Good news update!

I know I'm back from Spain and everything but I just wanted to let you all know about some of the progress that has been made since my leave in Roquetas. I just got an email from the Whitleys and they told me that they spoke to two of the woman from our african womens class and Richard (Beatrice's husband) about the plan of salvation. I don't know the details but God is so good to provide them such an opportunity to share! This is such progress and it is so amazing to see this progress occur to quickly! (this conversation on average takes 7 years to have with an african muslim and they have done it with 1-2 years with these individuals) Just thought ya'll may want to know! And please keep them in your prayers!

ratatouille & french islands.

So this is probably going to be a bit of a long one but really that’s a good thing (for me) because of the fact that I have been so busy having an amazing time in FRANCE that I haven’t had a moment to update this thing. So obviously France has been amazing thus far. I have consumed a sufficient amount of French cuisine including crepes,  ratatouille (YUM)  this delicious ham and cheese grilled cheese thing that is then smothered in more cheese on top..

Friday Amanda and I went out to venture Marseille on our own. With the help of some direction and advice from the team member who live here we went to several French markets, the old port, navigated the metro system, ate amazing food and took a ferry to the Frioul Islands. The Frioul Islands were so gorgeous and just an amazing experience. We were supposed to go to this really old castle, prison thingy on one of the islands (its where the Conte of Monte Cristo was filmed (pretty cool)) but due to our lack of understating anything French and lack of maps were pretty sure we bought a ticket to go to it even though it was closed that day. But we weren’t to upset about that bc we did see it from the boat and the islands were so freaking cool and pretty it didn’t even matter. Castle smastle.

the island.

Later that evening we met up with the Whitleys and the rest of their team to go to an international choir competition, that one of the members of their teams (who lives in Marseille) was judging. What made it really cool was that each choir team was composed of immigrants. There was a team from Madagascar (yes, like the movie!) the Philippines, Romania, and Israel. It was really cool to see these people worship god through music in so many different languages.

The next day we went to part of the team meeting to talk about what we have been doing this summer in roquetas. It was really cool to reflect on the summer. After a delicious lunch of eggplant pizza (yummm) we headed to a small French town a few hours away to see some protestant churches and eat dinner with the church. Along the ride I fell in love with France, no big deal. We drove through the French wine country and quant little French towns it was all just so great and beautiful. The dinner was amazing with all of these cute little French people who had prepared us a feast. Literally. 5 course meal of local French cuisine. It was on of the best meals of my life! (& I found out I love ratatouille & walnut liquor )

\Today after French church (very interesting) we went to the basilica that over looks Marseille and then a few of us went on a hike over some cliffs by the sea. It was a perfect afternoon and I don’t ever want to leave this place, though I do because Im meeting my mom in 2 days in Madrid! 

view from the hike.

tearful Good Byes & New Adventures

Today is my last day in roquetas and I can't believe it. This summer has been amazing and Roquetas really does feel like home now. I am going to miss so much about this place (maybe even my loud prostitute neighbors...maybe). I am really going to miss the Africans, my morning runs along the Mediterranean sea, the members of the Spanish church in Almeria, kids club, Endyes family, 1 euro tinto verano, saying "no pasa nada," walking every where, visiting the african women, talking in spanish (who would believe that?!), of course the Whitleys,( but I am going to see them next summer!) and so much more.

Yesterday Amanda and I went over to Endyes for my last time. We gave her a picture frame with a picture of her with us all in our African clothing that was taken a few days ago at the wrestling festival. She loved it and thanked us over and over again. Joel told me that if I came back to visit 10 years from now that picture will still be sitting on a shelf in her living room. Thats what I am going to miss most about this place and this summer, the Africans genuine generosity and kindness. These people have given me so much, materially and emotionally when they really don't have a lot materially and have no reason to give to me emotionally. I will never forget the time Beatrice and her husband gave amanda and I fancy african clothes when they were barely surviving themselves. Nothing seems to make these people happier than just spending time with them and allowing them to treat you as their guest and give you things. In America we like to believe in the "season of giving" and that there is so much joy in giving to others but that is nothing compared to the generosity of these africans. Every season and every day is of giving and that seems to natural to them. I have never seen even a hesitation when we knock on one of our african friends doors, they are always so friendly and happy to have us in their home.
 If I ever wanted to go to Africa I would have more than enough places to stay for I have been invited to stay with so many peoples families there I couldn't even begin to count. The last student who stayed here ended up going to africa with one of the guys he met here for the african guys wedding. Amanda and I at first thought this was just crazy and that this guy was just a really adventurous type (which he really is). But now that doesn't seem to strange to me. Don't worry,  I'm not going to hop on a plan tomorrow and go to africa but one day I would like to.

I have also learned from these people that although they don't yet know God or have a relationship with him, God has been working in these people's lives for a very long time. While they may not be aware of it, he has helped them through their struggles, trials and tribulations and you can see that in their smiling faces. It really is amazing that you can find Gods love in places that you would never expect.

. I spent a lovely afternoon with Endyes family. Fahtu (the new mother) braided meghan's entire head and it looks adorable. She did hair wraps in my and Amandas hair, and they are legit. It was really hard for me to ay good bye to them. Little Fahtu wouldn't stop hugging and clinging to me, making it all the more difficult to say good bye. I am really going to miss these people.

Tomorrow I leave for new adventure, traveling to France. While I am overtly sad about leaving Roquetas I am quite excited to be going to France. While the Whitleys will be in meetings during the day Amanda and I are going to go out and see what Marseille has to offer ( or best that we can given that we know not a word of french). And then on tuesday I fly back to Spain, this time Madrid, to finally meet up with my mom! I can't wait for the adventures we will have those ten days of traveling all over Spain, it is going to be the trip of a lifetime.

This really has been the summer of a lifetime. I am so blessed and so thankful for that all that has happened to me these past two months. As student.go would say, I have been ruined forever.

Spanish Castles & African wrestling.

So a new team got here on Friday and they are from Gainesville, ga (small world right?). They are really cool and very excited to be here in Spain. Friday night we went with the to the Castillo de Alaczaba, and although I had been there before it was really pretty to see the castle at night and the city skyline of Almeria.

