The Whitaker Wire

Movie Night in Alcora

2011-12-29T18:59:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago our ministry team hosted a free movie night open to the town of Alcora. We originally had intended to show The Nativity Story (being December and all), but since the movie distributor wanted 300€ ($400!) to do a public screening, we settled on a much more economical movie called The Climb that was put out by the Billy Graham Association some years back. About 30 people showed up, between the support of our church in the neighboring town and people from our town, and the experience was quite informative for us. Here are a few observations I have about the night:

Relationships matter: The people who came from Alcora were nearly all people we knew and had personally invited. One random Alcorino saw one of the signs we had put out and came, and then when he asked who we were and why we were putting on a free movie night, thus finding out that we were an evangelical church group, he left and said he'd come back in a few minutes...we're still waiting for him to return.
The "evangelical" stigma: We just posted about this with one of our recent conversations, so I won't go into detail. But people (especially people from a small, predominately Catholic community) still view the evangelical church as a cult...or at least as something very strange and foreign. At times it even causes us to question how we should refer to ourselves, call our church group, and publicize events.
People are busy with their own lives: Thirty years ago, when Rachel's parents first arrived in Spain, doing big outdoor campaigns and showing the Jesus Film really worked because people weren't all that busy and a lot of them didn't have their own TV's. But now everyone has their own LED TV sets to watch movies, and they're busier than ever, taxiing their kids to soccer, dance, piano and tae-kwon-do lessons after school. Just finding an ideal day and time to put on a movie was challenging enough.
We're still learning: It could be easy to get discouraged with the fact that only 30 people showed up for a free movie, and, in fact, a few of our group did seem a bit down about it. But a big part of what we're doing at this stage in ministry is testing the waters, experimenting with events and ministries, and seeing what kind of response we have. This is an extremely important step in the process of evangelism and church planting, but it can be frustrating, as well, because having big numbers would be really nice...they make us feel good and look impressive in prayer letters. So we could look at it from a very Eeyore-ish point of view and be disappointed about the numbers, or we can take it all in stride, learn from it, and actually have fun with the ministry and events that we do, even if no one outside of our small group shows up.
God's at work: Several of the non-Christians who did show up for the movie were quite moved by the plot and the themes presented, true love and sacrifice (especially God's love for us) being central. Some even cried at the end. Our neighbors who went continued to mention it (unsolicitedly) in conversations for days after, and we had the opportunity to share the Gospel with them at a deeper level than we ever have been as a result. They remain interested and even accompanied us to our church's annual Christmas program. They may not know it yet, but the Holy Spirit is softening their hearts, and the Lover of their souls is wooing them softly towards Himself.

Conversations With Spaniards: Normal?

2011-12-22T15:26:00.000+01:00

Not so long ago, I was chatting with my language exchange partner...she helps me with Spanish, and I help her with her English. We'll call her Inma. Inma and I have been meeting together for this mutual help for 2 or 3 months, and in the midst of our conversation (now in Spanish), she said something to me that, well, kind of caught me off-guard:

Inma: "But, you're really...normal."
Me: "What exactly do you mean by that...normal?"
Inma: "Well, when our mutual friend, Juan, told me about you and that you were an evangelical preacher, that made me kind of nervous. I wanted to work on my English, so I called you anyway."
Me: "So what made you nervous about meeting an evangelical preacher?" (which, by the way, is never how I refer to myself)
Inma: "The only exposure I have to evangelicals was at Juan's wedding years ago, and, to tell you the truth, all them were pretty strange or obviously people with certain special needs."
Me: "Really? That's interesting...They probably found a place that accepts them, and that's a good thing, right?"
Inma: "Well, yeah, but you, and your wife, well, you guys are normal. You're married, you have a daughter, you're a pretty happy, educated, normal guy. I wasn't sure what to expect when I met you, but you're definitely different than what I expected an evangelical preacher to be like."
Me: "Well, I'm glad to have changed your view of evangelicals a bit."

This brief 10 minute conversation I had with Inma showed me a lot about how "normal" Spaniards tend to see evangelicals, and perhaps in some ways they're right. Many evangelicals here in Spain come from the lower economic classes and are not always very well-educated. Many of them do have social, behavioral and/or psychological problems, and they end up in the evangelical church because their needs, most basically the need for love and acceptance, are met there because we try to take the greatest two commandments seriously (sometimes more successfully than others). Also, a lot of evangelicals are Hispanic or Romanian immigrants, making "evangelical" synonymous with "foreign." Add to this the fact that when the media covers the evangelical church here, it almost always shows either a Gypsy church (think wildly charismatic--the Gypsies are their own culture here) or a Latin American church (often times the prosperity gospel type). This is the impression that the typical Spaniard has of the evangelical church or what it means to be an evangelical as opposed to a "normal" Catholic (practicing, barely practicing, proudly non-practicing or atheistic, they come in all classes).

So what does this mean for us? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm certain it doesn't mean closing our doors to the people who live the Beatitudes. At the same time, it means that we need to be mindful of this perception and also be open to changing people's stereotypes of us, and this probably only happens slowly, one conversation at a time. However, to appear "NORMAL" is never the goal. Pray with us that God would help us to live in such a way, with an eternal mindset, values and purpose, that others would be attracted to Him, and that what they see would be so much better than "normal."

Conversations with Spaniards

2011-10-06T19:11:00.000+02:00

Not so long ago I stopped in at the local music shop to check out some guitar gear, and after a bit of chit-chat about the gear I was looking at, and finding out that I'm an American (darned accent!), the owner started a conversation that turned, well, almost typical.

O: "So what is an American like you doing in Alcora?! Do you work in a factory here?"
BJ: "No, actually, I'm an evangelical pastor..."
O: "Huh...well, don't try to convert me--I can't be converted to anything by anyone."
BJ: "No, don't worry about that...it's not my job to convert you anyhow."
O: "Well, I don't believe in anything, just in humans."
BJ: "Really...that's interesting."
O: "And in this world, there's just so much evil, people take advantage of you and cause so much destruction. It's terrible!"
BJ: "Yeah, I know. But didn't you say you only believed in people and their goodness? With all the evil we cause, it doesn't seem like a hopeful belief."
O: "I mean that there are good people who do good things, and bad people who do bad things. And we need to try to do the good...and the bad people need to be judged and dealt with."
BJ: "I see what you're saying. That's actually one of the reassuring things for me about what the Bible teaches. God is just, and He'll deal with the people who do evil, so I don't have to worry to much about them...God will take care of that."
O: "Huh..." (Silence...)
BJ: "And the beauty I see in the Christian faith is that none of us is perfect, we all make mistakes, we sin, and we all deserve to be judged. But Jesus loved me enough that He took the punishment in my place so that I wouldn't have to face God's judgment."
O: "Huh...I certainly don't believe in the Church. I mean, they do some good things, but the Church is all corrupt, throughout the whole hierarchy, and the people who go out to participate in the processions, well, they do it just for show. I know those people and what they're really like!"
BJ: "Yeah, I can imagine. I've found that it's hard for people to separate their ideas of who God is from what the Church has done."
O: "I haven't gone out to the processions since I was 14 because I didn't want to be a hypocrite, but I did get married in the Church and I certainly never go to mass. But once in a while I climb up the hill to the hermitage chapel and go off by myself, and I talk alone by myself. So I might end up being more of a believer than the people who go out for the processions and are hypocrites afterwards."
BJ: "That's interesting. So maybe you believe in something after all?"
O: "Well, maybe..."
BJ: "I need to get going, but it's been good chatting and I appreciate you sharing your perspective on life with me. We'll have to talk again."

I'm certainly not a great evangelist, but it's been interesting to listen to people, to hear their perspectives, complaints, and beliefs, and to sow a few seeds of the Gospel into the conversation. Pray that these seeds would be watered, cared for, and would grow to fruition, whether through me or someone else God has in mind. Most of all pray for fertile soil here in Alcora and throughout Spain.

Prayer for Alcora: ¡No a la incineradora!

2011-10-05T16:55:00.001+02:00

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15)

In July (or perhaps before) the town of Alcora was informed that the Community of Valencia (basically the state we form a part of) had plans to construct or, at least, is approving the construction of a large trash incinerator 2 or 3 kilometers from Alcora. Since then the town has united against this proposal, which apparently has been years in the making (who knows why the townspeople weren’t informed of this before July…). In any case, one could say that the trash (industrial strength stuff—not just left over chicken bones) has to go somewhere, so why not here in Alcora? We’ve also heard the humorous logic that, given the pollution caused by the dozens of factories here, what’s a little more? All joking aside, the only positive aspect of this incinerator would be the work it brings with it, but even that would be less than would bring a recycling center.

We still don’t know all the details of this plan, but what we do know is the following:

If the incinerator is built here, some 135,000 tons of industrial waste will be burned here each year.
The resulting pollution from such an incinerator can cause various diseases and health problems, from cancer to congenital defects in babies.
The pollution would not just effect the community of Alcora (its people, its land and its water) but also the surrounding towns and even the nearby city of Castellón, which happens to be downstream.

So please pray for our town:

That the Lord somehow blocks the plan to construct this incinerator.
That the Lord gives the local and provincial leadership another solution for waste disposal.
That the Lord will give us wisdom in our meeting the new Mayoress next week, Tuesday the 11th, so that we might be able to encourage her in her fight against this plan, as well as discuss various other issues with her.

If you'd like to see a little tour of how an incinerator works, CLICK HERE.

Not an advertisement for Chick-fil-a, just an honest opinion.

Postcards in Alcora!

2011-08-28T16:19:00.002+02:00

This week and next week have the "Fiestas del Cristo" (the town festival in honor of the Christ) here in Alcora. Some time ago our ministry team decided to take advantage of this time when people are a bit more open and even sensitive to spiritual things. So this week we've distributed some 3300 postcards to all the homes here to wish them a great time of fiestas, to make them think a bit more about Christ (and not just the parties), and to direct them to our webpage (www.conocelo.net) where they can come to know Christ for the first time or know Him better. Please pray for the following:

That the Lord will use these postcards for His glory and awaken the hearts of Alcorinos to His great love for them.
That those who are seeking the Lord (or just something to fill the emptiness in their lives) will find the living Christ who loves them.
That if people contact us personally we'll know how to take them closer to Christ and grow in their relationship with Him.

Above you have a little video we made to thank you for your encouragement and support of the ministry here in Alcora, and in particular of our distribution of the postcards. Thanks for praying with us!

Warrnambool Concert!

2011-07-27T19:06:00.003+02:00

We just had our first public event as an evangelical presence here in Alcora, a rock concert with the Swiss band Warrnambool, and we were pretty pleased and excited by the outcome. The purpose was not to do fast-track evangelism and try to convert people on the spot with an altar call, which doesn't work very well here in Spain, according to people who have lived and worked here a lot longer than we have. Rather, the goal was to let the community of Alcora know that there is an evangelical presence here in their town, that we want to offer positive influence in the community, and, yes, to provide a testimony to Christ and the way He's changed our lives. So here were some of the highlights:

It was a cool, breezy Monday evening, and people came to the show. We were a bit concerned beforehand because it was a Monday night and a lot of people knew that it was sponsored by the and evangelical group, which often doesn't get the most positive rap here. But at one point we counted about 75 people, and a lot more neighbors and passers-by surely heard the music. Several sister churches brought groups, which was greatly encouraging to us, and probably about 25 people who have no connection to any evangelical church came either to check out the band or because they know us and wanted to be supportive.
The band rocked! No, the lead singer didn't dive into the crowd, but there were several of us who made a mini-mosh pit during some of the heavier songs (yes, I'm speaking in the first-person). A few of the comments we heard were, "How did you manage to get this great group to come to our little town?" "I wish this would've been on a Friday so that more people could have come out to enjoy the show" (which we wish we could've done but the band's tour schedule wouldn't allow it). One young lady enjoyed the band so much that she had them sign her pink leather jacket. The band sold out of CDs, and people were impressed by the quality of the show they put on, even if they only understood the brief translations in between songs.
People didn't leave during the brief testimony that was shared. We were also nervous about this because people don't want to be preached at at a rock concert...and though the good news of Jesus was clearly presented, we don't think they felt preached at. Juan, an elder in our mother church and who happens to be from Alcora, shared about 4 minutes worth of how his encounter with Christ has filled and transformed him, and people stayed and listened...in fact, no one left during that part of the show. Pray thatseeds, small as they may have been, were planted and that the Lord will do His work in His time, bringing them to fruition.

Below are a few photos from the evening. Praise God with us that He is at work here in Alcora!

The pink jacket that got signed.

Juan sharing how Jesus filled his life.

A good representation of folks from our mother church in Onda.

Praying for the Nations in Alcora

2011-05-25T20:57:00.000+02:00

One of Jesus’ final commands before ascending to heaven was to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” Earlier this year I went by the town hall here in Alcora to request some demographic information on the makeup of the town, and it turns out that many of the nations have come to us here! There are some 37 distinct nationalities represented in Alcora, which makes it more diverse than we anticipated (though it’s not nearly as diverse as other towns nearer to the coast). Here is a basic summary of the nationalities represented in Alcora:

Spaniards: 90% (9,852)

Romanians: 4.75% (519)

Moroccans: 3% (335) (some 379 total from Muslim African countries)

Hispanics: 0.8% (89)

Other Europeans: 0.7% (78)

Chinese: 0.16% (17)

Israelis: 0.04% (4)

With these statistics in mind, here is a suggestion for how you can pray for the nations in Alcora:

That their minds and hearts will awaken to their need for God.

Joel 3:12: “Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side.

That they will be blessed with the Good News through us (the spiritual children of Abraham):

Galatians 3:8: Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”

That they will find the true, full healing that is found only in Jesus:

Revelation 22:1-2: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Thanks for continuing to pray for Alcora with us!!!

A Visit to the JW's

2011-04-25T21:14:00.000+02:00

A little over a week ago I paid a visit to the Jehovah's Witnesses. A week or so before, a couple of JW's came to our door, inviting us to their annual celebration of Christ's death, which is essentially their version of the Lord's Supper. So I went to their Kingdom Hall here in town...with certain concerns in my mind. First, I'd never been to a meeting of a group commonly known as a cult. Second, there is always confusion here in Spain of anything or anyone that considers itself Christian but not Roman Catholic (we've already been asked a number of times if we're JW's and then have had to begin to explain the differences), so I didn't want people who know me (as an evangelical) thinking that I belonged to their group. And third, if put on the spot, I wasn't sure if I could defend myself in Spanish biblically and theologically. As it turned out, none of my preoccupations were worthy of losing sleep over (thanks be to God). Here are a few reflections or thoughts based on the experience:

The people were quite nice. Perhaps it was because it was a most special occasion for them and they had worked hard inviting all the town...or perhaps that's part of their training...or perhaps they're just genuinely nice. But I felt welcomed by the people, and they seemed interested in me. It probably helped being the only American in the service (and in town).
Their meetings look an awful lot like (Spanish) evangelical worship services, especially from a Catholic perspective. In fact, as I sat there observing and listening, I began to understand why a Spaniard whose only concept of church or a worship service is a mass happening in an ornate Catholic sanctuary would confuse the JW's and the evangelicals. Both of our meeting places are normally storefronts, we sing a couple songs, a preacher preaches and prays up front, there are no kneelers, no images or statues, little written or memorized liturgy...you get the picture. I imagine that they would have a hard time getting past the appearances to even begin to contemplate the differences in doctrine and teaching.
They use the Bible poorly, at least in explaining their core beliefs. On this occasion, the preacher explained these core beliefs, taking verse after verse out of context and then saying, "So we see that this is what the Bible teaches about eternal life, heaven, the way of salvation, Jesus, etc.." We have to be careful to use the Bible well in our services and teaching, training people to know and study the Word in its entirety.
Not everyone, not even the majority, took communion. In fact, the preacher mentioned that last year some 18 million people attended this same celebration of Jesus' death worldwide, but only 11,000 actually took communion. I'm not sure why this is, if it requires a certain number of converts or a certain amount of time in the club or what, but it struck me as interesting.
I need to learn a bit more about how to talk with, reason with and, perhaps, sow some seeds of doubt with JW's. The people who invited me were quite interested in visiting me again, even knowing that I'm an evangelical pastor, so hopefully I'll have the opportunity to share Christ's love and good news with them.

Prayer for Alcora: Spiritual Warfare

2011-04-22T11:15:00.000+02:00

In Ephesians 6:10-12, Paul affirms the reality of spiritual warfare, that we live in the midst of “enemy-occupied territory,” as C.S. Lewis put it, and that Satan has certain schemes and methods of attacking us. But the truth is that we haven’t been thinking so much about demon possession and some of the more sensational displays of this reality (though we know this is real); rather, we’re continually reminded of the more subtle footholds and influences the enemy has in our world and culture.

One foothold we see here in Spain, and surely around the world (and even in our own lives) is the blatant materialism and the desire for more and more stuff. We don’t have time to go into a deep discussion of it, but we’re convinced that this is a clear foothold and distraction that the enemy is quite pleased with…and that we’re unaware of much of the time.

