July 2007 Update
Hello All,
For all you Americans, happy Independence Day! For once, I can't complain to all of you in the U.S. about how hot it is here--it's actually hotter there! I don't know why, but this has been the most pleasant (a.k.a. not miserably hot) summer yet in Madrid. On my birthday (June 20), we went to the park for a picnic and actually got cold! It's heating up now (in the 90's every day), but still not close to the normal Madrid summer. Then again, if you are reading this in the States, you have an air conditioner, so maybe I can still whine a little :).
Here are some of the big things that have happened in the past month or so:
THE BIG HIKE
My friend Leisl and I took a week at the end of May and did the last week of the Camino de Santiago (a beautiful hike in the north of Spain. Click HERE for pictures.) 166 km (103 miles), six days, lots of blisters, and a beautiful view. It was definitely one of the most challenging experiences ever but also one of the most rewarding. I have to admit I'm pretty proud of myself!
SAYING GOODBYE
June is always a bittersweet month for me, since many of the short termers here are leaving to go back to their home country. The good part of this June is that several of them are just leaving for the summer and then coming back in the Autumn!
SLOWING DOWN AND GEARING UP
July is typically a slow month for us here, so I'm looking forward to having a looser schedule. This summer, though, it seems like the slow-down time is being used to gear up for what comes next! I'm making plans for my furlough to the U.S. this Autumn (you'll be getting another update just about that tomorrow), as well as meeting with a friend here to help her gear up for a community-wide service project called Serve the City--Oasis Madrid will be working with them especially on ministering to the homeless people that we've come to know in our area. Still, even with things to work on, things move slower here in the summer, and I'm thankful for that!
HOMELESS MINISTRY
The community living under the tunnel at Plaza España has grown very quickly in the past couple months. This means that it's now overcrowded, not as sanitary, and sometimes can get tense between people in a desperate situation and a cramped space. One of the guys there that we were getting to know died suddenly in late May, which threw the community, and us, for a loop. As we're getting to know some of the people who live under the tunnel, we're realizing that problems run deeper than hunger and solutions bigger than we can give are needed. A core group of us has been continuing to take lunch on Friday, but also meeting on Sunday to pray and ask for direction about what to do next. We'd appreciate your prayers as we spend this time figuring out just why God has put us in this place and just what we are supposed to do. Pray also for good connections with other social agencies and with other churches.
COMMUNITY GROUP
I just wanted to write here how thankful I am for my Monday night group. Last Monday, we spent lots of time praying for each other and worshipping together, and I was reminded how blessed I am to have a community here that I love so much. I love the caring community that this group is becoming.
That pretty much wraps up the last month in a nutshell (well, a big nutshell, but still...) Here are some things you can be praying about:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
*Pray for our staff to have a refreshing time of rest this summer after a very busy and sometimes very hard first year and a half as a new church!
*I need a car to drive while I'm on furlough (for 6-8 weeks). Pray that God provides (and if you have an extra car, ask God if He wants to use you to do the providing).
*I'm in the process of applying for a more long-term visa in Spain. Pray that it goes smoothly and quickly!
*Pray for financial provision in monthly support and one-time costs.
*Pray for the people who live in the tunnel at Plaza España, and for those of us who are getting to know them, that God will show us how to best show them His love and His grace.
*Ask God to help me live out my faith with grace, love, integrity, and boldness with my friends who aren't Christians
Thanks for your encouragement, prayers, and support. I thank God for you!
Peace,
Kelly
For all you Americans, happy Independence Day! For once, I can't complain to all of you in the U.S. about how hot it is here--it's actually hotter there! I don't know why, but this has been the most pleasant (a.k.a. not miserably hot) summer yet in Madrid. On my birthday (June 20), we went to the park for a picnic and actually got cold! It's heating up now (in the 90's every day), but still not close to the normal Madrid summer. Then again, if you are reading this in the States, you have an air conditioner, so maybe I can still whine a little :).
Here are some of the big things that have happened in the past month or so:
THE BIG HIKE
My friend Leisl and I took a week at the end of May and did the last week of the Camino de Santiago (a beautiful hike in the north of Spain. Click HERE for pictures.) 166 km (103 miles), six days, lots of blisters, and a beautiful view. It was definitely one of the most challenging experiences ever but also one of the most rewarding. I have to admit I'm pretty proud of myself!
SAYING GOODBYE
June is always a bittersweet month for me, since many of the short termers here are leaving to go back to their home country. The good part of this June is that several of them are just leaving for the summer and then coming back in the Autumn!
SLOWING DOWN AND GEARING UP
July is typically a slow month for us here, so I'm looking forward to having a looser schedule. This summer, though, it seems like the slow-down time is being used to gear up for what comes next! I'm making plans for my furlough to the U.S. this Autumn (you'll be getting another update just about that tomorrow), as well as meeting with a friend here to help her gear up for a community-wide service project called Serve the City--Oasis Madrid will be working with them especially on ministering to the homeless people that we've come to know in our area. Still, even with things to work on, things move slower here in the summer, and I'm thankful for that!
HOMELESS MINISTRY
The community living under the tunnel at Plaza España has grown very quickly in the past couple months. This means that it's now overcrowded, not as sanitary, and sometimes can get tense between people in a desperate situation and a cramped space. One of the guys there that we were getting to know died suddenly in late May, which threw the community, and us, for a loop. As we're getting to know some of the people who live under the tunnel, we're realizing that problems run deeper than hunger and solutions bigger than we can give are needed. A core group of us has been continuing to take lunch on Friday, but also meeting on Sunday to pray and ask for direction about what to do next. We'd appreciate your prayers as we spend this time figuring out just why God has put us in this place and just what we are supposed to do. Pray also for good connections with other social agencies and with other churches.
COMMUNITY GROUP
I just wanted to write here how thankful I am for my Monday night group. Last Monday, we spent lots of time praying for each other and worshipping together, and I was reminded how blessed I am to have a community here that I love so much. I love the caring community that this group is becoming.
That pretty much wraps up the last month in a nutshell (well, a big nutshell, but still...) Here are some things you can be praying about:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
*Pray for our staff to have a refreshing time of rest this summer after a very busy and sometimes very hard first year and a half as a new church!
*I need a car to drive while I'm on furlough (for 6-8 weeks). Pray that God provides (and if you have an extra car, ask God if He wants to use you to do the providing).
*I'm in the process of applying for a more long-term visa in Spain. Pray that it goes smoothly and quickly!
*Pray for financial provision in monthly support and one-time costs.
*Pray for the people who live in the tunnel at Plaza España, and for those of us who are getting to know them, that God will show us how to best show them His love and His grace.
*Ask God to help me live out my faith with grace, love, integrity, and boldness with my friends who aren't Christians
Thanks for your encouragement, prayers, and support. I thank God for you!
Peace,
Kelly
posted by kelly_w at 8:58 AM
2 Comments:
I am a missionary student and came across your blog. Could you please email me at hansmast at hansmast dot com? I couldn't find an email address on your blog. Blessings! -Hans
Hey Kelly,
My name is erin and i live in charleston, south carolina. I will be in Spain the first two weeks of January 2008 and I was wanting to check out some missions organizations while I was there. It sounds like you and your team are doing good things. How would I go about getting connected with you guys? You can email me at: eliz558@yahoo.com. thanks.
Erin
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