Saturday was quite a busy day, starting with us going grocery shopping for Endye so that she could cook an African meal for the team. At my request, she made pulyahassa (sp?)  so we had to buy  LOT of onions. While Endye was busy cooking for the team and for all the company she had in town we had kids club with the team. This kids club made me really sad because I knew it was to be my last kids club and my last time seeing several of these beautiful African children. This kids club was also very important because several members of the Spanish church came along with the team to help. One of the jobs of the Whitleys working here is to encourage the local church to do out reach to the African immigrants here. This has been a challenge however due to the fact that many of the Spaniards are afraid of Africans (which is just silly and ridiculous) and think dos cientos (the neighborhood that Amanda and I live in) is very dangerous,( there was a riot or 2 a few years back here and so just because of that they are afraid). Having them come to kids club and move around in dos cientos was a perfect way to show the Spanish church that these people are no different than them and this neighborhood, while full of immigrants, is not as dangerous as they may think. (though I wouldn’t  recommend walking by yourself at 1 am here… or really any where for that matter.) Having amanda and I live here has also helped the church be more open to coming here. When we first got here they just couldn’t believe that these two young American girls were living all by themselves out in dos cientos.  A lot of the church is participating in out reach but they still have some fears and others are just beginning to get involved. It has been really cool to see the church progress this summer and hear about the progression that has been made since the Whitleys first began working here.

After kids club and eating more delicious African food made by the beautiful Endye, we went to an African wrestling festival. This was something else. It was really cool to see all the Africans of the area come together for an even that is so close to their hearts because it is something of their African culture. There was music and dancing (which I loved) and lots of wrestling. Endye was there ofcourse, dressed in her best traditional African garb along with her whole family. It was really cool. The next night we went back, this time in our African outfits and it was a blast. The Africans love to see us all dressed up in our African clothes. It was such a cool cultural experience that I will never forget. I wont ever forget any of this summer. I can’t believe Im leaving here this Thursday! It breaks my heart, but I am also excited for the next few weeks and their adventures as well.

Amanda & I with Endye.

All of us in our african clothes!

the African wrestling.

Fahtu, Fahtu, & Fahtu.

Well the team left yesterday and I was truly sad to see them go, although I do get my room back! On Tuesday we went on a tour of green houses, which was really cool and really hot! The work these people do in the green houses is not only back breaking but scorching hot as well! Imagine being in a sauna. Nice, right? Now imagine being in a sauna and having to yard work. For hours and hours. In July. Not so nice, huh? It showed me how hard these immigrants work and also how desperate they are to have work. It made my appreciation for these wonderful and generous African people grow even more. Later we checked out the university in Almeria because a few of the students on the team are interested in studying over here and working with the Whitleys, which I think is pretty freaking cool. I really wish I had taken up more opportunities like this one when I had the chance. After that we hung out at the beach and went to the Wok for dinner. It was really cool to have the team here and I am very excited about the next team arriving tomorrow (especially since they will not be staying with us so I wont have to share my shower with 16 people again).

Today Amanda and I went to the market to buy our weekly supply of peaches and other assortments of fruit. I love going to the market and experiencing all the different cultures coming together as a community. The market also made me sad, because I knew it was the last time I will probably ever go to it again. I can’t believe I will be leaving roquetas a week from today forever (hopefully not forever but for a very very long time)! We leave for france in a week and then I meet my mom in Madrid in a week in a half! (so excited). Its really crazy how fast this summer has gone by, I can’t believe I will be flying home 3 weeks from today!

After the market we went and ate and Endyes. I finally got to see Endyes niece who has been not coincidentally named Endye as well. She was obviously named after her grandmother, which is very typical in African cultures. What is even more typical (and strange) is that African parents will give some of their children the same name as one of their siblings. For instance, Endye has two Fahtus. There is Fahtu the new mother of baby Endye and Daughter of grown-up Endye and the Fahtu the 5 year old daughter of  gorwn-up Endye. You think that’s confusing? Wait to you get those two Fahtus in the same room along with there cousin Fahtu as well. That happened today, so I ate lunch with 3 Fahtus who are all related. Bet you can’t say that, can you? But anyways it was great to see Endye and her family again since it had been almost 3 weeks since my last visit. Endyes family has become sort of my second family here (next to the Whitleys of course) and I am so appreciative of that. (& im in love with her cooking). 

Lorca Lorca Lorca (& miscellaneous).

So the last few days have been a bit crazy with the group being here but it has been a thrill as well. Sunday I met up with the team in Lorca where the earthquake hit this past year. It was crazy to see all the damage that had been done to this old and beautiful Spanish city. Later we went to the church service of the Baptist church in Lorca. Because of the earthquake, the church had been destroyed, so until they are able to complete their new church they have been having in someone’s very large and nice backyard. It was really cool to see that after all that had happened to these people they were still able to come together as a church and worship the lord. You would never know the hardships thee people have endured, they are just so thankful to be alive and in the presence of the lord.

Damage done by the earthquake in Lorca.

More damage, this is the outside of someones apartment!

Today we had kids club and it was so nice to have the whole team there to help because a ton of kids showed up! After Kids Club we all went to Mojonera to eat lunch with a large group of African guys that are friends of the Whitleys and play soccer with them. These guys are all from different parts of Africa (duh) and have come to spain to work in the green houses to make better money. They all live together in this tiny apartment and the whitleys have reached out to them because they really miss their families and Africa. These guys really need some people who will just show them love and kindness. The African guys made us an amazing African meal in thanks to the team making them dinner on their last visit to spain. The meal was amazing for numerous reasons. First of all the guys made the food which is a big deal because African men do not cook. In Africa while the men work all day the woman spend their day cooking, ALL DAY. So for these guys to take their own time to cook a meal for us really means a lot. The other thing was the amount of vegetables and meat they put on the rice. Typically is they are just feeding themselves they have a lot of rice and maybe a small fish and a small piece of meat with a few veggies that is shared with maybe 8 guys. I have never seen so much meat and veggies on an African bed of rice in my life and in the past month and a half I have eaten A LOT of African food. They must have spent so much of their money on us and it was just heartbreaking and so touching. The generosity that Africans have is just incredible.

The African guys cooking for us.

After lunch we watched African wrestling with the guys which was quite entertaining and nothing in any way shape or form similar to American wrestling. After that we headed down towards a soccer field to play soccer with the guys. This was so much fun. If the Spanish kids thought it was a big deal that I could play soccer and was decent at it, these African guys were just blown away. They could not believe that a girl not only knew how to play soccer but could play it well. They called me “the best woman soccer player in the world.” So obviously that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But given the fact that African women only where long skirts and dresses, I believe its safe to say that there are less than 10 woman in all of northern Africa who play soccer. So in their world, maybe I am! ha.  I had such a great time with these guys, they were so nice and upbeat and always smiling. They were also quite funny when they scored a goal, each had their own way of celebrating the achievement of getting the ball in the American teams goal (which happened quite often believe it or not).

Us and the African guys after soccer. (yes, I had to play in pants!)

So far the teams visit has been great and has enabled me to do some really cool things. It is refreshing to see these students excited about what Amanda and I have been doing the last month and a half. It really makes me appreciate the experience I am having this summer even more. 

donkeys, sunsets and one beautiful volcanic island.

