Retiro

I already mentioned a few things about the retreat our church took last weekend up to the Northwestern province of Galicia, but I wanted to introduce you to someone we got to know there as well as provide a few pictures.

Meet Margarita. She is an older woman who almost couldn't come to the retreat due to finances. Another generous church member gave her the chance to go on the retreat. I was able to spend some time with Margarita mostly over the game, Phase 10. Let me tell you, this game was a huge hit! As we were playing the game, I noticed a beautiful open gold locket with an aging picture of a young couple. I asked her about it, and she replied that it was a photo of her and her husband. I thought it was so sweet. Then she began to tell me a bit of her story. That same husband passed away after they had only been married for several years. He left her with 3 (I believe) small boys to raise and care for alone. I now see why this old photo is so proudly worn everyday. She had to work to raise her sons and passed through some very difficult times. She then went on to tell me that in August of this past year, she lost one of her sons. The grief in her eyes said it all. She told me, "You can get over a lot of things, but losing a son...you'll never recover from that." I pray that God will bring her through this as well, as the grief is still fresh. In picking up the pieces from her son's death, she is also dealing with other family issues with her other sons. Please pray for this dear woman! She shared with us at the end of the retreat that she was grateful to have been able to come on the retreat and that she felt so loved during the weekend. She said that she needed that. I am so grateful that we could be a part of blessing this dear woman's heart. She is a believer in Christ.

Margarita coming up from the beach to show us her shells that she found, with her precious locket around her neck.

Also, please be praying for me as I am pursuing meeting with the daughter of a beloved woman from our church. Her and her husband are the most servant hearted people I have ever met. Jose and Teresa had been hurt by "church" before. They hadn't been fellowshipping anywhere when they heard about our church in Camarma. They have found a home here and are integral parts of the family here. We love them. Teresa's daughter is my age and is disenchanted with the church as well. I've never met her, but Teresa is excited about the possibility of my meeting with her for a possible language exchange...or maybe even just to hang out! Please pray that I would be able to show her the love of Christ and renew her faith that His Church is a family who loves.

This is Jose and Teresa

Here are a few pictures from the retreat! If you want to see more pictures from the retreat, you can click here and here.

This was the view from the 101 year old church we stayed in! This church survived the Spanish Civil War, which was less than friendly to evangelicals (to put it nicely)

This is the view of the bay from an overlook point

An old building along the beach we spent some time on

The water was gorgeous!

Us at one of the gorgeous lookout points

Also, here are other albums from our trip down South.

This album is of the city of Sevilla.

This album is of the huge Cathedral.

This and this album are of the fortress that mixes Moorish and Spanish architecture.

This album is of the Plaza de España.