. Sarah will join us from Paris and we will have a few days to rejoice together in what Father has done this summer, as well as rejoice in some much needed down time before we also leave.
Please pr both for team Madrid and team Paris as we all retreat and recount what has gone on this summer. Pr that it will be sweet time as a team, but even more so with father. I am hoping we will use the time well.
Please pr for all of us as we go back home. I always struggle between resting and just being lazy. We will all need rest. We don't need to be lazy. Pr as we all go home and fight with jetlag, we will rest well in the word and in sleep, but not let it slip into laziness.
Please pr for safe travels to retreat, to airports, and on planes as we make our ways home.
Thank you so much for your prs. I know I probably say this every single time, but I would be nowhere without them. I wouldn't have been able to do anything without support you have given me through words and prs. I look forward to telling y'all all my stories. Only one more week!
Love y'all!
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