After a over 15 hours of traveling I finally got back to roquetas at 5 am this morning from the canary islands to 15 people. There is a church mission team visiting staying with us, which I am very excited about but I haven’t gotten to meet them yet due to my arrival at 5 in the morning. They left this morning to due some work in Lorca where the earthquake hit last year and I’ll meet up with them tomorrow.

I believe it is safe to say that my trip to the canary islands was more than a success. I had such an amazing time. The kids were so great and really seemed to love Janessa and I. When we had to leave yesterday to catch our flight, they wouldn’t let go of us and tried t prevent us from leaving. It was adorable.

Tuesday night we say the most gorgeous sun setting over the beautiful rocky cliff coast of fuerteventura. It was just breathe taking and so surreal. This may sound silly but it was so humbling yet intimidating to be in the presence of such beauty. I also learned that the canaries are also major wine grape growers and will actually grow the grapes in large cratered holes left from the volcanoes hundreds of years ago. Something about the soil down there apparently adds a very sophisticated taste to the grapes. We didn’t go to see them but on my next visit to this incredible place I will most definitely be partaking in their infamous wine tours from vineyard hole to vineyard hole.

Wednesday we went to the most beautiful and isolated beach I have ever seen. It took 30 minutes of traveling on roads that hung on the sides of mountains and cliffs that lacked guardrails, and though the ride was a little intimidating it as so worth it. To see this beautiful beach that human hands had barely disturbed was such an experience.

Another really unique thing about is all the wildlife that just roams the island freely. While I was running Friday morning on a running path along the beach and a the tourist traps of stores and restaurants I ran into 4 wild donkeys. This was quite an experience because here I am in a very industrialized area of the island and here are 4 donkeys just lounging around on the running path. At first I didn't know what to do because I didn't know if these were vicious wild donkeys (if such exist) or nice peaceful ones. Forgive me but I haven't ever really given much thought to the behavior of donkeys before this encounter. But I put on my big girl pants and ran around them and they hardly paid me any attention, I guess they are the nice peaceful type. Not a very exciting story but I felt obligated to share such an experience. 

I had such an amazing time and was so blessed to have had this opportunity and for it to go so well.  The camp went so great and I finally felt like I was able to really connect with what I was doing, to really feel like I was a part of it. The couple I stayed with were more than welcoming and are already encouraging Janessa and I to return next summer and work with them for a month (& they want friends to come with us!). What ever Gods plan for me may be,  this beautiful and unique volcanic island is definitely going down in the books as a place that I will most definitely return to.

living in Spanish Paradise

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So I have been in the Canary Islands for a few days now and I absolutely love this place. It is so beautiful and gorgeous. While where we are staying is a bit touristy, it is so full of its own unique culture, and besides I will always be a tourist at heart, even in GA. Fuerteventura, the island we are staying on is known for their amazingly fresh and delicious goat cheese. I am currently in a goat cheese coma due to the copious  amounts of goat cheese I have put into my body since my arrival. The couple we are staying with are so great. They are quite a unique and darling older couple and have been working in the canaries in the mission field for over 30 years! The husband is originally from texas while his wife is from Spain, they both are just so full of character and so much fun. They have very much made Janessa and I feel at home and fed us quite well. We have been eating like true Spaniards since our arrival, which I of course love.  I've been going on long runs along their paradise of a beach and it has just been the most perfect way to start my days.

The gorgeous beach right down the street from us.

The English camp that we have been working at is going great. It turns out they really did desperately need our help because I am solely in charge of the crafts class, which of course I love. While a language barrier does still exist, I am encouraged to use my english due to the fact that it is an English camp. While there english is not exactly good we are able to communicate pretty well for the most part, which is good since I'm leading the class.  I absolutely love it. Doing crafts with the kids is such a blast and they are always so excited to do them.  The kids are just adorable and I am just so happy and blessed for it to be going this well. It really is a relief because I have been struggling with really feeling connected with what I am doing in Spain. It finally all seems to be falling in place. We finish up around 2 and then we eat a fabulous spanish feast of a lunch and then enjoy the beautiful island that we are on. The beautiful beaches, unique shops, gorgeous art and local culture. Tonight we are going to a beach down the island to watch the infamous sunset here. Tomorrow we are going to the "prettiest beach on the island" according to Chari, the wife, but it is also very dangerous so we "can't go swim there." I'm excited and very grateful that Chari is taking all of her free time while we are here to feed us splendid spanish food and show us all that this beautiful place has to offer. I am so thankful for God placing this spontaneous trip into my summer in Spain, more than words can say. This will most definitly not be the last time I come to this place. Chari is already working on us coming to next summer to work with her, though I don't believe convincing us will take too much work.

I could so live here. 

Camp in the Spanish Mountians

So I just got back from 5 days of Spanish Children’s camp and it was a blast! The camp was in the beautiful Spanish country mountains right outside of Mercia. Every morning I went running as the sun began to rise over these gorgeous Spanish mountains and it was absolutely breathtaking and an amazing way to start each day.

The beautiful Mountians

It was very similar to American camp in the sense that we slept in tents and did similar camp activities such as zip lines, arts and crafts and playing sports. But there were also several differences. I got to experience the laid back style of the Spanish first hand at this camp. There was a schedule of activities for each day but except for meals nothing ever starting even close on time, which can be quite frustrating at first yet again I am learning to be patient and more laid back. Another difference was the meals including the time they were held and what was served during them. Breakfast was at 9 everyday but then we had to wait 5 hours to eat lunch at 2 and then wait another 6 hours to eat dinner at 8. I was a bit difficult to go such extended periods of time with out eating but I learned very quickly to fill up on bread when I had the chance at every meal. Now the food that was served at this camp was quite an experience.

 Here are a few of the meals that were offered during my stay:

-Pizza & an Omelet (this was one meal and these were paired together).

- Tortilla (a potato pancake sort of deliciousness) with hotdog wieners in tomato sauce (NOT GOOD).

-paella (yumm).

-Fish sticks and spaghetti (again served together as part of one meal).

- Rabbit stew (it was yummy until some one found the skull of the rabbit on their plate and then I lost my appetite).

- and a Spanish summer salad (ensalada verano) consisting of a combination of potatoes, olives, tomatoes, eggs and tuna. This looked like the most terrifying salad I had ever seen but it was delicious!

I had a great time at the camp for a million different reasons but it was just really cool to hang out with some Spanish kids and to get to know them. It was cool to talk about God with them and it was even cooler to hear Tiffany give her testimony in Spanish to all these kids. To me there is just something so beautiful about telling children about Jesus in a country half way around the world from my home in a different language. Worship was kinda funny too because almost all the songs were Spanish versions of our American worship songs and it was hard not to sing the English version. I had a great time playing soccer with the boys every day and that made me a hit because one I know how to play and I play “muy bien” according to the guys and also because my name is Chelsey which just happens to remind them all instantly of Chelsea FC the English soccer club. The kids loved to practice their English with us and loved to write use letters in their broken English.

