Unfamiliar Paths

International Justice Mission does good things (& so does IT!)

2010-06-17T15:53:00.004+02:00

International Justice Mission (IJM) is an organization that does good work fighting injustice - specifically human trafficking. Faith and I support their work, and even had the special treat of visiting their offices in DC last summer. We wholeheartedly recommend them as a quality organization to support. If you are looking for ways to contribute to the global fight against trafficking, consider IJM.

I should also plug my own organization - International Teams. IT does great work among refugees and is also fighting against slavery and human trafficking around the globe. They've been organizing an event called Ride for Refuge for several years designed to raise awareness and support. It has been a smashing success. Click on the link above if you'd like to learn more and perhaps participate. They have scheduled rides this year in the Chicago area, Grand Rapids, Oklahoma city, and seemingly all of Canada (like 17 locations!). So especially for you americans, don't let the canuks do all of the serving! They can have the hockey gold medal - but don't let them do everything when it comes to ending injustice :-)

Life as a boat: Do you feel seaworthy?

2010-06-07T23:14:00.009+02:00

So, in some ways, it's been a tough year for me. The purpose of this post is not to catalogue why, rather it is more to document some thoughts I've been processing as a result.

But first, I'm going to post some more boat pictures, because, well, that is what I do. Take a look at these before and after shots.

THEN

When we moved here more than 2 1/2 years ago, this boat was one of the more aesthetically -pleasing little boats anchored in our neighborhood along the ria (my first boats post and an explanation of the ria can be found here). For good reason it was one of my favorite subjects to photograph in those early days of exploration.

NOW

Clearly, time has not been too good for this poor boat. Surely if one word could describe its existence for the last 2 1/2 years that word would be 'neglect.'

You can see that the boat was once brightly painted, but now it's defining color is the mucky brown-green that you see. Parts of the boat are missing and have simply washed away. Clearly, the poor little guy is not seaworthy anymore. The constant rhythm of tides coming in and out has been harsh.

So what does this have to do with having a hard year? During a recent conference I sat in on a 1-hour session on 'Soul Care.' My main purpose in doing so was to grow as a team leader, but by the end of the hour I was left asking myself if I was at least a little emotionally exhausted. That conference was a month ago, and I finally had the time today to sit down and process through that hour of my life. What came out in my journal was a jumble of questions, images, and ideas. And it came out a little like this.

At times life seems like it is a rickety boat, packed so full of people and goods that it's hardly afloat. There are places the water leaks in. In other places waves that are not even all that big splash over the sides. The boat may have a destination, but it doesn't move all that fast, or all that well. It is difficult to turn, and at the same time hard to keep on a straight course. The wind and the waves continually work against it. On good days, the sun is a welcome blessing. On others it feels like a hardship that can't be escaped. We keep all of our energy and attention focused on keeping the boat afloat and on course. We bail water constantly and we're always struggling to keep it moving in the right direction.

Kinda dark, isn't it? Perhaps a little harsh? Where's the joy? Where's the hope? Where's the redemption? The happy ending? I'm a Christian after all - where's the victorious living in that?

My whole life I've been taught, if not told, (and I think I still believe this to a point) that if we stop worrying so much about keeping the boat afloat and moving in the right direction, and seek more of Jesus - if we strengthen our relationship and connection with him - that the other stuff takes care of itself. Or it magically gets better. We are to be a joy-filled people, are we not? Maybe no pastors, sunday school teachers, or youth leaders ever directly said so, but isn't this what we more or less believe and propagate with unspoken messages in our churches? That the Christian life should be a struggle-free life because Jesus is now the captain of our ship.

The thing is, and I think most of us know this in our heads, Jesus never promised easy living. In fact I'm pretty sure he generally predicts more hard times than good ones for his followers - at least for our time here on earth. I'm reminded of the image of Jesus as the odd lifeguard - the one who swims out to save the drowning girl, but instead drowns with her, comes back to life three days later, and walks of the beach saying everything is fine while the girl remains dead. It's a strange image, but his plan seems to be not the way most of us would use divine power. What's he all about? Why doesn't his plan always make sense to us?

I think we really like the idea that Jesus is going to fix the boat - plug the holes, give it a fresh bit of paint, make it bigger, more comfortable, and then steer us to safety. Most of us realize we need help, and wouldn't it be great if Jesus could fix everything just like that! I'm not downplaying the power of life-change that Jesus and the Holy Spirit can work in a person. It can and should be dramatic at times. But the reality is someday each one of our boats is going to sink. It might be overwhelmed by the waves, it might be dashed against the rocks, it might simply slip quietly beneath the surface. Put simply, we are all going to die. Many or most of us will feel overcome by life - at least once.

The other reality here is that Jesus mostly promises to be with us in our suffering, not to remove it. I suspect that we're slower to teach and talk about suffering than we ought to be in our churches and communities of faith. Sure, we're not bad about talking about the suffering of others - the further removed we are from those who are suffering the easier it is to talk about. But to talk about our suffering - mine, yours - that's pretty intimate, and it doesn't feel very victorious. But I'm becoming increasingly convinced that we need to get better at this both individually and collectively. Dramatic life-change is real, and we need to be asking for it, talking about it with each other, and telling others about it. But it's not the only thing. The struggle of life in our fallen world is also real. We all experience it - even Christians. And the fact that Jesus is right there with us through the dark or hard times is just as much a miracle as the dramatically changed life, and that too is worthy of our sermons, prayers, and conversations.

Both the world and Jesus (see: Jesus, thoughts on pharisees) have little use for a people who pretend to have it all together because they worship the right way or have the right religion. What Jesus and the world are both looking for are real people, genuine in their witness and faith to who Jesus is, and to the difference he makes in our lives - including his presence during the times we feel lost at sea.

So, how seaworthy do you feel right now?

She, shis, and shim

2010-05-15T00:20:00.002+02:00

Totally stealing this off of someone else's blog because it's that good.

One of the side-effects of learning Spanish over the last 2 1/2 years, and spending a lot of time with folks who know little english, is that I've come to the full realization how ridiculous the english language actually is - especially when it comes to spelling. Now my wife will tell you I'm not much of an accomplished speller, but it took taking the effort to learn Spanish to realize why. Anyhow, whoever wrote this poem did a great job pointing out how impossible learning to spell english must feel like.

THE POEM
We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.

Xacabeo 2010 and La Fuente en Ligonde

2009-12-16T20:21:00.004+01:00

2010 is the next holy year for the Camino, which occurs when St. James' birthday falls on a Sunday. It is a special year with a special name, the Xacobeo. Among other things, there is a special door in the cathedral in Santiago that is only open during these holy years. All that to say, it's a unique time, and the numbers of pilgrims explode during these years.

In case you didn't know 2010 is right around the corner, and I was just notified of these two videos posted by the Xacabeo organization. The first is simply beautiful. It's like a moving-picture wordless photo essay that captures some of the magic and mystery that many pilgrims are searching for on the camino. It is cool to watch, but I must say that it feels way more relaxing than I remember my short camino.

The second video is of La Fuente del Peregrino in Ligonde - this is one of two evangelical/protestant hostels that we know of on the camino. It is owned and run by Agape - the Spanish branch of Campus Crusade for Christ. We had the pleasure of visiting the hostel with the kids in September to see the albergue and meet some of the staff that organize the ministry there. It is a very neat place that they have, and our vision for a hostel in Santiago is very similar to what they are already doing in Ligonde.

Would you hike this?

2009-09-17T21:26:00.002+02:00

El Caminito del Rey. I believe that is translated as "The Crazy Way." Just kidding - it's actually translated "The King's little pathway." At any rate, this is a pretty amazing video. This has really nothing to do at all with the Camino that ends in Santiago. Except perhaps that they both are in Spain, and share the word 'Camino.'

If you want to learn more you can here at Wikipedia.

So it's been 4 months...

2009-09-11T17:12:00.002+02:00

Ok - great way to keep readers coming right? Blog once every 4 months. We had a busy summer, highlighted by a successful 10 week visit to the states. It's not that I don't have stuff to blog about. It's just I havn't been taking the time to do so.

Like for instance, I could blog about how today is the 8 year anniversary of 9/11. I could review my memories of the day and try to come up with a serious, solemn, appropriate, and thoughtful comment about it. But I think that's both beyond me today, and being done in far better ways by people far more talented than I am.

I did drop the all-important recommendation below for Owl City today.

At any rate, it's my intention to be a more proactive blogger. I'm in a couple of good books that should give more fodder.

Stay tuned!

Buy this album

2009-09-11T16:53:00.005+02:00

C'mon. You won't regret it!

Just go on out to iTunes and click buy. This is one of my favorite finds of the last several years. I havn't enjoyed a discovery like this since Hem, or maybe Sufjan.

Simply put, this is happy music. It's joyful. It's playful. It puts you in a good mood, and makes you want to dance like a 3 year old.

You can watch a video here (for some reason, Youtube removed the embed option).

I discovered Owl City (just one guy from MN, actually - some city) via iTunes song of the week - by far the best lead iTunes has ever given me.

Would Jesus make a good lifeguard?

2009-05-11T23:41:00.003+02:00

About a month ago I was musing about things Jesus says that don't sound like he would say them.

In general, I've been rediscovering how hard, challenging, confusing, and seemingly random Jesus can be. Because of this I've started to read Robert Farrar Capon's book Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus. I'm only a few chapters in, but it is promising to be a really good and thought provoking book.

He had this to say about the Jesus presented in the Bible:

The New Testament proclaims an unlikely Savior. The work of Jesus in his incarnation, life, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension makes no worldly sense at all. The portrait the Gospels paint is that of a lifeguard who leaps into the surf, swims to the drowning girl, and then, instead of doing a cross-chest carry, drowns with her, revives three days later, and walks off the beach with assurances that everything including the apparently still-dead girl, is hunky-dory.

What a great way to explain how upside-down God's plan seems to us.

Jon Troast redefines the "Intimate Show."

2009-05-11T22:15:00.004+02:00

Our friend Jon Troast (he's almost family - I think we need to coin a term for 'my cousin's brother-in-law) is doing something that is adventurous, enterprising, and just plain cool.

See, Jon is a musician who does most of his concerts in living rooms. For $100 dollars you can have Jon give a one hour concert in your living room and invite some of your friends (or people you'd like to become your friends!). That in and of itself is pretty cool. But right now, he's doing 100 concerts in 100 days as he drives around the country. You can get a sample of how it might look by watching this bit from youtube:

I've found 6 of these 8-or-so minute montages of his tour on youtube. You can also check out his website here, or his myspace page...

My parents and sister hosted Jon for a concert last year, and they enjoyed it. We couldn't make it for obvious reasons. My personal two cents is that this is a really fantastic experience, and a great way for folks to come together and enjoy the magic of music and community together. I wish him the best of luck. If you are looking for something unique to do with your friends, check him out. You can contact him through his site above. I'm not aware that he has any plans for a European tour, but if he does, he'd have a stop in La Coruña.

Oh yeah, his music's pretty good too :-) You can sample it as he's giving away a free download every week on his site. If you are interested you can find his 5 albums on iTunes, among other retailers.

Pilgrim Life

2009-05-04T22:08:00.004+02:00

A friend sent me a link to a blog that contained this video. In addition to watching the video, read the blog for a different take (two friends hiked: one made the video, the other wrote the blog). It's a nice concise description of the camino experience.

I have only walked 6 days myself - but watching and reading this certainly excites me to walk the whole thing someday (I just made the observation to Faith that it will likely not be until we're into our late 40's or 50's before we'll get to hike the whole thing together).

While it is a nice window into the pilgrim experience, I hope that you find it a reminder that it is not necessary to walk the camino to live life as a pilgrim. Life is a journey - slow down and enjoy it.

Inspired Biking

2009-04-21T11:10:00.003+02:00

Color me impressed!

Magical Exhibition

2009-03-14T11:10:00.005+01:00

Wednesday nite Faith and I had the privilege of attending the inaugural night of a friend's art exhibit. Our friend from church, Luis Guillermo Guerra Aguilera (Lucho for short), is a talented watercolor painter. Originally from Chile, he has been living in Galicia for a number of years, painting primarily in and around one of our favorite spots - Finisterre (Fisterra in Gallego - translated 'end of the earth'). The event was held in a very fancy social club in Coruña. We enjoyed the chance to get dressed up and go out without the kids. The night consisted of a short but mesmerizing concert by a accordion player. We then heard several people speak, including a friend who helped him coordinate the event, one of the club members who knows Lucho and helped organize the event with the club, a short blessing from the pastor of our church, Roberto, and then some words from the artist himself. After that we had about an hour to mix, nibble on some appetizers, drink a little champagne, and most rewardingly, take in some 40 or more of Lucho's paintings. We've known him for most of our time here, and seen just a few small samples of his work. It was a blessing to see his talent on display. I also really enjoyed hearing him as the artist give praise to the Lord. It was a fun and refreshing night.

If you read Spanish, you can read a short interview with him in a local paper.

We did take a handful of pictures as well. If you click on the slideshow below, you can view them in larger formats on the picasa website, as well as see my comments.

That doesn't sound like Jesus...

2009-03-14T10:48:00.005+01:00

"In the middle of the last century the British writer C.S. Lewis got it shockingly right:

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left this open to us. He did not intend to.

In other words, Jesus will not be domesticated. But people still try. There seems to be something about this man for everybody. So we pick and choose in a way that shows he is on our side. All over the world, having Jesus on your side is a good thing. But not the original, undomesticated, unadjusted Jesus. Just the revised Jesus that fits our religion or political platform or lifestyle."

This quote is from John Piper's book Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ. It caught my attention as I had been thinking and experiencing this theme recently as I read through Mark. After thousands of years of Christians reading the gospels collectively, and for the countless times I've read or heard the gospel stories over my own life, Jesus still remains surprising and catches us (and me) off guard. Have you ever read something in the gospels and thought, "That doesn't sound like something Jesus would say."? When that happens, it's an indication of how we are relating to Jesus. Too often I've been in the boat of trying to fit Jesus into my worldview rather than trying to adjust my worldview to Jesus. May Jesus continue to surprise us all.

Everything is possible

2009-02-20T12:01:00.004+01:00

I love it when I encounter something in the Bible I havn't recognized or considered before. I was reading in Mark chapter 9 today when I was really struck by a voice that just resonated as familiar to me.

Setting the stage a little, Jesus was returning from the Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John to discover the other disciples in the midst of a crowd arguing with the teachers of the law. (Side note: we are told that "as soon as" the crowd recognized Jesus they were "overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him." Nobody seems to ignite a response like Jesus.) At the center of it all was a father who brought his demon possessed boy and asked the disciples to throw it out. They couldn't, and this verbal melee ensued, attracting the attention of a growing crowd. You can almost hear Jesus sigh and roll his eyes as he says "Oh unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?" It struck me today how publicly he expressed his frustration with the disciples. He sounds like an exasperated parent or teacher. In my imagination this is directed mostly at the disciples, but it certainly could have applied to the entire crowd.

Jesus asks for the boy and learns from the father that since childhood the demon has been throwing the boy to the ground with convulsions, gnashing of teeth, foaming at the mouth, and he becomes rigid. What is more, the father says the demon frequently throws the boy into fire and water trying to kill him. Can you imagine how tired and frustrated the father must have felt in the situation? He must have felt exhausted, helpless, and hopeless. Perhaps not completely hopeless, for he had come to the disciples looking for some relief. But even that resulted in yet another disappointment when they could not do anything for his son, and instead, an argument broke out with the teachers of the law.

This is the situation that Jesus walks into, and the father says to Jesus, "If you can do anything, take pity on us, and help us." I find it interesting that in his exasperation, the request is not only to heal the son, but to help "us." Because the suffering is not the son's alone. Jesus' response is one that I think I would often expect from the one who created the universe, but I don't feel like we often see in Jesus. He repeats back to the father what he had said, "If you can?" In our culture you expect that to be spoken with incredulousness, or perhaps some mocking. If you can?? Ha! You don't believe I can?? I won't pretend to know what was going through Jesus' mind. But I know that I am tempted to respond with some self-righteous defensive lecture when my ability is questioned. But whatever prompted Jesus to repeat that phrase, he continues simply saying "everything is possible for him who believes."

