Missing our new friends......

Like Betsy, I (Mel) am waking up this morning and processing all that I have experienced this past week. I am so grateful for my new friends in Spain. God has strategically planted hearts for Him in the beautiful area we visited. There is salt and light in Spain and I wanted to share the faces of some of these people.


Isma, Eva and Isaac are a precious family! Isma and Eva spent countless hours driving, translating, answering questions and loving us! They took days off work to be with us. They have hearts that are bent toward drawing others to Christ and we know God has big plans for them. Isma was our "class clown." As Cara says, "He cracks me up." He gets it honestly from is father, Josep. Isma and Ava engaged in some very intentional conversations with us. Their honesty and love are so refreshing. They desire to see the unchurched of their community feel loved and accepted in church and I know God will use them to bring about His purpose! They have hearts that are willing to do what it takes.


Alvaro, Raquel, Oriole and Noa are another family that stole our hearts! As we have mentioned, Alvaro translated the song "Indescribable" and it was so beautiful! He is a very gifted musician (singer, keyboard, guitar) with a wonderful heart for others. He and Raquel took time to be with us this week even though they had family coming in from out of town to celebrate Oriole's 4th B'day (which was Sunday). Alvaro took time off work during the week to drive us around and help at the church. This family loves God and they have such a desire to see their church impact the community of unchurched people. They are available to God and I know He will use them in a big way!


Dani and Tamar are another couple who took time during their week to be with us. Tamar made the Ikea run to Barcelona with Betsy and some of the team. They were looking for blinds and other items need for the work we did at church. What a trooper!! I think she even made runs to the paint store with Scott and Jen! Dani is as talented as his brother Alvaro. I never say him practice "Indescribable" until 30 minutes before the service on Sunday! He placed the drums and I was blown away by the sound! He also works the sound and video equiment (along with Isma). What a great couple. They are just fun to be with. They took us to an amazing restaurant one night. We sat outside and then enjoyed a beautfiul walk along the docks by the water! Again, hearts for God that He will use to bring light to Spain!


Jim, Cara, Jennifer and I had the wonderful honor of eating one night with Josep and Merce in their home. Josep and Merce are Isma and David's parents. As I said before, Jospeh has the same sense of humor as Isma and we definitely shared in the universal language of laughter. What a joy to be in their home. Merce is an amazing cook. Cara usually doesn't like shrimp but she loved Merce's (both with and without eyes). Jim did have to peel them for her, but she went back for more! Joseph has a huge heart and I was so touched by him. On Saturday when we had them write the names of the friends they were praying for on the wall at the church, he was so overcome with emotion. What a love for others! We would have loved to spend more time with their son David. However, he works in the entertainment industry and was gone most of the time on the Ricky Martin Spain tour. He ate one night with us at Isma and Eva's and we wished we could have spent more time with him. One thing he said that really touched us was regarding his visit to North Point. He and Alvaro came over in January to observe our production crew. He said that he had heard so much about North Point.....the big screens, the games in the youth rooms, the music, the moving lights.....However, what touched him the most was the community and love for each other. He said it was the first thing he noticed when he arrived. He felt welcome and could sense the love of the people for each other! Isn't that amazing! It's what we desire as a church!

Thanks for reading. I'll echo the sentiments of everyone else. It was an amazing trip. I couldn't have imagined a better team to go with or better friends to discover in Spain!

With a full and thankful heart,
Melanie

Take me back to Catalunya ASAP!

Where is the cafe and cocoa crispies???