Another subtle scheme of the enemy that we see, especially at this time of the year, Semana Santa, here in Spain, is the participation in the grand processions and other religious activities of this season. Don’t get me wrong: we're not necessarily against the Catholic Church nor religious processions, in and of themselves. But this week many will go out to see the processions out of pure tradition, or habit, or boredom, without really thinking about why Jesus’ death makes a difference. Others will participate to uphold a promise they made to God or the Virgin, thinking that this is really all that God expects of them, all the while missing the profound, eternity-shaking significance of what Christ has done in His death and resurrection (even as they watch the processions which represent Jesus’ sufferings). From our point of view, this is a very subtle and, therefore, powerful hold that the enemy has on many Spaniards, keeping them from knowing God in a real way.

So please pray with us this month:

That God will cause Spaniards to question why they are going out to see the processions and what the death and resurrection of Jesus truly means for them.
That God will give us opportunities to be good observers of the people and culture here in Alcora during the processions.
That God will give us opportunities to have good conversations with people here about the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
That God will protect us from the schemes and attacks of the enemy as we continue to serve Him here.

Our 2nd Anniversary!!!

2011-03-30T10:40:00.000+02:00

Two years ago this morning we arrived in Madrid as new missionaries in Spain. I still hardly knew the language and Rachel had a roller coaster of emotions about coming back to the land of her birth and childhood. Since that day, a lot has changed for us. We've lived in Córdoba and then moved to Alcora, here in eastern Spain. I've learned the language...or, rather, I'm still learning the language. We've gone from being the newest missionaries on the field to being somewhat new missionaries whom the more seasoned ones consult when they have questions about the newest arrivals. We've gone from being missionaries purely in language acquisition and cultural adaptation to being church planters, even though I'm still perfecting the language and we're still observing and learning about the local culture here in Alcora. Oh yeah, and we've gone from being a couple to being a family, with the addition of our precious Miriam Joy.

Thinking about this, I have two reflections. First, God has been incredibly faithful to us in countless ways. From finding apartments to rent to the details of moves and Miriam's birth and paperwork and ministry and faithful supporters who make it possible for us to do what we do, it is clear that our Lord has walked ahead of us, with us, and behind us with each step of our journey. We are profoundly grateful for this.

Second, as we've talked about our journey lately, we feel like we've reached the end of the honeymoon stage of our transition from missionary candidates to missionaries. The first year and a half here was chocked full of firsts and novelties: new language and culture to learn, completing language school, the grand accomplishment of getting our drivers licenses, my first sermon in Spanish, new trips and places to see, moving to Alcora to begin a new ministry, becoming part of a new team, and becoming new parents. Now there aren't quite so many "BIG" things to look forward to, and we are settling into a certain mundane, routine life living here in Alcora and discerning how we can best serve as Jesus' witnesses to the people of this pueblo. And, quite honestly, there is something new and bewildering about this stage of the "mundane," so please pray that we will walk with the Lord closely as we continue our journey with Him during this third year of our life in Spain.

Miriam's 9 Months Old!!!

2011-03-29T17:59:00.000+02:00

So we're celebrating that our little Miriam has now been living outside the womb longer than she lived inside it! She's doing all sorts of new things like saying "Mama" and "Dada," crawling (still figuring out how to crawl on her knees instead of doing the army crawl), and trying to grab Daddy's cell phone to play with it whenever she can. So here are a few of our favorite photos from the past few months, and you can see more HERE.

Alcora Prayer Update: the Economy

2011-02-15T12:33:00.000+01:00

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor...(Luke 4:18)

As we mentioned in last month’s prayer update, the economy of Alcora is built on the ceramic tile industry, which has been hit hard by the economic crisis the Spain is still in. Let me give you a clearer picture of what this looks like.

The ceramic tile factories extend for miles around Alcora.

There are about 150 ceramic tile factories in and around Alcora, and about 5 years ago during the economic boom with all of the construction going on in Spain and around the world, there would be as many as 50,000 people working in Alcora (a town of 11,000) during the day. Not only this, but the factories were working around the clock producing tiles and shipping them to all parts of the world. People were moving here from all over Spain and even Europe to find work because there was plenty of it. One of our acquaintances explained to us that there were so many jobs in the factories that if you didn’t like working in one, you simply went to another one without any trouble, and you would almost never think about working for lower wages in the supermarket.

Now almost anyone would love to work in the supermarket. A neighbor upstairs who has been a director in one of the factories around here for quite some time told me that many factories that before had 1,000 or more employees are now down to 40 or 50, simply because there is little demand for the tiles right now. There are literally thousands of palettes of tiles sitting in storage waiting for a buyer. Our downstairs neighbor who’s been laid off for more than half a year told me that he’s put his resume in at about 60 factories in the area and has yet to hear anything back. The latest statistics that I’ve found show that over 25% of the workforce in Alcora is unemployed, and 42% of those under 35 are unemployed. The outlook is pessimistic as the economic forecasters say they don’t expect to see Spain begin to recover until 2012 or 2013. Most people around here agree that the ceramic tile industry will never return to what it was just a few years ago.

One of the many factories with tiles stockpiled, waiting for a buyer.

In the midst of this gloomy economic situation, here are some points for prayer:

That God will use this time of financial crisis for His glory, causing people here to look beyond themselves and materialism for provision, significance and true life.
That God will provide for the needs of Alcorinos.
That God will guide us in discerning how we can be a part of the previous point: whether it’s delivering groceries for families in need, opening up a food pantry or a secondhand clothing center.

Thanks for praying with us for Alcora!

Christmas Cookies...

2011-01-25T18:26:00.000+01:00

"Wise men still seek Him..."

Well, this post is a bit late, now that we're past the Christmas season, but we thought it was worth mentioning. Given that we had been living in our apartment in Alcora for about 7 months around Christmas time and had yet to meet all of our neighbors, and since Christmas is a great time to mention Christ (though this is getting less and less common all over the Western world), we decided to make Christmas cookies and cards for our neighbors. The responses were quite positive:

Many neighbors were very surprised and appreciative: surprised because it's not common to do thing in Spain (in fact, it never happens) and appreciative because, hey, who doesn't like cookies?
A couple neighbors went from skeptical (who are you and why are you at my door?) to confused (you want to give me cookies?) to appreciative (I guess this is all right and, by the way, thanks for the cookies).
One neighbor was clearly high from smoking marijuana...He was quite happy and appreciative (wreaking of pot). We figured he and his buddies would be appreciative for something to cure the munchies.
The neighbor directly below us said, "(Expletive!!!) I can't believe that you're doing this. I mean, I've seen that Americans do this sort of thing in the movies, but I never expected that someone would actually come to my doors to give me cookies and a card! Thanks so much...Wow, I just can't believe someone would think of others like this!" Then he and his wife invited us in for coffee, and we spent half an hour or so getting to know them while the wife played with little Miriam.

So apart from giving the Christmas card with a brief but clearly Christ-centered message on it, we didn't "share the Gospel" directly with anyone. But our neighbors now know who we are, we've formally met, and we can talk with them a little more comfortably when we pass in the hallways or on the elevator. And this is the foundation for building deeper relationships with them in the future so that we can talk about the deeper things of life and faith. And, by the way, they probably already know we're the strange evangelical Christian foreigners.

Alcora Prayer Update

2011-01-19T11:49:00.001+01:00

Chapel 'El Calvario' that overlooks Alcora

As we start the Alcora Prayer Campaign, we want to give you a basic sketch of the pueblo and why we’re here. Located just northwest of Castellón de la Plana, the capital city of the province of Castellón, Alcora has a population of about 11,000 (click here for a map). The driving force of the economy here is the ceramic tile industry, but the industry is going nowhere at the moment due to the economic crisis that Spain continues to face. We’ll hopefully give you a more detailed look at the economic problems of the area in a future update.

Religious Influences

Spiritually, Alcora is known as a very traditional Catholic pueblo. There are three main Catholic churches here, with some smaller chapels and hermitage sites scattered around the nearby countryside. Even though there seems to be a deep-rooted Catholicism here, the vast majority of Alcorinos are very nominally Catholic, participating in the religious festivals once a year and going to church only to marry and to bury. We have yet to meet the three priests here, so we can’t say if they know the Lord personally or not. I went to mass once in December, and the priest’s homily was actually quite Christ-centered.

Aside from the Catholic Church, there is a Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and a Pentecostal Romanian church, whose obvious mission is to reach the 500 or so Romanians who live around here (and Spaniards, if they’re interested in learning Romanian). The Assemblies of God in Castellón city had Alcora as a mission point until the end of 2010 but decided not to continue here for various reasons. And, of course, we are here as an extension of Església Bona Nova (the Good News Church) in the neighboring town of Onda. They’ve had Alcora on their hearts since 2008 or so, and we are working together with them to share Christ with Alcorinos, hopefully resulting in some sort of church plant. What does that mean? What will this church plant look like?

That’s exactly what we’re asking you to pray with us about. We don’t have it all figured out when it comes to sharing the Good News with Alcorinos or planting a church in this context. We want God’s direction as we begin ministry here. We know that only God can touch and change people’s hearts and that He has invited us to be a part of that here in Alcora.

A Few Brief Prayer Points:

That God will give us guidance as we seek to expand His Kingdom here in Alcora.
That God will protect us from the enemy as we live and minister here.
That Alcorinos’ hearts will be softened to Jesus’ Good News.
That we will have ears to hear and eyes to see the people He’s already working in.

Prayer Campaign for Alcora

2011-01-04T10:55:00.001+01:00

As new missionaries working in a new town, the biggest question is, "Where do we start?" Yes, we have a regular Bible study in Alcora, and we are slowly developing relationships with people here, but how do we move forward? Time and time again there Lord has laid on our hearts the need to begin with prayer, seeking Him and His guidance for this new ministry, asking Him to move in the hearts of Alcorinos, and being sensitive to His leading. So beginning in this month we're beginning a focused, intentional campaign of prayer for Alcora to do just this. You can be a part of this movement in a few different ways:

Facebook: if you're on Facebook, click HERE to join the group "Prayer for Alcora." You'll receive a regular email to know how to pray specifically for Alcora.
Email: if you're not on Facebook, email us at bj.whitaker@ecmi.org to receive the same prayer updates we'll send out on Facebook.
Skype: if you're on Skype, let us know via email or Skype message (to bjwhit14) if you'd like to set up a time to pray with us personally for Alcora (or just to chat!).

In addition to having friends around the globe praying for Alcora, the church we're working with in this church plant vision, Església Bona Nova in Onda (a neighboring town), will be sending groups here twice a month to walk the streets and pray with us for the pueblo, one of the groups being the youth group, which is exciting for us. So this is really a glocal effort to see lives changed by the Good News of Jesus.

Miriam's 6 Months Old!

2010-12-17T12:13:00.001+01:00

Since today is Miriam's 6 month birthday, we thought we'd give you a photo tribute to her. She's such a little bundle of joy (though not so little anymore) and is growing and discovering new things each day!

Just moments after birth.

1 month old...having sweet dreams.

About 2 months old...such a cute little smile!

3 months old and playing with Daddy.

Being a 4 month old really wears you out!

4 1/2 months: in her presentation dress for church.

5 months old and more active than ever!

6 months old and trying some cereal...does she like it?

A Thanksgiving to Remember!

2010-12-16T19:41:00.000+01:00

This year Thanksgiving was a special time for us as God provided for us to go home to the States for the first time since we moved to Spain in May 2009. So we nervously boarded a plane in Madrid with our 5 month old Miriam, uncertain of how she would handle the flight and the 7 hour time difference, and two flights and 14 hours later, we landed in St. Louis. A two and a half hour drive later (the following morning) we found ourselves at Grammie & Papa's house (B.J.'s parents, now known by their grandparent aliases), lost in the hills of Missouri.

It was a huge blessing to be together with my family for the first time in two years (about 20 people for Thanksgiving dinner in a house...not made for 20 people), and it marked the first time since our wedding over 8 years ago that my immediate family (parents, two sisters and myself) had all been together. But, of course, the star of the show was not me, or Rachel, but little Miriam, who everyone had to touch and hold and goo and gaa over...and why not? She is the newest addition to the family and the cutest little baby I've ever seen. (We're learning that not being the center of attention isn't all that bad and actually gives us a chance to go take a nap.)

On a personal note, this trip was valuable for us on various levels. Of course it was so special to really be together with family again (Skype can only do so much), though the good-byes were more emotionally taxing on me than I expected. And it was good to eat Pop-tarts and Frosted Mini-Wheats and drink Dr. Pepper again (all things we can't find here). But even so, God revealed to us something of deep value: our life is not in the U.S. anymore. It is here in Spain where we belong, and this is God's will for us. What a refreshing confirmation and reaffirmation to have a year and a half after the big move.

P.S. Miriam did incredibly well with the flights, sleeping most of the time. Adjusting to the time difference after returning home was a different story, though...but we're all recovered and back to normal now!

First Spanish Youth Retreat

2010-12-15T22:17:00.000+01:00

Honestly, I was a bit reluctant to accept the invitation. Mostly out of my own insecurity about my ability to speak and communicate well in Spanish...make that entirely out of my own sense of insecurity about it. I've only lived here in Spain for a year and a half and have been speaking (or stumbling through) Spanish for the same, so how could I possibly communicate Scriptural, spiritual truth relevantly to Spanish teenagers? Sure, I was a youth pastor for five years in the States, but I still haven't had much opportunity to get into the world of adolescents in here. Even so, at the urging of a fellow missionary, as well as my wife, in mid-September I accepted the invitation to give a couple of messages at a youth retreat the first weekend in November.

So how did it go? I learned once again that God shows up in our weaknesses and uses us when we simply say "YES" to simple invitations to be His messengers. That's not to say it wasn't a lot of work on my part in preparation and having poor Rachel correct my still-shaky Spanish. But God used me to connect His truth with teenagers, even in spite of my lack of vocabulary and questionable grammar. More than one leader told me, "You have a real way of connecting with youth," and even several teens told me, "I really connected with your talks." It turns out that Spanish teenagers (at least this group) aren't all that different from their American counterparts: they're open to God, and they need to hear the truth presented directly and vulnerably, even if that means sharing our own questions and failures with them. So God is good, He is faithful, and He uses weak, imperfect, cracked jars of clay. Lesson learned, once again...

A Visit to Alcora

2010-11-11T16:56:00.001+01:00

Here's a little homemade video (about 8 minutes in length) that should give you a taste of our life here in Alcora. We originally made it for a children's missions event...Hope you enjoy it!

All Saints' Day in Alcora

2010-11-01T15:51:00.001+01:00

Last night we were unexpectedly reminded of the season (and the American commercialism) as a group of four boys knocked at our door and greeted us with the traditional "¡Truco o trato!" or "Trick or treat!" as we say in the States. This imported "holiday" of Halloween is still pretty new to Spain and has yet to oust the traditional holiday of All Saints' Day (El Día de Todos los Santos). Today is a holiday, so this morning we decided to go on a little field trip to participate in the culture a bit.

So where do you go to celebrate All Saints' Day in Spain? To the cemetery...which isn't as creepy or weird as it sounds, especially given that we went around 1 p.m. and there were quite a number of people, young and old, paying their respects to their lost loved ones. It was interesting to overhear people saying things like, "Oh, I remember him. He was the brother of the butcher where my grandmother would always go to get meat." A vast majority of the graves (they're almost all above ground, so I'm not sure if that's the adequate word) were adorned with flowers from loved ones and a handful had notes of "I love and miss you" or "You won't be forgotten."

The truth is that I kind of like this holiday. Praying to the dead or for the dead to leave purgatory and get into heaven, of course, is not Biblical, and I'm sure of how many people in Alcora actually do that. But to a certain degree I find it healthy to revisit the people we've lost, to remember the past. In remembering those who have gone before us, as followers of Christ, we are reminded of the hope we have for the future and the reality that death in this world does not have the final word. Just at the entrance of the cemetery is this cross with the inscription in Valenciano that reads, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." May this truth, this hope be evident through our lives, and may Alcorinos come to know and experience Jesus, who is the source of that hope, indeed the Resurrection and the Life.

A Visit from the Director

2010-10-21T00:25:00.001+02:00

A few weeks back we had the privilege of hosting ECMI-USA's director, George Brown, for a few days. Let me brag on him for a couple of sentences. We were already impressed with George's professional abilities as the director--he has done and is doing a lot to organize ECMI in the U.S. and to mobilize people to re-evangelize the peoples of Europe.

But we discovered that he's not one of these top-down, "I sit in the big chair while you sit in the short chair," sorts of leaders. He chatted with us for a few hours just after arriving to hear about how our transition to Spain and through Spain has gone. He participated in the Bible study we host in our house. He held little baby Miriam when she was fussy and we needed to get lunch on the table. He washed our dishes after lunch...more than once. He prayed with us and for us, and he wanted us to pray for him.