It's the father's response that sounded so familiar and hit so close to home. His response is immediate and instantaneous, as well as desperate, eager, and contradictory. "I do believe; help me with my unbelief!" He does believe, he desires to believe, he so badly needs to believe. But he needs help to get there too. I'm pretty sure this is where so many of us often find ourselves. In places of need, with hope and fear, faith and doubt, wanting help, and needing Jesus to show up and help us to even make healing possible.

I know for me it is easy at times to feel small and helpless, overwhelmed either by circumstances, or a task before me. I know in my head God is able to do all, and be all we need. But that knowledge is always within a context of hope and fear, and faith and doubt. Like the father, I somehow can both believe and yet need help to get over my unbelief.

It's interesting that the bible never follows up to share with us how the father responded to Jesus casting out the demon (if you didn't suspect this ended with Jesus casting out the demon, you can rest easy now). That omission allowed me to take some time and reflect on my own response to Jesus bridging the gap between the two of us to act in my own life.

Thank you Jesus that your love, faith, and power are all greater than my own shortcomings. Continue to grow my faith to help me overcome my unbelief and strengthen my belief. Thank you for caring. Thank you for being involved. All I could ever hope to become is totally dependent on you.

Carefully laughter please!!

2009-02-15T16:38:00.004+01:00

I discovered the website engrish.com via a friend last week. It is hands down one of the funniest things I've come across in a while. They simply post pictures of poorly translated signs from asia (mostly China and Japan). Faith is slightly offended yet still laughs when she sees these. I understand her skittishness, but she understands that they are also hilarious. This site brought some much-needed tears of laughter to me. I hope you enjoy it too. The best ones are found through the link Most Popular Engrish - although there are sure to be gems found all throughout the site.

A year in pictures

2009-02-15T16:29:00.002+01:00

At the end of 2007 I enjoyed very much creating a review of our year using pictures. I started the same project again at the end of 2008, but am only now finishing it. Many of these pictures have found their way into other blog postings, and most, if not all, are on facebook. But I hope you enjoy seeing them here, in the context of a year in our life.

Indestructible Joy

2009-02-06T11:12:00.003+01:00

Consider joy for a moment. How much joy do you have in your life? How many people do you know would describe you as joyful? I imagine that many people are like me - I have moments of joy for sure, and in general live satisfied with the moment. I'm not sure how much joy I would say I experience on a daily basis, and I'm not sure anyone would describe me to someone who doesn't know me as joyful. I find that it is far easier me to understand, access, and live in the peace that Christ gives than in the joy we are to have when Christ lives in us. It's a them I've visited at various times in my life. I'm not great at answers - the only one I can come up with is that in the end, I still need more of Jesus.

Today's musings were prompted by a chapter in the book Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper. I read the chapter today about indestructible joy, and I want to share some of his insights.

"Salvation is not mainly for the forgiveness of sins, but mainly the fellowship of Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:9). Forgiveness gets everything out of the way so this can happen. If this fellowship is not all-satisfying, there is no great salvation. If Christ is gloomy, or even calmly stoical, eternity will be a long, long sigh."

This simple thought struck me because for much of my young christian life I imagined heaven as not being all that exciting of a place. It wasn't until I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in communal repentance and worship during a revival that I finally understood the purpose of eternity with Christ.

Piper made some other points about how from eternity Jesus has been the mirror of God's infinite mirth and about Jesus being the happiest being in the universe. This is not often the way that we think of Jesus - and I think this is true of Christians as much as those who don't claim Jesus. He then points out how this joy was not some pie in the sky joy that ignores the pain and suffering that exists in our world. Jesus was, after all, "a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief" according to Isaiah. Piper states that "Indomitable joy does not mean there is only joy." Jesus was complex, but not confused, and that "There were divergent notes in the music of his soul, but the result was a symphony."

It's been a long time since I've connected with a pre-written prayer, but the prayer Piper wrote at the end of this chapter was pertinent enough to me, I'd like to copy the prayer in it's entirety for the benefit of others.

"Father, it is a great comfort to us that you and your son are never glib and never gloomy. We delight in the truth that you can be infinitely happy without being callous to our pain. We stand in wonder that the light of Jesus' joy makes a rainbow in the tears on his face. We long to be like this. We want to be strong and unshakable in the joy of our faith. But we don't want to be oblivious to the grievousness of our own sin or the pain of other people's distress. O God, fulfill in us the purpose of your Son in promising that his joy would be in us and that our joy would be full. Make the fruit of the Spirit - joy - flourish in our lives. Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad in you. Waken our slumbering souls from the sleep of listlessness. Take away the lukewarmness of our hearts. Fan the flame of zeal for the glory of your name. May Christ so dwell in our hearts with his indestructible joy that day by day we are conformed more and more to his glad image. And so may we be a place of refuge and eternal refreshment for a hopeless, joy-seeking world of people who do not know they are starved for the glory of gladness of God in Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen."

2009-01-28T19:29:00.002+01:00

So clearly I'm either too busy or too lazy to try and post something that might actually be thoughtful. So if you come to my blog for deep stuff, you might be disappointed. However, if you like to see cool videos and hear cool new music, this post's for you.

I made my annual post-christmas iTunes binge, and one of my new discoveries is a guy/band that goes by the name City and Colour. And really, don't we all like to add superfluous vowels to our words and call it British?

I don't often share music videos as I'm not often impressed by them. But I really was impressed by this one. The song is also one of the best ones on a good album. Enjoy.

Sleeping Sickness

Star Wars as you've never seen it

2009-01-17T00:25:00.002+01:00

It's been a while since I've posted a silly video. This one was too funny to pass up. Enjoy.

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

"You have been king of my glory, won't be my prince of peace"

2009-01-07T01:03:00.003+01:00

Phil Keaggy is one of my (many) favorite artists and musicians. And not because I listen to him every day (I don't), and not because I try to see every possible concert I can (also don't). It is because every time I DO listen to his music, and every time I DO see him in concert, it is special. There is nothing like listing to true musical genius.

The last time I saw Phil in concert was some years ago at an intimate show at my brother's church. He closed the show out with one of Rich Mullin's (many) best songs - Hold Me Jesus. Rich is also one of my (many) favorite artists and musicians. Tragically, he died in a car accident some years ago. Phil's version was warm, magical, and unforgettable. I still harbor hopes that it will make an appearance in one of Phils future studio recordings.

This is why I was excited to discover this on YouTube today:

Muxia for the holidays

2008-12-26T16:07:00.004+01:00

On what might become a new family tradition, we took a day trip on the day before Christmas eve (December 23rd). We drove an hour and a half to Muxia. It is one of the final destinations of the Camino de Santiago (Fisterre being the other, or Finisterre in Castellano). The weather was spectacular - bright, clear, sunny skies with warm sun and warmer temperatures than we had been having recently (around 60 Farenheit). We all had a great time, and Faith and I took more than 240 pictures. I don't know why she keeps bringing up the idea that we should each get our own camera. Be assured, I culled that down to about 120 in my library, and I posted 60 of them on Facebook and on Picasa. If you click on the slideshow above you can go to the Picasa website to see bigger pictures with comments.

What is Christmas without football?

2008-12-25T16:31:00.004+01:00

One of the many things I miss about the holidays while living abroad is the after-meal football game on TV. I can live without it quite easily, but it was funny to find football mixed in with some Christmas sentimentality in a couple of articles. It'll have to do : -) I do like having some tangible examples of the love of Jesus impacting today's world at Christmas time.

ESPN had a column from Rick Reilly the other day that highlighted a really nice event at a high school football game. I won't waste my poor writing skills to retell the story - you can read it here. It just struck me as a really good example of some Christians choosing to do something with their actions to share the love of Jesus with some kids who really need to hear it. And sharing Jesus' love in the context of a football game speaks a language our culture gets. It really struck me as a great witness.

I'm not normally one to get too excited every time a Christian gets a good write-up in the press. I used to get too tied up in how Christians get presented in the media. However, I guess Christmas is the time that ESPN can write articles about Christians.

They also have a nice article on the front page today about Kurt Warner. It seems most people know already about Kurt's open faith, so on that front there is not much new in this article. It remains however a nice portrait of a man who does seem to live what he preaches. Merry Christmas everyone!

Mi Familia

2008-12-15T00:23:00.003+01:00

Kathryn brought home an art project from school last week. She kept putting her right hand over the her hand-print before flashing a great-big proud smile. (Faith later drew faces on the end of each finger for each member of our family and the project went back to school)

The birth of a movement?

2008-11-27T16:38:00.005+01:00

Our family spent 5 nights in Amsterdam more than a week ago so that Faith and I could attend a Backpacker Ministry Forum. The Shelter City youth hostel hosted 30-35 adults who are involved in or interested in ministry among backpackers.

This general term 'backpackers' includes young adults (think early to mid 20's) who travel Europe (at the rest of the globe) for months at a time on a budget, with their belongings collected in one backpack. It also includes pilgrims, much like those who walk the Camino de Santiago, as well as a global 'hippie' population that still travels and gathers in places like India.

It is not an easily defined group, but the common thread they all share is a unique window in life as they are traveling and looking for something beyond themselves and their own experience. They are 'seekers' in a very true, but broad sense. For all of the people gathered at this forum, we believe that God is calling us to reach out to these wanderers with his love at a time when they are very open talking and thinking deeply.

It was both exciting and refreshing to be around a group of people with similar dreams, callings, and visions. We were able to share experiences, thoughts, successes and difficulties with each other. And perhaps most importantly, as we dialogued over the week, a broader collective vision of a global movement to reach out to backpackers emerged. Each individual, and each individual organization represented, had one specific location or sub-culture they felt called to. When we put our callings together you could begin to see how God is moving around the globe to reach this community.

This was especially neat for a couple of reasons. First of all, many of us often feel at best unique, and at worst, alone in our ministries. Most of us have pursued our visions in small groups or individually. It's really great to share this road with others. Second of all, it is abundantly clear that God is leading this, as pretty much each individual or group has, up to now at least, not been connected. It is not something that has grown out of a well-planned or well-run organization, nor even a clear motivating vision cast by a charismatic leader. Rather, this is coming out of a collection of previously unrelated hearts following the Lord's leading individually.

It's not accurate to consider this a birth of any movement for many reasons. First of all, ministries like the Shelter youth hostels in Amsterdam and Youth Hostel Ministry out of Wheaton College have been doing ministry among backpackers for around 40 years already. Second of all, there have already been a few forums like this one held in Australia in years past. But regardless of the history, it is clear that more and more people and groups are becoming interested in reaching this global population. I am excited to see how these different parts grow, connect, and work together over the coming years. And more importantly, I'm excited to see how God works in these traveling sub-cultures.

Picture of the Day

2008-11-27T00:47:00.003+01:00

Castillo Santa Cruz at dusk. Taken yesterday on a family walk not 10 minutes drive from home.

This may be true all over the globe and I'm just noticing it more here, but I love the way that light 'plays.' It seems like the light here is always changing and reflecting in a thousand different ways. I really like how this picture captured the light of that moment.

Welcome to the Family

2008-11-26T22:03:00.007+01:00

The sad truth is there are many things in our life that almost demand to be blogged about. The even sadder truth is I have little time to capture many of them during some of the crazier times of life. Within the last two weeks we visited Amsterdam, enjoyed a visit from some pilgrim friends, took yet another test in our Spanish class, and purchased a new car. Today, I choose to blog about the car. Stay tuned for details on the rest (or - if you can't wait, check out Faith's blog).

I had hoped to get a goodbye picture and post a fitting obit for our first car here in Spain. There was never a good time or place to get a picture of the poor old broken-down car. It died for the last time almost a month ago on us. In the end I think it's more fitting to post the picture above from happier times. It was taken during our first week in Spain - we were learning how to drive stick, we had yet to put any of our numerous dings and scratches into it, its engine had not yet begun to decompose, and it was still under 300,000 kilometers. I won't miss how it became unreliable, but I will miss how comfortable it had become to us. It truly became 'ours' in the short time we had it, and I do miss it a little. I will always have a soft spot in my memory for it.

Having said that, we are definitely ready to move on to the next - and expectedly more reliable - chapter in our automobiling life. We were excited to finally bring our new car home tonight, a mere two weeks after we signed the papers to buy it. It is a 2008 Toyota Corolla Verso. You can't tell by the picture below, but it actually has 7 seats inside. It's not a sedan, but it's not quite a minivan. Either way, we are glad to have a vehicle with the flexibility to add in a few extra passengers when needed.

Faith and I are considering naming it Zwarte Piet - after the culturally awkward and uncomfortable Christmas helper of Sinterklaas in Holland. Zwarte is the Dutch word for black, and you might guess how to translate Sinterklaas. In Holland, Santa's helpers aren't little green elves, rather, he/they are black guys named Pete. Only, in their holiday tradition, white folks put on black face paint and dress up in a manner that, at least where I come from, is so offensive that you might describe it as beyond offensive. Yet somehow, being the Dutch, and being in Holland, it brings a smile to my face. Does that make me a bad person?

Last week our family took a walk through central Amsterdam on the day that happened to be the day that Santa comes to Amsterdam. There is a parade and everything. I only saw one Sinterklaas, but downtown was swarming with Zwarte Petes. Faith caught this Zwarte Pete on film as he was handing out candy and cookies to all the kids.

My Election Day (after) post

2008-11-05T15:31:00.002+01:00

Months of agonizing over my vote, a historic election, global hysteria, and this is all I can come up with?

Yup.

Saw this online yesterday and it cracked me up. Still does.

Spain is hard, yet God is still at work here.

2008-10-28T17:42:00.004+01:00

A new friend pointed brought this article about missions in Spain from Christianity Today to my attention. The only word I can think of to describe it is sobering. The article is a little dated in that it is from 2003, but the sentiment expressed is not new to missions in Spain, nor is there any hint of change at the moment. Almost all evangelical/protestant church growth in Spain right now is directly through immigrants. The reasons for this is complex and many-sided. But the reality remains that the vast majority of people here are living in a spiritual poverty.

On a more positive side - I'd like to leave you with an excerpt from a recent e-mail from this new friend. Faith blogged about Craig Wallace recently. He is a South African missionary living some hours south of us on a branch of the Camino, and he has a heart for pilgrims as well. He has plans to create a campsite/albergue for the peregrinos where he lives. When we met him a week ago, he had just completed one of his trips on the Camino where he seeks to share Christ with pilgrims.

After he returned home he sent out an e-mail that included these four short paragraphs telling of some of the pilgrims he met and the nature of their conversations. I thought it would be valuable to share these stories to highlight the interest, need, and hunger that some pilgrims on the Camino have for "something more."

"On the first day out I met a Belgiam called Jan and spent three to four hours sharing the gospel with him.After growing up in a communistic atheistic family, and dedicating many years to communism, he is now disillusioned and was most surprised to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.Many trips behind the iron curtain left him with a sad despair and he lost his faith in humanity.I put the Bible into his hands and showed him the gospel of John before I knew his name , and he wanted to know what the name John meant.Jehovah is gracious , I told him, so he wanted to know what grace is.Jan, or John the Belgian, was crying as I left him having heard about the grace of God for the first time in his life.

That night I met in the refugio a Chinese girl and a British woman, Lin and Christine.Lin is a research scientist in behavioral genetics at Oxford university and a lively discussion ensued. Her grandfather was one of the leaders of the Three Self Church in China , and this heritage caused her to ask me about Christ and his message.Chrsitine , a British Anglican , insisted that she was a Christian but does not believe in the resurrection….so I took out my Bible and showed them the scriptures.Seed was sown in their hearts.

Coming into Puebla Sanabria I met Keren, an American woman on a cycle who I continued to travel with for the next few days. Keren progressed from being suspicious to opening up her heart to my answers to deeply probing questions concerning the christian faith.We will continue to correspond through email.

Antonio from Seville, who grew up in Germany, a marathon runner who had been walking an average of 40 kms a day for a thousand kilometers, was challenged in our sharing and vowed to begin reading the Bible to strengthen the faith which he has come into through a series of life circumstances.I will be sending him literature."

