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I write this with great happiness from my beloved apartment in our town of Alcalá de Henares. I'm so content to be home after traveling around most of this month. I also write with great apology for not being able to write about our travels until now! Nevertheless, I hope I can get you all caught up on the multitude of things we have been up to this month.

The first few days of April, we participated in an English Camp that took place over a weekend for anyone who wanted to better their English. It was put on by some other TEAM missionaries as well as a short-term team that came from one of their supporting churches. This program was FANTASTIC! It went over so well, and I feel like I learned a whole lot about how much of a tool teaching English is here in Spain. We are seriously considering getting certified to teach English as a second language when we return to the States. I also was able to get to know a few Spaniards from the weekend and hope to get together with them soon.

Micah with one of the English camp attendee's who also goes to our church--Sergio

Then the next day we traveled down by bus to the Sevilla area to meet with different missionaries and national pastors to see what God is doing down South. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and somewhat of a vacation as well, as we were able to do some site-seeing as well. The meetings with all the missionaries went great, and we got to know some wonderful people! We also were able to talk and learn a lot from the national pastors we talked with. God is really working in so many places, and there are needs just about everywhere here in this country! There are still over 7,000 towns in Spain that have no gospel witness in their towns. Please pray that God may show us clearly what the next step is for us!

This is a panoramic shot of the town we stayed in for our time down South. It's called Utrera, and there is no church there.

The "High Altar" in the cathedral in Sevilla...so many images

The beautiful Moorish architecture in the Alcázar, the Citadel/Royal Palace

Gorgeous Spanish tile artistry!

We then were able to spend about a week back at home, which mostly consisted of doing laundry and getting caught up on other duties we had neglected during travel. But it was a good rest, because this past Wednesday, we traveled for 8 hours up to the Northwest community of Galicia, in a small inlet town called Aguiño. We traveled there for our church's Easter retreat. Our church is still small enough to take a retreat with the whole church, and I loved that everyone went! We had about 45 people who came, and it was wonderful. We really felt like this brought us in as part of the church family this weekend. Not only for us, but also for several new families who have recently started attending the church. I think that real unity happened this weekend, and I am so grateful. I also was able to celebrate my birthday this weekend, alongside the beach! It was wonderful. Micah and I have yet to have our own celebration so that we could celebrate on our own schedule, but the church ladies really spoiled me while we were there! I think it's hard for them to understand how we would be able to leave our families like we have, so they really take it on themselves to make sure that on important days like birthdays, Christmas, etc. that we feel like part of the family. And I sure did! I felt truly loved by my brothers and sisters there, and I'm really starting to love some of these people! What a wonderful opportunity we had to spend the weekend with them! I'll put pictures up of the weekend once I load them onto the computer.

We arrived home, and we're trying to get back into some sort of schedule. We have a whole new phase of our internship ahead of us, as we don't have language school and will now be home for a more extended period of time, so we're trying to figure out how to get more involved in the community while at the same time getting more involved at the church. Will you pray that God will guide us as we figure out the balance of learning language and culture, our involvement in church, and involvement in the community? We truly want to make decisions that will have an impact on our future ministry here in Spain, learning as much as we can, and also helping where we can. Thank you so much for all your support!!

Taking the Next Step

Well, an age (or what seems like an age to us) has come to an end! We are official graduates of our language class!! Our 10 week course has finished, and we have passed our level. We absolutely loved our classes, and would recommend the program completely! We have learned so much since we've been here! But of course we're excited to have a little break from language study! We have been advised to take a week or two break from studying Spanish before we move forward to anything else. It has been said that a 3 month period of language study is about all a mind can handle without a short break. So, after a short break, we plan to continue studying through other means. We won't be able to go back to the same language program, but there are other ways of practicing Spanish here! We feel like we have a strong enough grammar base that we understand most of the rules. Now the hard part is learning to use it without having to think about it for a while! We are really shooting for fluidity in the Spanish language, so that comes with speaking. There are things here called "intercambios" that are usually free. The word means, more or less, "interchange", or "language exchange". For us, it will consist of us (whether it's both of us or just one) with another person who speaks Spanish but also wants to learn English. We will spend about an hour speaking English, correcting all of their mistakes, then another hour speaking Spanish, in which they will correct our mistakes. The great thing about this is that it truly develops your speaking skills while at the same time building relationships! We are hoping to meet with people who maybe don't know God's love for them yet so that we can build relationships with them!

