Spring Break...

Okay, so I'm WAY overdue on updating you guys on what I have been up to and what the Lord is doing in my life here...so I'm going to do my best to catch you all up to speed!! Smile...

Speaking of speed, time is really flying. I have already been here 4 months! Sometimes hard to believe, because I still catch myself finding it hard to believe that I'm living in Spain. Smile...but here I am and time is flying by quickly.

So, last week the girls were on Spring/Easter Break. As on most of their school breaks, we packed our bags and headed to Lugo to spend the week with their relatives and friends there. I had been to visit the Towner's in Noia the weekend before leaving for Lugo, so I got home just in time to repack my bags and drive the family to Lugo. Yes, I got to drive, which I find a pleasure since I love driving and have finally conquored the operations of a manual car. Smile. PTL!!! So, back to Lugo....

The first day in Lugo I enjoyed going shopping in the evening with Irene (la madre) and finding a few shirts for the summer (gonna need those soon I suppose). During our stay there, we spent an afternoon at their country home that is connected to a mill. I tried to take some pictures of that lovely place. The buildings are made of stone, the kitchen has an old-fashioned wood stove for cooking, the main door is double wide and also separated in the middle like an old barn door (so you can open just the top portion), and the floors are marble. We had a fire going in the front entrance/living room area because it wasn't the warmest of days, especially with the wind. The girls and I played hide-n-seek, hopscotch, and then took a walk through the woods. It was a nice relaxing afternoon/evening. Later that week, we spent the evening with Irene's (la madre) best friend and her family. We made cookies there from a German recipe, painted eggs (for Easter, right?? grin), and enjoyed a lively dinner (lively because in Spain eating together is no quiet occasion)... It was a lovely time, though I had some sinus junk going on (I think due to some cigarette smoke and all the rain we've been getting lately, but not sure) and was exhausted by then end of the night.

On Friday, I made plans to leave a bit earlier than the family and catch up with the church youth at a weekend retreat. Friday was a holiday here in Spain (Good Friday or Holy Friday as they call it), so getting buses to where you need to go is much more of a challenge. With some help from some of the relatives, I spent some time trying to decide the best route to take to where I was supposed to go and thought I had it all figured out. Then, at lunch, one of the boyfriends of a relative told me he was headed toward where I needed to go and would just take me by car... Amazing blessing!! The Lord was looking out for me. Though I thought I had it figured out by bus, after I got there by car, I realized it would have been impossible to reach by bus and I would have been stuck in a bus station somewhere for who knows how long waiting for a friend to come and get me...smile...so glad the Lord can see things clearly and takes care of me.. PTL!!!

So, arrived in a small village, or somewhere practically in the middle of nowhere called Villamajor..where the retreat was being held. I got there in the middle of the evening teaching time that was being held in a tent outdoors...so I stood in the rain/mist under my umbrella (thankfully I had it) with a number of other people who couldn't fit into the tent and listened (though I didn't comprehend much from that distance) to the message preached. After the message, Susi, my dear friend, took me around introducing me to LOTS of people... of course there was really no way that I was going to remember all the people I was introduced to, but I was made very welcome. So, after dragging my bags upstairs and meeting lots of people, it was brought to my attention that some of the boys (namely, those from the Santiago church) were sleeping outdoors in tents...uhoh! Yes, the wheels in my brain were turning...and I wanted to know if anyone had done anything and if not, why not...grin So, Susi and I must have at least some similarities because she was all ears. We were soon brainstorming with one other girl, who later served as our lookout. We finally decided on sugar and salt in all the boys' sleeping bags (not just our church's boys). Yes, I know, a bit mean...we thought about what we did and only did something that we knew wouldn't be destructive to property or hard to fix (all they had to do was shake their sleeping bags and it'd be out)...So, I set about sneeking salt and sugar out of the kitchen, then we carried out our plan...smile...All went well minus a few mistakes...we shouldn't have let anyone else in on the plan and those sleeping bags in the tents ended up getting wet from rain and the sugar and salt wasn't so easily removed (though they couldn't sleep in them anyway). Grin... so, next morning I was the only one there to face the fire that I was sure was coming, but amazingly no one asked me a thing...they blamed it on another girl, who became the one to rat on the rest of us. By Sunday, the word had spread through the church and even the pastor was giving us a hard time. I think I was the last one to finally get discovered and that was only because I pretty much had to tell them I had been involved...grin...fun times!!

