saying goodbye

This blog, unfortunately has found itself just hanging. Hanging in the busyness of our last week in Madrid, hanging in the fullness of our computer and our inability to upload absolutely any more pictures, hanging in our travel back to Tuscaloosa and settling in at home, and hanging in the tragic death of our dear, sweet friend and teammate David.

I was not sure if I should write anymore here, would it be appropriate to fill you in on what we were all up to our last week, in light of David's death? But it felt inconclusive to simply stop and just leave this blog to float around in literal cyberspace unfinished and untouched...and I can honestly say, it would not honor David in anyway and on top of that David would hate it if you didn't know how amazing our time was (all of it).

So here goes, before our last week you need to know that...

We all went to Segovia together and it was so fun!

the Roman aqueduct

it was pretty big:)

the renaissance cathedral in Segovia...hence the domes.

this girl can sleep in a backpack.

sweet friends...who like to tour cathedrals together.

domes

the alcazar (castle) in Segovia, said to have been an inspiration for Disney World's Cinderella's castle, this fact was much more important to me than lets say, the Romans used this castle to train their soldiers.

our group...always having a good time together.

This would take us into our last week in Madrid. The team, still seeing their Spanish tutors or in their Spanish classes, actually had some "final" work to finish. I can tell you, they all did a great job learning the language. I don't think anyone would say that they walked away knowing less Spanish than when we arrived...myself included!

The last weekend, our little family decided to take a road trip, that's right...a road trip! We rented a car(a 6 speed) and headed down south to Cordoba and Grenada, to see the Moorish side of Espana. You guessed it, the Moores went to check out the Moors:)

Cordoba didn't stand a chance against this cuteness.

the wall surrounding the Mezquita

ancient courtyard

the interior of the Mezquita, the mosque built on a church, later reclaimed during the reconquista

truly, one of the most incredible places I have ever seen

The standing place (pulpit) for the Islamic priest

the cathedral, placed directly in the center of the mosque, still an active church

the few remains of the Visigoth church on which the mosque was built...this place is old people!

too much religion for one day

this girl kept going though!

bridge built atop the old Roman bridge

On to Grenada... 

Charles' palace inside the Alhambra in Grenada

ready to see the sultans palace in Grenada

love.

Virginia enjoying the Alhambra...she couldn't get enough.

this was as good as it got.

we are nothing, if not fun.

the sultans gardens

lunch...this girl loved her some olives

mom and dad were ready for sangria

gorgeous view of the palace

incredible carving and architecture everywhere....while Europe lagged in the dark ages, southern Spain thrived.

our hotel overlooked the Mezquita and Ryan took this amazing picture at night.

And then we entered our last week in Madrid...all of sudden it was here, the end.  We spent our last days with the friends we made, visiting places we had been meaning to see all summer, and trying to process the incredible time we all had. My favorite moments of the last week were really listening to the  team think about and express what they learned here, about themselves, about the church, and about Jesus himself.  I consider it all joy to have been able to witness them experience this life in Spain.

Have you ever had a mountaintop experience or perhaps a "spiritual high"? That moment when your knowledge of God and the way you feel about God seem to line up perfectly. I really thought that those moments were reserved for  the under 25 crowd, that somehow I had matured past that ability to be emotionally swayed in such a way. Well I have not and I am so thankful. 

This was an amazing time, an amazing opportunity, and we saw amazing things happen...

our last meal together, before returning home (David, like many times before, loving our girls so well)

And then we came home, and then we found out David had fallen while hiking and was not coming back. It was and is still is so surreal. You can certainly pray for us, and even more for David's family.

But this is what I am holding onto as we wait till we see David again...I will not try to make sense of his death, that will drive me crazy, I will be holding on to the truth that Jesus died and rose again to give David eternal life and that's enough.

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. 

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, ESV)

I want to thank those of you who read these entries, prayed for us, and supported us. I hope this blog gave you a window into our adventures in Spain and made you feel apart of our work and time here.

Much love and thanks,

Ada

one last picture. sadly, these are all the happy meal toys we acquired while in Spain...I'm not going to lie to you, there were days when McDonald's got us through:)

of the city, for the city

The first annual Malasana art show was a success...I brought crackers.

Seriously, such a fun night, and really a great way to open the doors of Christ's church and welcome folks into a friendly, safe, easy time of fellowship.

Well done Olivia and Andrew, and well done interns!

You might be asking yourself,"why would you do an art show at a church?"

good question.

In Spain, and very much in Madrid, there is a great distrust of the Roman Catholic Church and an even greater mystery surrounding the protestant church. For many, the resounding knowledge about the Protestant church is that it's a cult....you heard me, a cult.

so, for the protestant church here to open its doors and say 'welcome, come in and see what we are about' is pretty big, and to do it in a way that people around here are used to (there are little pop up Art exhibitions all over Malasana) is even bigger. 

thats my little flamenco girl on the right:)

The theme of the show was "Of the City, For the City". The interns/team scattered about with cameras and a chalk board and photographed what residents thought about their little city within a city, Malasana. The result : beautiful photographs with love for Malasana built in, and when folks stopped by, what they saw was that this church, which perhaps they thought might be a bit creepy, or had never even noticed before thinks that where they live is a beautiful, interesting, wonderful place...now that's a starting point for relationship. Plus there was good food, wine, and music...it was a win /win for me.

ah, Malasana we will miss you!

the fruits of their labors

For many of you, there have been moments that changed the very direction of your life. A time or place you can reflect on, when God used his people or His natural creation to show you a glimpse of Himself, that perhaps caused your heart to stir, your mind to question, and your soul to cry out...

Do you believe that can happen at a Fourth of July picnic?

all the kiddos!

 I have to admit...most of the time I don't. One more 'ministry event', same outcome. But that is because I simply take for granted the beauty of the Body of Christ. I have a tendency to keep my eyes focused on the brokenness of the Christian community, of which there is much. What I do not tend to focus on is the redemption and newness that is there as well. I hardly ever think about the reality that I have real, true, Christ-centered friendships in my life. Who I trust. My friends love me, they want the best for me, and long for peace between us to always exist, and I go ahead and assume that is the case for everyone else. The same goes for my marriage. I have a husband who I love and who loves me and our children...we live in a peaceful (75% of the time :)) home, where forgiveness and grace are pillars...doesn't everyone live in a home like this??

No.

On Saturday night we had a great time celebrating American Independence...and an even better time welcoming MANY Spaniards into the fellowship of believers. What did they see? They saw people, at peace with one another, eating and drinking and enjoying this world together. They were welcomed, and invited into a community that is certainly not perfect, and has no power on its own to change lives...but that is ALWAYS pointing to the one true God who is and can.

sweet friends who hold 24 lb babies:)

our new friends...who wanted to learn how to play baseball!

great turn-out!

the spread! hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad...a great taste of home! 

The time was such an encouragement to our team, who were able to see the fruits of their labors. Not just in the number of people who attended that they invited, but that they were comfortably able to fellowship with Spaniards...meaning, the language barrier is not the barrier it once was, nor were their own insecurities talking to new and different people.

determined to blow HUGE bubbles...BY HERSELF.

Land of the free, home of the brave...and cute!

water balloon toss!

the baseball game, with a only one outfielder :)

batting practice!

good times and lots of red, white and blue!

Thank you for your prayers, they were answered. Please continue to pray, that this event would be 'that moment' for many of the friends who were there, that this glimpse into kingdom life would be a life changer!

lots of love,
Ada