The big breakfast

Click to enlarge the photo

I knew that hanging my washing out at 11pm was rather a risk.... but I thought maybe it would get a headstart on drying in time for packing my suitcase today. Fortunately I was already awake at 6 am this morning when I heard the next downpour beginning. In pyjamas and bare feet, I was able to run out onto the terrace and rescue my clothes from the rain before they got soaked again. The rain didn't last too long, though, and I was able to hang my laundry out again a few hours later. In fact, a helpful wind was blowing and the sun was already shining by the time I got into my car and went to pick up the ladies that I was ferrying to the big breakfast at our church this morning.

Romanian and Moroccan ladies were among those I drove to our church premises, which are in the Capellanía shopping centre in the middle of town. The church was already a hive of activity, as some fifteen or twenty helpers had prepared the food, laid the tables and were ready to begin welcoming our guests. Among the helpers were our group of 10-16 year old girls, who had been working with Ada all week to rehearse a dance that they were going to perform for the ladies after the breakfast.

A typical Spanish breakfast is to eat bread with olive oil and tomato, perhaps with some jamón serrano (Spanish smoked ham.) We gave this an international twist today, when my Canadian friend, Rite, gave a demonstration of how she makes her famous salad dressing with olive oil and honey. In true Jamie Oliver fashion, she stood upfront and mixed her olive oil, honey, apple vinegar, mustard seeds, etc (there's a Biblical interpretation for almost all of these ingredients) in order to make a huge bottle of the dressing. The ladies discovered that putting this dressing on their bread was even more delicious that just using olive oil on its own. We always give the ladies a little gift to take home with them, and this time the gift was a decorated serving bottle and the recipe (in Spanish, of course) so that they could make the dressing at home for themselves. (See photo above.)

The breakfast was a time of much conversation and friendship with all these ladies from Spain and beyond (while their children had their own breakfast and a special programme of activities in another room) and then the morning ended with a musical programme, including songs performed by church folks, and the dance performed by the girls group, before our "taxi drivers" got ready to drive all the ladies home again.

Their take-home gift included invitations to future events - such as church services and the special Christmas concert, as well as the Alpha course that will be beginning fairly soon. Please join us in praying that some of these ladies will be open to coming to one or more of these events and finding out more about what it means to know and follow Jesus.