Did anyone else wake up this morning at 4:40am wondering where the team was? I wanted to pop down the stairs and see Jim and Michael already enjoying the hotel breakfast and Bob quietly reading in his bible. Oh how I miss even my rock hard bed today!
I fear unpacking any of my thoughts too soon as I want to allow time, as Scott said, to really process just what happened 5000 miles away this week. Im sitting on my couch looking out the window onto the street and for a second I could think that nothing happened to me the last 10 days. Everything here is the same. I am still unemployed (which turned out to be a nice thing since the day was so long yesterday), there is still a wedding to plan in 3 months now, my grass still needs cut and it looks like an afternoon thunderstorm may appear - just as usual. But then I thought I would read over the blog this morning just to take an outside look at what actually happened. After reading over the posts from each of the character's on our team I am assured that something did happen. God showed up.
God showed up in ways I could never have put on paper or in a plan. God showed up in our unity as a team, in the patience of each of us after 10 long days. He showed up in the conversations with Alvaro on the way to the vineyard. He showed up in our group meetings. He showed up everynight at dinner when we would sit for hours and listen to our Spanish friends talk about their desire to see God's church in Spain. He showed up in Chave and in Tomas and Raquel and even in Juan Carlos, the hotel worker. God showed up BIG! And as an added benefit - he showed up in my heart. I am so grateful for the exact team that went to Spain. THe 12 of us in a weird way could be like the disciples...not necessarily the brightest most equipped but altogether - wanting to follow. I realized this week how Big of a God we serve. I am thankful, too, to have somethign else to consume my thoughts. I cant help but thinking incessantly about Alvaro and Dani and Isma and the men of the church. I want to badly for them to see God at work too and I know in a way, this week, they did. I am thankful that I have something to pray for and specific names to remember. I am grateful that we got to be a part of something Huge. I promise you - it may be 5 years and it may be 12 but sooner or later because of the presence of "salt" in this country - light will come. God is working now to prepare hearts and people to be advocates for His kingdom. I feel so priveleged that we may have been some of the first to see his finger print on this city.
Thank you for your constant prayers and support. We feel that you are just as much a part of this journey and we hope too that you are burdened to pray for this church and our new friends. But if you dare, pray Big, too, for Spain and for Europe and for God's kingdom to come to this earth all over the world. You will be blown away as you start to see Him move.

Missing Espana,
Betsy

We're back after a LONG 10 hour flight today! Here are some pix from our week.....
a. Julie and Betsy painting the front showcase in the foyar of the church.

b. Alvaro with his kids, Oriol (4) and Noa (2)

c. Carolyn with Isma, Ava and their 4 year old son, Isaac.

d. The entire team with members/leaders of Iglesia Evangeliste.

e. Alvaro, Tamar, Jennifer (from our team) and Dani, sang "Indescribable" (Chris Tomlin) in church on Sunday (in both English and Spanish!

f. From left to right....Alvaro, Isma and Danny
g. Michael Frank with Noa (Alvaro and Raquel's 2 year old girl)... she LOVED him!

h. Leadership/ Small Groups training on Saturday (Scott led a lot of it).

i. our group with Eugenio (in front with black shirt), who had the heart attack.... and other members of their church.

j. Julie, Melanie and David painting walls.

k. Michael and Jim moving equipment out of the church.

l. The church before renovation began.

m. David and Julie talking to Chave the chair salesman (see blog on Tuesday or Wed.)

n. Our group enjoying lunch by the sea in Sitges.

o. This one is of Iglesia Evangelica (the church that we renovated all week and have a partnership with) in Sitges, Spain.

Adios Espana from Julie

Well, we are about to leave this great country. We have had a fabulous experience meeting these people and establishing relationships. We have seen God work in amazing ways and are so thankful for the opportunity He gave us to come here and be a small part of something big. God is definitely working here and it was incredible to be a part of that. Thank you all for all your support and prayers. We definitely felt the prayers and they were greatly appreciated. Please keep Vilanova Protestant Church in your prayers as they continue to create environments to reach the unchurched here in Spain. This is a difficult task for them but with God on their side it will become reality. Please pray specifically that God will bring a leader who will take this church to the next level. Thank you and we love you all. Os queremos.

Speaking Frankly, by Michael Frank

It is almost one in the morning over here, and we have had a long, and very awesome day. I am worn out, but I wanted to leave this trip with one last ¨deep thought". I read a blog before I came on this trip with a similar message that I am about to give, I have heard it preached before, and I have read books with the same message. Now I am adding my opnion to it...

For those of you (and I am including myself in this blog for sure, I promise you) who ask the Big questions. Who Am I? What Am I Doing Here? To those of you who sit on I-285 in rush hour traffic, day after day and moan and complain. To those of you who work to get promoted, earn the promotion, and then feel not as fullfilled as they thought they would when they were imagining the promotion. To those of you who are in a job they do not like and do not know where they should go. To those of you who are getting close to retirement, and to those who are just getting their resume in order. To those of you who have just screamed at God and yelled, "What do you want me to do! I am not happy here, doing this. What is it that I am supposed to do!?"

In the blog I read, the author described it this way...imagine God as a General of an Army, and he is giving his command to all of his troops. He gives one mission for everyone to accomplish. He spells it out clearly, giving is objective and his promise. If God spoke to you and told you, "Your Purpose for your life", would you follow his command?