The Oxford Project

2008-10-23T22:35:00.006+02:00

"In the Storytelling tradition of Studs Terkel and the photographic spirit of Mike Disfarmer, The Oxford Project tells the extraordinary true tale of a seemingly ordinary Midwestern town through the pictures and words of its residents. Equal parts art, American history, cultural anthropology, and human narrative - The Oxford Project is at once personal and universal, surprising and predictable, simple and profound.

The Project began almost twenty-five years ago, when Peter Feldstein undertook the remarkable task of photographing nearly every resident of this town, Oxford, Iowa (pop. 676). The collection of photographs that resulted is a fascinating glimpse into the ethos and character of small-town life. In those stark, full-body images Feldstein managed to capture not only the visage of rural America, but a sense of its underlying spirit."

- from the opening pages of The Oxford Project

I discovered the website for this interesting book/project via another blog. The book is more than 250 pages long, but on the website you can view quite a few of the photographs and stories of the townspeople. What I was able to read and see online was fascinating and gripping in it's own way.

I never actually grew up in a small midwestern town, but have family in rural northwestern Illinois. It definitely reminded me how different the world can seem in different places. Even though I lived in Chicago for 10 years, and now live abroad, part of who I am can be traced to small town and rural Illinois. It also reminded me of how precious small town life can be, when often it's overlooked as so common and uninteresting. I'm convinced that much of America has lost it's connection with our rural roots. And to me there is some mist of sadness about this loss as we become a more urban and global society. Something like this helps shine the light on the unique and valuable way of life that continues unnoticed in many small towns like this.

Update: I discovered this short 3-minute video on youtube about the project. Enjoy!

As an added side note, I am also currently reading the book Gilead, which is also set in a small rural town in Iowa. It's funny how these two things found their way into my life from so seemingly far away. I guess there's nothing like a little nostalgia to offset the difficulty of learning Spanish!!

Don't go!

2008-10-21T21:46:00.004+02:00

At least that is what it seems like Kathryn is saying to Po Po. Faith's mom has been with us for nearly two weeks, and we all are a little sad to see her go already. Her visit did not go as we thought it would, with four of us getting sick while she was here. But it was refreshing to have her help during the week sickness ravaged our house, and to enjoy some of her home-cooked Chinese food.

Gone Fishin'

2008-10-21T21:09:00.003+02:00

Faith blogged yesterday about our walk along the coast. It's one of our favorite places, and she already posted most of the artsy/romantic pictures. I just noticed today the fishing theme that came out on a number of pictures - here are three of the best.

If you like to fish, this might look like heaven to you.

A broader shot to show just how little this fisherman looked against the backdrop.

A small fishing boat common in the waters of Galicia.

Voter's Agony

2008-10-08T21:48:00.004+02:00

Hi. My name is Nate, and I have Voter's Agony.

This is my first election living abroad, which means I have less time to procrastinate making my decision because we have to get our absentee ballots returned soon. I payed more close attention to each party national convention than I ever have before. Just now I spent the last hour or so online trying to find anything to help me find clarity on this election. It seems to me that this is such a polarized election that I must be one of the few who genuinely am not sure what to do. More than anything, this is due to the fact that I am growing increasingly weary with, and wary of, both political parties, and I really don't expect much significant change from either candidate, regardless of what they say and promise now. In the end, each ends up being the tool of their party - which leads me to believe nothing will change. One party will be in control, and blamed for everything under the sun by the party out of control. The party that is out of control will promise the moon, and besides, anyone could do a better job of governing than the current party. It's as predictable as it seems useless.

I was struck by some various web pages designed to 'help' the undecided voter and how everything is defined in terms of 'positions'. Who you vote for should be based on what position you have on various issues, and you should vote for the guy who has the most similar stances. Or something like that. Anyhow - this is what irks me - why does it come down to positions? What ever happened to ideas? No matter how much either candidate tries to present himself as an agent of change, or a maverick, all I see is the same old tired republican vs. democrat battle. It sure seems to me that anymore, candidates decide what positions to take on an issue based on their party, or even worse, because it's opposite of what the other party is for. It seems to me there is far too little room for nuanced thinking, and truly new ideas. I think we as a nation face a host of very serious issues that threaten us. But I can't possibly believe that they all will be solved with either/or solutions.

Anyhow - I guess this is more rant than thoughtful post, but clearly I am concerned about the future of our country, and I am none too confident in either party right now to make much significant change. If anything, let this be a reminder for us all to take this freedom seriously, to pray hard over our decisions, and pray even harder for whoever happens to win, because regardless of who wins, we have a mountain of serious problems to address.

Takeaways

2008-10-07T16:13:00.005+02:00

And I'm not talking about turnovers in football (Go Bears!). I'm resisting the temptation to write some lengthy and flowery post about the grand things I learned on my walk. I think it's easier to bring together a few random points I think I learned along the way. Some may tie together, others may not. So in no particular order, here are some lessons I hope stay with me from my camino.

1) If the camino is an allegory of life's journey, one thing I learned was that sometimes the most important thing is to keep on going in the face of difficulty and adversity, even when you feel like giving up. (as a side-note, I also learned that sometimes it's good to put your plans aside and rest for a bit before moving ahead with a difficult task).

2) I felt the Lord affirming to me that everything and everyone on Earth is his. That this camino, this spot on earth, these pilgrims, and the local inhabitants all belong to Him. He knows every person and every detail. It is his world and we are passing through it. It's a beautiful place, full of valuable things and people.

3) I finish my short camino with a renewed encouragement that the vision we have for a hostel/albergue in Santiago is both good and unique. I sense that there is a service we can provide these pilgrims that is not currently being provided in Santiago (that we are yet aware of). So much of the camino experience is about this special community, and I believe now more than ever that many pilgrims would really appreciate an albergue that creates a community space and environment that most hostels and albergues do not have.

4) My confidence in my fledgling Spanish skills grew over the week. Even thought feeling out of my depth at times, I definitely walk away knowing I can communate in Spanish better than ever before : - ) I really think one of God's gifts to me over my week of travel was continued community with Spaniards.

5) It's about the people and the relationships. Even though the setting is different, in the end, it's not that much different than real life. The walk is interesting, the landscape is beautiful, and the destination is cool. But all of that is secondary to the relationships and community you build along the way. The people are the real treasure of this journey.

Arrival

2008-10-07T12:35:00.006+02:00

Arco do Pino to Santiago de Compostela

Saturday, September 27, 2008
Less than 20 kilometers (I must say I'm still confused by exactly how far apart some of the stops are - regardless, I walked somwhere between 10-12 miles on this last day).

Believe it or not, I have much less to say about this last leg. I walked for the first hour or so with two brothers from New Zealand. Very nice guys. We started in the dark, and none of us had a flashlight, so it might not be hard to imagine that we did manage to lose our way for a short bit in a forest during the nearly pitch-black pre-dawn. I used my cell phone as a flashlight with meager results. It all worked out alright, and we were back on the right path soon enough. After some good conversation, and sometime after daybreak, the two long-hikers from the South Pacific kicked into another gear I didn't have. They were trying to make it into Santiago by noon in order to catch the Pilgrim's mass at the cathedral. I saw them later, and they did in fact make it in time for the mass (I also learned, sadly, that they ran into Gilles, and his walking poles had been stolen at the cathedral). I walked another good portion of the day with my new temporary Spanish community. I had another good lengthy spiritual conversation, this time with Antonio and Jesús. We covered a lot of church history, as they had a lot of questions about Protestants and evangelicals. Most Spaniards don't know many people of faith from Protestant and evangelical traditions. I tried my best to explain what I knew were the differences between 'us' and the Catholic faith, as well as explaining the differences with groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons.

I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure my emotions were different from many pilgrims who arrive in Santiago. Living so close by, we go to Santiago relatively often. I've seen the cathedral many times now. It's not yet home, but it is certainly a familiar place. I definitely was excited to get to Santiago, and I enjoyed the satisfaction of completing a (relatively) long and difficult walk. I enjoyed getting to know our anticipated future home in a new way as well. But it was not all that emotional of an arrival. I was excited to get home to my family, a long hot shower, and my own comfortable bed. I didn't even have much time to spend in Santiago as my train back to Coruña was leaving in a few short hours. I rested briefly in the square in front of the Cathedral before heading over to the pilgrim's office to precent my credencial and receive my Compostela - an official document confirming my completion of the Camino. I then returned to the cathedral to say some quick goodbyes to my Spanish companions as they explored the interior. I didn't even have time for a 'proper' meal after arriving. I had to settle for wolfing down a quick Burger King meal as I scurried down to the train station to catch my train. But it really was great to step down from the train in Coruña to a warm welcome from my family. I received heartfelt little leg-hugs from each of the boys. It was good to see Faith and the kids, be somewhere even more familiar, climb into the car, and head home.

I had the chance to visit Santiago again 3 short days later as we introduced some friends visiting from the States to Santiago. I took this picture that day of a group of pilgrims capturing their arrival at the Cathedral on film. It definitely brought back memories of my arrival just a few days prior.

Food and Fellowship

2008-10-06T17:37:00.006+02:00

Ribadiso do Baixo to Arco do Pino

Friday, September 26, 2008
approximately 20 kilometers (12 1/2 miles)

Another day of rising early for the day's walk. Today's walk was the shortest and easiest of the bunch. For the first and only time I arrived at an albergue before it opened for the afternoon. There was a crowd of at least 50 other pilgrims who had arrived before me waiting on the front porch and lawn of the albergue. The walk itself was good - I walked a good portion of the day with David - we saw Jesús and Antonio less than on other days. I spent the last hour or two with a remarkable Canadian - you can read more about him in the Pilgrim of the Day section below.

One of the highlights of the day was sharing lunch with about 12 Spaniards. I left for lunch with my three most regular companions - we ran into some other friends we'd made on the camino over the last several days. But rather than head for a restaurant right away, we stopped first at a cafe for a round of drinks. We hung out and talked and waited for some others to join us. We then sauntered on down the road to a restaurant that someone in town had recommended. I certainly never would have found or picked out this restaurant on my own, because through the front door it looked like just about any other bar or cafe in Spain. There was, however, out of sight behind a door, a dining area that looked much more like a nice restaurant. By the time our food arrived our party of 4 had ballooned to something like 12 people.

The waiter started off with the standard baskets of bread and a wide variety of drinks (soda, wine, beer, water, etc). The group then ordered a few starter plates of Pulpo. Pulpo is a local Gallego delicacy - The legs of the octopus are cut up into circles (think like a carrot) and boiled (or perhaps sauteed?). It's only the second time I've had it. And I must say that it does have a good flavor, and the meat is good. I'm still not real fond of the skin or the attached suckers. The rest of the menu was standard in that the options were normal: various choices for 2 plates (or courses), and a dessert. Only it was not standard in that the food was absolutely fantastic!! I know I walked 20 kilometers that morning, and that might have played some part in my enjoyment - I was far more tired and hungry the day before, and was far less impressed with that meal.

At any rate, as good as the food was, the best part of the meal was not the food, but was being welcomed into a community of festive Spaniards as they shared a meal. It was a different cultural experience than I have had in the year I've been here. Not that I havn't shared meals with Spaniards, but in this experience I felt more immersed, and more welcomed as part of the group. While I still felt my 'otherness', that welcome into this group was rich and satisfying. I still could hardly keep up with the multi-layered and high-speed conversations, but I was much less exhausted, and far more appreciative of the opportunity. The entire process took probably 2 1/2 or 3 hours and felt so incredibly Spanish. The restaurant turned off the lights signaling to us it was time to leave. As we left, believe it or not, most of the group decided to stop off at yet another cafe for another round of drinks, and more conversation. I opted at this point to return to the albergue for some time alone.

I made two separate stops at the Pharmacy to find some material to care for my small but growing blisters. I made my last visit to a local supermarket to purchase some fruit and other snacks for the next day's walk. In the end I was finally able to get out and explore the city of Arco do Pino a little bit. I probably walked more than I would have liked to, but enjoyed exploring another corner of this unique planet. Later in the day I had another good conversation with a long-hiker from Poland. He spoke excellent English, and had been hiking the camino alone. It's unfortunate I did not have more time to get to know him, as our conversation was easy and pleasant. All of the long-hikers I met definitely left me with the impression that I was missing out on something special and with the desire to make the whole journey someday. It seems to be a rich and challenging experience that does impact people deeply in different ways. This was the day that I felt like I was just starting to get a glimpse of the unique relational potential that the camino offers. It really is a great way to get to know someone quickly - it's a place where you are able to move into deeper levels of conversation than you normally would with friends, neighbors, and co-workers that you see on a regular basis.

Pilgrim of the Day:

Gilles is truly an inspirational person. I met this French (and English)-speaking Canadian from northern Ontario (not Quebec) near the end of his 40 day camino. It's a remarkable journey for anyone, but I was especially impressed given that Gilles is 74 years old. In addition to his remarkable adventuresome spirit, he was also one of the kindest and gentlest people I have met in a while. This soon-to-be-retired Catholic priest definitely exuded an unassuming love that had the air of Jesus to those that he met. I met Gilles briefly Thursday nite in the albergue, and walked and talked with him for more than an hour when I caught up with him on Friday. It was rewarding to meet him and talk with him. I only hope I can be as vibrant both physically, socially, and spiritually when I reach that stage of life.

Strength in Communty and Solitude

2008-10-06T15:52:00.005+02:00

Palas de Rei to Ribadiso do Baixo

Thursday, September 25, 2008
approximately 25 kilometers (15 1/2 miles)
(click anywhere on the slideshow to go to Picasa for larger pics and comments)

I discovered today the power of community for someone walking the camino alone. I walked almost the entire day with three Spaniard guys who had more or less adopted me into their group. David, Jesús, and Antonio are three friends from Valencia who were walking for various reasons. I was tempted to name the three of them my Pilgrims of the Day, but they were a big part of nearly my entire journey - Pilgrims of the week would be a more appropriate title. Walking and talking made the 25 kilometers pass so much quicker. I found I needed fewer breaks, and felt like I was flying along the trail. It was still tiring, but much less so.

David, Antonio, and I discussed spiritual matters for a significant portion of our walk. Converstaion ranged over a variety of topics, but kicked off when they asked me if I was religious. Not being fond of that term, it took me some time to explain (mostly in Spanish) that I take my faith in Jesus very seriously, but that to me it is different from being 'religious.' I really worked hard to communicate that my faith is centered on the person of Jesus and my relationship with him. Over time, the conversation wandered over several other topics, but in the end I pray (and prayed!) that I was able to communicate this very important point and give them pause to consider Jesus a bit more as they journeyed.

When I first met Jesús in Portomarin, he asked me to sign his walking stick, and I noticed that he had writeen "Jesús es mi guia" (Jesus is my guide) on it. I asked him about it, and probably gave him a puzzled look when he said, "Soy Jesús." (I am Jesus), because I thought he was making some vague spiritual allegory about his camino and comparing himself with Jesus the son of God. It made a lot more sense to me when I finally realized the simple truth that his name actually was Jesús.

This perhaps would be a good place to explain what a typical day on the Camino is like, because this was the first day I truly followed a standard schedule that carries most pilgrims the entire length of their journey. An albergue usually sleeps many pilgrims in one room - I shared rooms with as few as 5 other pilgrims, and as many as 109 others. You wake up about 6:30 and pack up your gear in the dark as quietly as possible, in an effort not to wake the few fellow pilgrims in the room who choose not to get an early start. You may eat a small breakfast right away, or simply start walking without food. Either way, you are on the path by 7:30, give or take 15 minutes or more. About 2-3 hours into your walk you stop for coffee/breakfast/snack. Usually at a cafe or bar located right on the camino. 4 to 5 hours of walking may still be ahead, and depending on your company, your energy, and pace, you may take other breaks along the way (with a minimum of 1), including one for lunch around 1 or 2 in the afternoon if you've not arrived at your final destination in time.

The goal is generally to arrive at your final destination for the day before 2, as many albergues fill up quickly around that time. In most cases, you arrive before 2, check in, shower, wash your clothes (you travel with 2, maybe 3 sets of walking clothes), and hang them out to dry. THEN you often go looking for food. You have two choices, first, to find a market and buy food to eat on your own. This is much cheaper, but much harder to do when traveling solo. Many albergues even have a kitchen you can cook a meal in. The second choice is to find a bar/restaurant that offers a menu of the day. The menu includes a drink, two courses, each of which gives you several different options to choose from, and a dessert. All this for a relatively reasonable price. Once the meal is done, you have what's left of the evening to relax, check out the area around the albergue, meet people, read, journal, etc, etc. The day winds down sometime between 10 and 11 as you lay your tired body to rest in bed and try to get some good sleep before tomorrow's early start. Earplugs are a must!!

