Home safe!

Yes and amen indeed! 

Those of us who flew back to Philly today made it home safe and sound, if a little travel-weary and bedraggled. Happily, none of our luggage was lost in transit, and our friend Tim picked us up at the airport in the New Life bus just as we emerged from the terminal. 

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our prayer warriors out there...your intercession is much appreciated and most effective! We were free for major illness or injury (though we did have traveler's health insurance, just in case). Nobody on our team was pickpocketed, got lost, or otherwise harassed, which is a huge relief to report! A few of us had our carry-on luggage searched and bodies patted down in Paris (Rebecca and Drew must have looked extra suspicious), but we should also be thankful for courteous and intentional security measures. 

All that remains is some welcome rest in our own homes and what will hopefully be a quiet transition back into "normal" life!

Rebecca, over and out :)

4.30am

It is 4.30 am this Sunday morning and we are preparing to leave the Convent to be bussed to the Malaga airport. The Ritters are staying behind to visit some friends nearby, so they will be returning home later this week. They will also be getting more sleep--I for one got a solid 2 hours of shut eye in before getting up to finish packing and tidying our room. Here are the main concerns:

1. Will the nuns make us café con leche this morning?

2. Will the neighbors wake up to the impending phalanx of rolling suitcases on cobblestone streets?

3. Will our flights get us safely home to friends and families?

Please pray for us throughout the day; we should arrive back to Glenside around 7.00pm eastern time. 

See you all soon!

Rebecca

Camp Over

From last night: We finished the last day of English Camp today. It is amazing how the kids can steal your heart. They really are no different than American kids, they just don't speak English. Tonight we were with the kids again along with their parents at the closing ceremonies. It was a joy to talk with them in broken Spanish (broken is much too strong of a term in this case) and broken English. I think I learned more Spanish tonight than I have the whole trip!  I would love to stay here longer, get to know the people better and become better at Spanish, but alas, it is not to be at this time. 

Last night we all went to different camper's families' houses for dinner. What a privilege to be hosted by a Spanish family and see what their home is like! Anna (a worker on the full time team here) and I were invited by one of the families to their home. The son in this family was in my class and has dreams of becoming a bullfighter like his cousin. He put on a show for us with his twin sister who played the bull. (She also was at the camp.) We had a very traditional Spanish meal - Spanish tortillas, which is like quiche with potatoes, eggs, and onions, tomato/tuna sandwiches and a traditional Spanish drink made of vegetables - Elias tells me it's basically cold tomato soup. (gespacho?)Their house was very nice, kind of an upper middle class Spanish row home. 

In the morning, Aaron, the pastor of Reconciliatioń, reminded us that the fruit that comes from our time here might not be picked for many years, but that The Lord makes it grow even while we are sleeping, and we don't even know how he does it. Ours is to sow the seeds, His is to make the seeds grow. It is sad to see the week come to an end because the fellowship that we enjoy with the other team members and even the kids is so sweet. This time in some ways is an inkling of heaven, where we will enjoy perfect fellowship, not only with brothers and sisters from every tribe and nation, but with The Lord Himself, and that forever. It has reminded me, how so many of the things that I value, are not that valuable, and freed me in some senses (again) from having to pursue them. I can so easily get myself wrapped up in the pursuit of petty things. Lord have mercy! And He does. Tomorrow, some of us will do a little shopping, while others of us have various day trips/hikes planned. Later, we'll all meet with whole team at the church for kind of a closing time. It will be hard to leave. Sunday morning, one of the workers on the permanent team, will drive us Ritters to Motril to catch the ferry to Al H, while the rest of the team travels home. What a great time it has been here in Granada. Thank you so much for your prayers. The Lord answered many of them graciously and abundantly and we have in so many ways been the recipients of those answered prayers. Please continue to pray for the work here.

 Steve

Semilla de mostaza - Mustard Seed

Post by Drew Kyle -Teen Camp Sports leader

Today was the FINAL day of camp and to sum up the week with one word, it was FUN! 

We started the day by going to the school where the ESL camp is held. The trip to the school usually takes 30 minutes but today it was rather smoother and only took 15 or so. Arron (One of the staff at reconciliation) gave us a message on planting seeds in these campers. As you all know this has nothing to do with shovels and dirt but it has to do with love. Arron said, " You may see no immediate effect (or affect ((I was never a great speller))) but in the future your love for these children/teens will grow and spread to others. From there on the day was usual with a very interesting skit from Howie and some others about Sports. 