Matthew 28:18-20. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

He said simply, "Go". He did not say, "not to if you were to old", Bob Cox, on our mission trip is 76, and he would have worn out, did wear out, people 40 years younger than him on this trip this week. He did not say, "not to if you were to young". Our leader, Betsy, is 26, and she could give many men twice her age a class on leadership. Jesus did not say only go if you were rich or poor, healthly or sick. He said "Go".

For those of you who say, "Well, I would go, but I need some sort of sign, or plan, or to be told what I´ll be doing first, then I´ll go".

Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

And lastly, I will loosely quote from memory, a movie line (its a guy thing) from the movie Braveheart, by the main character, William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson. " Many years from now, when you are lying in your bed, will you be happy for where you are, or will you wish for one chance, one chance, to come back here, to this day! And to Fight for your Freedom!" (again, that was loosely quoted, but you get the idea?)

Translation to what I am talking about... many years (who knows but God how long you have?) from now when you are lying on your death bed, will you be content with your life and what you have done. Or would you wish for one chance, one chance, that you were able to go back. To suck up the courage, push away the fear. Silence the "yeah, I would like to do that, but..." and to do what you have, not been given the option to do, but the command to do with your life.

He said simply... "Go".

Final Meeting in Spain by Jim Filmore

Today was the culmination of an absolutely incredibible week and an amazing experience. By now, you have read the background on our trip and we have shared many experiences. It is difficult to put into words the impact this week has had upon my life and the friendships that have been forged in such a short time. We traveled thousands of miles to meet a group of people in a different culture who speak a different lanaguage and yet a common thread binds us together. Everybody that I met had a heart for God that was manifested in their openness, friendship, and generosity to others. While we came here to help this community, I feel that they have given us so much more in return.

We finished our meetings tonight by revealing our "Secreto Amigo". This was a system that was set up by Carolyn and Cara to help encourage our team. When we revealed our secret amigo, each of us described what we appreciate about that person and how they impacted us on this trip. We could have stayed up for hours as there was no lack of positive attributes to describe everyone in the room. Of course, we recognized that anything we accomplished was the result of God working through us and was not a result of our own power. If we took a moment to think of those in Spain that impacted our lives, we could also easily assemble pages of thoughts. Isma and Eva were an amazing blessing throughout our week. They re-arranged their schedule and cleared their calendar to drive us from our hotel to the church numerous times. They did so while maintaining a positive outlook. Isma made me laugh so many times with his witty humor that I often forgot that English is not his primary language. Tomas and his wife Pure are parential figures in the church. While Tomas spoke almost no English, it is amazing how I felt his warmth and fatherly presence simply when he laid his hand on my shoulder during our first meeting at dinner Tuesday night. Alvero and his wife Raquel amazed me with their ability to be such loving parents while juggling their commitment to their church. Alvero is such an incredible modest guy and yet is so gifted. A few days ago, he said that he didn´t really play the guitar and yet an hour later he was effortlessly strumming away to a new song. He also didn´t mention that he sung or played the piano and yet he lead morning worship with an incredible voice and a presence behind the piano. I could go on an on about the people with whom we met. However, the bottom line is that we realized that this trip was not about some new paint or decorations that we made to a building. This trip was about God´s kingdom and His church. As Scott stated so eloquently this weekend, a church is not a physical building. If North Point Church burnt down, then the true "church" would continue as small groups would still meet. We experienced this fellowship today during our BBQ. No color of paint on the walls nor any decorations in the hallway could create such fellowship. God working on us...in us...and through us...creates such fellowship and it was amazing.

Thanks to everyone who supported us on this trip. Thanks to those who supppored us financially and spiritually. Your letters and words of encouragement were invaluable during our journey. I pray that what we did here this week has a positive impact on his community in Spain. I know that it had a positive impact on my life and I will forever be changed as a result of this experience.

- Jim Filmore

Thoughts from BOB

Our mission here has been completed. We have felt the Lord's leading during the entire week. Today, Sunday, July 8th the Christians honored us with a cookout in one of the local parks. WOW! What a great day of celebration. It is 10:35 in the envening and we're about to have our last team meeting while here in Spain. Pray for our safe trip back to Atlanta.

Love in Christ
Bob Cox
See you tomorrow honey.