The albergue in Ribadiso do Baixo was situated in a peaceful and bucolic location, nestled in the hills of the Galician countryside next to a creek and an ancient roman bridge. Pilgrims have been staying in this spot since at least the 1500's, and perhaps longer. It was here in Ribadiso that I was reminded also of the power of solitude. Physically and mentally exhausted after a long day of walking and struggling through complex discussions in Spanish, I chose to share dinner with a group of 9 or so festive Spaniards that formed a large part of my temporary community as I walked. I made the decision partly out of a desire to be around others, but I quickly realized that I did not have the mental energy to keep up with a multi-layered and fast moving conversation. After a while, I simply gave up trying to keep up, and just ate. I realized that more than my need for community at that point, what I really needed was some time alone to recharge. I took the rest of the afternoon to do just that. It was a beautiful spot to take a few (very short!) exploratory walks and enjoy the country-side and the albergue. And as usual, meet a few other pilgrims. It did feel wonderful to dip my tired feet into the freezing cold water of the creek. I found genuine refreshment in having time alone for the rest of the day.

Better days, and even better evenings

2008-09-30T17:50:00.005+02:00

Portomarin to Palas de Rei

Wednesday, September 24, 2008
approximately 25 kilometers (15 1/2 miles)
(click on the slideshow to be taken to the Picasa website where you can see larger photos and more comments).

"The Camino is a place where many, perhaps most, walk with limp that manages to be humble and proud at the same time. Humble because the world can see your weakness, but proud too, that you soldier on in the face of pain and hardship. I have a limp - mine has several causes... In the end, I keep going because I have no other option." I wrote this at the end of my second day of walking. I had recovered enough to complete the walk. It was still difficult, but it went much better than that first difficult day.

The first 5 hours or so felt quite good (or as good as can be on the Camino), but the last hour or two was difficult again. At this point I faced loneliness again as I saw no other pilgrims for more than two kilometers towards the end of my day. The biggest disappointment was arriving at my targeted destination to find all the albergue beds full (albergues are the housing specifically for pilgrims). Rather than walk 3 kilometers ahead (0r 1 backwards), I chose instead to get a room at a pension - a private room. Certainly a disappointment considering my goal was to meet other pilgrims and experience as much of the pilgrim life as possible. Not even considering that the 20 euro cost was nearly 7 times the 3 euro charge for the government run albergues.

I arrived in Palas de Rei tired and a bit put-out by a number of things, but it turned out to be a stop that I think was divinely appointed. I connected with Psalm 24 and the idea that "the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, The world, and all who live in it." So many evangelical and protestant people give little thought to this place, and this event because it is 'Catholic', but in the end, all of these people, and all of these places are still God's. I often visit Catholic churches and cathedrals and walk away having really noticed and felt the differences from my own faith experience. However, today, I instead noticed and felt the familiar things of this small catholic church in town. In many ways it reminded me of a church from my youth. Sure, the artwork is different, but much else could have been in an evangelical or protestant church from any small town in the states.

Pilgrims of the Day: I wish I had a picture to share, but I saw the same father and teenage son several times over the course of the day. I suspect they were Japonese, but I'm no expert in these things. But there were clearly happy and content. Happy with the day's walk, happy with the weather, and content to be experiencing this together.

Pilgrim of the Day II: I had hoped to have a favorite for each day - but turns out I had 2 today, and one more on another day (stay tuned). Due to my late arrival, and discovery of a reasonably priced private room, I was able to assist another late arrival to town when I overheard her trying to work out in english where she'd be staying. Several hours later, she arrived at the restaurant I had chosen to eat dinner at. We shared a table and some conversation. Turns out she was on her 2nd full-length camino (for lack of a cooler term, I've been calling them 'long-hikers.') Up until this point, I had not yet met a long-hiker. We had a fascinating conversation as I was able to pepper her with questions about her experiences - why, what she's learned, etc, etc. And she was also very interested in our vision, and was very encouraging. I did not see her again after that meal (somewhat rare with 3 stages more), but I am convinced that our meeting had been another that was divinely appointed. I walked away with a sense that there are pilgrims out there that would really love to stay at a place like we have in mind.

Putzing around Portomarin

2008-09-29T16:12:00.005+02:00

Tuesday, September 23, 2008.
Portomarin
0 Kilometers

Portomarin is a town of 2,000 residents found on the river Miño. In the 1960's the town moved from the banks of the river to the bluffs overlooking it before the arrival of a new dam. It is a beautiful town, and was a great place to spend a day of solitude. After a difficult first day, and an equally difficult first night on account of my fever I was seriously considering calling it quits, returning home, and delaying my first Camino trip until another time. After consulting with my advisory team (Faith) I decided to stay put for a day in Portomarin to rest before attempting to complete the journey. As a result, I had plenty of time to read, journal, listen to music, and take pictures.

I had this to say in my journal: "I think in my mind I imagined a trip of exploration, discovery, wonder, and relaxation. So far, 2 days in I'm already confronting lonliness. I'm reading a book (Gilead) that is grappling with mortality and purpose. I'm afraid I don't have what it takes to finish, and I've hardly begun - and a short journey at that (many pilgrims walk for 30-40 straight days). It is harder on many levels than I expected. Despite the free time, I'm finding it hard to focus time towards God. I'm having trouble "connecting" - whatever that means. I guess it means I am seeking some direct relating - no shock, I guess, considering my growing awareness of my own lonliness."

I did enjoy some down time, wandering around the ruins of the old town on the river, listening to music, and exploring the little town with my camera. But the best part of the day was seeing God provide once again in the form of new 'roommates.' Another group of outgoing Spaniards invited me into their newly formed community. We played Mafia in spanish - a game I have enjoyed very much in english. They adopted me into their midst despite my elementary communication skills. I ended up walking parts of the next 4 days with them.

You can click on the slideshow below for better quality pictures on the Picasa website. I've also added a few more details than normal in the comment sections.

Camino Fever

2008-09-29T12:56:00.006+02:00

This is the start of several postings covering my first experience walking part of the Camino de Santiago this past week. Each post will cover one day of my journey.

Monday, September 22, 2008.
From Sarria to Portomarin.
approximately 25 kilometers (15 1/2 miles)

Walked out of our piso at 8am, not quite daylight on an overcast morning. A little past 8:30 I boarded a train at a station across the ria from our neighborhood. Fortunately, the train to my starting point, Sarria, goes by the closest station to our house. The clouds splattered the train with bits of rain as we entered deeper into the Galician countryside. At times it seemed like the mist and the forest conspired to swallow the train whole - this sensation was puncutated when we actually entered into tunnels. After arriving a little late to Sarria I found my credential after three stops and was finally on my way shortly before noon. (If you walk more than 100km of the Camino you have a 'credencial del peregrino' - a sort of passport that you must get stamped twice a day to prove you walked the distance. When you arrive in Santiago, you present your credential and recieve a 'Compostela' - a certificate confirming the completion of your camino.)

The day was harder than I imagined. I was very tired and sore quite early in the walk. The going felt slow, and I felt off-schedule from how I planned things in my head. I found taking breaks and eating food to be difficult this first day. God provided for me anyhow, when some fellow pilgrims shared some of their home-made empanada with me, and then when I joined three young spaniards for a portion of the walk. They were university students, and were very friendly and out-going. This was the beginning of the trend that carried me through the rest of the week - most of my community on the camino was with Spaniards - which was also a blessing. It provided me with a precious opportunity for extended practice, it grew my confidence in my skills, and it allowed me to grow in my cultural knowledge as well.

The walk the first day really reminded me many times of northwest Illinois, where my Dad grew up on a milk farm. The landscape was lush and green, dotted with fields of corn, wheat, and cow pastures. Plenty of the familiar black and white mottled milking cows were around, as well as tractors and farming equipment. The main differences were found in the size of the fields, herds, farms, and the structure of the houses and farm buildings (stone here vs. wood).

Of my five days of walking, this first day had the steepest ascending and descending. It was a long day, and I finally arrived stumbling into Portomarin somewhere between 6 and seven in the evening. I felt like I had zero energy, and could hardly believe I actually made it after such a long and hard day. I hauled myself to the showers, and realized after I was freshly clean that I was really cold - really, really cold. I put on as many layers of clothes as I could and retreated into my bunk. I was able to conjure up a blanket from the staff, but spent more than two hours both shivering with the chills while feeling really really hot. I realized at this point that I had a fever and had been likely walking for most of the day with this growing illness. I had no energy, and could hardly get out of bed. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, with the help of some Ibuprofen I brought for muscle pain, I was able to crawl out of bed and make it over to a restaurant for a little food.

I wrote in my journal that it had already been nothing like I imagined. If I were to learn anything from this journey, my first day showed me that as a mirror to the journey of life, the camino showed me that things can be hard and difficult, and that above all, it takes hard work. It takes willpower to go on even when you feel like you have nothing left.

Regrettably, I did not take any photos on this first day. It was probably the most remote portion of the camino I walked, and was quite pretty. It did threaten rain all day (but never did rain), and that combined with my focus on finishing kept the camera in my bag. Stay tuned for photos from other days.

Mmmmm.... Queso!!!!

2008-09-29T12:44:00.007+02:00

I'll be blogging a lot about my recent trip on the Camino, but first, a shot of our little booster-seat-bound thief. We left her alone in the kitchen (momentarily) strapped into her chair thinking she was restrained from getting into much trouble. Only to return to find she had absconded the last two (yes that is two slices thick!) pieces of Gouda. As Dora would say - "Delicioso!"

Someday We'll Go All the Way

2008-09-20T16:16:00.004+02:00

I think I knew Eddie Vedder was a Cubs fan, but I didn't know he'd written a tune about the Cubs, "Someday We'll Go All the Way." (Looks like he threw a mean opening pitch).

I'm not usually one to go for cheesy sports songs (The Super Bowl Shuffle excluded, of course). But this one has a classic feel to it. Obviously, much of Cub Nation is excited and hopeful that this year will be that year. If you are interested, you can listen to the song on myspace.

Go Cubs!

First-Class Accommodations

2008-09-10T13:12:00.004+02:00

A friend pointed out this interesting bit: A 747 is being turned into a hostel in Stockholm, to be located at the Stockholm airport.

I remember a hostel in Stockholm from my backpacking days that was in an old boat. At this juncture, our plans do not include planes, boats, or trains. But it is fun to see some creativity out there.

It's good to be bi-lingual

2008-07-31T00:37:00.002+02:00

A mother mouse and baby mouse were walking along when, all of a sudden, a cat attacks them.

The mother mouse yells "Bark!" And the cat runs away.

"See?" the mother mouse says to her baby, "Now do you see why it's important to learn a foreign language?"

...If it is your will.

2008-06-23T13:22:00.004+02:00

Jesus never concluded a prayer for others with the phrase "...if it is your will." At least that is what Dallas Willard says in Celebration of Discipline. I havn't actually fact checked that one - but I'm going to accept it at face value for now... it is a pretty well respected and widely read book.

For some reason that really surprised me and captured my attention today. Prayer is such a mysterious thing. I feel very dichotomous if I think about it, because I know through both accumulated knowledge and experience that God answers prayers. I know the theological truth in my head, I've experienced it first-hand, and I've heard too many other personal stories to count. Yet still, so often, I pray with this "if" mindset, if not the exact words. He goes on to explain that using such a phrase is completely appropriate when seeking God's will in our own lives - and Jesus did the same. But when praying for someone else, it is so easy to approach it with uncertainty. It is a thought provoking reminder to consciously consider how I am praying.

Photos

2008-06-17T16:17:00.003+02:00

I added two small albums (less than 2o pictures) to Picasa. Thought I'd post some slideshows here. If you'd like to see larger images, click on the pictures and you will be taken to Picasa.

Puente Romana

This roman-era bridge is near our house - it's on the way to and back from Ryan's school. It's reserved for foot traffic now. It's clearly not big enough for cars and trucks. This slide show is of the best pictures we've taken of it over the last nine months. As cool as it is, it's actually difficult to get good pictures of - partly because of the modern, not-so-cool, bridge right next to it.

Boats

Just a few more pictures of local boats. If you've seen previous boat photos I've taken, you may start to recognize a few.

Thomas Merton

2008-06-16T13:02:00.002+02:00

The person "...who has meditated on the Passion of Christ but has not meditated on the extermination camps of Dachau and Auschwitz has not yet fully entered into the experience of Christianity in our time."

Holy Leisure

2008-06-16T12:41:00.005+02:00

"If we are constantly being swept off our feet with frantic activity, we will be unable to be attentive at the moment of inward silence. A mind that is harassed and fragmented by external affairs is hardly prepared for meditation. The church Fathers often spoke of Otium Sanctum, "holy leisure." It refers to a sense of balance in the life, and ability to rest and take time to enjoy beauty, an ability to pace oursevles. With our tendency to define people in terms of what they produce, we would do well to cultivate "holy leisure."

This passage is from a chapter on meditation in Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. It got me thinking about how it does seem that much of my experience in American Christianity is one of frantic activity and defining ourselves by what we 'produce.' I think in that we are reflecting our broader American culture. I have heard many sermons about taking sabbath, but little more than making sure we take a day of week to rest. I also think that it seems many pastors (and missionaries) are driven by proving we did not choose this vocation because it's 'easy' - trying to prove to a rightly cynical world that we are productive. It is a pressure that I feel keenly (mostly internally) as we are in our early days here in Spain.

I know that this idea of holy leisure sounds good, and that I often choose to pursue other forms of leisure that add to the cacophony and frantic activity instead. I know I do not experience this sense of this holy leisure often enough, but I have experienced it enough to know it is good and life giving. I am sure I am not alone, and that many of us would benefit from pursuing God through this.

Christians and Politics

2008-06-10T16:45:00.003+02:00

Here is an interesting reminder of how we can engage in politics without losing our soul. I think #10 was the reminder I needed most as I can feel pretty frustrated with politics at times.

This post was my introduction to a blog that seems to be pretty interesting overall. I'm not crazy about the name, but the author of smartchristian.com definitely has some interesting things to say.

Who am I becoming?

2008-06-09T12:36:00.004+02:00

In the aftermath of my final oral exam today, I've been thinking a bit about what I'm doing, and how I'm doing. As you might guess at that statement, it didn't feel like I did all that well - I won't know how I did until I see the results. But I can say that I've felt a lot of pressure, mostly internal, to really 'succeed' at learning Spanish. Obviously, if we want to not only survive here, but thrive in running a business and ministry, it's of the utmost importance. To add to that, I certainly feel added pressure to perform well because in a very real sense, this is my job at the moment. It seems simple enough - one thing. And there are many fantastic people who are sacrificing their prayers and finances for us to be here. So the felt pressure can be very real to me.

It's not something I readily admit, because it doesn't fit with my adaptive and flexible personality, but I do give quite a bit of thought and emotion to the things I am doing, and the next things I will be or ought to be doing. It was in this context I was reminded this morning of some words a friend spoke at church long ago. He was talking about following God's lead - seeking for his will and his leading. He made the point that it's not about what you are going to do, but it's about who you are going to be. God has made this point to me very clearly before, and for me, it's a powerful message, one that I tend to forget if I don't revisit it. I'm quite certain that God is far more concerned about who I am becoming than what I am doing for him. But I forget that too often. So today I am considering if I am living my life according to that reality. Am I spending enough time seeking God on who I am, and who I am becoming? Or am I spending more time and emotion than I ought on what I should be doing?

I definitely have lots to do - both now, and in the future. But I want to make sure I don't forget the importance of becoming who he is calling me to become in the midst of seeking a path forward as we figure out each next step.

Images of Santiago

2008-06-03T11:33:00.002+02:00

Our friends Larry and Megan visited in May. They made this video of their time spent in Santiago. I enjoyed the images they captured and wanted to share them.