One of the more memorable things George and I did together was hike to the top of the hill that overlooks our town, Alcora, so that we could pray together for the town and the people, asking God to soften hearts and minds to the good news of His love and salvation (see the photo above). If you come to visit us, I hope you're a guest like George was...and I promise to take you to the top of the hill so that you can catch a better glimpse of a town that we hope you're praying for.

¡Fiestas del Pueblo!

2010-09-23T20:34:00.001+02:00

Every year during the last week in August and the first week in September, the sleepy little pueblo of Alcora becomes a booming, dare I say "happenin" place. "Why?" you ask. It's the town fiestas (formally known as the "Festes del Crist" or the "Party of the Christ," and Alcorinos plan their lives and vacations around these two weeks of the year. Even people from the surrounding towns and villages come to participate in the grand festivities.

As a newcomer to Alcora, I found it interesting how much the native Alcorinos take pride in their fiestas. Even the hardware shop owner had to make sure that I knew about it and had a schedule for all of the main events. Unfortunately, we had to leave about midway through the fiestas because of a speaking engagement in Madrid, but we were still able to get out and enjoy a bit of the local culture. We made sure to see two key events, one being the toros: not to worry, the bulls weren't killed, just taunted and teased mostly. The other event we went out to see was the procession of "The Virgen" and "The Cristo," which started down in the center of town and ended in the chapel just above the town...a pretty good hike uphill if you're the one carrying the statues. You can see a few more photos by CLICKING HERE.

One word of reflection. Rachel and I were commenting on how these town fiestas seem to be a contradiction in terms. The fiestas, as we mentioned above, are officially in honor of Christ. But when we went to see the bulls, there was a live intermission show with an old obese Santa Claus looking fella dancing to music on top of a car wearing nothing but a red thong. A friend of ours from here told us that normally it's two well-endowed topless ladies, but this was a demonstration in mockery of the current economic crisis (apparently the ladies cost more). The very next day, after a lot of people had spent the night getting drunk, was the procession in honor of the Santísimo Cristo (the Most Holy Christ) in which a good number of the same people (quite a crowd) turned out to throw flowers to, light candles to and show their "devotion" to Christ (or the statue of the crucified Christ, I'm still not sure). I don't have a strict party-pooper version of Jesus or Christianity (see John 2), but let me pose a question that reveals why we're in Alcora: Do they really understand who this Christ is and what it means to honor Him?

An Update Video

2010-09-07T20:09:00.000+02:00

Well, if you've checked in on the blog recently, over the past month and a half or so, you've noticed it's been pretty dormant. Our apologies. We've had lots to do, and the blog was left on the back burner. In an effort to make it up to you, here's a short video giving you a visual on our life transition from Córdoba to Alcora, as well as a bit of an introduction to the town of Alcora and some of our hopes for ministry there. You'll notice that it's pre-Miriam, but take a peek anyway. We promise to keep the blog a bit more up to date!

A random analogy for language learning

2010-07-22T20:54:00.002+02:00

Pretty much since the beginning of this journey of learning Spanish, I've been thinking about an analogy to help describe the language learning process. A few Star Wars characters stand out to me as emblematic of certain levels of language fluency. WARNING: this may prove completely senseless for some people but may turn out somewhat coherent (or at least mildly entertaining) for others.

CHEWBACCA: The furry Wookiee who speaks a completely unintelligible language for us humans to understand. When we first arrived to Spain, this is pretty much how people sounded to me. I simply could not make much sense of what they wanted to tell me, and I couldn't express what I wanted to to them. It was like trying to have a conversation with a Wookiee: 'GrrrrrHughhhghgWaawwaawwwwww...': huh?

HAN SOLO: He's the daring intergalactic companion of Chewie who is one of the few humans who can actually understand the giant fur ball. I'm not sure if he really speaks the Wookiee language, but it's clear that he understands enough to be able to translate for Chewie. After about 6 months of living here in Spain, I was beginning to get to this 'Han Solo' stage, understanding a good deal of what my neighbors were trying to tell me and being able to respond in simple and broken ways to them, even being able to translate a bit, as long as the Spanish speaker wasn't going too fast.

YODA: Yeah, he's the little green guy who is the Grand Jedi Master who trains Luke Skywalker. But for our purposes here, his language abilities in English are quite adequate although he often messes up the word order and expresses things in awkward and funny ways. At McDonald's, instead of saying, 'I'd like to have a Big Mac with fries,' he'll say, 'Mmmm, a Big Mac and fries I would like to eat, mmmm....' I'm guessing that that's what I sound like many days when I'm speaking Spanish: pretty much intelligible, but awkward and a bit funny to listen to.

The good news is that the longer I'm here, the more I live among and interact with people, and the more I focus on perfecting the language, the more progress I see, especially when I look back to the days just after our arrival. There are still days of frustration (even after 10 or 11 months of language school and even longer of just living here), even days when people sound like Chewie to me, but those days are fewer and farther between. So if you think of it, pray that God will help me to continue learning well, to be patient with myself and to pay attention to the way Spaniards express themselves. The Lord has been faithful and is equipping me to be able to share His good news relevantly with people He loves.

World Cup Champions!

2010-07-12T13:39:00.003+02:00

In case you missed it, on Sunday Spain won the World Cup Championship for the first time ever. Above you can enjoy the winning goal by Andrés Iniesta towards the end of the overtime period...it's in Spanish (albeit with a Mexican accent), but that will give you a better feel for what it was like to watch it here. To see the goal on Spanish TV, click HERE.

Today the champions return to Madrid to formally initiate the grand celebration, though it's been going strong since about 11:30 last night when we passed a group of young guys running around in their tighty-whities yelling 'Soy español!' or 'I am Spanish!'. So today is a big day not only for fútbol fans in Spain but also for all Spaniards: nothing brings out the Spanish flags and makes nationalism run high like World Cup soccer (Americans, think 4th of July meets the weeks following 9/11).

No super deep spiritual reflection to give here, and though I could go on about the idolatry of soccer and its stars, I won't. Suffice it to ask you to pray that Spaniards come to prize Jesus as highly as they do their national sport.

Miriam Joy!

2010-07-01T12:49:00.002+02:00

It's been a few weeks since we've posted anything here because, well, we've been a little busy with having a baby and getting used to being sleep-deprived parents. So here is a little slideshow of photos to catch you up on our new little addition to the family, Miriam Joy, born on June 17th (two weeks ago today). Enjoy!

Lost enough to let myself be led...

2010-06-11T17:38:00.000+02:00

We're pretty well settled into our apartment here in Alcora, and since my greatly withchild wife is taking a much needed nap, I have some time to share some honest thoughts about where we're at...or where I'm at, at least.

About a month ago as I was driving our moving truck from Córdoba to Alcora, I had a lot of time to think about life: where we've been and where we're going, what we're doing and why we're doing it. And as I was reflecting, I began to feel overwhelmed and pretty small in the midst of being a 'missionary in Spain.'

So the questions began to fly through my head: What am I doing here in Spain? Is it possible that I (a guy from a tiny town in Illinois) could be of any use to God and His desire to save Spaniards? What does it mean to be a church planter? In a town in Spain? I'm going to be a father soon--I don't know how to do that, so what kind of father will I be? And will I still be able to be a good and Godly husband for my wife? In a word, I was feeling lost.

But God, in His graciousness, had a word for me during that 7 hour drive. In the midst of the questions and the sense of being overwhelmed because of my lack of answers, I was listening to a Rich Mullins CD, his final one before his untimely death in 1997, called 'The Jesus Demos.' The first song on that album is called 'Hard to Get,' and near the end of the song there is a line that says, 'I can't see how You're leading me unless You've led me here, to where I'm lost enough to let myself be led...' And the Holy Spirit spoke quietly as my tears began to fall.

When we still lived in the States, I didn't realize just how much control I had over my life. Speaking, preaching, leading Bible studies, knowing who I was and where I was going--I pretty well could do it all on autopilot. But here in Spain, right here and right now, I feel so much more out of control. I still butcher Spanish on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis and still get nervous when answering the telephone. No, I don't know how to be a father, not to mention that I'm still working through some of my own father wounds at a whole new level. No, there is no guarantee that Spaniards will respond to the Gospel and that we'll have 'success' (whatever that is) in planting a church in Alcora.

None of my questions have clear, easy, definitive answers, and that's OK. I am here, God is walking with me through this time of change and uncertainty, and there is no doubt that He is leading me and will mold me through this new experience. I am, indeed, where God wants me to be, lost enough to allow Him to lead me.

If you're interested, below is a pretty good rendition of that Rich Mullins song by Phil Stacey:

Journey Into Hope

2010-05-21T13:49:00.004+02:00

Check out this video from ECMI called 'Journey Into Hope' to learn a little more about the context we work in here in Europe. And wait for the end of the video to see a couple familiar faces!

The Smells of Spain

2010-05-08T17:33:00.005+02:00

It's interesting how closely the sense of smell is linked with the memory, and since we're in the midst of saying goodbye to one set of memories (our past year or so in Córdoba), we wanted to share our list of the Top 7 Smells of Spain (especially of Andalucía).

1. Cigarettes: About 33% of Spaniards smoke, including anyone from 13 year old school girls to scruffy old men sitting in the park. As a result, the smell of cigarette smoke was one of the first things we noticed when we moved here last year. Even though there's a huge campaign against smoking and an ensuing debate on where it's OK to smoke, you can't help but smell cigarettes smoke here (it makes me long for the Lung Brush, the great fictional SNL product used to reduce the chances of developing lung cancer).

2. Coffee: It's a way of life for Spaniards, and you smell it on Spaniards' breath all the time: coffee. Early-morning, mid-morning, after lunch, mid-afternoon, later in the evening...any time is a good time for coffee here.

3. B.O.: I mean no disrespect here, but the truth is that after just a couple days of living here in Spain, I noticed that people smell a bit different. And that's because deodorant is optional among Spaniards, though I believe that's changing among the younger generation. Even so, suffice it to say that on hot summer afternoons in Andalucía you don't want a Spanish guy to give you a hug. Now, take the B.O., mix in coffee breath and cigarette smoke on people's clothes, and you begin to get a good idea of what a bus ride smells like here in Córdoba.

4. Pechín: I can't say that this is a pleasant or unpleasant smell: it's simply a distinct and pungent aroma. Pechín is the material that results from an olive getting crushed and pressed to produce olive oil. Since olive oil is probably the greatest export from Andalucía, on any drive through the countryside you're likely to pass a olive oil processing plant and catch a whiff of it. For Rachel it brings back memories of childhood, for one of our foreign missionary friends it almost made her puke, and for me it's just interesting.

5. Orange Blossoms: Just after we arrived last May, we noticed a wonderfully pleasant aroma as went out for our evening walks: orange blossoms. Here in Córdoba many streets are lined with orange trees (they produce bitter oranges, not the nice sweet ones), so in the springtime when the trees are in bloom it smells amazing here...as long as you're not standing near a street drain.

6. Garlic: Walk by or into any apartment building just before lunchtime, and you'll know what we're talking about. Garlic seems to be used in just about every dish here, and it's not too easy to miss. In fact, Victoria Beckham was quoted as saying that Spain reeks of garlic, and if Posh says it, it must be true, right?

7. Spanish Bread: Strolling down the sidewalk any morning you're likely to get a whiff of baking bread in a nearby panadería (bread bakery), which has to be one of the most delicious smells in the world. Spanish bread is a little tougher and crustier than a french loaf, but it's equally as scrumptious, especially when it's fresh. For us this provides a multi-sensory experience when we reflect on Jesus' words, 'I am the bread of life.'

BONUS: After completing the list, Rachel reminded me about a smell that we complain about a lot: dog poop. You have to be very careful walking on the sidewalks here because just when you're least expecting you'll come upon a nice little pile of poo. And even though there are signs like this one and owners are supposed to clean it up, many Spanish dog owners just don't care what their dog leaves behind for the rest of us to smell (especially in the heat of summer) and to avoid stepping in.

The Past 3 Weeks

2010-04-27T20:53:00.001+02:00

We realize we've been out of touch with the blogosphere for the past several weeks, which is a pretty good sign that we've been too busy (and, therefore, too tired) to pause to think about and update the blog. In any case, here's the past few weeks in pictures:

ECMI's Biennial Conference

We met with about 200 people for ECMI's Biennial Conference in Gandía, Spain. It was a great time of encouragement, prayer, meeting new people (20-some new missionaries in the organization in the past two years!) and catching up with others. Above we're meeting with our ECMI-USA sending section. Honestly, it was refreshing to hear people speaking English with an American accent. Speaking of accents, B.J. shared his particular Midwestern twang with the ECMI family by singing a country song for the 'ECM's Got Talent' show.

Apartment Hunting in l'Alcora

Above you have a nice view of the town of Alcora (notice the Mediterranean Sea some 30 kilometers off in the background), and suffice it to say that after a three or four day hunt we have a nice apartment down there among all the buildings. We hope to show more detailed photos later once we're moved in.

IKEA

After realizing that we were moving from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished one in a few short weeks (around the middle of May), we decided it would be a good idea to have some furniture for our new place, including some fun stuff for the baby's room. So we spent more time than we'd like to admit at IKEA in Madrid, where you can get good quality furniture and other hip stuff for cheaper than you can anywhere else here in Spain.

So that's been our past few weeks in a nutshell. We've been busy, but it's been great to see how God has walked with us through it all, providing a place for us to live in our new town, as well as the means for us to put furniture in that place. We'll keep you posted as we pack up and move to Alcora!!!

Semana Santa in Córdoba

2010-04-08T00:30:00.000+02:00

Last week was Holy Week, known here in Spain as Semana Santa. It is a culturally religious time here, as church fraternities take the large statues of Christ and the Virgin out of the churches and carry them through the streets in grand processions. Instead of attempting to explain the sights, sounds and smells of Semana Santa, we've put together a video of one of the processions to give you a better feel for what it's like. You can also see some still photos by clicking HERE.

B.J.'s First Sermon in Spanish!

2010-03-29T19:13:00.000+02:00

About four weeks ago, some coworkers of ours invited me to preach in their worship service...in SPANISH. We've lived here for nearly a year now, and even though I've been studying the language diligently, I am brutally aware every day of just how much I have yet to learn. So although there was a part of me that wanted to shy away from the invitation, I accepted, which meant I would have to spend the next few weeks praying, studying and preparing my first Spanish sermon.

All of this said, yesterday was the day, and for me it was a milestone in my life: not only for my language learning, but also for seeing that God has equipped and is equipping me to serve Him here in Spain. No, it probably wasn't my finest, most well-polished sermon, and I made various mistakes in grammar and pronunciation (nothing fatal, though), but God was faithful in speaking through me and the people were gracious in listening to a small-town American speak their language. Afterward the congregation was very encouraging, telling me things from, "That couldn't have been the first time you've preached in Spanish" to "You're already sounding like an Andaluz!" to "Your accent sounds Mexican or Texican!"

The above video clip is a little over a minute long, so feel free to take a view. The sermon was based on the short but significant story of Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried Jesus' cross, found in Mark 15:21-22. In the clip I'm explaining how the Romans and the Jews viewed crucifixion and why that's important for understanding Simon. We laughed, we cried, we felt sick to our stomachs (somewhat typical of my sermon illustrations), and, most importantly, God met with us.

An honest reflection on mass

2010-03-21T22:36:00.001+01:00

Rachel is away at a conference this week, so, since I didn't have any other commitments for this morning, I decided to go to mass at the local Catholic parish in the barrio. I'd been wanting to go to a mass for quite some time now, and I'm glad it finally worked out. So I'll give a few bullet point reflections, and I'm going to take the risk of being honest, perhaps superficial, and not too theologically deep.