Us on graduation day with our grammar teacher, MariaJesus, "Mariaje"

Us on graduation day with our conversation teacher, Begoña

Also, in the last post I mentioned a parade we were about to attend! It is called the Burial of the Sardine, and marks the end of Carnaval (a period of partying before Lent). The Burial of the Sardine symbolizes a purification time for all the partying that happened during Carnaval, so as to enter into Lent pure. Of course, most people don't buy into the religiousness of it all, but instead come to see a fun parade ending in the burning of huge cardboard sardines! Also, the kids really enjoy it because they all dress up in costumes! I thought it was a little scary for children as the main players in the parade were the sardines, of course, and then these demon characters which were even creepy to me! It was still a fun experience, though. There is a little bit more background on Carnaval in the last blog post.

One of the demon characters in the parade. Creepy, right?

One of the dead "sardines"

Another shot of the demon character

The burial (more like the burning) of the sardine

This week we are getting caught up on a bunch of work that needs to be done, as well as figuring out the pace of life now that we're finished with a daily language course. Things are filling up fast, though! We have plenty to do and plan for this week! We have our next appointment for applying for residency this Friday. Once that appointment is over, we just need to wait for them to process our cards (the normal wait time is about 45 days), then all we'll need to do is go and pick up our residency cards! Then, on the 2nd of April, we are going down to the Seville area to meet with other missionaries and find times to meet with them, learn about their work, and look for future partnerships. We will stay there for a little over a week. Then later in April, we will go to Galicia on a retreat with our church here. I am very excited about this!! It will be a refreshing time, both physically and spiritually. The coastal town looks like it's going to be beautiful.

For more pictures about the Burial of the Sardine, click here.

For general pictures we've taken this month, you can see them here.

Thank you so much for coming along with us on this journey! Looking forward to sharing more!

Seasons

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Tonight marks the beginning of Carnavales here in Spain. Carnaval marks the beginning of the Lent season. There are different theories, but the most widely accepted is that Carnaval began because during Lent, there are certain foods that are prohibited. So, just before Lent, there would be community-wide feast to eat up the Lent-unworthy foods, usually which consisted of rich food and drink. Out of that came Carnaval. Although steeped in tradition and Catholocism, today's Carnaval is far from it. Madrid doesn't have huge Carnavales, but there will be a parade tomorrow that we hope to see, either downtown or on television. We'll let you know how the Carnavales turned out!

Also, our house has been in another season of illness. We have heard that this is very normal while getting used to all the new germs of a new country, but it has been a bit discouraging at times. We are praying that there isn't much else we need to get our immune systems used to before we can be well!

This month, we're not even sure what season it is!!! One week the highs were in the 60s, and we LOVED it! The next, the highs were in the 40s, but because of the previous week some of the trees started to bloom! This week, it has been in the high 30s/low 40s, and it snowed last night!!! No wonder we're having a hard time adjusting!

We haven't been able to do much besides language school over the last few weeks because of sickness, so there's not much to report. We have had the privilege of being a part of a small group here in our town that just started back up within the last month. When we've been able to go, we have thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship and Bible study. We also have been attending language school (when we haven't been sick!), and are learning a whole lot. We can't believe that we only have two weeks remaining in our course! Thanks for joining us in this journey! Can't wait to share more!

Here we are on a nice day sitting in the main Plaza of Alcala waiting for friends

Here are beautiful blossoms on a 40ish degree weather day

And here is the snow from this morning!