The Campers

Ronnie (a camper) and I, we had to wear swim caps in the pool!

Camp was such an amazing experience and I am so thankful that God has allowed me to have such an encounter in my life. Although I didn’t get much sleep (these kids ran around until midnight and were up at 7am everyday!) I am very excited to leave tomorrow for the Canary Islands to work at yet another camp. Thankfully this one is an English camp so maybe I wont be as exhausted as I have been recently. 

Locoooo.

The next few weeks are going to be insane and super busy. Today we leave for camp, where we will be some sort of camp counselors for a camp that the pastor of the Spanish Church has been doing for a few years now. Its gonna be real camp with sleeping in tents and everything. I am very excited and interested to see how this week will play out. I've grown up spending my summers at camps so it's going to be cool to see how that compares to camps in Spain. I'm very curious to see what sort of food we will be having every day, I have a feeling hotdogs and s'mores will not be on the menu.

Then Saturday I am leaving camp early because I have to catch an early flight (5am) on Sunday to fly to the Canary Islands to work at another camp. This camp is an english camp for Spanish children. I'm very excited to work with Spanish kids and to be able to use english for a change. I'm also excited because the camp ends every day at 1 so we have the rest of the day to hit the beach (which is what the canary islands are known for). When I get back from the Canary Islands that following friday I will return to my house filled with 14 other people from a mission youth team visiting from the states. 2 bathrooms and 16 people is going to be quite interesting. But it will be cool to hang out with some people our age (who speak english) and show them around roquetas and introduce them to our African friends.

I am giving a brief overview of my upcoming weeks so that no one panics or thinks I'm dead if they do not hear from me or do not see any recent posts on here in the next few upcoming weeks, (for those of you who care of course). I'm going to be super busy and I don't think I will have too much internet connection or time (especially at camp). But I am very excited to see what the Lord is going to bring into my life in the upcoming days and weeks ahead. Please pray that He will provide me strength in the challenges these new few weeks may present and safety in my travels. Hasta luego!

local culture & rice crispy treats

So last night Amanda and I got to experience some true local Spanish culture. Around 9:30 we heard marching drums in our neighborhood so we went to check it out. A parade of sorts was going on for el dia de San Juan. There was a marching band and some people carrying a sort of alter representing john the Baptist and people dressed up in what I can only assume to be some sort of Catholic garb.  I’m guessing it was some kind of symbolic pilgrimage or st that Catholics do to celebrate the birth of john the Baptist (san juan). We followed the parade for a while and it was just really cool. It eventually went by the plaza de dos cientos where there was a sort of festival going on se Amanda and I ditched little parade and checked out the festival. There were rides and vendors of all sorts. We didn’t stay long due to us wearing shorts and we would be embarrassed if we ran into one of our African friends in them (in their culture showing legs is inappropriate.) What we have experienced the past few days in relation to San Juan is something rare that not many tourist are able to uncover. One of the cool things about living here for two months is to be able to experience the real local culture of Spain and to kind of become a part of it.

The Catholic Parade of sorts

The Festival en La Plaza de Dos Ceintos

Today we had kids club and I was in charge of the snack. For some reason I was bound and determined for these little African children to have rice crispy treats as their snack.  After going to three grocery stores, I finally found something that was similar to the consistency and taste of marshmallows on the international isle in the German section. They were white and pink candies that looked like marshmallows, sort of. BUT I made them and the kids loved them! Though they did not get to experience the true American homemade treats that we grew up consuming, one batch was strawberry flavored (sabor de fresas) and the other was chocolate. So if you ever go to Spain and think you will have a hankering for some homemade rice crispy treats, or any for that matter, bring your own marshmallows. We are leaving for a camp next week and I imagine that there will not be any s’mores on the menu either. The American in me is saying that it’s not really camp if there aren’t s’mores but we will see if the Spaniards can get it right. 

La fiesta de San Juan & a MultiCultural Prayer Meeting

So last night was la noche de fesitival de San Juan. Which is apparently a BIG deal to Spanish people here. It’s a festival celebrating the birth of John the Baptist, but it has a lot of pagan traditions and pretty much just seems like an excuse for the Spanish to party. Everyone goes to the beach all day and once its dark hundreds of bond fires appear all over the beach, seriously hundreds. Some of the traditions are jumping over the fire 3 times for good luck and taking a dip in the sea at exactly midnight. Some even burn dolls, very similar to voodoo or witchcraft. It kind of funny to think that this night is celebrating John the Baptist, yet it is celebrated with some many pagan traditions. We decided to go and check out all the madness and it was really cool. It was neat to see such real Spanish culture and tradition up so close. The beach was filled with people drinking, eating and dancing around their fires. We even ran into some of our African friends who invited to hangout with them and eat some delicious African food. It was interesting to see our African friends really becoming apart of Spain, by taking apart in a such a large Spanish gathering.

Before we went to the beach to check out the big festival we went with Joel to the Roquetas evangelical leader prayer meeting. There is a meeting held once a month where all of the evangelical Christian leaders of the area meet to plan events together and to just pray. It was so cool because all of the leaders were from all over the world. There were some from Nigeria, Egypt, Argentina, Italy, Romania, America and Spain. There was a bit of translation going back and forth but everyone seemed to be able to pretty much understand Spanish and English, which I found so cool. The praying style was quite interesting as well. One would suggest a topic that should be prayed over then all at once these people would all pray aloud in their native tongue. It was so overwhelming yet so beautiful to hear all of these people praying to God in so many different languages. It made God just feel so real, you could really feel his presence filling the room. To have so many people from all over the world to come together and pray for the Lords work, despite language barriers, was just so empowering and beautiful. You could really feel the Lord at work. If you had ever doubted God, this meeting would have extinguished all doubts. To see so many different people, cultures and languages come together for prayer to God, its impossible to deny his being. It was such a unique and awing experience that I will never forget.

I also just booked a ticket for the Canary Islands! I will be going to the Canary Islands with Janessa, the daughter of the Mennonite missionaries that are friends of the Whitleys. We will be staying there for about 6 days. Amanda won’t be able to go due to travel complications and the arrival of mission group from the states that will be living in our little house for 6 days (16 people and only 2 bathrooms, eek!) Anyways, Janessa and I will be going there to work with some IMB missionaries at an English camp they are putting on for the local Spanish children. The Whitleys sought out this opportunity for me because they were worried about me struggling with the African children here due to the my poor Spanish (ok, its not that bad but it isn’t great!) Because this will be an English camp they think I may be able to connect with the children more and not be so focused on the language and just trying to communicate. I am so grateful and excited for this opportunity! The camp is every day from 9-1 and the missionaries said we could have the rest of the day at the beach, I am so excited, this place is gorgeous! Oh, and did I mention that these IMB missionaries are paying for all of our travel and stay costs?! It is amazing to see all that God is doing in my life this summer.

