Unfortunately I haven’t had a whole lot of time to sit down and think about writing about Spain. Life back in the States is crazy busy! This post may be pretty long, but for those who have been wanting to hear about Spain, I am finally able to tell you all about it. 🙂
- Flying in to Madrid early Sunday morning
The first blessing of the trip was that I was able to sleep almost the entire flight from D.C. to Madrid! This may seem kind of trifle, but I have never been able to sleep very well on planes. The seat next to me was empty and I had a window seat (and with the help of some Tylenol PM), so I was able to actually rest. We landed in Madrid very early Sunday morning. As we were flying in, the first thought that popped into my head when I looked out the window was “You’re the God of this city.” I held on to that promise the entire week. When we got off the plane, our team was there to greet us and they were so welcoming! We went to one of the missionary’s apartment for our orientation and practiced our Spanish greetings: one kiss on each cheek, right and then left. After orientation, we went to the market in downtown Madrid. Because it is only open on certain days, it is packed! There are people everywhere! It was vibrant and exciting because we were thrown into the middle of it all. We were able to pass out some DVDs to some of the vendors that was a movie about Jesus. Some didn’t want it, some were very appreciative to have someone give them a gift. After lunch we were able to walk around the Plaza Mayor and see some of the touristy side of Madrid.
Plaza Mayor in Madrid
Monday morning we split into our teams and started our work. My team was able to go to one of the neighborhoods of Madrid and prayerwalk around the area. I had prayerwalked before, but I had never done it where you are encouraged to pray out loud. It was such a wonderful experience and opened my eyes to new forms of prayer that deepen your prayer life. We went to an area around one of the missionary’s daughter’s school. The first day we were there she asked us to pray specifically for one woman she had been building a relationship with whose children also went to her daughter’s school. She told us the woman’s name and the names of two of her four children, Asma and Alla. The woman’s oldest son, Alla, was a dwarf and the missionary told us how the woman was embarrassed by him. Walking around the crowded and run down apartment buildings, it was heartbreaking to realize how many were enslaved to Islam.
After lunch we went to a park to play with kids and talk to moms. The first park we went to was a park near a lot of Roma children. It was a bit difficult to work with them because a lot of them were preteen boys who liked to say inappropriate things toward us girls on the team. A couple of times they tried to touch me, but they definitely understood the word “no” and stopped. We were a bit discouraged when we left that park because we weren’t sure why all of these boys came out and why they only wanted to offend us. Last year in Athens we worked a little with Roma children and the same thing happened. A sad reality is that this is how they think Americans want to be treated. They see things on t.v. from America that show men treating women badly and women accepting it and make the connection in their minds that this is how American women are. My heart broke for them and I God reminded me to be thankful for my male friends and family members that stand up for women and seek to honor them in godly ways.
We then went to the second park that was in the neighborhood where we had prayerwalked that morning. We played with all the kids there and it was so uplifting to see how the kids were sweet and wanted to play with us. I usually would be on bubble duty and would help the kids not spill all the bubbles and take turns. I loved playing with the kids because it was a chance to practice some Spanish and learn new words. I think I said “Como se dice…” every time I could!
The next day we prayerwalked again in the same areas. We were able to go to a German grocery store and a butcher shop. Definitely new experiences for me! We walked through one park and there was a man sitting by himself. He looked like he was from West Africa; a lot of the immigrants in Madrid are from North and West Africa. I wanted to talk to him and hear his story but I was too afraid to stop because I didn’t want to break cultural norms. Women don’t just stop and talk to men, especially women my age. He looked sad and broken. I wanted to just stop and talk to him about where he was from, how he got here, did he have a family, did he have hope. I think my heart was especially burdened for him because I have such a deep love for those from West Africa. Later when we met back up as a team, I told the other members of my team and we stopped and prayed for him a few blocks from the park. I don’t know how or when, but I believe that God will orchestrate that man’s life in such a way that he won’t know what to do but to turn to the one true God.