Nervous: For a few different reasons, I was nervous as I walked to the church. Normally I have Rachel and her perfect Spanish to hide behind, but without her, if someone asked me a question, I'd have to understand and respond on my own, which makes me a bit nervous still. I was also a bit nervous because I wasn't entirely certain of what to expect. I've been to mass a few times in my life, but never in Spain. I like new things, but they do make me nervous.
No one really talked to me. It turned out that reason #1 for my nervousness was unwarranted, since the only personal contact I had was with two people sitting near me during the 'Passing of the Peace.' On one hand, that was relieving. On the other, it's kind of sad that you walk into and out of church or a worship service without being noticed, welcomed or such. Maybe that's just my American evangelical small church mindset talking.
A dirty look. Although hardly anyone talked to me, the older lady who collected the offering did seem to give me a dirty look when she walked by and I didn't toss any money in the offering basket. I'm guessing that she was thinking, 'Tú no eres de aquí, ¿verdad?' ('You're not from around here, are you.').
Following along: For the most part, I was able to follow along with the priest, though I didn't even attempt to respond with the congregation at the appropriate places. No bulletin, no outline, no guideline for what was going on. Everyone seemed to have it pretty well memorized. As for the standing up and sitting down, that was pretty easy to follow along with.
Sermon? OK, so obviously I'm going to show my Protestant evangelicalism here, but I was amazed that there was absolutely no sermon, lesson, or homily. The priest did read the story of the woman caught in adultery from John 8 (I was the only one with a Bible to follow along), but then after that he just commented that he always wondered where the man she was caught with ended up and why he wasn't there...And that was it! Not even a five minute spiritual thought or brief challenge.
Just the Wafer: While the priest enjoyed both the body and the blood of Jesus, the congregation just got the wafer. I find that interesting and I'm not sure what the thinking is behind that. I decided to respect the Catholic Church's policy, so I didn't go up for a wafer.
Old and Female: There were approximately 40 people in attendance, which is a bit sad since it's one of two parishes in our barrio, where about 10,000 or 15,000 people live. Of the 40 people, I was the youngest by far, and about 80% of the congregants were elderly women. There may have been five men in attendance.
Short: The mass started at just after 11 a.m. and ended right at 11:30. It was a bit like a flight I once had between Cincinnati and Louisville: as soon as we left the airport we began our initial descent.
And Not So Sweet: Honestly, I left thinking, 'Did we really do anything in there?' The priest did his thing with a few readings, the congregation responded from rote memory a few responses, they said a few prayers, they ate a wafer and the priest drank the wine, and then we left. Honestly, there was no life or liveliness to it, and it wasn't difficult to figure out why there was no one else there even close to my age. Unless you're fascinated by religiosity and going through religious motions, what would be the point in going to mass? That's not to question the motives of those who were there, which certainly isn't my place, but if they were excited or thrilled to be worshiping the Almighty Triune God who loves them so much, it sure was left unexpressed in any way, shape or form. If that's all that God demands, asks or wants of you--to go to a 30 minute mass, mouth some words and get a wafer--He's kind of a weak and uninterested god, probably not one worth worshiping. And, yes, I know--by firsthand experience--that this same sort of thing happens in many of our Protestant evangelical churches in the U.S.

So there you have it. No, it's not the feel-good reflection of the year, and it shouldn't be. The Catholic Church is in grave danger here because people aren't interested in the religious forms they're offering...What people need is an encounter with the living Christ, in some form or other, and then allow their meetings and rituals to be in service of that relationship. Please pray for the Catholic Church and for Spaniards, that they would hunger and thirst for Christ, and please pray for us, that people would encounter Him through us.

¡Sí a la Vida, no al Aborto!

2010-03-07T16:00:00.001+01:00

This morning we had a short worship service with our church and then headed to downtown Córdoba together to join hundreds of others (Catholics, evangelicals and non-religious alike) for a demonstration against the laws permitting abortion here. In fact, there were similar protests all across Spain this morning urging the liberal, secular government to reconsider their lenient position towards abortion, making it little more than a law of convenience and not of responsibility. A special treat for our congregation was that a teenager from our church was selected to read part of a statement to the government. Please pray for President Zapatero and the government here, and please pray for us as followers of Jesus, that we would represent Him well and share His Good News relevantly in this culture that desperately needs to receive it.

By the way, the title of this post means 'Yes to Life, No to Abortion,' and the signs we are holding say 'For the right to life: let them be born!'

15 Years of Bringing Hope to the Hopeless

2010-03-02T21:44:00.001+01:00

While Andalucía celebrated 30 years of being an autonomous community yesterday, we had the opportunity to celebrate a very different milestone regarding God's work in the province of Córdoba: 15 years of helping substance abusers and their families climb out of their miry pit. Like our boss and founder of this ministry, Francis Arjona, once said, "This is evangelism through the big door!"

ECMI founded el Centro Buen Samaritano (the Good Samaritan Center) back in 1993 and, since then, has been able to reach hundreds of families with a way out of drugs and a way into a right relationship with Jesus Christ. This ministry has also had a tremendous impact on the neighboring communities, which have grown to better understand and respect the Evangelical church for its work.

It was exciting to be a part of yesterday's 15th anniversary, as we celebrated what God has done and continues to do in and through this very needed and hands-on ministry tool. There were about 130 mouths to feed, which two huge paellas (a typical Spanish rice dish) took care of. People came from all over the province and many were nonbelievers, which made it the perfect opportunity for sharing the Gospel. B.J. and I also helped out by leading a youth seminar on how to resolve conflicts. We had about 20 youth participate, which was a great chance for B.J. to practice his Spanish!

We are privileged to be a very small part of what God is doing here in Spain and are so thankful that God uses mere humans to do great things for his Kingdom, just as he is doing through the Good Samaritan Center. Doesn't it make you want to come over and help us out?!

Learning how to help people like me (by Rachel)

2010-02-16T21:12:00.000+01:00

Last weekend we were able to attend a two day conference near the Costa del Sol (although it rained all weekend) on how to better understand and help TCKs. You know, those unique people referred to as Third Culture Kids who grow up in a culture different from that of their parents and who tend to have specific common traits and struggles, as well as benefits and strengths, of course! In fact, I am a TCK! I love being one, especially since I was able to experience so many different cultures as a child. But I also know that it can be difficult not really feeling like you fit in anywhere and being a "global nomad" who can be anywhere from blending in to rebelling against everything your parents or your "host" culture stand for. I know many TCKs who have had wonderful experiences and love who they are, but there are many who struggle with feeling different or odd and who don't have anyone to talk to.

So I would like to be someone who's there to help out. I can relate to these kids (and adults) in many ways and I hope to just come along and help them try to figure out who they are (and maybe do the same for myself while we're at it!). It was great connecting with others who have this same passion and hanging out with the leader of the conference who happens to be a TCK and a long time family friend. I also was glad B.J. was able to come along to better understand this topic because he's going to have double trouble-- he's married to a TCK and will also soon be raising one!

Castellón Trip

2010-02-07T18:26:00.000+01:00

We've been back from Castellón for a week now, and we figured it might be good to follow up on how the trip went. The week was filled with taking part in prayer meetings, Bible studies, and worship services, as well as breaking bread together with the believers in their homes to get to know each other. The photo here is of a small Bible study group in the town of Alcora where the church of Onda is hoping to plant a new congregation. We spent a good deal of time with our hosts, Francisco and Shirley Gross, asking a lot of questions about the needs of the area and the team's vision for reaching Castellón with the Gospel. Here's a run down of what we found out:

The Needs: Unemployment abounds, as just two years ago Castellón was booming with the ceramic tile industry, but due to the economic crisis most of those plants have all but shut down. Drugs and alcohol are a huge problem throughout the province, especially the closer to the coast you get (Castellón is a port city). Witchcraft is also rampant in the area, and, in fact, one of the leaders in one of our churches there used to be a warlock. Traditional Catholicism remains strong in some places, particularly in the smaller towns.
The People: There are lots of immigrants in Castellón, especially along the coast: Romanians, Latin Americans, Germans, Arabs, as well as a lot of Spaniards who have moved there from other parts of the country. The native folks from the province speak Valenciano in addition to Spanish (it's kind of a mix between Spanish and French) and are typically more closed and to themselves (as opposed to Cordobeses), making it a bit more difficult to get to know them.
The Vision: The northern half of the province is largely unevangelized, and since there are churches in and around Castellón city and a new church plant up north in Benicarló, the team goal is to gradually plant churches in each city in between. The church in Onda, where the Grosses have been working, is looking to plant a church in the neighboring town of Alcora (as we mentioned above), which would likely be a work we'd be involved in, should we move there. There is also a large university in Castellón city where the churches are looking to start some form of an outreach. Please pray as we, along with the ECM Spain field council, seek God's guidance in discerning whether or not we fit in Castellón.
The Geography: Here are a few photos which show the extremes of Castellón:

Here we are on the Mediterranean shore.

And just an hour or so later we were up in the mountains near the town of Morella (an altitude of about 1000 meters or 3250 feet). They say that Castellón is the most mountainous province in Spain.

Heading to Castellón!

2010-01-20T22:41:00.000+01:00

This Friday we head to the province of Castellón for almost a week to explore some ministry possibilities there with our friends and coworkers, Francisco & Shirley Gross. For those of you who aren't up on your Spain geography, we have the map above to help you locate where we'll be: it's on the Mediterranean coast just a couple hours south of Barcelona.

ECM has various points of ministry there (check out the map below to locate them, if you like):

El Grau, where a church was planted 10 or 15 years ago (we think).
Benicarló, where we have another church plant project going.
Onda, where the Gross' began a church plant in 2004.
Alcora, where there is no evangelical church but there is a small family of believers who want to help begin planting one, with the help of the church in Onda and ECM.

Please pray for us this week, that we would begin to get to know these churches and believers, that we would be able to encourage them, and that the Lord would guide our steps and conversations throughout the week. Also, please pray that we, along with the ECM Spain field council, would begin to sense where it is that we might fit here. Most of all pray that people in the province of Castellón would come to know Christ.

It's Snowing in Córdoba!

2010-01-10T17:21:00.002+01:00

After we arrived home from church and had started eating lunch, we looked out our third story apartment window and saw that it was snowing! Having lived in New Jersey and PA for all of our married life (and B.J. having grown up in Illinois), you'd think that this wouldn't be a big deal for us...but we live in sunny and warm Córdoba, Spain! And right now it's neither sunny nor warm, but it's fun that it's actually snowing, which rarely ever happens in the city of Córdoba (maybe once every four or five years, tops). Above you can see a video of our Australian friend and ECM coworker, Chloë, react to the snow. Being an Aussie from Sydney, she's only seen snow in person 4 or 5 times in her entire life!

¡Feliz Día de los Reyes!

2010-01-06T15:32:00.000+01:00

The majority of the world has long said goodbye to the Christmas season (no doubt Walmart already has its Valentine's Day products on display), but here in Spain the Christmas spirit is still going strong. 'Why?' you ask: because today is Kings' Day or, in official terms, el día de los Reyes Magos. It's a day that remembers the arrival of the Biblical Wise Men to Bethlehem to present the baby Jesus with gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh, and for Spanish boys and girls it's more important than Christmas because last night their Majesties, the Kings, left gifts for them to open up this morning!

In anticipation for this morning, Córdoba (like nearly every other town here) hosted its annual parade, which boasted floats from which select boys and girls threw candies, small stuffed animals, and occasionally DVDs to the bystanders crowded along the parade route. The climax was the arrival of the final three floats which carried the kings: Melchor (who represents Europe), Gaspar (representing Asia), and Baltasar (who represents Africa). As first year missionaries, we were obligated to go out and participate, and now we're trying to figure out what to do with our pile of candy.

From our perspective, we really appreciate this cultural holiday since it's based on the Biblical story and seems to create a natural link between there and here. You might even think that this would give Spanish families more reason to emulate the Magi in their worship of Jesus, but it turns out that they are mostly consumed with iPods, PS3's, clothes and whatever else they've given or received this Kings' Day. As with Christmas in the States, it seems that materialism has crowded out the heart of this holiday.

Calendar Evangelism (or just learning about how Spaniards work)

2009-12-31T12:31:00.000+01:00

A few weeks before Christmas, we decided that it would be a good idea to give a small Christmas gift to the neighbors who live in our apartment building, not only to be nice but also to be mildly evangelistic (but certainly not pushy). So through our church we bought 24 daily devotional calendars (they have a Bible verse and a mediation for each day of the year), and about a week before Christmas we knocked on 23 of the 24 doors in our building (the one we didn't knock on was ours, of course). Most people answered their doors, and the various responses were quite insightful into people's mindsets here:

One elderly lady answered the door with a puzzled look and asked us if we were Jehovah's Witnesses. After convincing her otherwise, she finally accepted the calendar.
Several neighbors, whom we had yet to meet, seemed kind of skeptical as they asked us, '¿Cuánto vale?' or 'How much does it cost?' When we explained that we weren't selling the calendars and we just wanted to give them a small Christmas gift, they received it.
One particular gentleman explained, 'It's just that this isn't the custom here, so I wasn't really sure what you were up to.' It seems that Spaniards are pretty skeptical of any stranger who just knocks on their door, probably due to the number of quick talking sales people going around trying to take advantage of people.
One elderly fellow broke our hearts when he told us that he and his wife would be spending Christmas and New Year's alone because their sons don't come to visit them often. It turns out that even with loads of people around Spaniards can be quite lonely, too.
A few neighbors whom we had met before invited us into their apartments and asked us about our plans for the holidays, and we actually had nice conversations with them before they accepted the calendars and we went on our way.

A few closing thoughts. It seems that having a relationship with people here is so central to being received by them that we cannot neglect to take the time to get to know people a bit before even thinking about sharing the Gospel with them. Perhaps we should hesitate to define evangelism so narrowly that it only means sharing the Four Spiritual Laws or the Romans Road with them. After all, Jesus spent 30 years simply living as a human, getting to know His context (how the humans of His day and culture thought and lived and worked), before He started the 'important stuff': teaching, preaching and healing. May we be willing to take the time to get to know and love people here as we seek to share the truly Good News of Jesus with them, and may a few seeds be planted by this simple Christmas gift.

The Belén: A Spanish (& Biblical) Tradition

2009-12-25T15:16:00.000+01:00

It's Christmas day, the presents have been opened, and I've snuck away to write a little post about one of the Spanish Christmas traditions that I really like: the Belén, which is the Spanish word for 'Bethlehem'. While the traditional American Christmas centerpiece is the tree, which has its roots in ancient pagan religions that worshiped nature (you can read a bit more on that by CLICKING HERE or by reading the article at Wikipedia), the Belén has its source purely in the Christian story of Jesus' birth.

Rachel and I have always displayed a small manger scene during the Christmas season, but the goal of the Spanish Belén is much more than just the manger scene. Most families begin with the basics of the manger with the holy family and a few animals but over the years gradually build the whole town of Belén, complete with a marketplace, various shops and everyday people going about their business. Of course, they tend to be a bit adapted to Spanish culture, since one of our neighbors proudly displayed a cured ham shop in her Belén (common for Spain but probably not too common for good kosher Jews in the first century!). Beyond simply building the town, some local businesses impressively build the whole Christmas story in their storefront windows. It's quite common for people in Córdoba to go out during the Christmas season simply to look at the various Belenes displayed by businesses, civic associations and churches.

The one question I have as I reflect on Jesus' birth, the cultural tradition of the Belén & Spaniards is this: do Spaniards really understand why God sent His Son to become human and how that should impact their lives? For the whole shadow of Christianity that remains here in Spain (shrinking by the day in many ways), I'm afraid that there is a huge disconnect between cultural traditions (as Biblical as they may be) and lives that are different due to what God has done. And I suppose that's why we're here.

If you'd like to check out some of our photos of Córdoba at Christmastime, including a few Belenes like the one above, CLICK HERE. ¡Feliz Navidad!

There's Something About Mary...

2009-12-21T17:17:00.005+01:00

So after writing the previous post regarding the Day of the Immaculate Conception (of Mary), I had a very well thought-out response from some dear loved ones that sparked some further reflection on this whole issue. Essentially, they cautioned us against what we too often tend to do as 'Protestant Evangelicals,' as Christians, or as people in general: swing from one end of the pendulum to the other, or in their words, 'we throw the baby out with the bathwater.' As Rachel and I talked about the issue of Mary, specifically as it regards the worship of 'The Virgin' here in Spain and the evangelical response to that, Rachel pointed out that she cannot remember ever hearing a sermon here (in all of her 18-19 years in Spain) about Mary. Up to now in my brief experience here, I have yet to hear much about Mary: it seems as if the evangelicals here in Spain (and perhaps elsewhere in the world) are nearly afraid to even utter the name of Mary because of the cultural baggage and images of idol worship it seems to bring to their minds.

So what do we do with Mary? Should we be afraid to talk about or preach on her (especially given our context here in Spain)? An acquaintance of ours (who is a typical Spanish Roman Catholic) recently asked me specifically about this, so I'll tell you basically what I told her. We need to look at Mary as the Biblical witness presents her: a magnificent example of faith and obedience to God. When invited to be a part of what God was doing to save the world, she gave herself--heart, mind and body--completely to the service of the Lord. She carried Jesus in her womb, raised Him as a son, and watched Him die on the cross. What an amazing example of faith and sacrifice to God! Certainly she was still a normal human, still a sinner in need of being saved by the One to whom she gave birth, so we should not worship her--our worship is reserved for the Triune God alone. As the photo from the movie The Nativity Story displays above, the spotlight of our worship must remain on Jesus, the God-man who came to save us. But we cannot deny that Mary is still very much a part of that story of salvation, a woman whose great courage and faith we would do well to emulate as we seek to live our lives in submissive love to God.

For those interested in a fairly in-depth Catholic-Evangelical dialogue about Mary (my apologies that the Eastern Orthodox perspective isn't represented), click HERE.