If you compliment an African.

So Today Amanda and I began they day again with more visits. We first went to Beatrice’s (the woman who just had the baby) and the visit was quite interesting. When we first got there no one was there so we decided to leave and come back another time. As we were walking back a man came up from behind us yelling “Hola! Hola! Hola!” At first we ignored him thinking it was just some strange man hollering at us until we realized it was Beatrice’s husband. He saw us leaving their street and figured we had come by to visit them. We had just missed them because they had just gotten back from the doctor for the baby. We went back to their apartment where we say Beatrice and the baby. Beatrice was all dressed up, I guess since she went out of the house to see the doctor, and she looked quite nice. In their apartment Amanda complimented Beatrice on her African outfit and I went on to say that I just loved African Clothes. There is a lesson to be learned when one compliments an African.

First Beatrice’s husband tells us that once he visits Africa again he can mail us some African clothes back in the states. And then he says he will show us some African shops around here but he says African clothes are really expensive here but really cheap in Africa. Beatrice leaves the room then comes back with an armful of African clothes. Now Beatrice barely speaks any Spanish and her husband speaks it ok, but she is gesturing for me to try on the top of one of the African outfits. At first I try and say no, but not wanting to offend her I put it on. With in minutes Amanda and I are fully dressed in colorful African garb and Beatrice and her husband are telling us to keep the clothes. Amanda and I don’t know what to do. Considering the major language barrier we don’t know what we can say with out offending these kind people. We don’t want to take their clothes, we know they are having hard financial times right now and they have a 2-week-old baby boy! But Beatrice conveys to us that they outfits are too small for her (given she just had a baby 2 weeks ago!) and she wants us to have them. These are brand new clothes that were mailed to them from Africa. We try to politely say no, but from the looks of their faces there is no way we can without offending them. They tell us it is a gift from them and that we are family even though our skin is a different color. I could tell from their faces that our acceptance of their gifts meant so much to them. We thanked them tremendously but they acted as if it was nothing and just so happy to give.

The African outfits that were given to us.

It was just amazing to witness such generosity. Here these people are barely getting by but are willing to practically give the clothes off their own backs to people they have only known for a few weeks. While we have given them some food and baby supplies, we had made it clear that we just wanted to help out and be their friends. They didn’t have to do what they did, but they wanted to so they did it. Beatrice and her husband, we believe, are Christians and you can really see God in them. You can really see God in al lot of the Africans I have met so far, they are just so generous, kind and caring, and not only to their friends and family but also to outsiders they barely even know. It’s very eye opening to witness such generosity; this sort of kindness seems almost foreign to us Americans. Why is it that while we have so much, too much really, but we struggle to give even the smallest thing away, while these Africans have so very little, yet are so eager to give anything and maybe even everything they have? I think Africans could teach us a thing or two about life, especially generosity. Maybe if we had the sort of generosity that these Africans have, this world might be a bit better place. ( this experience has also made to be a lot more apprehensive about handing out compliments to my african friends.)

So if you give an African a compliment, beautiful generosity shines through them. 

Telenovelas and an African death

The past few days we have been making our rounds visiting the African women. Sense most of the African women don’t know a whole lot of Spanish (and even if they did, I don’t so it wouldn’t be much help anyways) we spend a lot of our time visiting watching Telenovelas (Spanish soap operas) with the woman. If anything, by the end of the summer Amanda and I will be quite up to date on all Spanish drama. & these telenovelas are ridiculous, it seems that on every show everyone is some how related, but all sleeping with each other and trying to kill each other. They can be quite exhausting, as you can imagine, especially since they are in Spanish. I never knew how exhausting it could be to just sit on someones couch until  encountered Telenovelas. But its nice to visit with the women and just show them that we care about them. Just taking time to spend with them means everything to them. Today after women’s class we were supposed to makes some more visits but something came up that changed all the plans of the day. One of the women who has attended womens class in the past lost her husband on Wednesday. So womens class was cut short and we made our way to the new widows house to pay her a visit.

The visit at the widow’s house of course turned into a 5 hour visit but no pasa nada (no big deal). Although the reason for being there was quite sad, it was really cool to experience an African gathering for a funeral. The women spent all day preparing the meal that we finally ate at 4pm. It was really cool to watch the women cook their African feast. It was also cool to experience the sort mood that was felt in the home. While funerals are sad Africans like to celebrate the life that was had instead of dwelling on the death. While the mood was somber at moments, these people were really at peace with what had happened.

Some African ladies preparing the food.

 It was also very interesting because this woman was a pretty strong Muslim and so were many of her friends and family. It was interesting to experience this strong cultural and religious difference. There was a lot of praying to Mecca. There was also a strong divide between the men and the women, they were almost never in the same room. Tiffany said that this is very typical African (and Muslim) culture for the women to keep away from the men. This I found strange, and it sort of made me mad considering the men did nothing but sit around all day while all the women labored outside cooking but Tiffany said again this is very typical African culture. The women typically work all day and the men do not do a whole lot. It was interesting to witness this first hand. Once the food was finally ready, the men all ate first and then the women could eat, even though they are the ones that spent the whole day cooking it. What was also interesting is that Africans eat with their right hands (only use their hands, no forks or spoons) they have a really cool trick of how to eat with their hands. Fortunately they had some spoons, which I chose in an effort to keep myself from making a complete mess. This food was amazing as usual and it was just really cool to sit and talk with so many different women. Its amazing when you think you have your whole day planned out and the something happens and it all changes. I think it is a reminder from God that he is in control and knows what best for me, and no matter how hard I try to plan around that he always prevails. & im thankful for that because this day was such a unique and amazing experience.

Spanish Baseball & A new African Baby Boy

So yesterday Aamnda and I went to make a few visits but we were only able to catch Endye at home (the woman who always feeds us) so we spent a few hours hanging out with just Emdye, her kids were still at school. It was really cool just to talk to Endye and hear about Senegal (where she is from) and her perspective of being an immigrant in Spain. She said she like Senegal much better than Spain but there is no work in Senegal and there is usually work here in Spain. I also learned that she knows 4 languages, which quite impressed me considering she never attended any sort of school. Once her kids got home from school we all ate together, and the food this time was AMAZING. I am seriously starting to love African food. It was served on a big platter, as usual, and was a rice dish, as usual, but there was this red sauce on it that was to just die for, it also had chicken, fish, cabbage, and sweet potatoes. Lunch was followed by the usual Senegalese potent but sugary tea and more hanging out. Amanda and I really feel comofortable and almost at home at Endye’s she is a wonderful lady. While I was sitting on the couch watching tv  I yawned and Endye left the room and returned with a pillow and told me to take a nap on her couch! It was just too funny, she is the most welcoming person I have ever met in my life. It also turns out that she was going to get her daughter to come to our house and invite us to lunch, but we just beat her to the punch by inviting ourselves lol.

