March Madness

It's been a long while since I've blogged. Sorry for the gap! I didn't want to force a post.

So, first things first: Yes, we moved! Turns out that the Lodge was, well, sinking, and we weren't allowed to live in it. It's not "condemned," it just needs a little elbow grease. So we heard, "We're moving!" one evening, finished packing a couple of hours later, and moved the next morning. Fun change :)

We're in this great little house behind and down the hill from the big hotel. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an open kitchen and living room. Michaela, Paola, and I upgraded! Our room is much bigger, and our attached bathroom is as well. The two ESL girls, Elaine and Rachel, have the other bed-bath combo, and Nelita and Kenzie share a smaller room. We love having a "real" kitchen with a stove and cupboards, and our living room (although we lost the real-wood fireplace) is cozier and perfect for movie watching.

My favourite part = the porch swing out front.

Things are getting set for outeach. We now know our destinations: Madrid, Sevilla, Málaga, and Torremolinos/Grenada. We're finally in contact with YWAM bases, churches, and ministries in each of those places, and things are getting set. One pastor is getting in touch with a gypsy pastor of a gypsy church in his city for us, which is thrilling: we weren't ever certain that we would in fact even meet a gypsy on this trip, being the "scouting" trip that it is.

God continues to speak, move, challenge... Challenge. I'm so glad for this. I'm so thankful I don't belong to a passive God. It's good, though; one major way God is changing my relationship with Him is the way He's affirming me, as I am. I love to find the flaws, find the fixable things, and look for solutions the way I see them.

Maybe I shared this earlier, but a type of breakthrough for me earlier on in the school was during the Father Heart of God week. One morning before class, I was reading somewhere in Paul's letters, and admitted out loud, "God delights in me?! I don't believe that, not really." All that week we learned how integral a part of His character that very thing is - His love for me, His joy in who He created me to be... it's not just true, it's true for me.

Hahaha. The Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You'll Go just jumped to mind. It's so wonderful. I came thinking I had a pretty good grip on this whole Christianity thing (and often still find myself thinking that), but the more time I spend looking for God instead of doctrine, service, or even worship music and Bible reading, the more I realize the shallowness of my faith and relationship with Him. Then I look to the promises I've been given (in His word and also ones spoken over me) and I have this mix of anticipation and bewilderment. Really? I'm going to be able to find You? encounter You? know You?

I can't wait for the places I'll go while I'm walking with Him. But that's another thing I'm being schooled in these days... be present. God's grace for me - it's not from yesterday, it's not for tomorrow - it's for the moment I'm in right now.

OK, and on top of all that, another little update: the team's learned (quickly!!) two YWAM dramas as well as two DRIMEs (thanks, Mr. Z!), I'm leading our small group tomorrow, and we all need to have a 10 min. "chapel talk" (mini-sermon) prepared for preaching in Spanish churches. Fun! We learned our second DRIME just this afternoon (Liquid, for those of you who are familiar with them), and we'll be practicing both in about 15 min. (The other is Silence.)

And that's enough of that!! Love you, probably miss you, and please keep OUTREACH FINANCES in your prayers... there's a bit of a mountain to climb for the family to be able to come with us.