The cut-back trees in the Plaza de Cervantes covered in snow

Another view of the Plaza with some snow.

Catching Up

Time to get you guys caught up on the happenings of the last month!

Much of January was spent lying on the couch or in bed with various illnesses. Seriously, it feels like we've been sick every other week since we've been here! But thankfully we've been healthy for a good while now, and we're hoping it'll last for a while!! It's been great the last week or so because 1. We bought a humidifier. This has TREMENDOUSLY helped our breathing. Coming from the humidity capital of the United States, the dry air was really having an effect on our respiratory systems. 2. The weather has been GREAT the last week! We don't have any sort of air circulation in our house unless we open the windows, and up until now, it's been too cold to open them. But this week, the highs have been between 50-60, so we've been able to open the windows and get some fresh air! It has made all the difference.

On January 10th, we started our 3 month course of language school. We've been taking classes now for 4 1/2 weeks now, and we've already learned so much! Our class is a bit interesting, as the majority of the students are from China. It's like a cross-cultural experience within a cross-cultural experience! We're trying to make the most our of this semester, trying to get more practice outside of the classroom, and we've been able to do some extra-curricular Spanish practice. It's been a great experience compared to learning Spanish in the States since the entire class is in Spanish. It helps to learn everything without having to constantly translate from English to Spanish. It's been much more tiring to learn a language than we ever imagined! We get done with classes at 1:30, Monday through Friday, but the mental exhaustion has forced us to really prioritize what we devote ourselves to during this time of language study. We've had to really look at the big picture of this year, the opportunities we have right now, cultural adaptation, responsibilities we've committed ourselves to, and try to balance it all to maximize the impact of this year for our future here in Spain. This internship so far has only ignited our desire to return here long-term. Don't get me wrong, we've been way up high and way down low here...dealing with a huge variety of emotions in only 2 1/2 months already. But being here has added a whole extra layer to thinking about our future here.

Also, we're trying to work it out for our parents to be able to visit us. However, coming to Spain isn't the cheapest thing as you may have guessed, so would you please pray that God would provide the finances for especially my (Kimberly's) parents to visit us? It would be a huge blessing for us to see our parents this year. Thanks!

Here are a few pictures from our last month here! For more pictures, you can see them here and here

Here is a beautiful view of the equally beautiful city of Toledo

Micah and I in Toledo

The GORGEOUS cathedral in Toledo

Our youth meeting with youth from our church

Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe that 2010 has come to a close! Are we really more than a decade into this millennium? I know that may make me sound old, but it's how I feel! 2011. Somehow it feels like there are so many new possibilities when you enter into a new year. And for us, this year is especially full of possibilities considering we're spending most of it here in Spain! We are certainly looking forward to it. But as a friend reminded me, Christ is the only source of new beginnings. I hope I can shed the hype of a new year for the True Source of change and possibilities.

We have spent the last couple of weeks adapting, touring, and settling in to our new place! We love it here! Of course, there have been things to get used to, accept that we may not ever understand why someone does something the way they do it (at least not for a while), and hopefully not look down on as inferior (it's just different, right?). But it's been a great time for us. God has provided us a great place in a really central location, which is nice since we have no car! Our place is a 5 minute walk to the bus station, and a 15 minute walk to the train station. Between those two places, we can go anywhere! We've had a great time touring around. We've been to a couple places downtown, and we plan to go back next week. We've also been able to meet a few people here, and hopefully get together with them this week! We're finding already that English is a big felt need here. Will you please pray that we'll have the courage to enter in to what God has for us and the strength to wait if we need to?