After Endyes, we went with joel to play baseball with another American missionary and his baseball team. This missionary started a baseball team with a bunch of local Spanish teenagers as a way to form a ministry and reach the people of Spain. The funny part is that no one, I mean NO ONE, plays baseball here is Spain. I was a bit worried about embarrassing myself on the baseball field but would you believe that I was better than some of the guys!?  It was really entertaining to watch all these guys play baseball because they weren’t very good at all but they are learning how to play better and not many people in Spain have any sort of opportunity to play baseball, that’s for sure. After baseball we got tapas on the beach with the Whitleys, which was a perfect way to end the day.

Today we made some visits as well. We visited Beatrice with the Whitleys who just had her baby a week ago! The baby was just adorable. We also learned in our visit with Beatrice that her husband was out of work and they didn’t have enough money to throw a baby naming ceremony/party (a big part of African culture) and she was quickly running out of supplies that are necessary for a new born baby. This just broke my heart, I can’t imagine what she is going through. So we went with the whitleys to the pharmacy and bought Beatrice all the sorts of things a new baby needs. The look on Beatrice’s face once we returned with all the baby stuff was full of appreciation and happiness. After dropping the stuff off the Whitleys had to go pick up their kids from school so Amanda and I stayed for a while longer at Beatrice’s to just “hangout.” We spoke with her husband who told us what a hard time he was having trying to find work. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to have a new born baby and not have any idea when or if at all their next pay check is coming from. It just broke my heart. So please keep Beatrice and her family in your prayers, they really need it. & you can already see God working in their lives by having such people as the Whitleys be there for them in the really tough times.

                This is Beatrice, her new son Michelle, and her husband, Una hermosa familia.

Sorry about these posts being so long, there is just so much to say! & you know me, I always have so much to say.

sun burn and Mennonites

Today Amanda and I were going to visit a few of the African woman in their homes, but when they are all not home, that makes the task a bit more difficult. After putting our best effort forth and finding no one to visit, we resorted to going to the beach and trying again tomorrow. This was a very difficult decision, tough life going to the beach in all. So we enjoyed a lovely afternoon at the beach, where, I would find out later, I was fried by the sun like a chicken in KFC. Apparently higher SPF will be needed in future encounters with the Spanish sun.

After the beach, we had to get back because Amanda is supposed to be tutoring a Moroccan girl in Calculus. Amanda got this gig from some Mennonite missionaries who are friends with the Whitleys. They also asked me to help their own daughter with her chemistry, I just laughed and said Ill do what I can. Doing all that I can may only be reading the title of the textbook, but we will see.  We went to the Mennonites home to do this. We get there and their daughter is in Morocco for st (yay no chem!) and the Moroccan girl is a no show, typical of the African Culture of course. While we were waiting for the Moroccan girl, who was a no show, we got to really talking with the Mennonite couple. It was really cool, to learn about their beliefs, which arent all that different from my own (to an extent) and learn about their ministry. They work more with Northern Africans, while we work with western africans. Northern Africans, coming mostly from Morocco and Algeria are a lot more conservative and strict in their Muslim ways than Western Africans, and thus more difficult to work with. The Mennonites were overflowing with knowledge of Muslims and working with them. They taught me a lot about the differences between Muslims and Christians and why it is so difficult to work with Muslims in relation to Christianity. It was really cool to learn so much about Muslims and Mennonites. And I also bet no one else I know has sat down and had a conversation with Mennonite Missionaries working it Spain. I have to say, I am encountering the most unique situations here.

 After the visit with the Mennonites, and spending half an hour looking for Italian salad dressing (with no luck) I then realized that I am completely sun burned and now could easily be confused to be a giant lobster. So after swimming in a bottle of aloe, I am praying for some sort of sun burn relief miracle, it would be greatly appreciated if you could do the same.

Spanish Spain & more SPANISH

Yesterday Amanda went to a Spanish fundraiser for relief from the earthquake in Lorca with some you the youth from the Spanish church. I opted out since it would be 15 hours of pure Spanish  and I am neither physically nor mentally prepared for such an endeavor yet. I stayed in Roquetas, went for a long run on the beach and enjoyed a few hours of sun at the beach on the lovely Mediterranean before I had to return to the house and prepare for Kids Club.  Kids Club was great and it is really helping me improve on Spanish. Some of the girls made me pictures and cards and I am likely to treasure them forever. Its just a unique thing to be able to spend time with these African children.

Today we went to church which is always a little tiring considering its all in Spanish. I know I am complaining a lot about how everything is in Spanish and etc and yes I am aware that the language that is spoken in Spain is Spanish. I just didn’t realize how physically and mentally exhausting it could be when you have to communicate in a foreign language on hours upon end. But anyways, Church is getting better because my Spanish is getting better (ish). After church we went to an American restaurant, which was quite interesting and very good. Though there were several grammatical errors in their menu when using English. But I don’t blame them, learning a foreign language is hard, so I hear. After lunch Amanda and I went for a long walk/hike on the beach where we saw many topless Spaniards ranging from 1 years old to 70+. It is quite a culture experience to walk on the beach and see half naked people, literally. But  I also find it intriguing and beautiful that these woman (who aren’t always in the best shape, at all) have such confidence in the bodies that god has given them. I don’t think I will ever reach such a level of confidence, much to my mothers appreciation I’m sure, but it is an aspect of Spanish culture that I do respect.

I also found out recently that Amanda and I will be able to go to the south of France on the French Rivera with the Whitleys for their team meeting. So this summer so far is just getting better day by day, thanks to all of the wonderful prayers ya’ll are giving me I’m sure. So keep it up! Thanks!

Its Friday Friday Friday

So Fridays are Ladies class where members of the Spanish Church come to roquetas and help the women learn to sew, cook spanish food and read and write in spanish. I may have said this before but if they are able to read and write in spanish they can get certified by the state to work. An amazing thing happened today. One of the women who has been attending the class for a year now showed up today with her certificate from the state for work all because of the womens class. Norma, the spanish lady from the church, who has been running the class and Tiffany were so touched that they both teared up. It is amazing to see already what the Whitleys and this church have done, through gods will, to change these peoples lives here. Because of this class offered every friday, this woman is now able to get a job and support her family.  It was quite moving.