Day of the Immaculate Conception

2009-12-08T17:33:00.004+01:00

Today, December 8th, is a major holiday here in Spain: it's the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. But contrary to much popular belief, this is not a celebration of Mary's virgin conception of Jesus; rather, it's a celebration of the supposed immaculate conception of Mary within the womb of her mother, by which God intervened so that she would be born without sin. From the perspective of a follower of Jesus who trusts in the reliability of the Bible, I see this Catholic doctrine as having no solid Biblical backing (probably even anti-Biblical considering that both Paul and Peter declare that all have sinned except for Jesus) and being a dangerous distraction from the centrality of the Incarnation of Christ, the God-man, in God's mission to save the world. Honestly, I was quite tempted to entitle this post 'The Immaculate Deception,' but I didn't want to be too offensive from the outset. If you're really interested or just suffering from insomnia, you can read more on this doctrine at this link: The Immaculate Conception.

The reality here in Spain in 2009 is that although the historical footprint of Catholicism can still be seen clearly today (for example, today is a holiday due to Spain's Catholic roots, and the above painting by Murillo, which also celebrates Mary's supposed immaculate conception, is displayed proudly in the Prado Museum in Madrid), most Spaniards don't give a rip about what it commemorates: they're just glad to have a four day weekend away from work. As Spaniards drift (or run) away from their traditional Catholic roots (which, honestly, focus more on devotion to Mary than to Jesus), could it be that they will become more open to Jesus and the reality of His grace and truth? Or will they reject anything that still smacks of Christianity and calls them to repentance and commitment? Let's pray for the former.

Thanksgiving in Spain

2009-12-03T10:16:00.003+01:00

No American football on TV; no elementary school kids dressed up like pilgrims, Indians, or turkeys; no Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. But the absence of all of those things didn't keep us from celebrating Thanksgiving here! Interestingly, many Spaniards (or the ones we know, anyway) have some idea of what Thanksgiving is, probably based on the American shows and movies they've seen here. But, of course, American Thanksgiving is not an official holiday in Spain, so we had to carve out some personal time to be able to celebrate it by heading up to Madrid to spend the weekend with Rachel's family and a few other missionary families. For our Thanksgiving meal we had quite a feast, although we had chicken instead of turkey (cheaper and easier to find), and it's next to impossible to find French's fried onions to sprinkle on top of the green bean casserole. Even so we had so much classic Thanksgiving food, from mashed potatoes and gravy to a number of other casseroles to pumpkin pie (had to import the processed pumpkin stuff) that we almost forgot that we live in Spain.

We are so thankful to God for so many ways that He has provided in our life, and more specifically, in our new life here in Spain. We are thankful to have family within a 4 1/2 hour drive; we are thankful for our ECMI team that we are becoming a part of; we are thankful for family in the States who have sacrificed physical closeness so that we can follow God's leading in our lives; we are thankful for how God continues to provide for our physical and spiritual needs through the financial and prayer support of family, friends, churches, and people that we've never even met in person. We are most thankful.

“L” Stands for “Learner”

2009-11-12T15:12:00.002+01:00

Driving is one of those luxuries that most of us look forward to doing when we’re young. In the U.S., we can’t wait to turn 16 and get that piece of plastic that shows that we are now free to cruise the world- or at least our town. We learn the theory, practice the annoying parallel parking over and over, take the test, pay the 25 bucks and we’re off, right? No big deal! Well, if it only were that easy in Spain…

Depending on how smart you are and how much time you can dedicate to getting this piece of plastic, the process can take months. First, you have to find an autoescuela (driving school) that isn’t going to rip you off so that you can learn the theory. Sure, you could study it on your own, but since the test tends to have trick questions on it, you’re better off going to the autoescuela to beat the system by memorizing these tricky questions. After you pay your $300 (if you get a good deal), study the huge book backwards and forwards, and take a million practice tests, you’re ready to take the theory test. Don’t worry, you have a total of three tries to use toward both your theory and practice tests. The worst that can happen is that you’ll have to dish out another few hundred bucks. So, you go take your theory test with a bunch of other strangers and anxiously wait for your results. Thankfully, I did pass this test with only one error, which meant I had two tries for the practice test.

It is now time to take your driving lessons. Never mind the fact that you’ve been driving for years. You are still a learner here and we like your money! The thing is that you have to use an autoescuela car when you take your driving test because it is equipped with the necessary pedals so that your teacher, sitting in the front passenger seat, can save you from doing something stupid. As you can see, this business is a money-making machine in Spain! So, you dish out more money (usually about 30€ for a 45 minute class), and practice until you’re ready. Now, the point here is not only to learn how to drive responsibly and safe, but mostly to learn the tricky spots in the city that your examiner may take you by on the date of your exam. So much for defensive driving. Fast forward a couple hundred euros later and you’re ready to take your exam. You get up early, wait in line with dozens of other students from other autoescuelas, and you hop in the car with your teacher, the examiner, and another student also hoping to pass the test. No pressure or anything! Thankfully, and I think because of my past experience driving, I was the only one out of the four in my class that passed the test. Relief!

So now I can legally drive in Spain and will soon get my official, Spanish driving license that I fought for with blood, sweat, and mostly money. There is no way around it and we knew that we would just have to suck it up and pay if we wanted to drive here. Now it’s B.J.’s turn. The only thing is that, for the next year, I will have to drive no faster than 80 Km/h (about 50 miles/hour) and with an “L” for “Learner” (not for “Loser”) sign on the back of my car to warn others that I am a novice. It reminds me that I am a learner at so many things in this journey of life, especially as new a missionary to Spain. I’m glad I’m given this year to learn more about how things work here and what things to avoid so that I am a light that guides people toward Jesus and not a blinding light. In the end, we’re all learners in this life, and it may not be a bad idea to warn people by wearing “L” signs on our back!

What We Like About Our New Home

2009-10-31T17:18:00.015+01:00

A couple of months ago we listed several things that we miss about our life in the States. Of course, that's only half of the story. While we definitely miss the States, we're discovering aspects of our new life in Spain that we really do appreciate and even enjoy. So here are 7 things that we really like here:

La Alegría: Translated into English, this word means happiness or gladness, and it really describes the attitude of Andaluces very well: they love to enjoy life and are naturally loud people (as I write this I can hear the men at the corner bar yelling 'Gol!!!' as their team scores). On top of that, Andaluces seem to enjoy being very helpful: if you ask an older couple for directions here, be prepared for both of them to lean into your car window shouting directions at the same time, at a rate that's probably faster than you can understand.
Our ECM Spain Team: We just came back from our annual ECM Spain Team retreat, and we really enjoyed being together with our teammates (here is a photo of everyone). Some, like our team leader Francis Arjona, have deep, old connections with Rachel's family (he changed her diapers), and others are quickly becoming new friends.
The Late Culture: Breakfast tends to be optional or around 11 a.m. (during the morning work break), lunch is around 2 or 3 p.m., and dinner can be as late as midnight in the summer. Also, it's very normal and very safe to be on the streets until midnight or later, which is a bit different from living in Amish country: it was safe, but it sure wasn't normal to see people out and about at midnight.
The Rich History: I (B.J.) have still not gotten over the fact that every morning on the bus I ride by Roman ruins from about 2000 years ago. Being a fan of history, particularly of Greco-Roman history, and being from a country whose history only reaches back a few hundred years, this is a paradise for me.
Our Neighbors: Our two most immediate neighbor ladies in our apartment building have really taken to Rachel and treat her just like one of them, including giving us samples of the food they're cooking for lunch and sending their daughters to our apartment for trick-or-treating (Halloween, for better or worse, is becoming more popular here). This has been a source of great blessing for us and for them, we think.
Reconnecting with Old Friends: Rachel has 18 years of history here, 15 of which were here in the province of Córdoba. We've found that her parents, Ron and Brenda Anderson, had a great impact on the lives of so many people, and because of that, Rachel has been able to reestablish old relationships. Here's a photo of Rachel with her favorite elementary school teacher, Don Valeriano, who we happened to run into as we were walking through Montilla, the town where she used to live.
Language School: This may sound nerdy, but I enjoy learning, and going to language school has been enjoyable most of the time (frustrating at times, too!). I'm finding that there are varying levels of fluency, and I'm coming to a place where I'm not quite as scared to pick up the telephone as I was before. What's more is that Jesus seems to provide opportunities on a weekly and sometimes daily basis for me to share about my relationship with Him, and it's challenging me to express my faith not only in Spanish, but in a way that is relevant to generally postmodern non-believers.

Layers of Baggage

2009-10-12T23:11:00.004+02:00

In this photo, you can see the layers of history that have made Córdoba what it is today. In the background is the famous Mezquita, the mosque founded on the site of Visigothic cathedral shortly after the Muslims invaded and conquered the land in the 8th century A.D.. Actually, only the lower part of the Mezquita was used as a mosque; the higher, taller portion is the cathedral that was built on top of the ancient Mezquita after the Catholic kings overthrew the reign of the Arabs around 1236 AD. So the current cathedral is built on top of an ancient mosque which was built on top of an even more ancient Visigothic cathedral.

And off to the left you see the famous 'Puente Romano,' the Roman bridge, which was originally built during the first century A.D. Actually, for Cordobeses, the bridge is more infamous than famous now, because, if you can tell from the photo, just a few years ago it was restored in a way that greatly modernized it and covered its very Roman, historical look.

There are layers of history here in Spain, and with that there is beauty but also layers of baggage that I'm just now beginning to uncover. This baggage has become especially evident to me in recent weeks as I've had several conversations with a gal on the bus I ride regularly to language school in the morning. She knows that I'm an evangelical pastor, and she's been surprisingly open to talking with me about spiritual things (albeit completely in Spanish, which is still challenging for me). But what I've discovered is that words and concepts I take for granted carry a lot of cultural and religious baggage for her that they don't for me. For example, her concept of 'Church' is characterized by the power-seeking, money hungry, male-driven institutional force of the Catholic Church that has allowed priests to abuse children for centuries. When I mention the word 'Bible,' she tends to think of it as a book of stories primarily about men, put together by men, ultimately to oppress or neglect the place of women (kind of Conspiracy Theory meets Feminism meets Dan Brown).

There's a lot of spiritual, religious and cultural baggage here in Spain, and we're just beginning to understand it. The question we're wrestling with is this: How do we relevantly and intelligently engage these Spaniards with the Good News that can peel back the layers and cut to their hearts, meeting their most basic need? Surely this is just the beginning of this discussion.

A New Car!

2009-09-12T16:28:00.005+02:00

No, we didn't win it on the The Price is Right, and it actually isn't brand new, but a couple weeks ago we bought a car. It's a 2004 Toyota Corolla hatchback with only 42,000 km on it. We are grateful how God has provided for us through all of our supporters this reliable car at a good price, which we hope will be a valuable tool for ministry and travel in the months and years to come. Here are a few photos of it:

A Few Things We Miss About the States

2009-09-10T18:44:00.009+02:00

Now that we've lived here in Spain for four months, we've realized that there are certain things we miss about living in the States. Don't get us wrong, we are enjoying learning how to live here (most of the time), but there is still a very real grief process that we're going through as we acclimate to our new country and culture. So here's our top 7 list of things we miss about our old life:

The Quiet: At times we might have complained that Myerstown, PA lacked life or that it was too quiet, but now we miss the tranquility of living in Amish country. Our apartment is located on a busy corner in our barrio, so we can hear most everything going on around us. This includes cars, motorcycles, the neighbors upstairs, the teenager down the street yelling, '¡Mamá!' and the mother's response, '¿Qué pasa, niña?!' and pretty much everything else that makes noise until at least midnight. Here's a view of our corner from our balcony.
Family & Friends: This probably is obvious, but it's a very noticeable absence we feel in our life. Yes, Rachel's parents and brother are only 4 hours away, but everyone else is very far. We miss our seminary townhouse community, our family spread throughout the States, and the general feeling of knowing that we belong with a group of people.
Green Grass & Trees: Just a few short years ago, Rachel would make fun of her mother for continually saying, 'Oh, I miss the trees and the freshly cut grass of the States.' As it turns out, Rachel really misses that now, since we have to go to a public park to find halfway decent grass. We will especially miss the beautiful bouquet of autumn colors found at Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown.
American Customer Service & Efficiency: Sure, Spaniards can be nice, but it tends to be a surprise for us. Well-known adages like 'The customer is always right' are thrown out the window here. In addition to this, efficiency isn't exactly a core value for Spaniards, especially judging by our 6 month wait for our visas. No, the U.S. may not always be the most efficiently run place in the world, but we do miss the general efficiency we took for granted there.
The Ease of Driving: At the moment, Rachel is studying for her driver's license and perfecting her skill of driving a manual transmission car. In the States, this simply wasn't an issue with the ease of automatics (not many of those here) and the generally straightforward nature of roadsigns and traffic lights. Here there are roundabouts, a myriad of new signs to learn, and a very defensive aggressive attitude when it comes to driving, not to mention the abundance of parking spots.
Language: I'm doing all right learning the language, and though I'm getting more functional every day, I'm still so far from fluent and comfortable. This means that the majority of phone calls, business matters and general communication issues land on Rachel's shoulders, which is a complete reversal of our roles in the States. We're navigating this issue OK, and it's beginning to get better, but it has been a cause of great general and marital stress for us. God's been gracious to us, but we do miss the comfort of how our life functioned back in the States as a result of me knowing the language.
Baseball: It turns out that Spaniards don't care about baseball...at all. As a Midwestern boy, baseball, especially St. Louis Cardinals baseball, is simply in my blood, and it's probably a part of my cultural upbringing that will never die. While I can check the scores and highlights online, it simply isn't the same. Not to mention that I miss being able to play wiffle ball with my buddies on the lush green lawn of the seminary.

Well, thanks for letting us vent a little bit...it's been therapeutic. And, if you've made it this far reading the post, thank you and congratulations, because you now have a little more insight on what this cross-cultural adaptation is like for us. Without doubt, God has been faithful, but at the same time He's stretching us and allowing us to grieve our losses as we learn to call Spain 'home.'

Learning Spain: Galicia

2009-08-28T15:08:00.007+02:00

Since one of our primary objectives during this year of language and cultural acquisition is to get to know Spain as well as we can, we decided to spend our vacation with Rachel's parents covering a good chunk of northwestern and north central Spain.

Our first 10 days were in Galicia (NW Spain), so we'd like to give you a few discoveries we made there.

The Climate: With the high temperatures of Córdoba ranging from the tolerable 35°C (95°F) to the downright uncomfortable 45°C (113°F), we were delighted to find that Galicia, especially in the Vigo area where we spent the majority of our time, was much more comfortable, with highs between 25° & 30°C (77° to 86°C), but with some humidity to thicken the air. As a result, Galicia is very green with lush vegetation and, to B.J.'s delight, lots and lots of corn (making us a bit homesick for Illinois and Pennsylvania).
The Language: Galicia has two official languages: Spanish and Gallego. To us Gallego looks like a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese and can be somewhat understandable to some Spanish speakers. The Spanish accent of native Galicians (or Gallegos) is kind of sing-songy and melodic, making us wonder if it's the result of the Celtic tribes who originally settled in the region a couple thousand of years ago.
Bagpipes: The Celtic influence in the region can be seen perhaps most obviously in the common site and sound of bagpipers throughout the area.
Santiago de Compostela: It's the supposed site where the bones of St. James (the half brother of Jesus) are laid to rest. About 100,000 people make the pilgrimage to Santiago every year, and if they stop at all the appropriate checkpoints to get their pilgrim passports stamped and travel at least 100 km of the pilgrimage, they receive a certificate called the 'Compostela,' which entitles them to at least partial remission of purgatory. Click here to see a few of our photos from Santiago.
Witchcraft: Galicia is known for witches and witchcraft. Knowing this, we entered one of the many shops in Santiago that has an assortment of witchcrafty decorations and asked the ladies working there where this interest came from. They told us, "In ancient Celtic tribes, women had a very important role, especially the older women who were known to have special knowledge or wisdom of magic. But when Christianity reached this region centuries ago, the Church was run by male priests and made no place for women to serve or to lead. Even so, the Church couldn't change the culture, and people continued to consult witches along with being a part of the Church, to cover all of their spiritual bases, which continues widely to this day." When we pressed them for their personal beliefs about witchcraft, one said that she believes there is real power in it, while the other thought that it's all hocus-pocus. This was eye-opening for us as we consider the role of women in the church and how that will be a part of our ministry in the future. For a couple other intriguing insights on the mixing of pagan Celtic spirituality and Christianity, click HERE or HERE and don't forget to read the captions.

This post has gotten long enough, so we'll leave it at this. Needless to say, it was a great vacation and highly insightful as we continue to learn about this new country God's led us to. If you'd like to see more photos of our vacation, click here.

Preaching and Vacation

2009-08-02T19:59:00.003+02:00

Apologies for not having posted any news for nearly a month now--no major excuses to give, we just haven't gotten around to it. Anyhow, this morning I (B.J.) had the great opportunity to preach at the church of Rachel's parents in Camarma, Madrid. As you can probably ascertain from the photo, no, I didn't preach in Spanish--though I'm increasing in my language ability, I'm still not quite at the point of being able to preach a sermon. They invited me to preach on the theme of Serving Christ, as we find in the passage of Romans 12:3-8. It went well, and, on a personal level, it felt good to preach again, since I haven't preached since February or March. The congregation is a new church plant, and they have a fresh spirit about them, so they were very positive in their response to the passage and the sermon.