Personally from there on I (Drew Kyle) had left the group to start my quest/job to blow up 1'500 water balloons on a over sized faucet (Excuse my grammar again). This took a little over an hour to do with some help from Evan Ritter and others. By the time all the balloons were filled we had about 6 trash cans full of water balloons. 

Now I want you to imagine yourself being a 15 year old From Spain attending a camp that has no air conditioning even though it is about 100 degrees. Once you see a single water balloon your immediate reaction would be 'I'm going to snatch a balloon and charge at my friend with it'. No doubt that is what all these kids were thinking when they saw these 6 beautiful buckets of water balloons. My job was to prevent them from getting to the balloons because we were going to play balloon toss and other smaller games. I successfully did this without injuring any child. By the way, stop imagining yourself as a child, rather imagine yourself as a 17 year old American boy trying to teach kids how to play balloon games to a ton of Spanish speaking children/teens. It was difficult but ended up going quite nicely. 

I will skip a couple of things that we did to say that by the end of this Marc Kyle and Ralph Darby were soaked in water and so were many other counselors. 

As I sit down by Rebecca we both give eachother a high five as we have just finished our camp week! It's amazing to think that we actually did this camp for a full 5 days! It felt like 2 days! 

All these wet counselors and staff members went to eat lunch where we discussed our days and enjoyed Hamburgers (So Spanish right ;)). 

I don't know what everyone else did after this bit we returned to the convent where I took a long 3 hour nap and later was woken up by my father who was saying "You have 5 minutes to be ready". I thought it was like the next day when I woke up so I was kinda surprised but instead I find out we are going to the school to celebrate the "graduation" or "Congradulating" (lol) them for there English learning. We took a ton of photos and we're able to say our goodbyes to the campers.

Personally I found it very difficult to say goodbye to many of the students because I don't know if I will ever see them again. Also I would love to watch the seed that we planted in them grow. 

The whole New Life Glenside Team loved these children very much. And our hope and praise would be that these kids would return home to love others and to maybe someday find true love from Christ. 

Right now I sit on my bed listening to music and writing this post with a stomach full of ice cream and nice foods. 

The team asks for prayer on safe travels back home as we leave in about 1 day and also to love eachother as we have had a lack of sleep. Health is great. 

Thank You very much for your support/prayer for us as we plant seeds in Spain!

-Drew Kyle (Best water balloon blower upper ever) 

God Bless

P.S here's a picture of Elias Ritter at dinner 

Day Four of Camp

All day, we have been talking about how quickly the week has gone by. We only have one more day of camp, which feels pretty surreal. Yesterday, the Teen camp went to a local water park for the entire day...we left the English camp location around 10.00am and didn't return to the convent until 7.30pm. The water park is on top of a small mountain, and one must hike up said mountain to reach the park (see panoramic view from the top).

Needless to say, it was exhausting. The sun was out all day, but our main gathering location at the park was largely shaded...and the water slides were amazing! It felt so great to be in the freezing water with the hot weather we've had this week, and barriers between leaders and campers definitely break down when you see one another scampering around in swim suits. By the time we got home, we were pretty eager to have long cold showers!

Today was English Camp as usual, which was fun because our classes/families were more closely bonded...but the heat really took its toll on us (think in the 110'F range). Our classrooms are on the fourth floor of an un-conditioned school building, so the kids were rather wilted by the end. But they kept it moving and participated in our skit about the first thanksgiving at the end of the day!

Tomorrow is American Sports Day, organized by Drew & Evan, and involving several thousand water balloons. It's also camp photo day. I am pleased the photo will be taken *prior* to the water sports. 

Pray for our spirits. We are tired...good sleep continues to evade us, and we want to finish strong and love these kids well. Pray also as we start to set our sights homeward and all that that entails. 

Rebecca

From Rick

What has my time in Granada been like so far? It has not been without difficulties. However the blessings have far outweighed the problems. 

I have been able to have brief conversations with an elderly Argentine woman and two elderly Spanish men. 

I have also taught English to precious children. It's a great joy to look in their faces and get to know them. 

I have already been changed forever for the better! 

Rick

The Alhambra: Panoramic View

Here are two photos of the Alhambra, originally built in 889 as a small fortress and then converted into a palace in 1333. Needless to say, the area is saturated with history!

The first is a view from the palace itself during our time there on Saturday;

The second photo is the view from an overlook during our walk to dinner at Francisco's on Saturday evening. 