At the class another woman from the church made a spanish dish and taught the women how to cook it as well. Its this flour sort of thing that is from spain that you cook in a frying pan that is very similar to grits but a bit dryer, it was delicious. What was really entertaining was to watch the African women eat the Spanish dish. While it was new to me as well, they acted as if it was the strangest thing they had ever seen on a plate in their entire lives. If that wasn't funny enough, the faces they made as they ate the dish were even better. It was just funny to see this woman react in such a way to Spanish food when a lot of people foreign to Africa would argue that African food is the strangest of all the world's cuisines. It was really amusing.

After Ladies class we went to the twins soccer game which I was really excited to see. They are only 6 and I was very interested to see how the worlds most popular sport (and my favorite) was addressed in Spains youth. While the twins have only been playing for 6 months, clearly some of their team mates had been dribbling soccer balls as they left their mothers womb. These kids were amazing. Im sure some of these 6 years old could teach me a thing or two about soccer. It was just cool to see how seriously appreciated and important soccer is to the Spanish, especially at such a young age. That is something I respect immensely.

Tomorrow is kids club again, my favorite, I love the kids here! Please keep me and everything and everyone else involved here in roquetas in your thoughts and prayers!

market day

Today Amanda and I went to the market here is roquetas. A street across from the Gran Plaza (aka the mall) is shut down every 1^st, 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of the month for the market. It was quite an experience. It was not like the touristy markets that I am use to seeing on vacations filled with t shirts towels and bags all bearing the name of the current location of the market. This market is a real market, a market for locals selling food, clothing (even underwear and socks) and cooking supplies. It was quite an experience that I enjoyed, especially the fresh churros and café.

After the market, we decided to venture out and begin some of our duties that we are supposed to be keeping up with during our stay for the next two months: visits. We decided to visit Endye (sp?) the African woman whom we had visited Monday with the Whitleys. We just showed up at her house unannounced around lunchtime (2:30) bearing some of the vegetables we had gotten the day before. She graciously welcomed us in and we ate with some of her family from one large platter again of rice and fish. The same rituals that had occurred the previous visit occurred again today.  We remained at Endyes house for 3 hours simply eating whatever she offered to us, chit chatting in broken Spanish and watching Spanish soap operas also known as tele-novellas (these are quite interesting and from I can understand This is apparently a big part of out job because the biggest thing that we can do to show Africans that we care is to simply spend time with them, no matter if we really understand each other or not. This is definitely going to be a learning experience for me, as I do have a difficult time for sitting still for 3 hours and doing a lot of nothing. I pray that God will grant me patience, as I am sure most of my friends and family pray that I have on a daily basis while interacting with me. Maybe God has put me here because he also believes my patience is something in need of improvement.

Later we go to Segundas house with two members of the Spanish Church for her discipleship. Segunda is an African woman from guinea and she has recently been saved, she has come to believe is God and wants him to be a part of her life. Rebun and his wife Maria, the two members of the Spanish Church, have agreed to drive down from Almeria every Thursday (we kind of forced them to deicide upon a consistent day lol) to help Segunda begin her new walk with Christ.  This was the first meeting so it was a little rough but her kids are adorable and hopefully the next one will go smoother ( lets just say communication gaps occurred in regards to time, it is spain after all!) Tomorrow is womans class in the morning and they will be learning how to cook a spanish dish. hasta luegooo

Veggie day!

So every wednesday is veggie day, where joel, amanda and I go to one of the local vegetable warehouses where all the vegetables are sorted, cleaned and etc. Every wednesday, working with the food bank, they give the extra vegetable, that they weren't able to sell, to local groups and organizations who work with the food bank to get food to those in need. The whole reason there are so many refugees here is because of the work offered in the green houses here. This area of Spain provides all of Europe around 75% of all its vegetables. These vegetables require a lot of manual labor before they end up in someone's salad in germany, so the Africans come here in hopes of getting a job at one of the green houses. This area is also known as the "sea of plastic" because right outside the city the area is filled with hundreds of greenhouses. These greenhouses do not so much look like fancy green glass buildings, as I had expected, but more so like plastic tents. My point of this long explanation: there are LOTS of vegetables here.

But  anyways, we pick up the extra vegetables every wednesday, take them back to our place and bag them up for all the people we give them to. We give some to our neighbors and local "friends," to the women who come to the women's class and etc. We also give some to the woman who live in the brothel around the corner, another long story I may tell another day. It was cool to meet the other local organizations that are helping people on this area and I must say a few of them where quite characters.

a few things I have learned in Spain thus far summarized:
-milk does not come refrigerated here (yes, this freaked me out)
-neither do eggs
-everything closes from 2-5. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. so don't have an emergency of any sort during this time
-as in America, pedestrians have the right-of-way, but here the Spaniards fully claim this right. They claim this right so far that they will jump out into moving traffic with their baby stroller in tow.
- lunch is like 3 hours long.
- they don't eat peanut butter
-or pancakes
-there are a lot of Chinese food restaurants here, I've already eaten at 3 and I've been here barely a week.
- the store around the street makes fresh bread twice a day for 48 cents (I may come home a few or a lot pounds heavier).
-Spaniards have no sense of time and are always late.
-and they do not like to plan ahead, and when they do the plans are always changed last minute. ( this has been a learning experience and is teaching me to be more flexible (ha!))
-and last (for now, I'm sure Spain has much more to teach me) of all I have learned that the Southern Spanish coast is BEAUTIFUL.
I love it here.

my first real african culture encounter

Today Amanda and I went with the Whitleys to have lunch at an African friend of theirs home. The woman was very very nice and had spent all morning cooking lunch for all of us and a few friends and neighbors. Apparently this woman welcomes anyone to her home for a meal or whatever and would die before turning someone away. The family is from Senegal and the food was amazing. It was a rice dish with chicken and onions and peppers and we all ate from one big platter together. We each had our little corner and went to work. What was also interesting and a little strange was the woman would grab the chicken from the platter and break it apart with her bare hands and drops pieces of it into each of our eating areas, which may sound gross but it was actually really cool to experience the closeness of their culture. Later, a guy, who is a friend of the hostess who is also from senegal, made some traditional Senegalese tea which took some time but was really cool to watch. For those who don't know me well, I hate tea, but when you add 4 cups of sugar to anything I am sure to like it. That being a major component to their tea, it was delicious and I loved it.
I also learned that these Africans love to have company over for hours. So we hung out for a few hours talking and just watching tv. Mrs. Whitley (tiffany) said that the woman would love for us to come over any and all the time and that just sitting on her couch and watching tv there would make her love us. If all I have to do is be fed and sit on a couch and watch some tv to make friends around here it looks like I am going to be quite a popular girl in this neghborhood ( and a quite large one too, or gorda as they say here). But it was a really cool experience to really just hangout with africans and get a feel of their culture. I am really excited to be spending my summer around these kind hearted people.
Later Amanda and I are gonna go to the beach and chill and run. Running on the beach is an experience in itself, considering that everyone stares at you while you run by them. I guess it is rather difficult to blend in around here when you are tall, blonde and a bit pale. Amanda and I are also trying to make some friends with the locals but except for being constantly hit on and "hollered at" by spanish and romanian men, we have had no such luck. Tomorrow we will be having our first go with the public bus transportation. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, we need it.