In other news, since my language school is closed in August, we are spending the next couple weeks in Galicia, which is in northwest Spain. One of our objectives for this year of transition is to get to know the various regions of Spain, so we're looking forward to spending some time in a new place. They say it's green and cool there, which is a significant contrast to the yellow and brown of Córdoba (and the 100+ heat).

If you'd like to check out some of our photos of Córdoba and Sevilla, click on the following words: Córdoba or Sevilla.

The Road Back "Home"

2009-07-06T17:10:00.005+02:00

I've heard it said that, "you can never go back home." In a way, I knew this would be true for me as B.J. and I followed God's leading to come to Spain as missionaries, but I didn't expect that returning to the country where I was born and raised would be so complex! But the truth is that Spain has changed and I have changed. I left Spain 11 years ago as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) who felt more Spanish than American, and now return to Spain as an adult feeling like my life here in Spain was only a dream. Welcome to the life of a TCK- beautiful, but confusing at times.

So, what has it been like for me these past few months? The term "pang" comes to mind. Honestly, this is a relatively new word in my vocabulary that I learned back in December when B.J. and I were going through our cross-cultural training. We were warned that we would, at times, feel conflicting pain on the mission field, and I can attest to this occurring in my life pretty much every day. On one hand, I love being back in Spain. The sunny skies, the flamenco culture, beautiful architecture, a more laid-back atmosphere, visiting old friends and forming part of a great mission team...these are all great things! But I also feel the pain of leaving my identity as an adult, the identity that B.J. and I had as a married couple, back in the States. This produces confusion, stress, and sometimes doubt that this is where God wants us. Yeah, I know it's perfectly normal and called re-entry, but it still hurts!

Thankfully, I have a Savior who is above all this pain and confusion and who knows exactly what I'm feeling. He also left what was comfortable and safe for Him and came to earth so that we may have eternal life. I am also thankful that, as a child of God, I am loved and cared for by a Savior who is above all- whether I'm in Spain or in the States, and whether I'm going through an identity crisis or not. Yes, it hurts to die to oneself each day, but if Christ did so for me, I can certainly go through some cultural shock for Him. I wonder what we could accomplish for Christ's Kingdom if we all just died a little each day by holding on to obedience and letting go of personal comfort? I'm not saying that I've got this down because I certainly do not, but it is the desire of my heart to become less so that Christ may become more. And, in the end, after some time of being back "home," I'm sure it will actually start feeling like home, at least one with an earthly address.

Becoming Nothing, Part 1

2009-06-14T18:07:00.005+02:00

Having lived in Spain for a couple of months now, we've had some time to experience life and reflect a bit on what we're doing here. We think we've begun to understand in a more personal way what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5-7:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made Himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

Christ, though He was and is truly God, with all the glory and honor and power that entails, humbled Himself and became a human embryo, spent 9 months in the womb of an unknown Jewish peasant girl named Mary, was born, and led a little known life in the backwoods town of Nazareth in Galilee until the age of 30. The King of the universe became a nobody for the sake of saving humanity.

We've discovered that our lives as missionaries here in Spain are not all that different from our Lord's. As B.J. & Rachel Whitaker in the U.S., we were fairly well-known within certain circles; you might say that there was even a level of fame that came with being missionary candidates to Spain. We were invited to speak and preach and be "the missionaries" at churches and events. Rachel was known as a social worker and counselor, and B.J. was invited to speak at youth retreats and workcamps. On top of that, we knew who we were and how life worked when we lived in the States.

But now we are in Spain. Outside of our organization, nearly no one knows us. People don't understand what these two Americans are doing here. Despite Rachel's childhood here, neither of us really understands how life works here. B.J. neither understands nor speaks the language well. We have become nothing here, and this is not some tragic, cosmic mistake: this is where God has led us.

This is not new for God; He has led countless missionaries to this place of nothingness before, for this is the path that God the Son walked first. Becoming nothing is the way that God has saved, is saving, and will save the world, and we are humbled to be a part of what He is doing here in Spain.

La Feria in Córdoba

2009-06-06T17:36:00.011+02:00

Last week was Córdoba's annual Feria. It is similar to a county or state fair in the States in that there are rides, junk food and plenty of alcohol, but that may be where the similarities end. Here are a few photos that may give you a better feel for what the Feria was like.

The entrance to the fairgrounds pays homage to Córdoba's unique Arabic influence.

An attractive couple takes advantage of the picturesque scenery for a Kodak moment.

A sevillanas dance exhibition during a very hot afternoon--a magnificent portrayal of one aspect of the rich culture of Andalucia.

Women adorn themselves in traditional Sevillanas dresses during the week. Some men wear traditional outfits, too, but not nearly as much as the women and children.

BJ's First Spanish Birthday!

2009-05-19T15:41:00.002+02:00

B.J. here. Sunday was my 29th birthday, but more significanlty it was my first birthday in Spain! We spent the weekend with our Spanish team leaders, Francis & Nathalie (their son Samuel is in the picture above). Unbeknownst to me, Francis & Nathalie informed the church in Pozoblanco (about an hour north of Córdoba) that it was my birthday, so they presented me with a birthday card and sang "Cumpleaños Feliz," which seemed nice and harmless...but it's also the church's custom that the birthday boy has to read the Bible verse on the card to the congregation! So I sucked it up and read the Spanish as best as I could, and the congregation seemed to appreciate my effort to read it. I really don't feel much older. In fact, I think the reverse has happened: my inability to speak and understand Spanish well and my ignorance of exactly how life works here makes me feel a bit like a baby. So maybe it was appropriate that only one candle was on my birthday cake!

Moving Day!

2009-05-08T01:39:00.004+02:00

About three months later than we originally expected we finally shipped most of our earthly possessions to Spain today! It's somewhat humbling (yet refreshing) to know that our stuff fit quite comfortably into a 20 foot container. From Myerstown, PA the container will be transported by truck to Baltimore, loaded onto a ship there to make its way across the Atlantic, and finally show up at our place in Córdoba in three to four weeks. We're especially looking forward to our kitchen utensils showing up--we've had to be resourceful with the few utensils our apartment came equipped with. We were very grateful for the first dry, sunny day in PA for about a week, as well as for the hulking seminarians who helped us load:

Back: B.J., Gene, Brian & Phil
Front: Jeff & little Tracy (What she lacked in strength she made up for with cuteness!)

Surprised by God

2009-04-30T22:24:00.005+02:00

These are the faces of surprise and relief. But honestly, we were not expecting it, at least not so soon. We had grown so accustomed to disappointing calls to the Spanish Consulate that we expected nothing different from this call. And since we had tickets to return to the States on Tuesday, on Monday we figured we should make one more call to the Consulate just in case, by some slim chance, our visa applications had been approved. We especially were not expecting our visas to be approved since we had just spoken with a government official in Cordoba who did not think the visas would be approved for another week or so. Call us pessimists, doubting Thomases or faithless believers...maybe we had simply become content with the fact that our visas would not be approved on our timeline.

So we were shocked, almost breathlessly so, when our amigo Hector at the Consulate told us that, in fact, our visas were approved and we could pick them up ASAP! So at 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon, our plans for the week changed drastically: we had to get from Cordoba to Madrid to Newark and finally to New York to pick up our visas. So we hopped on a train Monday evening, stayed at Rachel's parents' house overnight to catch our 1 p.m. flight on Tuesday from Madrid to Newark. We stayed overnight in Newark and took the train into New York (where the above photo was taken) on Wednesday morning to pick up our visas. We're now in Myerstown, PA, waiting to ship our things and return to Spain next Saturday.

Put simply, we've seen God's hand at work, providing means of transportation, places to stay, people to help us, and a visa that opens the door for us to be a part of what He wants to do in Spain. It seems that when we finally become content with whatever outcome in certain situations, God loves to "surprise" us by showing up and providing what we need just when we need it.

Semana Santa Processions

2009-04-17T15:27:00.007+02:00

No, those aren't members of the Ku Klux Klan; they're Spanish penitents who, having asked God or Mary to do something on their behalf or seeking some sort of divine favor or forgiveness, are keeping their end of the bargain by serving in the grandiose Holy Week processions.

The processions we saw, both in Córdoba and the smaller town of Aguilar, seemed to follow a similar pattern. With horns and drums announcing the arrival of the procession, the penitents soon arrived carrying the statue of the suffering Christ. Some looked on out of tradition, others out of curiousity, and still others who appeared to feel so deep a connection to the ceremony that they dropped rose petals from their balconies to commemorate Christ's death. As evangelicals, we would see the arrival of the suffering Christ as the climax of this procession...

But the arrival of Christ did not receive the utmost attention. Rather, soon after the giant crucifix passed by our balcony, the music grew louder and crescendoed as the much larger, more ornate and by far heavier statue of the mourning Mary arrived in front of our balcony (so close that we could almost touch it with our fingertips). As one native Córdobes described to B.J., "The Bible says that Mary was the mother of Jesus, so she is obviously more important." At certain points, the penitents stop to rest (the statue of Mary is ginormously heavy), and after their breather we heard the lead penitent urging on his fellow penitents, "We are doing this for the glory of the most high queen of heaven!"

Our experience of the processions was priceless and eye-opening. During Semana Santa there is indeed an interest in Christ and spiritual things, but it appears to be short-lived and based on a certain ignorance of Biblical truth. There is a recognition of what Christ did on the cross but a lack of understanding as to why He did it or how it can transform our lives. Instead, Christ's sacrifice and resurrection appear to be overshadowed by how one can receive what he or she wants from Mary, his mother. This is the twisted shadow of Christendom that remains in our new home.

Bipolar...

2009-04-06T18:19:00.005+02:00

The best way to describe our first week in Spain is BIPOLAR. Emotionally, it's been a bit of a roller coaster for both of us. At one moment we are feeling excited and somewhat comfortable in our Spanish surroundings (especially for Rachel, and B.J. whenever he is actually understanding Spanish); the next moment we may feel the great discomfort and fear that comes with remembering (for Rachel) and trying to understand (for B.J.) all that's going on around us, not to mention all the unanswered questions we have right now. Up and down, down and up...we're told that this is normal, and it will continue for the next several days, weeks, months, and maybe years, in some ways.
On a high note, we had lunch today with a very cool couple, Jeremy & Jessica, who are from California but have lived here for about a year and a half. They're quite an encouraging pair, but the sad news for now is that they're heading back to California in a month.

Tomorrow we head to Córdoba to find a piso (apartment), see the processions of Semana Santa (Holy Week), and join evangelical believers for an Easter weekend retreat. Please pray for us as we head into pura España (pure Spain, as Rachel likes to call it) to scout out the next leg in our journey there.

Safe Arrival!

2009-03-30T23:04:00.003+02:00

We landed safely in Madrid at about 1 p.m. this afternoon (local time), and upon our arrival we were greeted exuberantly by Rachel's parents, Ron and Brenda Anderson. The flight itself was fairly uneventful, though we had to wait on the plane in Newark for 3½ hours due to thunderstorms. When we arrived in Madrid, Rachel got through security without a hitch, but B.J. was stopped and questioned by both a customs agent and Guardia Civil officer (basically a federal policeman). So we're in Spain, a new world for us, and we are grateful to God for the safe journey, the welcome, and the time and space to rest a bit before we head south to Córdoba next week.

Saying Goodbye...

2009-03-28T15:20:00.004+01:00

An important module of our training at MTI in December was on the value and significance of saying, "Goodbye." So as we reflect on our past few months, we've said a number of goodbyes, to family, friends, and past chapters of our life as we walk into the newest chapter God is writing with us. Below are a few slides with photos of people to whom we've said, "Goodbye," during our time of waiting; those in the photos are simply representative of the greater whole of people and places with whom we are bittersweetly parting ways, though we hope that our goodbyes are simply "See you later's".

March 29th!

2009-03-10T21:14:00.002+01:00

On March 29th we will head to Spain! We are excited and scared to death about this move, and we know that we're where God wants us. There are still several loose ends for us to tie up...or to see God tie up, not the least of which is for the Spanish authorities to grant us our residency visas. The Consulate tells us that we should expect a call this week or next (of course they made no promises!), so please pray that barriers would be removed from the granting of our visas. Also, please pray that we'll be able to work out the details of shipping our things, finalizing health and life insurance, and other paperwork. We have great reason for hope!

While We're Waiting

2009-02-24T16:28:00.003+01:00

Yes, if you check our blog with any regularity, you have noticed that we've not posted anything for about a month. You have waited, just as we have, since we haven't felt like there was much to say. We were told a month ago that we should have our visas by now, but we continue to wait. It has been a bit frustrating for us as we sit on edge with every phonecall, anticipating our call from the Spanish Consulate telling us to pick up our visas. So far that call has not come, and we are continuing to wait as faithfully as we can.

So what have we been doing as we've waited? We've prepared our possessions for shipping, we've sold our car, we've visited and spoken at a couple more churches, we've been praying and reading Scripture together, we've visited many dear friends, we've been doing a lot of paperwork (for life insurance, retirement, and health insurance--none of which have been as quick and easy as we had anticipated), we've been working on B.J.'s Spanish, and we've been struggling deeply with our impatience in the midst of this season of waiting.

Yesterday, as we drove to meet with the buyer of our car, we heard the song, "While I'm Waiting," (by John Waller) on the radio, and we found ourselves surprisingly encouraged by its message--it seems to speak directly to the season of life we're in. If you click the above video, you can watch, listen and perhaps even be encouraged yourself. Below are the lyrics:

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You, Lord;
And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on You, Lord;
Though it is painful, but patiently, I will wait.
I will move ahead, bold and confident, taking every step in obedience.

While I'm waiting, I will serve You;
While I'm waiting, I will worship;
While I'm waiting, I will not faint,
I'll be running the race, even while I wait.

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You, Lord;
And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on You, Lord;
Though it's not easy, but faithfully, I will wait, yes, I will wait.
I will move ahead, bold and confident, taking every step in obedience.

While I'm waiting, I will serve You;
While I'm waiting, I will worship;
While I'm waiting, I will not faint,
I'll be running the race, even while I wait.

I will serve You while I'm waiting,
I will worship while I'm waiting,
I will serve You while I'm waiting,
I will worship while I'm waiting,
I will serve you while I'm waiting,
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Promising News

2009-01-23T15:04:00.003+01:00

On Tuesday of this week, we spoke with an official in the visa department at the Spanish Consulate in New York City, which was a minor miracle in itself (it can take several calls on several days before talking to live person at the Consulate). This official told us that she expects our visa to be approved within the next month! We are hoping that this is not a case of Spanish avoidance and procrastination ("mañana, mañana"--"tomorrow, tomorrow"), but it does give us promise that we will be able to get to Spain soon. So please pray for swift approval, as well as for our patience and spiritual growth as we continue to wait!

Hurry Up & Wait

2009-01-08T19:00:00.002+01:00

We had a super-busy December, galavanting around the country (buckle up!), from Pennsylvania to Kentucky to Indiana to Colorado to New Mexico back to Colorado back to Indiana to Illinois to Missouri back to Illinois and Indiana to Ohio and now full-circle back to Pennsylvania, though in Lititz and not Myerstown. It was a very full time and such a great blessing to see family and friends, receive great training at MTI, and to see more family!

And now we wait...to receive a call...that says..."Come to New York and pick up your residency visas from the Spanish Consulate." We could receive that call tomorrow, or it could come in two months. It's out of our control, so we wait. Please pray with us that our visas come swiftly, and even more that we would not view this limbo time as a waste but as a great opportunity to catch our breath and prepare for the big leap we're about to take. We hurried through December, and now, in January 2009, we wait on Spain...more significantly, though, we wait on God as He guides us through this transition.

MTI, part 2

2008-12-26T18:36:00.008+01:00

About a week ago we completed our training at MTI, and it proved to be an invaluable experience for us. Since our last update, we covered more significant areas of life and ministry in a cross cultural situation, including sabbath keeping, rest, understanding and dealing with different cultural worldviews, and how to say, "Goodbye," well (a surprisingly important aspect of missionary life). Our time at MTI closed with times of reflection, sharing about our respective future ministries, and prayer for each family present at the trainings. We formed what we believe will be some lifelong friendships (as you can see in the group photo above), and it's hard to believe that the training is over and it's the day after Christmas already! Here are some more photos of our time there:

Us with Hans & Jen Anderson during our time to share about Spain and to be prayed for.

Rachel role-playing in a skit about missionaries in a cross-cultural ethical dilemma.

B.J. with his growth group that met several times a week for Bible study, discussion, prayer, encouragement, and a lot of laughter.

We took a weekend excursion to Albuquerque, where we were able to visit the Myers family, who served as church planting missionaries in Spain with Rachel's family in the 80's and 90's.