Words about change

2008-05-21T17:45:00.003+02:00

"The greatest problems of our time are not technological, for these we handle fairly well. They are not even political or economic, because the difficulties in these areas, glaring as they may be, are largely derivative. The greatest problems are moral and spiritual, and unless we can make some progress in these realms, we may not even survive. This is how advanced cultures have declined in the past."
- D. Elton Trueblood from the forward to Celebration of Discipline.

This statement did a good job verbalizing how I feel about the many issues in our world today. Not that I don't find things like politics important - I do. But in the end, I'm increasingly convinced that any long-lasting solutions must begin with spiritual and moral resolutions.

"Our world is hungry for genuinely changed people."

This just struck me as simply true. Nothing is more dramatic and motivating than deep and genuine change in a person you know.

"Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people."

"Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself"
- Tolstoy

I must admit that I am as guilty of this as anyone else. I spend too much time thinking about changing everyone else, and too little time concerned with how Christ might be calling me to continue to change and become more and more like him.

Posting quotes is the second laziest way to blog (posting videos would be the first in my opinion), and today I am quite happy to take the easy route. It's also a simple way to recognize that often the things that are worthwhile thinking about originate outside of myself.

All of these are from Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, and are his unless otherwise noted.

Abscence

2008-05-20T22:06:00.004+02:00

So I've been a little absent from the blog lately. What with a visit from my parents-in-law, a trip to a conference in Manila, raising pressure and stress as this semester of language school coming to a close soon, and not to mention raising three energy-absorbing kids - I've had little will to pound out another blog post. Faith, however, has been good about blogging - especially with pictures and the happenings of our family. You can go to her blog to fill in the last several weeks if you havn't already.

Here is a picture from the Philippines to entice you to check her blog for more.
We had an excellent time at International Team's leadership conference in Manilla. It was a long way to travel for a short 5 nite conference, but it was worth it. We were really encouraged by many people we met and heard from. Manila is a very fun and unique place. We were especially touched by the Filipino missionaries that are spreading across the globe to serve Jesus.

Dodging Danger in Iraq

2008-04-23T12:34:00.007+02:00

I received an e-mail from a college friend who is serving with the military in Baghdad. When he has time to send e-mail updates to his friends I always find them impactful. I thought it would be good to share his latest one (with his permission). He lives and works in the green zone - so he's not even in the 'proverbial' front lines - none the less, his e-mail paints a picture of the danger to everyone who is serving over there. In posting this I hope you are reminded to pray for anyone you know serving in Iraq, and everyone there in general. And I hope you can get a snapshot of daily life there through his words, and the sacrifice that the men and women serving there are making.

"I am so terribly grateful to so many of you for the wonderful letters, packages, and emails. But, as great as these things are (and make no mistake, they are an essential boost to my morale) they pale in comparison to the prayers. Your prayers have sustained me throughout this trip, and continue to do so. My wife has repeatedly chastised me for not relating enough aspects of my experience out here. One of the issues I have struggled with is how open and forthcoming I should be with her (and then everyone else) regarding the more negative aspects of life out here. I mean, sure, the heat is oppressive, the sandstorms blot out the sun rather apocalyptically, and the hours would make Roman Galley Captain blanch. ("Row well and you may live.")

"The real issue, however, is the danger factor. It is easy to read or watch mainstream news and believe that, at times, all of Baghdad must be on fire, at war, overrun with medieval pestilence, what have you. The truth is quite different, but the danger is all too real. My base does take rocket and mortar fire on a somewhat frequent basis. It is an unnerving experience that may be beyond accurate description. We have alarms that sound when our radar/anti-rocket systems, and when one goes off you need to hit the ground fast.

"Most of the time I am in my office when this happens. The explosions can be heard from some distance; they also shake the walls. There are occasions, late at night, where explosions will wake you up. Your trailer rattles from the concussion. As quickly as you can, you roll out of your bed onto the floor; most people get under the bed until the "all clear" signal is sounded.

"My wife encouraged me to let those close to me know about my life here. In this fashion, she said, they would know how to pray for me and, also, that their prayers were effective.

"One evening (exact time and date withheld for security reasons), I was walking to dinner from just getting my haircut. We get some time to workout and run errands almost every afternoon. As I was headed to eat, the warning sirens began to blare. They sound "Incoming, Incoming, Incoming," whenever the radar picks up an incoming rocket or mortar. When you hear that siren, you need to haul butt to a mortar shelter (concrete bunker). These are placed all around the base. I looked ahead and saw one about 50 yards off. Something told me, very clearly, that it was too far to run to. At that moment, one of our defensive weapons systems fired in an attempt to intercept an incoming a rocket. Almost as soon as it fired, there was an explosion about 150 yards to the north of me, on the other side of a building. I glanced around and saw a concrete barrier about 3 ft to my right. I literally
dove behind the barrier and tried to hug it as close as I could. As soon as I landed, the weapons system closest to my location fired. At that moment I knew that one was going to hit near me. Similar to the first impact, as soon as the system fired, another rocket impacted about 25 yards away. The explosion was deafening. The ground and concrete wall shook. I was showered with rocks and dirt from the impact. After not hearing anything else for about 30 secs I moved out from the barrier. One guy near me had been hit; his leg was all torn up, but the medics responded incredibly quickly. I then stumbled back to work in a bit of a daze. It did not register until later that had I chosen to run for the shelter I would have run right through the impact zone.

"The time between the first warning and the rocket landing near me may have been like 5 secs, but the sheer intensity of the fear I felt from the moment the rocket hit to when the debris stopped raining down was unbearable. It was pure primal terror felt on a level that I have never experienced and never hope to again. I just don't know how to describe it in any other way.

"The next day I sent an email to my good friend. I did not know how to tell my wife (or other members of my family) or even if I should. There are about a hundred different schools of thought out here related to this topic. My good friend defined being a true friend in the midst of a storm in his reassuring responses.

"So, as I look back at the days I have spent here, and the days I have left (114 down, 85 to go!!), I see the effects of prayer, I feel the effects of prayer, and I am now living because the effects of prayer. Thank you so much, every one of you! Please please keep them coming. I just wanted you to know that prayer matters. Thank you again! I cannot wait to see each and everyone one of you!"

He also asked me to clarify that his note should not be read as critical of the war. I didn't read it that way, but want to honor his wishes to make that clear. He believes in what they are doing there, but in the end, war is still war. I think he did a good job of communicating to his friends and family.

Quote of the Day

2008-04-22T22:27:00.005+02:00

"You can continue to smoke the cigar as long as the flavour is agreeable. Every cigar has a turning point, after which the cigar loses its mild nature, and becomes somewhat obstinate. Then it is time to say farewell. Put it in an ashtray and allow it to extinguish of its own accord. Stubbing a cigar out is an ungrateful response to the pleasure you obtained from smoking it."

This is from the website of my favorite cigar store in the world - PGC Hajenius. Faith and I found this quote hilarious and share-worthy.

I discovered this store when I lived in Amsterdam more than 10 years ago, and their store brands are my favorite cigars. (self-disclosure: I have neither been to that many cigar stores around the world, nor tried that many brands. I did however decide I enjoyed their cigars more than the cuban cigars they sold.)Our friend Sarah is visiting Amsterdam, and I am so excited for her to bring some back for me that I can almost taste them right now.

Quick Visa Update

2008-04-16T19:24:00.003+02:00

With the help of a neighbor Faith visited several offices to sift through what was needed to complete her Dad's visa. The process so far has been so typically 'Spanish' that I thought it would be good blog fodder.

Everything here requires a mountain of paperwork, and it's often not very clear why exactly any of it is necessary. You can guess, but are never sure. In this case, Faith and her friend visited the police office that the visa requirements specified, only to find out that that office was for Spaniards only. The office for foreigners (extranjeros) was the one that could help her with this particular letter. After arriving at the correct office, they discovered that in order to receive one simple letter of invitation from the government for her Dad to visit for 3 weeks she needed to provide the following:
1) photocopy of Faith's Spanish ID card
2) photocopy of her passport
3) photocopy of our rental contract
4) Certified copy of our registration with the local government
5) photocopy of Faith's birth certificate
6) photocopy of her dad's passport (since he is the one we are inviting)
7) 101 euros.

And the reward for jumping through all of these hoops? We would be awarded said requested letter of invitation from the police for Faith's dad in 1 month!! ("more or less")

Obviously Faith and our friend were sent into a panic at this. Which led to something else very Spanish - a way around all of this rediculousness...

In the original visa application, if you are visiting Spain as a tourist and staying at a hotel, all you need is a hotel reservation - no letter of invitation needed. It's only people who are visiting someone they know in Spain that need all the other stuff. So - instead of going through all that hassle for something that couldn't possibly be done in 8 days, we are just reserving a hotel, and that should be approved by the consulate, no problem.

Stay tuned :- ) And I know I said this would be short in the title - but like seemingly most everything else here in Spain, things just take longer to get done than you think they will :- )

Hasta Luego

Más barcos (more boats)

2008-04-16T13:05:00.002+02:00

Still havn't outgrown my fascination with the little boats here. I walked Ryan to school today, and as Kathryn and I moseyed home I took a plethora of pictures along the way.

If you'd like to see larger images just click anywhere on the slideshow and you will be taken to our Picasa album(s).

So this is progress?

2008-04-16T00:39:00.005+02:00

(this post was written late Tuesday nite, April 15 - HA! Tax day!!)

So, imagine that you went to the mechanic today because your only car died last Friday. Now - this mechanic doesn't speak your language, and you barely speak his. Yet, he shows you how totally jacked up your engine got when both of your belts broke. You understand the seriousness of the car's injury, and you understand his estimate that it will cost more than 1,000 euros to fix. Where would that fit into a ranking of things that happened to you today?

If your answer was "one of the best things," you might be living in a new culture. (or perhaps you really had an awfully crummy day.) For me, as I thought about this tonight, I think it is a sign of some progress that something like this would have been somewhat of a crisis several months ago, but was not the dominant issue of my day today.

My day started out with a complicated trip to my Spanish class. Complicated, you'll remember, because my car has all of it's important parts laid out on my mechanics workbench and was unavailable. We took a taxi to school which was far to expensive to take home. We walked part of the way home and took a bus the rest of the way - arriving home an hour and a half later than we do with the car. My reward for getting to class - a brutally difficult exam that made me feel both slow and dimwitted - despite the fact I knew exactly when the test would be, and what chapters of our textbook it covered.

After gathering the boys from their respective schools, making it through feeding time, and finally putting them down for their naps, I was looking forward to sitting on our couch, listening to some new CD's, and folding laundry. This moment of peace was interrupted by a call from my mechanic (who, to give him credit, did get out the english words "You... Come.... Now..." followed by whistling the our national anthem). So, after a confidence shattering encounter with the morning's exam, I boldly set forth to find out what exactly was wrong with my car, and how much it would cost to fix it. And as difficult as it was to communicate, I felt good in the end to discover I really had understood almost everything he was trying to communicate. Now, I did not understand even close to every word, nor could I even translate for you what he said - but I got all of the important parts non-the-less. Now, it was much harder for me to find words to communicate back to him - but I was able to call in the help of a friend to make sure we were all clear on the details.

The rest of my day included a cafe, a store named 'Bizaar Chino,' and a party for a newly minted 5-year old. On the whole these were also good things. We especially enjoy going to birthday parties - I may blog separately about that. By the time we returned home from an extremely full day, we were hungry, tired, and ready to make and eat dinner. This is when we learned that Faith's father had discovered that the Spanish Consulate in D.C. was asking for another letter before they would approve his visa.

This was a stress-raising problem for several reasons. First of all, we thought we had resolved all of the necessary details for the visa 5 weeks prior by taking the time, effort, and euros to create a notarized letter of invitation. Secondly, this new request from the consulate came 8 days before Faith's parents are scheduled to come visit. Additional pressure is added because one of the reason they are coming to visit is to watch the kids while Faith and I attend an International Teams leadership conference in Manila. So there are 4 round-trip international airline tickets hanging on this visa approval.

This would be an example of some of the frustrations of making this cross-cultural life change. Paperwork is a way of life here - we've experienced it from the beginning. On the whole, nothing is truly urgent, because there seems to always be time to get something fixed. This is our first experience with something that has a concrete deadline and significant negative impact if it is not completed. It will be interesting to see how the system works from here.

A Walk in the Park

2008-04-05T23:54:00.002+02:00

On Friday Faith and I had a date, and we went to our favorite local lighthouse. OK, it's really the only lighthouse I know of around here, but we love it, and we go pretty often. If you've seen any of our pictures from Spain, you've probably seen the lighthouse. It's very photogenic. Yesterday, we actually paid the two euros and climbed all 202 steps to the top for the scenic view.

This short slideshow (9 pics) are my favorite shots from our expedition. To see larger sized photos, or other random picasa albums, click on the slideshow.

We took a family excursion Thursday evening to another of our favorite spots. Faith posted quite a few fantastic pictures on her blog here.

What is your image of heaven?

2008-03-31T12:33:00.004+02:00

Do you envision fluffy clouds and harps? Green meadows and mountains? Do you think of reuniting with loved ones? Theologian NT Wright was interviewed by TIME magazine about heaven. He explores what he sees are common misconceptions that many christians have about heaven. It is an interesting and fairly short read.

Mother Nature reminds us of her destructive power

2008-03-14T12:19:00.003+01:00

The big news this week in La Coruña was a shockingly big wave that came ashore during a storm on Monday. It destroyed a part of the pedestrian walkway that is above a rather large beach, and flooded out the busy road that runs along the beach and some of the businesses. It is a place that we often have visited and I would have never thought it was possible. Some of the youtube videos are calling it a 10 or 20 meter wave. That is a big difference, but that probably puts the wave somewhere between 30 - 60 feet high. I'm not very good with gauging that kind of thing, but I do know it would take a huge wave to do this. Thankfully, there were no fatalities that I have heard of. But some were injured. It broke a solid cement fence and some rather large cement benches as well.

Here is a link to a short video of a Spanish news report about the wave.

10 Millones

2008-03-12T18:49:00.005+01:00

In November US News and World Report published this article about Santiago de Compostela, and El Camino de Santiago. It is a nice, short, and informative read about the phenomena of the pilgrimage to Santiago.

One part of the article says this:

"A lot of people set out not being really sure what they are looking for," says Laurie Dennett, a former chairman of the London-based Confraternity of Saint James, which promotes knowledge of the Camino. Dennett says that, like many others, she didn't embark on her first pilgrimage 21 years ago as a religious undertaking.

I like this quote because it brings light to the fact that many travelers, backpackers, and pilgrims are looking for something. Many of these people recognize the reality that there is something missing in their lives that is worth searching for. And many don't know what they are looking for. It often reminds me of when Paul visited the Areopagus in Acts - he recognized that some in Athens were searching for something more than the numerous gods they worshiped. He used it as an opportunity to share the answer he had found in Christ. There is a tremendous opportunity in Galicia to reach out and help these pilgrims in their search for something more.

It also says that "some 10 million visitors are expected in Santiago for the 2010 Holy Year." That's a lot of visitors for a city with around 100,000 residents.

Faith and I took this picture in 2005 of the cathedral overlooking the rooftops in Santiago.

The picture at the top of this post was lifted from the linked article.

I Live Here

2008-03-07T00:25:00.005+01:00

Today I am in awe of the beauty of this place. Brennan and I visited a park on top of a local mountain overlooking the city and the ocean. It was an absolutely perfect clear and sunny day that highlighted the beauty of creation, and by extension, of the creator. Somewhere inside this midwesterner, there is a voice that regularly states in disbelief, "I can't believe I live here... I can't believe I live HERE!!"

Note Brennan in the foreground moving lickety-split to the park. There might not be a playground on earth with a better view.

I have no words

Seriously.... I live here.

And I love it.

Stuff White People Like

2008-03-05T20:05:00.004+01:00

There is something about satire done well that is just so... funny.

I ran across this blog entitled Stuff White People Like, and it had me snickering. Here is a short snippet from #11: Asian Girls.

"95% of white males have at one point in their lives, experienced yellow fever. Many factors have contributed to this phenomenon such as guilt from head taxes, internment camps, dropping the Nuclear bomb and the Viet Nam War . This exchange works both ways as asian girls have a tendency to go for white guys. (White girls never go for asian guys. Bruce Lee and Paul Kariya’s dad are the only recorded instances in modern history). Asian girls often to do this to get back at their strict traditional fathers. There is also the option of dating black guys, but they know deep down that this would give their non-english speaking grandmother(s) a heart attack."