Rebecca 

Day Two of Camp: working out the kinks

Well guys, day two of camp is over...and what a difference one day makes! Yesterday, many of us volunteering in the Teen side of camp experienced frustration with the topsy-turvy schedule, a curriculum teaching idioms and homonyms, and leaders being unsure of the English level of our campers. Each class or "family" is divided roughly into groups of 8-9 kids based on proficiency, but man! Were they shy yesterday! They seemed worried about embarrassing themselves, and uncertain about us as their leaders. 

Fortunately, we weathered the awkwardness, and must have debased ourselves sufficiently, because everyone appeared much more comfortable and energized today. We also learned that, within our class, the campers are much more familiar with reading and writing English, and less so with speaking it. This helped us to be better teachers and meet them where they are at, while still working to push them out of their comfort zone and work on speech and articulation. It also helps that we regularly sing silly songs together and do skits about adventures and airplanes...with yours truly playing a flight attendant and Ralph playing a traveling Texan. 

Tonight our team is going out for Tapas with a couple who is connected with New Life, which guarantees to be a good time. Tomorrow the Teen Camp goes to Aquaola, a water park in Granada. 

Please keep us in prayer, as the days have been blisteringly hot (around or above 100F) and unseasonably humid...with the evenings not cooling off as much, so sleep can be elusive. Pray that The Lord allows us good rest and supplies ample energy and loving spirits to be with these awesome kids!

Rebecca

First Day of Camp

(Photo by Rebecca - in the bus on the way to camp)

Today we started the English camp with somewhere around 45 kids taking part, with the group spilt between younger and older campers. After so much preparation at many different levels, it is great to see it all come together, and I think all of us are eager to both love the kids and also to grow in our love for Christ ourselves as we see our own neediness. On the young camper side of things, first we played with them out in the courtyard with all sorts of balls and jump ropes and frisbees and such, then we had a group time where we sang songs about clothing (our word theme for the day), heard some great cheers (about shopping for clothes in New York) and finally met our small group of kids. Eight 10 and 11 year old boys are in my group. The teaching time we had with them went well, mainly thanks to Alie, my teaching partner who teaches 3rd graders for a living. The kids were quite attentive and engaged in the lesson, and we really look forward to getting to know them better as the week progresses. We moved on to an art project where the kids made very cool "I (heart) NY" T shirts, then on to some sports activities, and a short wrap up time. Being with these kids who can't speak a lot of English, while being able to speak barely any Spanish, is in some ways heartbreaking, because you really want to talk with them at a deeper level. But we communicate the best we can and ask the Lord to take our feeble efforts and multiply them that these kids and even their families would know a little more how good and loving He is. One of the most touching moments today was to see a father come to get his young son after the program was over for the day and heartily embrace him - a beautiful inkling of God's love for His children. 

Steve 

Yo en Ti confio

Tonight we had the privilege of worshiping at the Inglesia Reconciliación. Our group, plus the other volunteers from churches in Virginia and Iowa, more than doubled the size of the congregation. 

Marc delivered a message on trust, translated by a church member into Spanish. He reminded us about how we are in a continual state of dependence on The Lord and His grace. All too often, we feel as though we need to improve upon the work He has already done in our lives, increasing our holiness by righteous acts and more fruit of the spirit. The problem here is that we forget that nothing is lacking in the work of Christ--He truly has done a full and complete work in us. But we are in medias res...we know how the Story began, we believe in the climactic work of Christ, but we get lost in the here and now. We stress about how the Good Work will happen in our lives...we sin over and over, are never loving/kind/generous/patient enough, and we do not deserve God's love. But God has already chosen us, claimed us--not because of our work, but because we have repented and received the righteousness of Christ. The Work is already planned, there is no Plan B, and our steps are not random. 

This is a great message for us as we look forward to English camp beginning tomorrow. Who will come? How will we love them? Will we be enough?

Pray for us, that we would continue to trust The Lord, not just because of the work He has already done to bring us here to Granada, but for the things we have yet to do...the things He has planned, about which we know very little, and often cannot even imagine. 

Rebecca

La Alhambra

Yesterday morning the team packed a small bus to take the 10 minute ride up to the Alhambra, the 1000 year old walled complex that is the centerpiece of Granada. It was beyond imagination! A thousand year old fortress including exquisitely constructed buildings, fountains, beautiful gardens, along with a history of kingdoms, kings, sultans, palaces, and on and on - the last stronghold of the Moorish kingdom. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra We hear it is one of Spain's most popular tourist attractions and it is easy to see why!

Last night we were treated to a home made tapas style dinner (that means many plates of small servings) of all sorts of olive oil-including dishes, all from a local olive oil salesman/restaurant owner who has been blessed by the team here and has delighted in blessing them in return. And we had the privilege of being included! A great time of great food and fellowship. 

