Week two of LDC

Week two of LDC began with birthday celebrations for two of the staff (Averyl and me) and finished with a birthday party for two of the children (Gideon from Canada, and Arina from the Ukraine.) In between these real-life birthdays, the delegates were looking back at their own lives, from their birth till the present time, and considering the different ways that God had been at work in their lives to shape them for Christian leadership.

Then, during the second half of the week, we considered various topics related to working as a leadership team and drawing on the strength that comes from working in unity with a group of leaders with differing giftings and talents. It was a very full week, and everyone was ready for a well-earned break by the time the weekend came. Some chose to "rest" by going on an energetic five hour hike (over the mountain and down to the sea) while others chose more leisurely pursuits like staying at home or going shopping.

Two friends, who normally share a flat together in Bangkok, came to spend the weekend at my house. They've left their two cats back in Thailand, so they enjoyed coming to see my three, and persuading Teddi to entertain them with some of his latest tricks. Then, on Saturday, we went for a drive in the car, through Torremolinos and down to Benalmádena Costa, where we ate a picnic on the beach and happened to bump into our group of hikers (who had just completed their five hour trek over the mountain and dipped their feet in the sea to cool off.)

Then we drove a few miles inland to Benalmádena Pueblo - the older, more Spanish-style village with its whitewashed houses, flower-lined streets and pretty plazas with fountains, orange trees and open air cafes. The quiet atmosphere of the original village, and the traditional feel of the old church gardens and nearby castle, are in sharp contrast to the bustle of its nearby coastal resort, and give you a taste of what these Andalusian towns must have been like before the tourist invasion of the past four decades forever changed the face of southern Spain.