Faith and I found that particular 'thing' (they have 81 and counting so far) pretty amusing. Of the posts I've read so far, my personal favorites are: Graduate School, Multilingual Children, Study Abroad, and Standing Still at Concerts.

It's good to not take yourself (or others) too seriously.

Tearful

2008-02-28T12:50:00.003+01:00

This video brought me to tears. Enjoy.

Crabb-y

2008-02-27T17:16:00.006+01:00

As part of my ongoing training with International Teams I recently finished reading Inside Out by Larry Crabb. I tried to write my own two sentence description of the book but was not satisfied with the results. None of the synopsis I found online seemed sufficient to me either. In a few words, he writes about how to achieve real and lasting change by addressing the pain in our life, and the sin our pain leads us to.

For those of you that know me, I am not naturally an introspective person, or one who dwells on pain for very long. So this book was a challenge for me to go through for many reasons. In fact, if it wasn't an 'assignment' it's hard to imagine I would have stuck with it. However, that does not mean it was a waste of time. It was a valuable read, and challenged me to think in ways I normally wouldn't. I encountered a number of things along the way that I thought would be worth sharing or repeating here on the blog.

Rather than write a snazzy two-sentence synopsis of the book, I thought I'd highlight three of the significant ideas I am walking away with from this book.

"We have not taken the truth that our heart is deceitful seriously enough."
Larry clearly has had enough of shallow Christianity, and of Christians who pretend that everything is fantastic, and that becoming a christian fixes everything in this world. He spends a lot of time exploring the pain in life, and encouraging the reader to face the pain in our lives. At times it seemed like he was essentially saying you either have issues and deep pain in your life, or you are in denial. That mindset frustrated me at points. But the book did help me see that there are ways in my life that I seek to protect myself from further pain that are in fact relational sin - meaning that in relationships I put my need for further protection from pain above Jesus' imperative to love God, and to Love others. And for me, part of the journey of this book was to face up to the fact that my heart is deceitful in that I can explain away this deep sin of the heart and live like things are just fine. This was not the first time this year I've considered these words in Jeremiah 17 " The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" To me it speaks to the mysteries of life. As the next verse states, God searches the heart and examines the mind - essentially - God can understand our hearts, but no one else. Us humans, we seem interminably incapable of discerning our own hearts, much less the hearts of others. If it were clear why would we have centuries of art and literature focused on exploring the human heart and spirit? This means that my own heart is unreliable. And if that is true, it is serious, more serious than I often act.

"When hints of sadness creep into our soul, we must not flee into happy or distracting thoughts."
Another aspect of my life was brought into clearer focus when reading this book - my propensity to selfishly 'demand' that I have time to myself to recover and be refreshed from the daily struggles and pressures of life. It illuminates where I do not fully trust God to provide for my needs, but instead seek to dig my own wells to seek refreshment when we have "living water" available to us. It has me evaluating my use of entertainment and recreation as an escape from daily life rather than seeking more of God and trusting him to provide the refreshment I need. I havn't yet found the pattern, but I intend to build a regular and consistent fast in my life from most forms of electronic media entertainment. (ie like one day a week, or one week a month, where I avoid surfing the internet, watching tv or movies on my own, etc).

"You must make a choice to live honestly."
I highlighted this in a previous posting, but this is the broadest, simplest, and perhaps the most significant take-away I got from the book. Most of the people I admire most are the ones that are the most transparent, and are the most ready to address life as it is, not as we want it to be. It is always refreshing to interact with such people. This book was a good reminder to make an active choice to live life honestly.

While I can't promise it's a fun read, I can recommend this book to anyone who is interested. In the spirit of fairness I should also state that Faith also read the book and really enjoyed it. Psychology majors - go figure.

Politically Disaffected

2008-02-20T12:36:00.004+01:00

While I am often quite interested in following politics, I am increasingly finding myself more and more removed from feeling connected. I definitely feel a sense of being disaffected by the state of our nation and the state of our politics.

A friend pointed out this organization called GOOOH!, which (not so) cleverly is an acronym for the phrase above. What is GOOH? They define themselves thus: "A non-partisan plan to evict the politicians from the U.S. House of Representatives." I could copy more of their ideas here, but will save space by giving you this link to their website. In addition to being intrigued, I was also somehow entertained by reading through their site a bit.

I am not at this point ready to participate or suggest others join. However, the concept was interesting enough that I thought it worth pointing it out to others. I have no idea if this is THE answer, or even AN answer - but I must admit it's nice to see some people trying to take action with the intent on making an impacting change for what they think is the better of the nation.

How is your sole?

2008-02-16T01:01:00.005+01:00

Some pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago don't actually stop in Santiago, but continue their journey until they reach Cape Finisterre. Translated literally as 'the end of the earth.' Traditionally a pilgrim takes off their boots and leaves them there at the Atlantic coast. I havn't yet made it out to visit Cabo Finisterre, but when Faith and I were visiting a scenic spot here in Coruña on Valentines day, we discovered this old, worn pair of boots along the rocky coast. I can't say that currently my soul feels as worn down and beat up as those boots. But there are times when I wonder if that's where I'm heading. I hope that doesn't come across too dour. There is something warm and attractive about these boots despite their obviously hard life. I'm sure they were very comfortable and familiar to their owner. It looks like they were lovingly used, and lovingly left behind. I honestly have no idea if these shoes were left by a pilgrim at the end of their journey. But I like the thought. And I like to think that if my soul ever does feel like those shoes look, it won't be just a sad thought, but one to remind me of the miles I have covered over the course of my life.

A slice of daily life

2008-02-16T00:44:00.004+01:00

This is one of the local parks we visit often. There are three within a short walk from our home. This one is the most popular park of the neighborhood, I presume, because it gets full sun in the afternoon. It has been dubbed "the ria park" by our family because it is overlooking the scenic tidal river here. It is the park that we most often run into classmates of Brennan's, and a few local families we have met. Here Brennan can shyly start to play with those classmates as he feels more and more comfortable here. Here Ryan lives as large and as loud as he wants, and blends right in with the natives. And Kathryn gets to watch even more frenetic activity and hear even louder noises than she experiences at home. She also is a great tool to help us meet other parents. No one can resist her (see my last post for proof).

This is the view of the sunset over 'the ria.'

The above and below pictures are action photos from yesterday's visit.

Another boat photo. Still addicted to them.

Who says you need hair to be beautiful?

2008-02-16T00:30:00.004+01:00

This is a face everyone can love. I am so sure of that I had to share these photos with the rest of the world. I want my daughter to look like a model, but would be mortified if she actually became one. I present these pictures from yesterday's photo shoot at a local park as early proof she could be a model, except we all know she's too brilliant for that. My apologies to all you brilliant models, no offense intended (it's probably not wise to start offending brilliant models).

She looks pretty flirty here - watch out niños de España!

Hanging out at the park, playing hard to get.

Is this for real?

2008-02-13T22:35:00.002+01:00

I've spent the last 7 days on a self-imposed hiatus from most forms of electronic entertainment. I felt I needed to explain the period of silence followed by this small explosion of posting.

As I spent today catching up on stuff I missed over the last week, I ran across this video that I thought you might like. It's a commercial, and I never feel real great about pushing a commercial - but these guys are ridiculous with a soccer ball.

Obedecer

2008-02-13T22:07:00.003+01:00

I was studying for my final exam for my first semester of Spanish (Found out today I passed!), and in frustration, while looking at a verb chart, I decided to count how many different conjugations of one verb there can actually be. Now, not being the grammer-type in English, I honestly have no idea how it compares. But I do know, that as a novice student of Spanish, it gets pretty frustrating trying to learn not only what a word means, but how to use it.

But on to the money part of this post: obedecer is translated to English as 'obey'. There are 106 ways to use the verb obey according to the verb chart. 106!! Here is the link in case you doubt me. Count them if you dare. Never mind that most of them look very similar - if you say it wrong, everyone knows it. Most people will correct you, and most of them will do it nicely. And when you hear one of those forms, you know (if you are lucky) what verb is being used, but are not always real clear on what that particular form specifically means.

May you in some small way experience the joy of learning a new language through this post.

"How are you?"

2008-02-13T18:53:00.004+01:00

Or, here in Spain they ask it, "¿Que tal?," or "¿Como estás?". (Can you tell I'm enjoying using the upside down question mark?)

The answer is usually fairly easy. It is both convenient and conversationally correct to answer 'fine', or 'good.' That greases the speed of conversation and allows us to move on to more important matters, such as the weather, recent sports scores, or our children's latest bodily excretions. Even in Spanish the answer is fairly simple, even for those of us who are struggling to learn the language. A simple 'bien,' or more complicated 'estoy bien' will do. It's really great to follow that up with "¿y tú?" That then puts the conversational ball squarely back into the other person's court without having to explain yourself any further.

I've been thinking a bit more lately about how things really are, partly thanks to a book by Larry Crabb called "Inside Out". I may post more on that later, but one of the big themes that stuck with me from the book was his challenge to Christians to live honestly, and to seek that honesty to the point it thoroughly disrupts our complacency. It gave me the idea to blog about how things are really going for me, and for the Walter clan in La Coruña. I'll address a few common questions, give the standard safe answer, and then follow with a more transparent answer.

How are things in Spain? Good. Great. We love being here. We are as confident as ever that we are here solely because of God's leading in our lives. We have a great community in our local church, Vida Nueva, and have been enjoying discovering more about the people, place, and culture here.
Really? It has been a fun, but difficult (at times) transition. We feel we've come through the first stages of the transition pretty well, but it was quite a tough road at times. The kids seem to have adjusted pretty well by this point. Communication has been tough at times, obviously, as we did not speak Spanish when we arrived. We learned to drive stick shift and how to drive in a different country at the same time - with three kids 4 and under crammed in the back seat. We feel pressure to focus on our language studies as our number-one priority, but also feel pressure to figure out how to become more and more involved in our local supporting church. Plus we are learning to live in a completely different culture, and learning little by little to adopt to different ways of living. Our running joke here is that everything takes longer to get done here than you think it will. The way things are done hear are different enough to often leave us wondering why on earth they do things this way. All of this is in addition to the pressures of making sure we are caring for our kids in the best way possible, which is not always that easy, as I hope most parents can attest to. Plus, the real bummer about being here in Spain is that we missed the Super Bowl this year! On the whole, it's great to be here, we really do enjoy it. But we do miss some things from 'home', and are baffled by some things here.

How is language school going? It is good. I know more Spanish today than I did 5 months ago! But seriously, it is a challenge for me, but it's good to be able to communicate better, and I just keep on keepin' on to continue growing in my communication skills.
Really? It's hard for me. This is the thing I worry about more than anything here. Partly because it feels like so much of our success here relies on our ability to learn to communicate. Partly because I've had no success in my past at learning languages. Languages consistently were low spots in my academic career. But mostly, I go to class, and struggle to understand the teacher anytime she veers off of the textbook to explain things. It feels like I am learning at a glacial pace when I look around and see many others who learn quickly (classmates, family members, etc). I definitely feel like I'm learning stuff, but it does not seem to happen fast enough. I'm fairly certain I'm in the bottom of my class. I have no choice but to succeed in what might be the biggest challenge I've faced in my life.

How are the hostel plans? Things are going well. We still have a ways to go to get our plan off the ground. First things first, we have to learn the language! We are excited to have a great teammate, and have another couple who is interested in joining us that we are excited about.
Really? Things really are going pretty well. But I think we often feel as if other people's expectations are that we might already be running a hostel, or be doing it very soon. We have a pretty clear idea of where we think we are heading, but we are prepared for the journey to take some time. We want to do it right the first time, and set ourselves up to see the best possible chance of long-term success. The truth of the matter is that we are here because we feel a pretty clear leading from the Lord that He wants us here. We see that in order for this hostel to become a reality, God will continue to guide, and will have to 'show up' in such a way that any hostel and/or backpacker ministry that results will clearly be of his doing, and not our own. And we continue to hold 'our' plans loosely, aware that what we think is our direction will change if he guides us in another direction (for example, living now in La Coruña instead of Santiago). After I learn the language, opening a successful hostel and ministry might be the next "biggest challenge" I've had to face in my life. Despite all of our planning and dreaming, there are parts of me that have trouble imagining seeing that vision become a reality. But then, I also know it was not that long ago that parts of me that had trouble seeing us moving to Spain, and here we are!

How are the kids? They are great. The boys are adjusting to school. Both boys seem to like being in school. Kathryn is a great baby. Very quiet and well behaved. We had a lot of illness over the first several months here, but we seem to have come clear of that.
Really? Yeah - for the most part, this one is pretty accurate. What we generally don't talk about though are the temper tantrums and fits that each of the boys seem to have seemingly too often. They are happening with less frequency than when we first arrived, but still seemingly too often. We also don't talk too much about the times we are woken up at night--by all three of the kids, not just the baby. But mostly because any parent can talk about that too - there's not much sympathy to be found out there for something so common : - ) We also don't talk as often about our concerns for the kids - how their personalities will adjust to being here. How will Brennan's gentle and quiet spirit adjust in a place where he clearly is an outsider? How will all of the kids respond to growing up in a place where some of the general cultural values are not all that similar to our own?

So, in the end, there is truth in the simple, pat answers. But it is often a simple truth, unencumbered by the more difficult realities of daily life.

Skype Us!

2008-01-20T15:48:00.000+01:00

Faith and I have been using a program called Skype for several years. You can download it for free here. If you've never heard of it, Skype allows you to talk to other Skype users for free - similar to how instant messaging works, only you can talk via your computer instead of just type. Additionally, if you have a web-cam, you can talk with with live video. This has been fantastic to help us keep connected to our families back in the states. It's great that the kids get to see their grandparents and cousins when we talk. It helps us feel like we're not as far away as we are. In addition to offering free computer-to-computer phone connections for Skype users, you can also purchase minutes and call regular cell or land lines. It's usually very cheap (think 2 cents a minute), and has also been indispensable for us as we have to do business in the states.

At any rate, Faith and I heartily recommend this free (or cheap) service. If you decide to join up with Skype, or already a member, let Faith and I know - we'll get your our Skype ID info so we can catch up.

More Potter?

2008-01-14T21:59:00.000+01:00

Leave it to me to post about a cultural event long after it was actually popular to discuss it. If you did not already know, I happen to be a Harry Potter fan. Although I came to it late in the game, reading the first 6 books over a one month period in 2006. They have not eclipsed the Lord of the Rings trilogy as my favorite novels, but I did enjoy reading the seventh book and talking it over with Faith, and other friends who liked the books.

For those of you who like Harry Potter, I provide a link to an article by Alan Jacobs, a lit prof at Wheaton College. I have enjoyed reading his thoughts on Harry for a couple of years. Enjoy.

Coruña, Torre de Hercules, and some pretty big waves.

2008-01-13T01:26:00.001+01:00

Over our Christmas break from schools, we spent one afternoon at one of our favorite scenic spots here in Coruña. It was dusk, and the waves were really big on a mostly overcast day. The evening produced some really fun pictures I wanted to share. If you read Faith's blog you've already seen at least a few (if not all) of these. I like these pictures not only because of the memories they bring up for me, but because they also show that Galicia retains a sense of beauty even on the grey, windy, and cold days. I don't know if I ever thought that of most places I've lived before.

I love this picture above, because it really gives you a good idea of the force with which these big waves were hitting the rocky coast. Those two guys you see standing in front of the big sculpure were probably 15 feet above the place where the waves hit. It was pretty awesome in the true definition of the word.

This picture is a little grainy, but I love the subtle coloring of the dusk sky against the dark green grass, with the well lit lighthouse at the center of it all.

This picture gives you a little more perspective of the point that the lighthouse is on.

Missions where you are.

2008-01-13T00:50:00.000+01:00

Faith and I are following in the steps of our friend Matt, who blazed a trail to Galicia years before we arrived. He and his family have since returned to the states. We would not be where we are today if it were not for his family's faithful journey to live and minister in Santiago for six years. His wisdom and help have been a very significant part of our journey. I introduce him to explain why I'm posting this link. He has a blog that I enjoy reading, and is one source for some things I re-post here.