MTI, part 1

2008-12-10T23:30:00.008+01:00

We've hit the mid-point of our missions training at MTI (Mission Training International) here in Colorado. So what is a part of our training here at MTI? Here are a few things we've covered:

Who We Are Under Stress (complete with an overseas hostage simulation)
Conflict Resolution Styles
Personal and Cultural Values
Cultural Differences
The Greatest Discipleship & Evangelism Tool: our love for one another as Christians (in families and other relationships)
Self-Awareness (know who we are and where we're from as we enter our new culture)

God has been showing us tons about ourselves and who He is during our training. Below are a few photos from our time here at MTI:

Us with fellow ECMI missionary candidates to Spain, Hans & Jennifer Anderson (no relation)--it's been good getting to know each other better through this training.

Pikes Peak from a distance...

Pikes Peak at the summit, where the air is quite frigid and thin!

A beautiful view of the sunset that Rachel caught just outside of MTI.

Thanksgiving Week in Pictures

2008-11-30T00:53:00.010+01:00

A week ago we officially became homeless...sort of. We moved out of our house on Sat., Nov. 22, spoke in Easton, PA on Sunday, and immediately began driving westward to spend time with friends and family for Thanksgiving week, ultimately to arrive in Colorado for our cross-cultural training. So here are some highlights from the past week in pictures:

We visited B.J.'s grandparents in western KY for the first time in a long time.

Wednesday evening afforded us the occasion for dinner with some good friends from college. Matt (center) was B.J.'s college roommate and, along with his wife Rachel, hosted us for our week in Wilmore, KY.

We simply couldn't visit Wilmore without retracing some of our steps at our alma mater, Asbury College...oh, the nostalgia.

Thanksgiving was spent with B.J.'s sister, Ashleigh, and her growing family. Liam (the cool guy in the middle) has a little sibling on the way!

We arrived in Denver on Friday evening and were greeted by some lovely snowfall! We're staying with Rachel's uncle, aunt, and cousins as we await our cross-cultural training a little south of here Dec. 1-19.

NYC Visa Trip!

2008-11-12T16:05:00.008+01:00

On Monday (Nov. 10) we made a little trip to Spain...the Spanish Consulate in New York City, that is, which actually is property of Spain. We were able to apply for our residence visas (it has to be done in person at the Consulate), which has been a huge answer to prayer. Let us tell you more.

Last Tues. (Nov. 4), we knew that we wanted to apply by the end of November, so B.J. checked the availability of appointments at the Consulate (we figured that there would be plenty of open appointments for the end of the month). To our grim dismay, nothing was open until the middle of December! We will be in Colorado for our cross-cultural training most of December and then with family for the holidays, which meant that we wouldn't be able to apply until the end of December or beginning of January. Needless to say, we were a bit frazzled and disappointed, since we knew it would take at least 2 months to receive the visas after we applied; as far as we could see, this wrecked our schedule to be in Spain by sometime in January. So we decided to pray (funny how that came after frazzlement and fretting), asking God to work out what He wanted in His time...

After a night of election coverage and sleep, B.J. checked again for appointments on Wed. morning, wondering if anything could possibly have opened up before the end of this month. Lo and behold, a 15 minute appointment for Mon., Nov. 10th was available, and we saw God's hand at work on our behalf! So we made triple copies of all of our certified documents (killed a few trees in the process, we think) and headed off to the Big Apple, thankful for the open appointment but afraid that we might not have everything we needed (which could have meant that we would have to make another visa appointment--we had lots of people praying for us at this point). After a train ride from New Jersey, a short subway trip uptown, and a brief elevator ride up 30 stories, we arrived at the Spanish Consulate with plenty of time for our 10:15 appointment. Our interviewer, Hector, was super kind, and everything went better than we could have expected!

Now we simply have to wait for the Spanish government to process our paperwork, and hopefully we'll have our visas in hand sometime in January. Praise God for His goodness to us over the past couple weeks!

Below are a few shots from our day in the city:

Us in front of the building where the Spanish Consulate is located.

We found a Spanish restaurant where we had a lunch of ensalada (salad), patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), and bocadillo de jamón serrano (Spanish cured ham sandwich).

One of Rachel's high school classmates from Spain works as a sous-chef in Manhattan, and we got to visit him for a few minutes during his break.

The New Year's Eve ball was on display at Macy's on 34th St...we were actually a bit disappointed because it looks so much bigger on TV!

Ordination & Commissioning Weekend!

2008-11-04T22:03:00.007+01:00

Above you'll find a slideshow of a few photos taken throughout our ordination and commissioning weekend. In a word, our time was amazing. We had family in from Spain, South Carolina, Missouri, Ohio and Illinois, and many more local friends and loved ones joined us for our big day. We are humbled and privileged that our church and our loved ones have acknowledged our gifting and calling to serve as church planting missionaries in Spain. Most of all, we are grateful to God for giving us life, our calling, and for meeting with us in a profound way on Sunday afternoon. There's more to come, so we'll simply let the photos share some of the highlights from the weekend.

What a Whirlwind!

2008-10-14T20:20:00.005+02:00

Well, this weekend was full! We thought we'd let you see the quick version in pictures:

Saturday we spent a couple hours at the E.C. WorldFest Pennsylvania, which was great for us since it was only a 3 minute walk from our house at Evangelical Theological Seminary. The folks there were excited as we spoke of God's faithfulness in supplying 92% of our needed monthly support thus far!

Sunday morning we headed to Peoples E.C. in Lehighton, PA, up towards the Poconos where the leaves are beginning to hit their peak fall colors. The folks at Peoples were greatly encouraging as we shared our story and calling with them.

After leaving Lehighton, we headed down to eastern Berks County to Christ Lutheran Church, which is in the countryside of Barto, PA. I (B.J.) had met many of their members during the summer at PACE Workcamp where I spoke, so they invited us to come, preach at their afternoon worship service and share about Spain at their fellowshp meal afterwards. Above is one of their sanctuary's stunning stained glass windows which we felt is something we're learning about right now: Jesus truly is our Good Shepherd in these great days of transition!

P.M. Roots

2008-10-06T02:53:00.002+02:00

Well, it's been another long but good weekend for the Whitakers. This weekend we had the opportunity to retrace some of Rachel's Primitive Methodist roots. On Saturday we were the keynote missionary speakers at the P.M. Pittsburgh District Missions Rally...interestingly, the event wasn't in Pittsburgh (as one might think) but in Youngstown, OH. As an Anderson, Youngstown is a pretty important place for Rachel. It's the hometown of Rachel's grandpa and, therefore, the site of the family's home church--Glenwood Christian Fellowship (a P.M. church). Youngstown is also where Rachel's dad graduated from high school (even though most of his childhood and youth was spent in Guatemala). So everyone at the rally knew Rachel from birth, reminding her of how she was when she was just a wee little lass.

So after the missions rally, we spent the evening with Pastor Tom and Heather Snyir who lead the Merritt P.M. Church in Buena Vista, PA, near Pittsburgh (note the photo above). God has really renewed the vision and ministry of this church in recent years, and, as a former youth pastor, I was thrilled to see a number of teens participating in the worship service. The congregation was quite welcoming to us, and of course they knew of Rachel's grandparents and parents. All in all, it was a good weekend, though we're now trying to rest a bit before we start a new work week. Only about a month of the normal 8-5 routine for Rachel left--more on that later!

The Euro

2008-09-16T17:07:00.005+02:00

After nearly a year of gaining value against the weak American dollar, last month the euro actually devalued against the dollar! This is very good news for American missionaries heading to or currently ministering in Europe, as our paychecks rise and fall with the exchange rate.

Without going into the deep ins and outs of it (mainly because I really don't understand the intricacies of international trade), this increase in the dollar's value is quite significant. At the weakest point, the exchange rate was 1 € to $1.60 or so; to put this into perspective, if you were to buy a used car (as we will in several months) for about 5000 €, it would have actually cost you $8000. At the current exchange rate of 1 € to $1.42, that 5000 € would be about $7100--a pretty significant savings!

So if you want to know how to pray for us, pray for God's provision for us in the midst of somewhat unstable world markets (we have 77% of our monthly needs met!); perhaps more importantly, pray that God will continue to teach us how to trust Him through this transition; but most importantly, pray that even now God will be softening Spaniards hearts to the Good News of Jesus, so that they will come into a real relationship with Him.

7,200 Towns

2008-09-01T21:12:00.003+02:00

A couple of posts ago, we wrote about the letter from our Spain field leader, Francis Arjona, requesting our arrival to Spain by January 2009. Within that letter Francis showed us that we have been making a huge error in our presentations, including our video. We had been sharing that there are over 700 towns of 5,000 people or more that have no clear witness to the Gospel, which seemed like a lot of towns and people who need to know Christ. But Francis reminded--and corrected--us that there are 7,200 towns of 5,000 people or more that have no evangelical witness to Christ! We were off by a mere 6,500!

Seeing this staggering number of towns and people who desperately need someone to show them Christ through their lives and words has further confirmed our burden to get to Spain ASAP. Even though we know that we won't be the ones to share Christ, His truth, and His love with every Spaniard, we know that we are a part of a team that is seeking that end. So please pray with us that the bonds of spiritual blindness and apathy will be broken in Spain and in Spaniards' lives and that we will be able to get there by January to begin the transition that will enable us to share Christ's light with those living in deep darkness.

Boring Missionaries?

2008-08-25T15:07:00.006+02:00

So we have officially been "missionary candidates" for one year, speaking in churches, retreats, camps, conferences and anywhere else we've been invited. Throughout all of our experiences this past year, we've learned something mildly disturbing: missionaries have a bad reputation for being incredibly boring! We've learned that some people skip church worship services on the days we've been invited to come and speak because they don't want to be bored by the missionaries. We've been told straightforwardly by pastors and congregants alike that they were a bit concerned before having us speak because of the boring reputation missionaries carry, but they were later relieved that we were actually passionate and engaging.

This is not at all to pat ourselves on the back but only to say that it is a great shame that missionaries have such a bad rap in some circles. We think part of our goal as missionaries right now is to curb this reputation since, after all, we love what God is calling and leading us to in Spain. People, especially today's generation, don't merely want to hear about our calling or about the spiritual needs of the Spaniard; they need to sense our deep conviction as we share with them the mission God has laid out before us.

The Request Letter!

2008-08-18T16:47:00.002+02:00

Just a couple weeks ago, we received an official acceptance letter from the ECMI Spain team leader, Francis Arjona. More exciting than the simple fact of receiving this letter was the request contained in it: that the Whitakers arrive in Spain by January 2009! Of course, for that request to become reality, we still need 1/3 of our monthly support to be committed and begin coming in. Even so, with 2/3 of our support rolling in and the official request that we are wanted and needed by the ECMI Spain team, the dreams and hopes that we've been speaking about for the past year or so are beginning to become reality. Praise God!

Herndon Campmeeting!

2008-07-29T16:41:00.004+02:00

During the 10 days of July 18-27, we had the opportunity to serve as "Missionaries in Residence" at Herndon Campmeeting about an hour northwest of home. Above you can see the cross and the sign above the front of the tabernacle--it's kind of a throw-back to campmeetings gone by.

So what do missionaries in residence do at a campmeeting? Well, this is what we did. During each of the evening worship services, we had a five minute "missions moment" to share about ourselves, Spain, and our potential ministry. One evening B.J. shared with the children's program about how Spaniards need Christ. Throughout the weekdays, while Rachel returned home to work, B.J. spent time with the teenagers in their Bible studies, games, and other activities. Outside of being the "official missionaries," we spent significant time building relationships with people, which happened a good bit around our meal times (B.J.'s on a diet now to recover his former figure). It was a great opportunity both to minister and to be ministered to!

The Teenagers at Herndon 2008:

B.J. shares a "Missions Moment":

The Good Samaritan Rehab Center

2008-07-17T02:43:00.010+02:00

Here's a bit of exciting news regarding ECMI's rehabilitation work in Spain's Cordoba province, as it was conveyed to us by Rachel's dad, Ron Anderson:

The Good Samaritan Association was awarded the "Encina del valle de los Pedroches" award this past week. This award, according to Francis Arjona (the founder of the Good Samaritan Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Center), is the most prestigious award that is given in the Pedroches Valley. The Valley, located in the northern section of the Cordoba province of Spain, is populated with 17 municipalities. The award was received by Francis, who represented the Association and the faithful team of workers and missionaries connected with it. The ceremony started in the town hall and ended up in a public ceremony in the famous bull ring. The Good Sam. Association was only one of several recipients who received an award that evening. The event was well attended by mayors, dignitaries, local citizens, etc. The media was represented by a TV station, 5 radio stations and newspaper reporters. Francis said, "I never dreamed that one day we would get this award and that it would give us the opportunity to tell everyone in the entire area why we had come to the Pedroches Valley to serve as we do." In his acceptance speech, Francis said. “We are here as modern day Samaritans… We are not better than anyone else by doing this…We only intend to peach and live a life which reflects God’s love... We have a relationship with God and not a mere religion.” One of the initial outcomes of the event has been that a very prestigious local poet and writer, which also received an award, accepted Francis’s invitation to "talk further about these things". The ECM vision for Cordoba continues to be very much alive. As Francis puts it. "Our vision is to see a church planted in each of the towns of over 5000 population." It sure is nice to get such a prestigious award that lifts the level of awareness of who we are so that we are not rejected as people before we have a chance to share the message of Hope. To God be the Glory.
To learn more about the Center, check out http://www.buensam.org.uk/ or http://www.buensam.org/ (in Spanish).

The award ceremony at the bull ring

Francis receives the award

Right to Left: Raul Vazquez (Director of the Center), Mayor, Francis Arjona

PEI Getaway

2008-07-07T20:00:00.004+02:00

This is a few weeks late, but we thought we would share a few of our photos from our Prince Edward Island anniversary getaway. It was a much-needed time of relaxation and enjoyment for us, and it was a dream come true for Rachel, who had always wanted to visit PEI because of her love for the Anne of Green Gables stories by L.M. Montgomery, the most famous native of PEI. Click above to see a handful of our photos!

PACE Workcamp!

2008-06-30T20:54:00.006+02:00

Sorry we haven't written in a while for those of you who regularly check out the blog--it's been a busy month! We've been to Canada and back, celebrated our 6th anniversary, celebrated Rachel's birthday, and I just returned from a week at Pennsylvania Christian Endeavor's youth workcamp in Findlay, OH.

It was a great week. I believe we had about 160 people total there, mostly teenagers (pictured above), to continue the recovery efforts for those in Findlay effected by the floods of last August and this February. A lot of work was accomplished through the youth and their adult leaders! The homeowners were quite appreciative, and even the mayor came to our evening worship service on Thursday to extend the city council's appreciation for PACE and the youth. So why was the Beej there? I had the great privilege of sharing the messages at each of our evening worship services as we focused on the Beattitudes of Matt. 5:3-12 and how those reveal how we can be salt and light to our dark and tasteless world. God met us during the worship times, but He also accomplished a lot through His servants, the workcampers. Below is a picture of the staff for the week: Chrissy, the summer intern; me; Mark, the Work Coordinator; Dave, the director of PACE; and Ben, Dave's son. What a blessing to serve Christ and others with such amazing people!

TEACH International

2008-06-07T15:02:00.007+02:00

This week I (B.J.) was able to participate in something called TEACH International; it's the E.C. denomination's gathering of our international leaders to hear what God is doing in their national churches and what their needs and growth areas are. It was truly amazing to hear the stories of rapid, dynamic growth in India, the faithful endurance of believers in Japan, the courage (and even martyrdom) of our brothers and sisters in Liberia, and the joy and energy of the Mexicans and Costa Ricans. It was encouraging to us American delegates to see how the E.C. Church is an international denomination and how God is moving in all the nations; in many ways, it was challenging for us as we so often grow complacent or weary in our culture of luxury and self-gratification. Above you can see a photo of all the delegates involved in the conference; below are photos of a couple new friends.

This is Dennis Henry, the only delegate out of five from Liberia who was granted a visa to leave their country for the conference. Liberia is a nation torn by civil war from about 1993-2003; many church buildings were destroyed and believers martyred during the war. It was impressive to hear Dennis's heart for his people and nation; God is at work there slowly restoring order and peace, not through the UN or the government, necessarily, but through His people, the Church.

This is Elias Martinez, one of our Mexican delegates. I had some broken conversations with him, and I think we more or less understood each other. He is the energetic leader of a Bible institute in Mexico that trains pastors and church leaders for ministry, not to mention that he's quite a character!

Gratitude.

2008-06-02T19:36:00.012+02:00

Over the past few weeks, we have been extremely busy. Moving into a new house (only a block away but still quite a chore!), the E.C. National Conference, working, speaking in churches, and the like. But as I reflect, I have a few things to mention that I'm thankful to God for:

I'm thankful for Jesus, His Presence with us, and His work in and through us. It was really good to celebrate the Lord's Supper at the E.C. National Conference last week.

I'm grateful to God for Godly leadership in our denomination. Our new bishop was consecrated last week at Conference, and we have commented over and over how thankful to God we are that the Godliness of our denomination's leadership is hardly a question for us.