So, back to the rest of the retreat that I went to. We had a talent show Friday night after dinner, in which my friends asked me to sing. With the Lord's help, I was able to get up and sing...not always the easiest thing for me. We had others who performed interpretive dances to songs, others rapped Christian songs, one girl gave a monologue that was quite good, and then some others who were being silly got up and performed skits. We ended the night with a game of "I have never...". I tried to play along, but it was a challenge to understand both Spanish and Gallego being spoken and then everyone running. My mind wasn't translating fast enough. Once, one the of the girls thought she had me singled out by saying, "I've never lived in the USA." so I'd have to get up and she'd get my chair and there would be no others to trade chairs with...but thankfully, one of my friends from church has lived in the US for a few years and I got his chair...grin...unfortunately, he turned around and did the same thing being more specific and saying he'd never lived in Missouri...so I had to get up. No probs, I was armed with something that I could say in Spanish (I'd been sitting through the entire game thinking of something to use if I got caught standing...grin). So, I finally made my way to bed around 2am, but didn't get much sleep with others staying up until 5 ,6 ,& 7AM just chatting. Oh well, good times!! So, the icing on the cake of this weekend was the drive home. I rode home with my friend Juan and four other girls. We were packed into his small, black sports car like sardines with luggage on our laps. We weren't very far down the road when Juan pulled over and asked me if I wanted to drive. I took him up on the offer and ended up with the most comfortable spot in the car..grin!! DRIVING!! I loved it. It was so relaxing to fly down the roads at 130-150kpm (about 80-100mph) for about an hour. For the first 5-10 minutes, the backseat full of girls was quiet. I don't think they were sure about having me drive. Only one of them had a license to drive and she didn't really like driving, so I understood why they were nervous. They soon relaxed, some fell asleep, and I enjoyed myself and the stereo system. Grin!! Sorry don't have a picture of the car...Well, Saturday ended well with a b-day celebration for one of the girls in the youth group. We were all pretty tired after the weekend, so we didn't stay out very late (which we normally do)...and I actually got 10 hours of sleep that night!! Woohoo!! Easter Sunday, went to church as normal...there was a special speaker who was a bit difficult for me to pay attention to and understand...so I spent time reading my Bible, which isn't an unusual occurrence when I'm lost (don't understand what's being said)...smile.. I had lunch with Susi for Easter Sunday and then we decided to go to the church in Pontevedra again for the evening service... We ended up going as a group of 8 this time, taking with us one Catholic (or atheist) girl. The service was fantastic. I spent sometime praying for Alicia, the gal who went with us...on the way home we got into quite a discussion about the Lord, but I didn't feel like she was really open to hearing...so we are praying for her salvation. I was telling her about the church in Santiago that we go to and asked her if she'd come..she agreed. So now, this Friday night, she is going with some of the girls to the service at the church!! PTL!!! Please keep her in your prayers as the Lord opens her heart.

This week has been fairly normal. The family got back from visiting family in Lugo on Sunday evening. The girls had Monday off from school, so they slept in (as did I) and then we made cookies in the afternoon and tried making another dessert that was in a girls' magazine that they recieve monthly. It was a good day! This week hasn't been without it's challenges, but the Lord has been at work. I am thankful for the challenges that cause me to grow stronger in and closer to the Lord.

So, something the Lord has brought to my attention from His word recently is from Eph.6:10-18 about the armor of God. I hadn't noticed before that it says things like, "having girded your waist with truth" or "having put on the breatplate of righteousness" and so on... but it isn't something we start doing as the enemy is coming against us, but rather is a continual daily process in which we are prepared in season and out of season, we are ready for whatever comes our way because we are remaining in the Lord, constantly strengthening ourselves and our armor from God's Word, His strength, His life. Rather exciting!! Also, a great responsibility and call for us to not be lazy citizens of the Kingdom of God.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NKJ)

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--
Another thing....the Lord has been putting it in my heart to be thankful, especially in the difficult times and situations. Fighting discouragement and trial with thankfulness. I can practice now with the small trials with the girls and life in Spain, but am encouraged because I can see how beneficial this knowledge will be to me in CG training. Smile.. The Lord is so faithful to prepare me. Then the Lord gave me this scripture last night as I sat awake praying...

Another thing the Lord has been teaching me or reminding me of is about being thankful. We can combat difficult times, challenges, depression, and so many other things with thankfulness. The following scripture is what the Lord gave to me as I sat up late one night after having woken from dreams in which I was praying constantly and in a battle against the enemy.

Colossians 1:11-12 (NKJ)

11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

So, I believe that about catches things up. I would request your prayers for this family that I live with and for others that I am meeting occasionally or regularly who don't know the Lord. Hope that you all are doing well. Headed into the weekend and who knows what that will hold. I have heard wind that the youth group is going horseback riding on Saturday all day, but I have to work in the morning, so I don't know if I will go and try to catch up with them later in the evening or not. May depend on the weather as well since it has been rainy and a bit on the cold side lately. So, until later....