The link above is a thought that really struck me. When we were in the Chicago burbs for 8 years we had the joy of meeting folks of many different nationalities and backgrounds. It was a great blessing to live in such a large metropolitan area. It's not just the cities anymore - the burbs have plenty of immigrants. If you take the time to get to know some of them it is incredibly rewarding, and can really help expand your view of the world outside of the US. His post got me thinking about how much more I might have been able to do had I lived more purposefully in regards to reaching out to immigrants in my area.

Not that we don't have that same opportunity here. We rub shoulders with as many immigrants here as locals at the moment. Faith especially has been connecting with a few immigrant women here. One Brazilian woman has a child at the same school as Brennan - she lived in New Jersey for 8 years, and now lives here. Faith has also connected with a group for immigrant women through the local Red Cross. My daily Spanish class is also populated completely by foreigners (of course!). On the whole it is fun, and interesting. It can also be both funny and frustrating to communicate with classmates where our only shared language is our limited Spanish skills.

Attack of the 'Stache

2008-01-12T23:41:00.000+01:00

It's high time the world gets a chance to see my beautiful chin. Even though mullets are a HUGE fashion trend among the youth in Spain (the more creative the better - and I never knew how creative you could be with a mullet!), it seems to me I must be missing a little redneck aesthetic since moving here. At any rate - my standard goat had been pretty long for a while, and I playfully decided to go for something a little off the beaten path. Apparently, it is harder to take me seriously this way, and I now get kissed considerably less than I did before. So, as it appears this brilliant work of art is a limited time offer, I thought it'd be important to document and share the moment.

A year in pictures

2008-01-03T01:01:00.000+01:00

I toyed with creating several different photo albums to post, but opted with one monster album encompassing all of 2007. Don't worry, I culled more than 2,000 pictures down to 88 of the very best. They are not in chronological order - but if you made it through my last marathon of a blog, you'll have a good idea when most of these were taken.

Click on the slideshow to be taken to Picasa to view larger versions of the pictures.

How was your year?

2008-01-02T00:54:00.000+01:00

Here is a not so short list of milestones from 2007:

- Support raising trip to Colorado in early January. Lots of snow, sub-zero temps, high winds, beautiful landscapes and warm people.
- Birth of our third child Kathryn on March 21. Followed by the requisite recovery time from the c-section, visit from families and friends, etc.
- Preparing our town house for sale in May. Living with some good friends off and on for 6 weeks waiting for our town house to sell. Selling the house in July (closed in August).
-Packing up our house. Determining what to keep, what to send to Spain, and where to put it all in the meantime.
- Driving cross-country July 24 with the kids to Washington DC to spend our remaining time in the States with Faith's parents.
- Faith and I driving to Chicago and back to DC in 3 days to pick up our visas and finish all business in Chicago.
- Depart DC September 3rd
- Arrive in Coruña September 4th. Learn to drive stick shift immediately. Begin looking for a home immediately after checking into a hotel.
- Move into our new apartment September 19th. In that time we opened a bank account, applied for our legal permission to live here, registered the kids for school, met our new church community, and even found time to visit a zoo.
- October 1 - begin two-week intensive course for missionaries in Galicia, conducted entirely in Spanish (and some in Gallego). During this course our church was shut down by the local police and it remained closed for 3 weeks. We had worship outside for three straight Sundays.
- Mid-October, register for and start my Spanish class 2 weeks after classes started.
- Late October - host our first visitors - A college friend stopped by while traveling the world, and Faith's parents stopped by for a week on their way to Romania for a short-term missions trip.
- November 8 - my Grandfather died after a long 3-year battle with cancer. I was not able to return in time for the funeral on the 10th.
- The rest of November we attended an all church retreat with our new church, and hosted some leaders from International teams. Celebrated thanksgiving with other missionaries here in Coruña.
- By the first week of December things felt fairly normal. We were as busy as we had ever been, but the busy-ness felt normal. We finally seemed to hit a schedule and a rhythm to our life. This abruptly came to an end when several things happened seemingly at once.
- December 5th - I had my first significant test for my spanish course
- December 9th - our shipment from the states (40 items - mostly boxes of clothes, kitchen stuff, toys, books, etc) finally arrived. Nearly 2 months after we expected them. This re-ignited some chaos into our little apartment that we are just now nearly finished unpacking. Nearly.
- We also spent more time preparing for Christmas here than I remember doing in the US. We bought a tree and decorations for our house. We tried in vain to plan ahead with our shopping in an unsuccessful attempt to get gifts sent back to the states in time for Christmas. We did a healthy amount of shopping for the boys to help make their first Christmas in Spain a special one.
- We are thoroughly enjoying the 2 week break the boys and I have from our schooling. It feels like the first time in a very long time that we've had an extended period of time together as a family to simply be. Time to exhale, relax, and enjoy time off, and time together.

The Lord has clearly been good to us this year. He has always provided for our needs, but that fact stands out a little more for us this year than in years past. It's crazy for us to think back about how much we've been through this year. It's almost hard to believe.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!! May the Lord continue to provide you joy in 2008.

Two-thousand Eight-hundred and Thirty-one

2008-01-01T23:55:00.000+01:00

This is the first (quality) picture we have from 2007: Pike's peak from my uncle's back yard outside Colorado Springs.

Today Faith and I looked through the pictures we took in 2007. It's hard to describe our year, much less describe looking at a pictorial history of that year. In one sense it seems like it was a really long year when we look back at a trip we took to Colorado in early January, because it seems like it was SO long ago. From here it almost feels like it was another lifetime, almost like looking back onto a previous life from another dimension. On the other hand, the year seems to have flown by to consider the ground we covered, both figuratively and literally.

I started to write a short time line of our 2007 - it's not that short, and would distract from the point of this post. Look for it in a post to come soon : - )

I did the math after our time viewing pictures, and by my non-scientific calculation we took somewhere in the ballpark of 2,831 pictures on the year. I'm not sure about you, but even in our family that is astounding. That doesn't count all the pictures we've accumulated from others (parents, etc). Obviously, not all of those pictures are keepers, and many have been deleted. Nonetheless, I still have 1,887 pictures in my 2007 folder.

I've shared a few of those pictures on this blog over the last several months. I'm going to try to put quite a few more out there in the days to come, before we get back into the regular routines of our lives here. Stay tuned.This is the last (quality) picture taken in 2007. Brennan and Ryan at a castle about 45 minutes drive away.

Is the world getting smaller?

2007-12-31T00:52:00.000+01:00

I don't mean literally of course. But, I begun to question this common phrase many of us have echoed at different times over the years. I understand the sentiment - the world is most certainly more accessible than ever. This blog post proves that - I am in Spain, most of the readers of this blog are in the US, and I'm posting a video about Lagos that is being spread via the internet. It is easier to travel and communicate than at any other point in history. By far.

But the truth is that the earth is still physically as large as it ever was. In fact, more people are alive right now than ever before (duh). A friend posted this video about Lagos that really captured my attention. It was educational - I got to learn a bit more about a place I know very little about. But it also got me thinking. When I think of Lagos, I think of internet scammers and unlawfulness. Not much of a snapshot, is it? The sheer number of people who are (possibly?) living in this one city gave me pause to think. There are tons of these huge cities "popping up" around the globe that I know so little about. I know their names, where they are located (usually), and know when really bad things happen there.

I'm not convinced the world really is smaller - I wonder if we just delude ourselves into thinking that because we have the means to travel anywhere we want to. Plus, somehow it makes it not as important for us to stop and learn a little bit more about other places if we truly are all that much more connected - it minimizes the vast differences we have with others around the globe. IF the world really is getting smaller, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed by how the problems seem to grow larger as the earth seemingly shrinks like my wool sweater in the wash.

At any rate - if you've made it this far, you will be rewarded by a lengthy (by internet standards anyhow), but quality and informative video about Lagos.

Moist and Merry

2007-12-29T16:41:00.000+01:00

We have had a good Christmas so far in our new home. Christmas Day was grey and rainy - see the pic above. This is how I always imagined winter in Galicia to be - but it has been the exception rather than the rule for us. Regardless, it was a fun morning to be inside and to open presents as we gathered around our new Christmas tree. We are building new traditions, so it is fun. The boys have been having a good time all around. We have a two-plus week Christmas break from schools - both the boys and I. It feels like the first extended time we've had as a family to simply exhale. While the pace of life never slows - it is nice to take a moment to pause and feel more 'settled' than we have for quite some time.

The Lord is good - in this season of celebration, we are grateful that he has provided a community here that we are connecting with. We shared meals with someone on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. We are of course missing home some, but feel that the Lord has blessed us in our first Christmas in Spain. It's nice that the holidays here give us reason to consider the Christmas story for a longer period of time. At home it is very easy for the real reason for Christmas to be forgotten outside of the 36 hours that encompasses Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here they celebrate the arrival of the Magi on 1/6.

Merry Christmas to everyone! May you all experience the joys of Christmas, and have time to reflect on the birth of our savior!

Too late for Christmas Music?

2007-12-29T12:43:00.000+01:00

I'm not sure if it's too late already to talk about Christmas music, but I thought I'd share three good finds from this year. If you shop on iTunes, all are economical buys: one is an EP, and the other two are currently available for eight bucks.

Bebo Norman: Christmas... From the Realms of Glory.
Bebo is not exactly a find that no one has heard of. He's been making quality CCM music for years. This is a quality album. The traditional tunes are unique enough in their arrangements, and I really like most of the original material. It definitely strikes me as a more worshipful Christmas album than I've heard in a while. (Why is it I feel compelled to describe it this way? That description is a sad commentary all on it's own).

Mindy Smith: My Holiday
This is one of my more pleasant finds. I've been reading good things about this artists music for a couple of years. She has two other albums out. This Christmas album was reviewed well, and I was looking for some new holiday music - at eight bucks, I took a chance, and have been pleasantly surprised. I think you'll like it too.

Hem: Peace at Last
This is a three song EP that I found on iTunes, and cannot find an image of it online anywhere else. Since I have not figured out how to get my iTunes album covers into this blog, you'll have to go to iTunes if you want to see the cover. Hem has been one of the bands I have been telling people about for several years now. I love their music, and their short 3-song EP was a nice addition to my Christmas music selection.

Merry Christmas and happy listening!

Feliz Navidad!

2007-12-23T22:22:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas to all! I am so sorry it has been SO long since I blogged last. My unfamiliar path was a bit busy and crowded this month. It was hard to come by time to blog. Faith just posted tonight (again - she's been much more consistent about blogging over the last month - if you havn't checked her blog out lately, click here.)

At any rate, the entire family enjoyed a bit of Christmas Spanish style on Friday. First, Brennan had a teatro Friday morning. Faith and I crammed ourselves into a small hot auditorium to watch each class from Brennan's school contribute to a show. I fully intended to film Brennan's class and post it here for all to enjoy - but my camerawork was so awful, I will not impose it on anyone. Brennan, as always, was very cute about it all. He had to memorize four lines in Spanish that he recited with a group from his class. He is doing very well now learning Spanish.

On Friday afternoon Ryan's school had a Christmas party complete with lots of candy, presents, and a short kid-friendly program. Head to Faith's blogs to see pictures of the candy. While they do have "Papa Noel" here (Santa Clause) he is really no big deal. The guys that the kids in Spain get pumped about are the Reyes Magos - The guys we call 'The Three Kings' back home. Most presents here are exchanged on January 6 - The day of the Kings (Dia de Reyes). This is the day they celebrate the Magi coming to bring their gifts to the baby Jesus. Turns out it is pretty efficient - at least it was at Ryan's party. With three guys all dressed up handing out gifts, Ryan's entire school had received their gifts in a manner of minutes. All in all, it was a fun experience. I've included two photos of Ryan with 'his' king.

Human Tetris

2007-12-02T23:15:00.000+01:00

Every day, at least one time, Ryan asks "Watch Jap-o-nese please?" By which he means he wants to watch this video.

After much prodding by my wife to post this funny clip, I have finally given in. The boys first got attached to this particular video when their Jio-jio (uncle) Clement e-mailed us a link to the video.

The funny part about Ryan asking to watch "Japonese" is that at first we didn't know which Japanese video he wanted to watch. Was it the silly engineering-type video that I can only describe as being "kind of like those big domino things, but not really because it's with marbles"? Or was it the traditional Japanese drummer video that came in a Paste Magazine DVD Sampler that Ryan inexplicably got attached to? Or was he asking about one of our favorite Strongbad e-mails where he talks about being a Japanese cartoon? So - as if those three were not enough to be confused by, he now has three more of these Human Tetris videos available on YouTube, as well as my personal favorite 'Jap-o-nese' (sorry Strongbad). Once again, words really can't explain this, but I'm sure you'll at least smile, if not laugh if you choose to watch.

Finally, since I'm on a roll, I thought I'd add one last laugh. This one is courtesy of our friend Jung who recently finished a round the world trip. It doesn't fit neatly into the Japanese groupings above, but the picture was taken in China, so, being on the same massive continent is close enough for me. I can't think of a better caption than his own caption from facebook.

can I get a "joss-stick hot nature roast chicken fortress"?

He had a number of pictures of funny translations into English. A close second in my book was the "Green grass is afraid of your trample." sign.

The Radiohead Effect

2007-11-26T18:47:00.000+01:00

Paste Magazine is by far my favorite magazine. I really enjoy the effort they put into finding meaningful art. They focus mainly on music, but also get into film quite a bit. They touch on other subjects like books and video games as well. Their slogan is "Finding Signs of Life In Music, Film, and Culture." As a busy parent, I have found very little time to search for quality music and films - Paste has been incredibly helpful to me especially in finding new good music. They include CD sampler with each magazine. Their website is also pretty cool, usually highlighting some video and music on their site. On the whole, I find the site to have perhaps too much info, but I suppose that means just about anyone can find something that interests them.

The reason I am blogging about Paste right now is that they have shamelessly ripped off Radiohead's most recent marketing tool by letting you pay what you want for 11 issues (one year) of Paste. If you are interested, check out their offer. I heartily endorse the magazine, and this is a good chance to get an exceptional magazine at a price you appreciate. Did I mention the monthly CD alone is worth it?

Galicia

2007-11-25T23:55:00.000+01:00

In my thankful blog, I mentioned I am thankful for the opportunity to live in Galicia. Faith rightfully suggested I might take some time to explain in a little more detail about it.

Galicia (pronounced gah-lee-thee-ah) is the northwest corner of Spain. The Atlantic coast defines the geography to the north and west. It is known as the Costa del Muerte - "the death coast" because the dramatic rocky coasts and poor weather has meant many tragic shipwrecks over the centuries. The land is mountainous (think Appalachians more than Rockies), and Portugal borders to the south. The weather is temperate, and wet. It rains quite a bit (or so we are told - the weather has been unseasonably warm and dry since we arrived) and the result are beautiful green landscapes, and equally beautiful and dramatic rocky coasts.

It is one of Spain's autonomous regions. It is part of Spain, but also enjoys a little more autonomy from other regions of Spain. This is mainly because the people here are a different people group than much of Spain (although to be fair, Spain seems to be comprised of many different people groups). And perhaps even more significantly, they speak their own language here, Gallego (guy-yay-go). It is not a dialect, rather it is a seperate romance language that developed at the same time as Spanish. It shares similarities to both Spanish and Portuguese. Gallego is the official language for government here, so much of the early paperwork we completed was in Gallego, as is most everything that is sent home from Brennan's school. The Gallegos are proud of their language and unique heritage.

This region is truly unique, and it's been a joy to begin to learn about it. We really are only just beginning to learn. My weak attempts at explaining it in a blog will only convey so much. If you like Wikipedia, you can read a little more about Galicia here.

We have taken way too many pictures as we've had chances to sneak out and explore Galicia in the short time we've been here. I've created another album on Picasa you can peruse if you are interested. I apologize in advance for the number of photos. Just recognize I am only posting the best we have taken. I just hope it gives even a small slice of how pretty it is here. As usual, you can click on the photo below to be taken to the online album.