One of my favorite things that we've done (fun things, that is) is a tour of Belenes (Bethlehem's). Spain has a wonderful tradition to set up what we might consider a Nativity scene in each town hall and in many churches. But there's is not just the Nativity, it's the whole town of Bethlehem. All include the wise men, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the star. But we have also seen the temple, the angel telling the shepherds, the journey to Bethlehem, Herod's palace, general village life, Herod taking the baby boys, running water, markets, the angel telling Mary she would give birth... Some of them just tell the whole Christmas story! It's so great! The Belenes stay up until January 6, which is the holiday "Epiphany" or "Tres Reyes" (Three Kings), where they celebrate the wise men coming to Jesus. We hope to visit a few more around the neighboring towns before the 6th.

Here's a video of Plaza Mayor in the middle of Madrid. Right now there is a Christmas Bazar going on where you can buy little Belen figurines for your household one. It was packed!

Here are links to other photo albums that we've taken since we've been here if you're interested in seeing more pictures!

This album is of a Castle and also the gardens at the palace in La Granja.

This album is of all the Belenes that we've seen so far.

This album is just general pictures we've taken over the last month!

We are so grateful for everyone's support, and we can't wait to share what God has for us this year!

Merry Christmas!

Here's a copy of our Christmas Newsletter. Praying that you have been able to celebrate Christ coming to earth. Missing all of you!

May God give you His peace this season.

In Spain!

Well, the wait is finally over! We arrived in Spain a little over a week ago, and we're having a great time! Praise God that He brought us through several potential problems at the airport. On our plane ride over to Frankfurt, we heard over the loudspeaker that our flight was going to arrive late, and they told us the flight number of our rebooked flight. Upon arrival, we went to the Lufthansa desk to see if we could get our ticket for our rebooked flight. We finally got to a person at the desk, and we found out that it might not be possible to get the ticket for the flight since it was a complicated situation. Apparently, Frankfurt was not prepared for the early snowfall, and because of that, there were hundreds of people with cancelled flights trying to get rebookings. But, thanks to the Lord, we were able to get our ticket for the same day flying to Madrid! Once we got our ticket, the airline employee who helped us told us that we were lucky that she was able to get us a ticket because we were actually supposed to be in this HUGE line that we ended up seeing was several hundred people long! We kept walking past the hundreds of people waiting in line, in amazement of what God had spared us from! Here's a picture of the snow in Frankfurt!

We have settled in nicely so far. Hopefully tomorrow or Monday we will sign the contract on our apartment and be able to move in that day! We've set up a bank account, gotten cell phones, and settled on a place to live! We've learned how to use the metro, train, and bus around town since we don't have a car. We've been able to meet with a lot of people so far, whether other missionaries or Spaniards to discuss their ministry and our possible involvement. We registered for language school, which begins on the 10th of January. We feel like we're beginning to get the hang of things! We also were able to attend the church in Camarma where we will be interning this year! We had a great time, and we were joyful to see Operation Christmas Child boxes at the church ready for departure! Here are some of the boxes!

We were excited to find out that the city where we will be living is having some sort of medieval festival this week! We were able to stop by and see some of the booths they had in the center plaza in town. Here are some of the pictures from the festival and also from our first week!

Micah ordered "fish" at a really good restaurant. Glad it wasn't me! This is a type of fried fish that came with our "Menu", where you pay a flat price, then pick a first plate (which might be a salad, soup, beans, etc.), pick a second plate (fish, other meat usually), and then a dessert!

A beautiful building in Alcala de Henares

The main plaza (where the festival was held) has a beautiful Christmas tree! I'll have to go there at night sometime to get it all lit up!

Part of the University of Alcala

These Santa's climbing up ladders are THE MOST POPULAR Christmas decoration here!

A candy stand at the festival! Don't you want one of those brightly colored candies!?

This is how they keep pieces of ham here!

They were cooking ribs and Spanish sausage over the fire! Yummy!

They had a few live animals at the festival! I particularly liked this spotted chicken!

They had a small scale model of Belen (Bethlehem), complete with Nativity.

And, my personal favorite find, Obama stickers! HA!

Thank you so much for praying for us! We look forward to sharing more of how things are going, and how God shows Himself to us in the upcoming weeks!