My car. It's not much to look at, the paint's flaking off, and the head gasket is leaking. But God has kept the Neon going well beyond our expectancy for it, and it got me to and from Conference safely and without incident.

A washer and dryer. As we moved into our new temporary house, we knew it lacked laundry facilities, and we thought we would be buying a washer and dryer for a few months' use. But our need was mentioned to the pastor at one of the churches we visited--Dennis Snyder--and he happened to have a spare washer and dryer. God provided one of our needs (or conveniences) through Dennis, and we are deeply grateful for His provision.

Last, and certainly not least, second to Christ I'm most thankful for a beautiful, faithful, strong even in weakness, amazing wife. She has been an incredible instrument of God's love, correction, and salvation in my life.

Graduation!

2008-05-15T23:55:00.004+02:00

Last Saturday closed a four year chapter in our life: I graduated from seminary! It was a great time of celebration for us, especially as my parents came up from Missouri and my sister and nephew came from Kentucky. We are grateful for the work that God has done in us and through us here, but we are also eager to move on to the ministry He's prepared us for. Above is a picture presentation of a few photos from graduation.

The Muslim Jesus

2008-05-05T16:28:00.004+02:00

Well, I handed in the final paper of my seminary career on Saturday--quite relieving and bewildering all at the same time. Anyhow, the paper was for my Islam course, and I wrote on the Muslim view of Jesus, or 'Isa, as He is known to Muslims. It was quite an interesting study. According to the Qur'an, Jesus was born of a virgin but not divine, not the Savior, and was rescued by Allah before being crucified on the cross (Allah could not allow one of his prophets to be shamed so deeply). Instead, Muslims see Jesus as a great prophet who came to teach and lead his people back to the straight path of Allah. The Qur'an even goes so far as to call Jesus the "Word of God," the "Masih" (Messiah, though it doesn't mean the same thing for Muslims) and an "Apostle from God," but he could never be the Son of God; such thinking is blasphemous. He is not the suffering Savior of the world because the problem of humanity is not really sin and relational separation from our Creator for Muslims; we are simply ignorant and sometimes led astray, which is why we only need prophets to guide us back to the right ways from time to time.

As I reflect upon my study, I have just one observation: the Muslim 'Isa pales in comparison to the Jesus of the Gospels. The Gospels give such profound, rich insight into Jesus' humanity and divinity that the Qur'an hardly alludes to (the divinity of Christ, of course, is attacked by Muhammad). Literally, the Muslim 'Isa is paler than the Biblical Jesus, as well; Muslim tradition says that 'Isa was fair skinned and had red hair and freckles. An Iranian movie of the Muslim Jesus, called "The Messiah," is coming out in Iran sometime this year (a poster for it is above). It should be interesting to see what the reaction or response to it will be, as well as if and how God uses it to draw people to Himself through His Son Jesus.

Wasps and Chili

2008-04-24T23:16:00.007+02:00

So there I stood during the worship service at Seneca E.C. Church watching a wasp hover a few feet above the pulpit, hoping that God would miraculously strike it dead or that it would just fly away. Neither happened. So as I got up to preach on Sunday morning, I warned the people that I'm a bit of a sissy when it comes to large flying bugs with stingers and that I may be moving around a bit to avoid the thing. After about 5 minutes of buzzing around the pulpit area and distracting everyone, the wasp took a couple of swoops through the first few rows and met its crushing demise between a bulletin and a window! With the distraction gone, the worship service continued, I preached, and the folks at Seneca laid hands on me and prayed for us. It was great to spend some time with Josh and Rachel Reinders who are in pastoral leadership there--they're good Midwesterners like myself!

After averting a bee sting, Sunday afternoon I headed off to Cottage Grove E.C. Church just outside of Akron, OH to spend a couple days with the folks there. Perhaps just as important as me speaking there was that they were having their 6th annual Missions Chili Cookoff! Yes, I had the special privilege of being a judge and trying all 13 kinds of chili, which, surprisingly, had no negative effects on my digestive tract! It was great to reconnect with Bob Shuey, the pastor there and a former seminary classmate of mine, as well as Robert and Bettina Schaeffer, an amazing couple whom God is using mightily to deliver people around NYC from the homosexual lifestyle. They're the ones pictured with me below.

10 Foot Jesus & Steve Lamotte

2008-04-17T22:08:00.006+02:00

Last evening I had the special privilege of speaking at Avenue United Methodist Church in Milford, Delaware. Our good friends, Steve & Andrea Lamotte, are in ministry there (Steve's the "Next Gen Pastor" with me above), and we've had the opportunity throughout the years not only to maintain a good friendship but also to minister together on a few occasions--last night was one of those. Unfortunately, Rachel couldn't be there, but, even so, Jesus was there, as you can see in the photo above. That's actually a somewhat frightening painting of Jesus--His eyes follow you throughout the room, and He's really huge!

Anyway, something great happened last night other than me getting to catch up with good friends. During my three hour drive, I was a bit overwhelmed, down and discouraged because of all the stuff going on in our lives right now--work, school, support raising, having to move after graduation, and the like. But by the end of the evening, I was greatly encouraged. The folks there were interested in us, they asked some good questions about us and Spain, and they wanted to hear stories of what Steve was like in college. Many of them told me that they would be praying for us and wanted to join our financial support team. God really used our new friends at Avenue to encourage me, which was just what I needed. It was refreshing to experience God's goodness through His people!

Here's another photo of Steve and me with 10 Foot Jesus--I'm not sure what we're doing, though it kind of looks like we're slow dancing like middle schoolers.

Church Visits Can Make You Fat

2008-04-09T14:21:00.010+02:00

The past week has been an incredibly full week! After speaking in a seminary chapel service last Tuesday, I headed out to western PA on Thursday for a trio of missions conferences. Thursday and Friday were spent at Bethany Crossroads E.C. Church, while Saturday was spent down the road with the folks of Grace E.C. in Knox. Sunday morning I had the opportunity to preach and then share our Spain presentation with some new friends at Trinity E.C. in the village of Fern (below is a picture of Pastor Mark Micklos and his son Nate), and Sunday evening was back at Grace with their youth group. To close the weekend I got up at 5:45 on Monday morning to share breakfast and a little bit about Spain with around 15 teens at Knox Grace--I was pretty proud of those teenagers for getting up so early to eat and learn about the spiritual needs of Spain. What a whirlwind weekend!

Here was the basic itinerary of the weekend: eat, speak, eat, eat, speak, sleep, eat, speak, eat, eat, sleep. If I had to do this every weekend, it would be a very unhealthy lifestyle--I would become grossly obese. Our new friends out there fed me well (maybe too well!) and were very warm and receptive, which I am very thankful for. But I have had to run two days in a row to try to work off the thousands of calories I took in over the weekend.

Reflections on the Cross

2008-03-24T20:28:00.004+01:00

It seems that each year around this time, God helps me understand the Cross in a fresh light; not necessarily a new light that I've never seen before, but a specific aspect of the meaning of Christ's crucifixion. A couple years ago, God worked through an Eastern Orthodox bishop and thinker named Kallistos Ware to help me see the profound significance of Christ's work on the cross as more than a mere sacrifice that somehow got God to forgive my personal sins. In fact, there was a way in the Old Testament for finding forgiveness for personal sins, as we see in David's confession and repentance after his sin with Bathsheba. Deeper than that, as I saw then, Christ went to the cross to heal a broken, sin-sick humanity. Isaiah wrote about this in Is. 53:5: "By His wounds we are healed." Spiritual healing from sin and its effects seems to be in mind in John 3:14-15, as John or Jesus refers to Moses' bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness. The cross is about Christ's brokenness leading to our healing from sin.

This year has been different, though. God has really been teaching me and speaking to me through my evangelism class, and as I've thought about sharing the Gospel with others, it's become evident that we can't leave sin out of the equation. We can't understand the truly good news of Jesus' death and resurrection unless we first understand the bad news of our sin and the punishment we deserve because of our sin. As an American evangelical, it is tempting for me to skip over the reality of sin and God's justice in hating and punishing sin, simply wanting to jump to the good news of God's love shown in Jesus dying for us. But without a recognition of our sin (as individuals who are part of the whole human race) and God's justice (which is clear throughout the Bible), the Cross is a mere tragedy. So God has been showing me that He truly is good, holy, just and loving, and it is because of all those aspects of who He is that Jesus, God the Son, willingly went to the Cross on our behalf. Healing...Punishment...Love...Justice... Because of the truly profound nature of God, I'll never fully understand the richness of the Cross, but He continues to give me hints and tastes of His fullness shown to us there.

A Much Needed Breather!

2008-03-19T17:04:00.003+01:00

Well, we survived our winter schedule! We're currently in the midst of a two week break from speaking, and it could not have come at a better time. Most pastors are incredibly busy this week preparing for and leading Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday services, while we simply get to participate in those worship services. The weekend of March 8-9, though, we were busier than a mosquito in a nudist colony (thanks to Jim Ehrman for that analogy)! We were with Grace E.C. Church in Kutztown most of the weekend, having 4 formal opportunities to speak about Spain. Then on Sunday afternoon, after our bellies were full from Grace's potluck and our bodies tired from sleep deprivation and speaking, we went to Seibert E.C. in Allentown to share in a late afternoon missions meeting. It was all great--we were well received, people were inquisitive and encouraging, and the churches are part of our support team; but it was a full weekend, which has made us very grateful for these couple weeks off!

Above is a picture of us with our friends, David and Conce Roof with their son Andrew. They are E.C. missionaries with OMS in Brazil and, after a longer than expected furlough, are preparing to return very soon. They were our neighbors for about a year, and we both had the opportunity to share at the Kutztown Sunday morning worship services on March 9. That's all for now--ADios!

Mission Minded Kids Rally

2008-03-03T16:03:00.002+01:00

On Saturday we had the privilege of being real, live missionaries for about 80 kids at our denomination's annual Mission Minded Kids Rally here at the seminary in Myerstown. We gave a 10 minute mini-presenation on Spain five times to five different groups of kids from various E.C. churches (that's what I'm doing in the picture above). We were really impressed with some of the ideas and questions these youngans had about Spain and the need for Spaniards to know Jesus.

The coolest part for us, though, is what you can see in the picture below. After we gave our presentation, the kids and their leaders filled out forms to let us know who they are, what they like to do, and that they will be praying for us on a specific day this fall. In turn, they gave us prayer requests so that we can pray for them on that day, as well. It's a pretty snazzy program the E.C. Church has called "Spend-A-Day," which helps build relationships between churches and missionaries. Two thumbs up for the Mission Minded Kids Rally!

Good Luck?

2008-02-20T16:04:00.007+01:00

Throughout our many visits to churches, something striking has come to our attention; actually, it's a bit disturbing to us. Typically, we'll share our stories, our call to Spain, and the spiritual needs of Spain. Afterwards, we go to the door or our display table to greet people or to have further conversations with folks in the congregations. What has been so startling to us is the number of people in churches who have told us, "Good luck!"

At first, these words appear to be nice and friendly. Unfortunately, the phrase is not a Christian one; it's quite pagan, and it's easy for Christians rather thoughtlessly to slip into these non-Christian ideas and phrases. As followers of Christ, we don't rely on luck. As missionaries preparing to serve Christ and share His love in Spain, we don't need luck. What we truly need is people praying for us, because prayer to God makes a difference in our world. No, we don't completely understand how prayer works, but we know that it does. Jesus told us to pray to the Father; Paul continually asked for fellow Christians to pray for him; and we know that what we need is not luck (wherever luck comes from) but fellow followers of Jesus to pray for us.

1680 Miles Later...

2008-02-13T18:51:00.006+01:00

Well, a full weekend it was! We left PA on Thursday evening and returned Monday afternoon, driving about 1680 miles in the meantime. It seemed that all we did was drive, eat, talk with people, eat, sleep, and eat. There was a little more to it than that.

We headed to Buffalo, IL, where I (B.J.) grew up to visit with old friends and to speak in couple of worship services. In some ways, the weekend was just weird. I'm from Buffalo, but at a crowded basketball game on Friday evening, I knew maybe a dozen people. So it was interesting to feel a bit like a fish out of water. I don't exactly belong there anymore.

At the same time, it was a great opportunity for catching up, though it seemed that our little time passed all too quickly. We counted it a great blessing to be able to share our heart for Spain with people who have known us for years and even decades now, and it's interesting to see how being from a particular town can foster a certain interest and solidarity, as people we'd never met (even in Buffalo) were deeply interested in our call to Spain. Here's a photo of lunch with some friends from Grace Community Fellowship there:

One personally valuable experience was to be with my oldest sister whom I hadn't seen in far too long. Here's a picture of us and then one of her extremely obese cat:

We're thankful now for a bit of a breather before getting back to speaking before and after Holy Week. We're even more thankful for the people God has woven into the patchwork of our lives.

Surgery & St. David's Youth Retreat

2008-01-31T15:26:00.000+01:00

Well, let's start with the fun stuff. We got to spend last weekend at a youth retreat! I was the speaker for St. David's E.C. Church's youth retreat, and it was a great time! The youth were great--very interactive, very attentive, and several were really in tune with their own spiritual needs. So God met us there and is continuing to work in all of us. It's such a delight and a privilege to be a part of what He's doing, and it was fun to be back in youth ministry for a weekend!

Now, the not so fun stuff. Rachel had a somewhat minor surgery on Monday. I wanted the doctor to email me one of the pictures from the surgery so I could post it, but neither the doc nor Rachel thought that to be a great idea. Anyway, back to Rachel. She's doing well, resting here at home, but she's in a bit of pain from time to time with her healing incisions. She's not doing backflips yet, but she's definitely better than she was on Monday and Tuesday. Thanks for your prayers--God's at work!

Jim Thorpe!

2008-01-24T23:47:00.001+01:00

Last weekend was spent in Jim Thorpe, PA, the namesake but not the birthplace of Jim Thorpe. Yes, it was cold there! We were able to spend Saturday evening with our friends, Jared and Kerry (below), who were just sent there by our denomination in June. Jared and I started seminary on the same day back in 2004, and, Lord willing, we will finish it together this May.
There was a sense of excitement among the people of the congregation, and they warmly welcomed us and were quite interested in us--a great encouragement all the way around. We're excited for Jared and Kerry, since their church is eager to do ministry, but we're even more excited for the church, since we know that they have a quality couple there. Two thumbs up for this weekend!

Back in Action!

2008-01-06T22:47:00.000+01:00

Well, after three Sundays off, today we were back in action, speaking at Grace E.C. Church in Akron, PA. While I was preaching, Rachel was sharing about Spain with the children for Children's Church. I think the best question she was asked today was, "Are there schools in Spain?"

The reason for the above photo is not just that we are racing again with our speaking schedule (12 scheduled speaking dates in the next two and a half months). It's mostly that we had a close call with a curb on our way to lunch after church today. With Grace Church's missions commission chairwoman in the back seat of our car, I made a last second decision to go a shorter route to lunch, and to do so required some Lightning McQueen-like skills. It was a quick swerve, causing us to barely avoid the curb, and though a few things were tossed around in the car, no one tossed their cookies (not good just before lunch). That's probably not the best way for young missionary candidates to make a good impression on a missions chairperson, but it definitely left a memorable impression!

Europe's 750 Million

2007-12-21T22:15:00.000+01:00

Here's a video produced by Greater Europe Mission (GEM, not ECMI) that reveals the need for followers of Christ to offer Him relevantly to the peoples of Europe:

Finished! (For Now)

2007-12-21T20:46:00.001+01:00

We finally have a chance to pause and catch our breath! My final papers for the semester are now handed in, and what a relief it is not to have anything academic hanging over my head! On top of that, our fall 2007 tour (like we're rock stars!) is completed, leaving us with a couple weeks simply to be a part of a worshiping congregation. God has certainly answered our prayers (and yours on our behalf) for strength and stamina throughout the past three months or so, and we continue to be grateful for the way He is providing for us in many ways.

Finland Mennonite Church!

2007-12-03T01:30:00.000+01:00

This Sunday was another change of pace for us. Instead of giving our Spain presentation, I was invited to preach a normal sermon at Finland Mennonite Church. We met their youth group and youth leaders at a Pennsylvania Christian Endeavor work camp this summer--I was the speaker for the week. So it was a great opportunity to reconnect with both the young people and their youth leaders, as well as to meet their parents and other folks in the church. The youth led worship, as you can see above, and they did a great job! They're a great group of teens, and we're convinced that God wants to do great things in them and through them--we can see that He already is.

Thanksgiving with the Family

2007-11-25T03:04:00.001+01:00

Thanksgiving was spent at Rachel's grandparents' house in Ohio this year. It was quite a full house, as well as a full table, as you can see above! We enjoyed the opportunity to be together, but, as always, it was hard to say goodbye, especially for Rachel. The main thing that softens Rachel's goodbyes to her parents is knowing that before long we will be living and ministering in the same country...and that her parents love her, as you can see below.