Galicia

More Boat Photos

2007-11-25T23:28:00.000+01:00

In one of my early posts I linked some pictures I had taken of boats near our new home. I mentioned that these little boats had really captured my imagination. To further prove my obsession, I have more than doubled the number of photos in my Picasa album. (yes, there are plenty more photos I didn't upload). Click on the photo below to be linked out to the album on Picasa.

Boats

Thankful

2007-11-25T02:06:00.000+01:00

We celebrated our Thanksgiving today with other American missionaries living in Coruña. It was as good of a time as we could have asked for. 14 of us crammed cozily in our little apartment. Of course we ate ourselves silly on the standard poultry, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pie, as well as some less standard (but no less good) enchiladas, and chicken corn soup. Certainly we have much to be thankful for. I thought I'd list out just a few.

Galicia

We have had the joy of visiting three different coastal villages on the three weekends prior to thanksgiving. This corner of Spain is unique and beautiful. Stunning really. We sometimes have trouble believing we actually live here now. We thank our father for creating such beauty.

Kids

See No Evil - When 8 month olds get silly.Explorers

As I was looking at pictures of our recent adventures I felt very blessed that our kids can experience all of this. And I am very glad to experience it all with them and in some cases through them. They have a joy in exploring all that is new here that is good to have around. Even trips to the store are exclamation point inducing for the boys. (Incidentally, and only on a hardly related note, I observed today that as a parent I am not a good judge of picture quality when my kids are in them. I keep the worst pictures of my kids because deep down I like the pictures solely because they contain images of my own progeny.)

Community

We feel blessed by the community that we are joining here. The people we have become closest to so far are the other missionaries here with whom we share a language. In addition to that small circle, Vida Nueva church has been very welcoming to us. We are excited about all of the budding relationships we are nurturing there despite our deficient language skills. We look forward to the natural maturation of these relationships as our language skills continue to improve. It is also great to see the kids really connect, play, and have fun with other kids.

La Eternidad

The day after my grandfather passed away, the Spanish word of the day for Faith was La Eternidad - eternity. It was another timely reminder of the gift of eternity that God offers to all. It is so simple to say it, but so true - I am thankful for the gift of eternity. As I processed my mourning for my grandfather I was struck that even after such a long and complete life, death still seems so unfair. Something in me still protests the unfairness of it. I think it gave me a window into the nature of death and the nature of our beings. No amount of time is enough for me, is enough for any of us. We were made with eternity sewn into the fabric of our beings. We were not made for endings. Eternity is the answer we each long for. On earth, no time is enough. So, the solution is literally 'no time.' We were designed to live in timeless eternity with the creator of the universe. I for one am thankful that Grandpa can now breathe deep with his longing for eternity fulfilled. I am grateful that we have a God who would sacrifice himself so we can join him in eternity.

Can you believe I slept in a....?

2007-11-16T00:02:00.000+01:00

I ran across this article today about 10 unusual hostels found around the world. Sparked my imagination a bit. Enjoy.

The picture above is of the Point Montara Lighthouse in California. I shamelessly lifted it from the article linked above.

To a Life Well Lived

2007-11-09T01:37:00.001+01:00

My grandfather, Wilber Swanson, went home to be with Jesus today at the age of 90.

He had lived with cancer for seemingly 3 years. He was strong, and he was humble. He lived far longer than the doctors suggested he would, strong until the end. My mom also reports that he died very peacefully.

There is much that I want to say about him, but at this time I could not write it well enough. He loved Jesus, he loved his family, and he was a hard worker. He was a part of the aptly named "greatest generation" that had seen so much happen in the world - he and his generation rightly earned that moniker. He was a good Swede and loved fishing. Probably quite appropriately never saw his beloved Cubbies win the World Series (he is obviously not the only one who can say that). He was much loved by his family, and we will miss him. We are in the conflicting place of being sad that he is gone, but glad on 2 counts: that he is no longer suffering, and of much more significance, he is home with his Lord and Saviour today.

We all literally live a moment away from eternity, but so rarely think about it. Heaven always seems so far away from our lives: far from both our daily routines, and far from all of the evil things that happen in our fallen world. But the reality is that from time to time we need to be reminded that heaven is not far away at all. Today we all have one more reason to look forward to going to heaven.

Grandpa, we love you, we miss you, and we can't wait to see you. We'll see you soon.

Impossible Rumors Could Be True

2007-11-09T01:17:00.000+01:00

"Wind in the Net"
These days my heart can be black as a raven's wing.
But soon I'll run full circle, let the day begin.
Will you whisper in my ear?
Exchange my small coin fears
For the only rumor I hope is true.

My grandfather told me once, "Stand close to me."
The day he returned to the earth I feared the world would freeze.
Lowered in the cold, cold ground,
His gentle voice still the sweetest sound,
Please let the rumors be true.

Could have been asleep
But I swore that I saw you walking on a stone still sea.

The days, they will come, the days they'll go.
At times they'll make as much sense as a summer snow.
Catch the wind in a net,
Lest we forget
Impossible rumors could be true.

Could have been asleep but I swore that I saw you walking.
Could have been dreaming but I swore that I saw you walking on a stone still sea.

Now it's the fall, killing time in this holy place.
Suddenly everything is spilling with your grace.
Will you whisper in my ear?
Exchange my small coin fears
For the only rumor I hope is true.

Could have been dreaming...
Could have been asleep but I swore that I saw you walking.
Could have been dreaming but I swore that I saw you walking on a stone still sea.

This is one of my favorite songs, by the Harrod and Funck. I have always really connected with the expression of hope and longing in this song. For me it is an expression of my faith - that I am looking to exchange my fears for 'impossible rumors.' There is also this sense of darkness and mourning, yet within this, grace springs out unexpectedly, and everyday places become holy.

Obviously, with the author writing about the death of his grandfather, this song takes on further meaning for me with the passing of my own grandpa today. Songs like this give voice to the thoughts and emotions that are sometimes almost impossible to distill into words. My hope is that you too will be moved and encouraged by this song as I am. In the honor and memory of Grandpa.

Is this football or rugby?

2007-10-28T10:35:00.000+01:00

Quite possibly the longest football play I have ever seen. Had me laughing quite a bit.

Donde está mi mente?

2007-10-26T13:39:00.000+02:00

I have finished one week of language school. (Notice the significant decrease in posts in the last five days.) I also started school 2 weeks late. So, I find myself asking myself (reflexive what?) the question posted above. Only I ask it in english, as I do not yet think in spanish.

Where is my mind? I have taken in so much information my mind is on complete overload. I think even my english is worse than it was 5 days ago. Some of the most consistent thoughts I've had this week as I study would probably go something like this: "I recognize that... I should know what it means. I can't remember. Where's my dictionary? Oh yeah." I am continually looking up simple things over and over. I guess brutal repetition is the best way to learn. I know I am learning, but it feels like I am taking in so much information that none of it is sticking. If I knew the spanish phrase for in one ear, and out the other, it would most definitely be appropriate.

The good news is this: I expected it, and am not discouraged. I get frustrated with it at times, but not discouraged. This is the road to learning it. I hold onto the long-term goal of becoming more conversational by the end of the semester, and even more so by the end of the year.

Curious Discoveries

2007-10-21T18:06:00.000+02:00

Our education here is continual, and I feel like I see and hear new things every day. Here are just a handful of sights and experiences that might give you some insight to our daily doings.

Four-wheelers: You may know them as ATVs - Call them what you want. I am not very surprised to find them in Spain. I am getting used to seeing a few of them driving on the roads. I saw this once in the first couple of weeks, and assumed it was unique. Since then, I have had several sightings of guys driving their four-wheelers in and out of traffic. They wear helmets, and outfits that appear like that of a motorcycle rider. I guess the only difference is that their 'bike' has a few extra wheels.

Headlights: Our car has headlights that turn off when the car is turned off. Therefore, since we park in an underground garage, our headlights are on quite a lot - resulting commonly in us driving with our headlights on during daylight hours. This evidently is somewhat of a cultural anomaly, as we have now had quite a few locals tell us that our lights are on (even while driving). I think for the most part, they are telling us out of neighborly care, and really feel like they are doing us a favor. So for that, I am grateful. I am just amused that this action, being pretty common where I come from, is abnormal enough for a number of strangers to feel compelled to inform us of our error.

Regisration: It took me 3 days to register for my language course. Three!!
Day 1: I went to the school, purchased the application forms (that's 3.50 euros for the application, thank you), and was instructed to return the next day with the completed forms, and proof that I had paid for the course via a local bank. Complete forms, and go to a local bank and successfully pay for the course.
Day 2: Return to register. Informed that there is a new process, and I now need to get permission from the Ministry of Education to learn Spanish (since I am a foreigner). Also discover that the class I wanted to take was two hours earlier than I expected (my error).
Day 3: Drive around Coruña searching for the right office to get permission to learn Spanish. Find office, get a short letter with an official stamp from a nice lady. If you are following along at home, you can rest easy, because I am now cleared to learn Spanish. Return to the school to register, and discover the class I had been trying to register for all along was closed. So instead of completing Spanish one over one semester of 2-hour a-day classes, I will now complete it over the course of the entire year with 1-hour a day evening class.
Conclusion: So, it never looks like I expect it to look, and it never goes as planned. Nothing here seems to be as easy as I think it will be. The good news is I finally get some classroom time in my quest to learn Spanish. I start Monday. The other good news is that God has proven time and again to provide what we need in his perfect timing - regardless of what we thought might be coming. We can trust with confidence that, once again, his place for me is not exactly the same place I thought it might be. Hasta lunes!

The Courageous Solo Backpacker

2007-10-18T23:26:00.001+02:00

This is our friend Jung. Faith and I both knew him at Wheaton College (class 97, yeah!!). I have some fond memories playing floor hockey with him. At any rate, he has earned the (dubious?) distinction of being the first backpacker to stay with us here in La Coruña. He is on a 6 week trip through Europe with a trip to China tacked on at the end.

At any rate, he is doing this backpacking thing alone. I have much respect for those that choose the adventure of traveling alone. We were blessed to hang out with Jung for about 36 hours. It was nice to catch up, and nice to hear about his travels. I am convinced as ever that something much more elemental than tourism occurs when people travel the world in this manner. Sure, hostels and hotels are booked, tours are taken, and meals are eaten. There is undeniably a sense of holiday for such trips. But that is just the surface for many backpackers. For many there is a sense of experience that goes much deeper than checking off landmarks. There is a sense of searching and finding. There is a curiosity to see where, and how others live. There is some thrill in watching other cultures live out their daily routines. There is often a desire to experience something larger and different from yourself. I am glad Jung has the opportunity to experience it.

I am also convinced that God likes it when we seek, and is invested in helping us find. The New Testament speaks of living as strangers and aliens where we are. When we leave comfort and familiarity behind, we can be surprised by what we find as an outsider in a new place. Jung, we wish you all God-Speed, blessing, and adventure for the rest of your journey.

News Briefs

2007-10-18T22:57:00.000+02:00

Open-Air Worship

The status of our church, Vida Nueva, is still unresolved. We met outside again this past Sunday, and are awaiting a response from the city government this week. So far no news.

The Sling

As seen in these pictures, Ryan realized on Monday night that his arm was feeling better. He's been good as new since, and the sling has only been used as a cartoonish headband. Sorry - we didn't get any pictures of that.

Hospitality of Strangers

2007-10-17T16:36:00.000+02:00

“Hospitality is as close as we will ever get to the face of God,”
declared a rabbi. Hospitality is at the heart of the Gospel. God
was not willing that we, who were estranged from Him by sin,
should remain strangers. The Father sent forth His Son to extend
an invitation to His home, welcoming those who would receive His
invitation into a holy comm-unity called the Church. His desire
was that we be one in community with Him even as Christ was,
that the world would be convinced of Christ and His mission.
Hospitality is to reach to strangers. In a very real and growing
sense, we are all strangers here. We must grasp the God-breathed
need for Christ-infused hospitality to reach the virtual strangers
around us, beginning with those virtual strangers right in our midst
in the household of faith. Hospitality is glorious, but not glamorous.
It is not an artificial marketing tool but the Master’s authentic
method for birthing and maintaining relational community."

This thought was forwarded to me in an e-mail. I would love to tell you who wrote it, but it was unattributed. I felt the thoughts expressed were worth repeating and spreading.

The italics added are mine. Because christians have found so much in Christ, I think it is easy for us to come across as insiders. Christianity here in Spain, but also around the world, often has an image problem among not-yet-believers. Often, this image problem is genuinely earned. This article highlights some statistics published by the Barna Group highlighting how young adults in the US view christianity. It is important for us to reclaim our position as strangers and aliens among our neighbers, co-workers, and friends.

I also wanted to highlight the comment about hospitality being glorious, but not glamorous. In my experience it is always rewarding to welcome others into your home and life. But it often involves serving, sacrifice, and the messiness that real interaction with others often includes. One thing I felt we heard too much as we prepared to move to Spain were well meant encouragements that often made it sound like we had chosen some sort of higher way of life. It just isn't that way - there is nothing glamorous about our move, or our vision. I feel as obedient in following Christ to Spain as I did into my corporate cubical in suburban Chicago. Not glamorous, but in both places, there can be glorious moments when God is at work.

May we all feel a bit like a stranger, and experience a little of the joy of hospitality.

Unplanned Experiences: The Sling

2007-10-13T18:39:00.000+02:00

We continue to learn about how to live here in Spain, and continue on our pretty constant parade of 'firsts.' We made our first visit to the emergency room here in La Coruña Thursday evening. We were visiting another home, and Ryan fell in the simplest of ways. He was already sitting on the wood floor, and he spun around to do something, lost his balance, and fell over. It took us 5-10 minutes to discover that his arm was REALLY hurting, and he would not allow us to touch it.

Once again, God really provided for our needs. We happened to be with a number of bi-lingual missionaries at the time, and one of them, Leah, was so great to give up her evening and help us take care of Ryan. We had been planning on applying for the public health care system on this coming week, so obviously had not registered yet. The local clinic took a look at Ryan anyway, and suggested an x-ray was necessary. This meant a trip to the local children's hospital emergency room, where they also helped us. .

Overall, Ryan was an excellent 2 year old patient. Especially one who missed dinner and bedtime to check out the emergency room. He obviously did not enjoy having his sore arm poked and prodded. He spent most of the time in the hospital in my arms, whimpering or crying. He gave several dirty looks to the Doctors who poked and prodded him. Despite his misgivings, the Doctors were very nice to him, and tried very hard to figure out if anything was wrong. The x-ray showed no broken bones, which is good. But evidently with children this small it is very difficult to tell if there is any ligament damage. He refused to use the injured arm for the entire visit. They said it's most likely a sprain, and put him in a sling. They suggested he take ibuprofen, and if he wasn't using his arm in 5 days to visit the pediatrician.

Here is a picture of him taken on Friday.

For our first experience into socialized medicine, it wasn't that bad. We've heard that waiting for a long time is the norm. (The socialized system is known for it's slowness. Our friend Leah, who was helping us, hurt her knee almost a month ago, and will not get it x-rayed until December!!) But in our case, it didn't seem we waited any more at the public hospital here than I ever have at a US hospital. We now get to urgently complete our registration for the health care system on Monday in order for this visit to be covered.

At any rate, he perked up almost immediately after we walked out of the hospital doors. Thankfully, Friday was a holiday, so we've had a three day weekend. It's been two days, and he is still in his sling, and still not using the arm. He's terrified to take it off, even though we have made him take it off once each day since. Outside of the very noticeable sling, you'd have trouble recognizing he's operating with one arm. He climbs around, makes trouble with his brother, plays and eats normally. I've included three more photos below to prove he did just fine as we did some sightseeing in Coruña today, and at the park. You can feel a little bad for him, but not too bad. After all, he gets even more attention now than he was before when we go out.

Throwing rocks.

Looking tough at the Torre de Hercules (Tower of Hercules - the oldest working Roman lighthouse in the world).

Enjoying some time at the park.

Brazilian soccer player sings James Blunt

2007-10-12T12:17:00.000+02:00

I found this on a soccer blog. Luciano Emilio is a Brazilian playing for DC United. He is tearing it up this year, leading the league in goals. He is also a large personality, and quite funny. One of his teammates posted this video in his blog. You can follow this link to read more about the set-up.