sunday in spain

Sundays in Spain have a bit of a traditional feel to them, whether you are religious or not. We began the day by stopping for churros for breakfast on the way to church in Almeria. Its this delicious fried dough that you dip in chocolate that is very different from the Mexican churros I am used to eating back in the states. That along with fresh squeezed oj (its literally made right in front of you) and cafe seems to be the typical diet of a Spaniard on Sunday mornings.
After that we made our way to Church in Almeria which was quite an experience in itself. Its a small Spanish Baptist church where everything is conducted in Spanish (duh). While it was difficult for me to get a lot out of the message being taught given I don't speak Spanish well (yet!) the worship was beautiful. It was very empowering and beautiful to see people worship the same God that I have known all my life in another language halfway around the world. It was just beautiful. It was also very long (2.5 hours), but I made it through!
After we ate lunch with the Whitleys the pastor (who is a woman!), her husband and another family. Another thing I have come to learn about spanish culture is that lunch is more than just a meal and getting on your ( as we americans tend to do). Lunch here is a large part of your day lasting typically 2-3 hours, or more. It is something I will have to adjust to to say the least. After trying to converse for the past 8 hours in spanish,  I am now thoroughly exhausted and going for a run on the beach. That is something I don't think I will ever be too tired to do, it is just so nice out here!

Spain at Last

So we finally got internet in our apartment ( which is quite a luxury) from our great cbf field personnel the whitleys. I am living in an apartment in roquetas de mar with another student Amanda who goes to Samford. In the past three days we have done a lot including me falling in love with Spain! The language barrier has been a bit of a challenge, (especially when I first arrived in madrid and was trying to ensure that my luggage was getting on my next flight (spain is not a very english friendly I have come to learn)). On thursday I finally arrived in Almeria after a very luxurious flight from the US in business class thanks to my wonderful boyfriend I finally met the Whitleys who is the family that is working in Almeria with the African Immigrants. They have three children who are adorable and they have been more than welcoming to Amanda and I. We have agreed we already feel to be a part of their family. Friday morning we helped (somewhat) with the womens class they have every friday morning in the bottom floor of our apartment. Mrs. Whitley and another local Spanish woman are teaching these African woman to read and write in Spanish so that they may be able to get jobs. They also are teaching the woman how to sew and cook spanish food as well so that they may support their families.  It was really cool to see and be around these woman. Already one of the women that had been attending the class for the past year had gotten into a course to help her train for a job because she was now able to read and write thanks to this class.  Two woman brought the cutest toddlers with and I of course took it upon myself to entertain them the entire time. After that we went to the mall (yes there is mall!) and ate paella, which was delicious. The next day I went for a run on the beach, which is gorgeous and then there was Kids Club at our apartment/house? where the African children come over on Saturdays to play games, have snacks and maybe even hear about Jesus, though we have to be careful because a lot of them come from Muslim backgrounds. At the beginning of the day I got a little overwhelmed and upset because I can't speak spanish well and felt as if  couldn't connect with the kids. But soon, after a few arts & crafts, I began to interact with the children with my small capacity to speak spanish and a lot of their help. The girls were so sweet and kind and helped me a lot with my spanish. I think they were so great at helping me because not long ago a lot of them were in the same position of being in a foreign country and not knowing the language and many of their parents still do not know Spanish.  Later I connected with a lot of the boys by playing soccer with them out in the street. (arts & cratfs and soccer, I'm in heaven!) It was really cool to interact with these children and to just see their beautiful smiles, especially when knowing that these children live pretty hard lives. When working with the african immigrants we try our best to respect their culture which means wearing long skirts. It has been a struggle to have to replace my shorts with maxi dresses but Im learning to deal and it is worth it every time you see a smile on these people's faces. After kids club the Whitleys took us to a castle, that is the second largest one in spain , second to the Alhambra. It was gorgeous and pictures will be posted soon. sorry this post is so long, none of my future posts will be this long. Later I had my first cultural experience with Amanda at a convenience store where I wasn't allowed to use my card bc I had to but atleast 12 euros worth of stuff, random number I know. And then I set the stores alarm off because I carried my cart past the checkout line, apparently youre not supposed to do that. Oh! and you have to basically put down a safety deposit to use the grocery carts, weird. And while all this is going on, it is ofourse going on in spanish, a language I barely know. Thankfully Amanda is basically fluent and I may never go any where with out here, atleast the first week. I promise. Its just 3 days worth of information and being the first 3 days, a lot has happened. Or at least it feels that way. But this will be the longest FOR SURE. Please keep me amanda, the whitleys and everyone else involved in all this in your thoughts and prayers! if youve actually read this far, I'm impressed. peace out.

So we will see how this whole blog thing works out. This may be the most boring and awful thing ever to read but after many requests I have relented and created a blog for my trip to Spain. I don't have a whole lot of details of what exactly I will be doing during my stay in Spain but I'm sure I will have a much better idea once I get over there (duh). I am going to be staying in the province of Almeria in a town called roquetas de mar, which is right on the Mediterranean.  I am going to Spain through an organization called Student.go which sends students all over the world and the US to work with people who are in some sort of poverty. I will be going to Spain to work with the immigrant and refugee population coming from mostly western africa. A lot of Africans take the difficult and sometimes deadly journey across the Mediterranean to Spain in hopes of finding a better life for themselves and for their families. While a lot of people come to Spain for a better life sometimes they find themselves in poverty again once they reach Spain. I really hope I can help this population in some sort of way. I don't expect to actually make a huge difference in anyones life, I more so expect to learn a lot from some people who have had some real life difficult hardships and learn how God is working in their lives already. As I said before I'm entirely sure what these next two months hold for me but I do expect to be changed forever from this experience. Atleast I hope to be.  I also expect to eat some insanely fresh and delicious food, esp sea food and brush up on my spainsh. Although my "spainsh" may end up just being an illusion of a skill I thought I had and I will spend the next 2 months wondering around very much lost and confused in a foreign speaking country. I'm also pretty pumped to be living at the beach for the next two months, I mean, I can't complain! I leave tomorrow and I am very excited and nervous at the same time. 2 months is a long time to be in a foreign country but that is what has made this trip all the more intriguing and nerve wrecking. It will be difficult to be away for so long, especially from my lovely boy friend, but I keep telling myself this will be a "growing experience," whatever that means. Well this may have been painful to read but I did my first blog and hopefully I will have many many more. Hopefully.