Skill sharing...

Lent has begun, and one of the 40 Acts suggestions for "doing Lent generously" is to share your skills with others in some way. You may not have much money to be generous with, but you can always be generous with your time and your skills. If you're good at maths, you could help a friend's child with their homework; if you're a dab hand with a paint brush, you could transform that dingy old room at your church or community centre; if you have some musical skills, you could volunteer to play piano for the Sunday School; if you cope okay with DIY, you could help an elderly person by doing some repairs or odd jobs around the house for them.... And the possibilities go on and on.

Click on this image to enlarge it and read the text.

I've had several different opportunities to do some "skill sharing" this week: I was able to help a Spanish-speaking child with their English homework, I helped a fellow missionary by making them a template for a prayer letter, I taught a young adult how to make a healthy pot of soup.... and I'm proof-reading a friend's writing project to check for spelling or grammar mistakes. What do you enjoy doing? And what skills could you share in order to bless someone else and "do Lent generously" ?

The horrible hat...

No, it's not a cowboy hat. My Dad's headgear in this photo is one of those "sick bowls" that they give to hospital patients if they need to vomit. After nearly eighteen weeks in hospital, Dad had the feeding tube removed from his nose this week, and yesterday he was able to feed himself for the first time since last October. Eating is still a struggle, though: he can manage to eat a little soup and pudding, but then his stomach usually hurts and he often feels nauseous - which is why the sick bowl is still a constant companion. Please join me in praying that his digestion will improve and that his stomach will get used to having food, so that he is able to eat more and build up his strength again. (He has lost more than thirty five pounds in weight.)

The birthday babies...

When I opened my Bible and wrote the date in my journal this morning, I realised that it is February 22nd - exactly three years since my midnight vigil when Tamba gave birth (on my bed, no less) to four little black balls of fur. No, I never expected that two of them would still be with me some years later, but today is Tobi and Teddi's 3rd birthday. No sooner had I finished writing the date, than the birthday boy himself jumped onto my desk and spread himself across my journal, as if to say, "Hey, it's my birthday. Stop writing and give me some attention!"

Going out with my granddaughter...

We sometimes joke that I’m Gabriela’s surrogate grandmother, as I’m a year older than her real gran who lives in Peru. That means I sometimes do grandma-like things, such as picking her up from school if her mum is working late, or taking her out for an ice cream in the summer. 

Gabriela is a big fan of Mexican food, so she was thrilled to discover that a Taco Bell restaurant had opened at Plaza Mayor, a nearby shopping centre. Of course, Taco Bell is to Mexican food as MacDonald’s is to American food: it’s fast and fun, but it’s not exactly gourmet cuisine. Nonetheless, we said that we’d go for a taco meal whenever there was an opportunity. 

Well, tonight’s the night. Her mum will be working until 8.00pm, so Gabriela and I are going to Plaza Mayor for tacos, before picking Ada up from work on our way home again.

Fourth anniversary.... fourth home ....

Our local church, el Centro Cristiano de Alhaurín, always has a special week of prayer in mid-February, just a couple of weeks before we celebrate our anniversary. During last year's week of prayer, in February 2011, we were praying for provision of new premises to meet in for our Sunday services. We had used a number of different houses and homes over the previous three years, and we had a sense that God wanted to give us a new meeting place that would be more central and more "visible" in the town. Well, it took quite a number of months, and there were several ups and downs along the way, but we're encouraged that our fourth anniversary, which we celebrate this weekend, will be held in our new building - former shop premises, just next to one of the supermarkets in the centre of Alhaurín. (As shops are closed on Sundays in Spain, all the shopping centre parking is available for us when we meet on Sunday evenings.) We've been able to sign a rental contract for the next five years, and are in the process of renovating the premises to give us a kitchen, an office, and some Sunday School rooms, as well as a large meeting area.
Tomorrow, to celebrate four years of God's faithfulness to us as a congregation, we'll start at 3pm (Spanish lunch time!) with a fellowship meal together, before having our usual worship service at 6pm. During the service, we'll also be having a special offering to help with the ongoing costs of the renovations, and we're trusting that God will provide (through ourselves) all that is needed for the work that still needs to be done.

Anja's arrival

A new team member arrived this week to work with us in Alhaurin. This brings our little team up to six members, after being five people last year and only three people the year before. Anja is German, but has come to us from Australia, and will be serving the Western Europe ministry in different ways relating to admin and communication. This week, I've been taking time to orientate her - finding out about where she can attend Spanish classes, how to get her residence permit, where to register with the town hall as a local resident, etc. We also paid a visit to the town's tourist information office in order to pick up maps and some information about the local area.
This week we were also invited to a lovely "ladies' brunch." A Spanish friend decided to invite a number of us who work with different mission agencies to come together on a regular basis for friendship and fellowship. It was fun to connect with these women and share together about some of the joys and challenges of moving to live in Spain. Anja was able to hear first hand from women who have already been through the experience of moving and settling here over the past four or five years.

From fasting to feasting...

Last week, our little church here in Alhaurin had a week of prayer and fasting. Every night we gathered in a different home to pray for our town, our neighbours, the young people and families of the church, the outreach initiatives planned for the year ahead... Some people chose to fast a meal now and then, as part of their commitment to prayer, while others fasted something specific - such as coffee, chocolate or meat. 
Next weekend, in complete contrast to our week of fasting, we'll be having a special buffet meal together to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the church. Almost every church anniversary has seen us in a new location, as we changed homes in order to meet the growing needs of the congregation. We're thankful that we've now found a new property in the centre of town. We've been able to renovate it to meet our needs and have signed a rental contract for the next five years.