Me and one of the girls at the Roma park
After lunch we went back to the park where the Roma children were. This day was so much better because we had a lot of girls show up. I made lots of new friends that day. I met one girl who was fourteen and had a son but she wasn’t married. Her and her fifteen year old boyfriend still lived with their separate families. The boys had been taken to play soccer so it was nice to not be harassed and to get to enjoy  being at that park. We also went back to the park in our prayerwalking area and played with the kids. It was so exciting to see that the kids were waiting for us to get there! They came running up to us and were so ready to play with us.
Wednesday morning we went to the market to pass out DVDs and flyers for our block party to the Moroccan women. Since the women started getting there later than we got there, we had some free time to shop. I am convinced that Spain has some of the best shopping! The women started getting to the market and I was so scared to hand out the DVDs. I don’t know why I wanted to just run away and give up, but that day was definitely a spiritual warfare kind of day. Satan was definitely reminding me over and over that I didn’t know their language or culture so I probably shouldn’t try to cross those barriers because I would get nowhere. I finally started to pass out some materials and I began to see how the women were excited that someone took the time to give them something that wasn’t just another promotion for a product. Once again, God showed me that small actions can lead to big changes in His kingdom.
That afternoon we went back to the Roma neighborhood park. That day no girls showed up. The boys went and played soccer and the rest of our team really had no one to interact with. I was a little discouraged because the day before had been so great. I immediately took the time to write in my journal and asked God to just break into the darkness of the families who lived in the apartment buildings surrounding the park. As soon as I finished writing, I looked up and some of the girls I had met the day before came walking up. I went over to them and they ran up to me and hugged me, calling out “Amiga, amiga!” the whole time. God showed me how he knows what I desire even when I don’t ask him for it. He also showed me that I need to remember to take time out of every day and just praise him for who he is and what he has done. I was at that point in the week where I was missing family and friends and for those little girls to come running up to me, excited to see me was the best feeling in the world! We played tag the rest of the time we were there and they had such a great time.
We also went back to the park in our prayerwalking area. I was sad to leave the other park, but I didn’t realize at the time that God wasn’t done showing me his sovereignty that day just yet. We were playing with the big parachute we had brought and I noticed this one kid who was noticeably smaller than the rest. He was having so much fun and kind of gave off the impression that he didn’t get to interact with other kids very much. I went over to him and asked him his name and he told me it was Alla and he pointed to his sister and told me her name was Asma. It was such a cool moment to see how God brought those two children to the park that we had specifically prayed for two days earlier and showed me faces to put to the names. That was one moment I wished I knew how to speak fluent Spanish and to tell him that we had prayed for him and that God loved him very much. He was so sweet and just fully enjoyed being around all of the others and playing with them. It was an encouraging end to the day.
Thursday we prepared for the block party. It was a nice time of just fellowship with the team and the missionaries. That afternoon we took everything over to a big park and set up. It was so windy that day and chilly! But despite the cold, everyone  maintained a positive attitude and helped to make it great. We had about 100 children come with their parents to the block party. It was so sweet to see the kids we had met at the park come with their parents. It was exciting to see how our work at the parks actually made a difference. That was one of the neatest and busiest days! And again God showed me that because he is in control, he works in ways that I cannot and allows me to be a part of his story.
Segovia
Friday we woke up very early, got on the train, and traveled two hours to Segovia. It was a beautiful place! Very European and so quaint. Of course, more shopping was included and we got to eat lunch at this fun outdoor restaurant in the Plaza Mayor. After lunch we go to go see the castle. It was beautiful and very ornate in its attention to detail. I think Segovia has become one of my favorite places in the world.
The castle
Spain will forever hold a special place in my heart. Once again God confirmed to me that my life is meant to be poured out for him and that I am not supposed to chase after the American dream. He has deepened my desire to live overseas and invest my time there. The harvest is ready, but the workers are so few. There are times of discouragement, cowardice, and stubbornness, but God uses all of them to show us how his strength is magnified in our weaknesses. God is the God of Madrid and he will continue to bring life to those in that city. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity and that God desired to use me to plant seeds for him to grow. I ask that you join me in continuing to pray for Madrid. Pray that the DVDs we handed out will be watched and stir questions in the hearts of those who watch. Pray that healing will come to the broken. Pray that the missionaries will not get discouraged. Pray that God will continue to make his name famous in Madrid. May God continue to get all the glory for the outcomes of this trip.
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