Summer at home - and daring to live my own adventure

It's been many years - probably almost four decades since I last had a summer that didn't involve going on outreach with young people and families. It feels very strange to be spending summer at home this year. However, the closing of the leadership retreat centre, and all that this involves, together with the fact that we're not having our usual Planting Together trip to Africa this year, has meant that I've found myself at home for most of the summer.

Of course, I realise that "at home" for me is not too far from locations that other people head to for their summer holidays. As mentioned in a previous post, because my parents are not coming to Spain for holiday this year, I've decided instead to take a free day now and then to do something fun or to visit somewhere new.  Two weeks ago, for example, I took a drive to the pretty little mountain village of Istán, from where I also took a short hike to a local beauty spot where the Río Verde (Green River) forms multiple levels of waterfalls and pools that are ideal for swimming.

Towards the end of last year, I noticed this slogan on a journal when I was browsing in a shop. It means, Dare to live your own Adventure. As this was just a few days after we'd made the decision to close the retreat centre, I thought how appropriate this motto would be for me in 2018. It would be true at ministry level, because once we reached the second half of the year and the LDC was behind us, there would be fewer ministry projects happening at local level and more projects that involved travelling alone to other places. But I realised that it would also be true at a more personal level: there simply wouldn't be other team mates around who might be motivated to do fun stuff together or go off for a trip somewhere. Yes, there are my dog walking friends, some of whom will happily join me on a short hike or a "wild swimming" adventure, but I knew there wouldn't be a steady supply of companions to travel further afield and to explore the beauty of Spain with me. Most of my Christian friends do such travels or holidays with their whole family. I realised that if I wanted to get out and about, and see more of this country I call home, I'd need to dare to live my own adventure, even if that sometimes meant travelling and exploring alone.

Read on in the posts below for an account of my most recent adventures. (And I'm pleased to report that, since I've returned home again, a couple of people have said, "Oh, let me know if you're exploring again. I'd love to go with you.")