Honestly, it feels like we are on 'vacation', with all that we have been enjoying, but at the same time this has been a great time of building relationships among the team members that will provide a great foundation from which to love the kids this week. Thanks so much to all those who have been praying for us. We can tell we are being prayed for! Please continue as we start the first day of English Camp tomorrow morning! 

From Yesterday...

A report from Friday - A beautiful day and a beautiful city! I feel so blessed to be here taking part in this work, meeting many new and wonderful people and being with my fellow New Lifers. I have been assigned to teach a group of 10 year olds with a lady on the team from Richmond. The team here has put together a very well organized lesson plan that we spent time getting familiar with, so we can hit the ground running on  Monday morning. Carolyn will have the opportunity to work with two special needs kids who also came for last week's camp. Elias and Anya are also working with the younger kids, doing crafts and sports, as is Rick. 

Tonight, we had an opportunity to go see a Flamenco show. Imagine yourself in what you might call a cave, a long and narrow room, with a Flamenco guitarist, a singer and a number of Flamenco dancers, with almost the entire 32 person team taking up most of the available seating. Then the music starts, with basically all of the percussion provided by the heels of the dancer and the clapping of the singer and the other dancers. Words, of course, could never do it justice. Apparently I was not supposed to take a video, but I am glad I did! Ask me for it when I get home. 

Thanks for your prayers, please continue! More to follow. Blessings! 

Steve

Orientation time!

Buenos Días!

We arrived in Granada yesterday evening, settled into our rooms at the Hospederia de Santiago (Convent/B&B), then went out for Tapas in small groups to get to know people from the other church groups. After several rounds of appetizers, we were all pretty sleepy, and went back to the convent and crashed. Things get pretty cool temperature-wise around here at night, so we all opened the French doors in our rooms and slept comfortably. 

This morning, we had breakfast at 8.30 at the convent (Spanish bread, cafe con leche, fruit, and a special treat for the Americans...sliced salami served as a breakfast meat!), then went to the Reconciliaciòn church for orientation to the city, culture, and English Camp. This is the sixth year they have done camp, and we are here for the second round of camp this summer...there was another group here last week. Looks like we will have some repeat attendees, as they have so much fun :) So far there are 50 kids registered for the kid's camp (age 5-11) and about 25 in the teen camp (age 12-18). I am working in the Teen camp again, as are Marc & Drew Kyle, Evan Ritter, and Heidi Shane. Instead of "teams" of kids, we are splitting into "families" so campers can learn about family relationships...and it looked for a hot second like Drew and I would be "mom and dad" in our family...which would have been hilarious! But instead, he's my little brother, the "uncle" to our kids. Camp starts on Monday and there is a lot to do before then. For example, how do you explain what it means to "cut it out"?? Or "barking up the wrong tree"?

Tomorrow, we visit the Alhambra, the ancient Moorish fortress and gardens. Tonight we might see a Flamenco show. Spirits are pretty good, but jetlag is still an issue, and we might be a little overwhelmed with all the transition. Pray for us!

Rebecca

Arrived in Malaga!

Great news, all! We have arrived safely in Malaga, Spain, only 30 minutes behind schedule. Now we need to go collect luggage and find the team who is picking is up, then a 1 1/2 hour drive to Granada! 

Thanks for your prayers for travel mercies, friends. They were effective! Now let's see how the Lord uses us!

Rebecca

Charles de Gaulle

In Paris!

We did not get much sleep on the flight from Philadelphia to Paris, but other than that, we are in good spirits.

Waiting for our connecting flight, which may be delayed, but we are on time for it!

Rebecca

Ralph's already falling asleep!

-Drew Kyle 

Flight #196

View from the window...

We are all on the bus!

We are all in the bus on the way to the Philly Airport! -Drew Kyle

Countdown to Takeoff!

countingdownto.com
Wow, blogosphere friends, can you believe how time has flown? Months of planning, praying, and budgeting, and now all of a sudden we are talking about packing lists, adapters, and SPF.

We leave this week...Wednesday evening, in fact! We fly out of Philadelphia at 9.20pm to Paris, then go from there to Malaga, Spain, where the local team will pick us up to drive to Granada. 

This is getting real, folks. And we really, really need your prayers as we count down the days and hours to departure...please keep this list in mind as you intercede for us:

-Traveling mercies, especially with making flight connections (this was our only snafu on last year's trip)

-Good rest and energy leading up to the trip, as well as minimal jet lag effects

-No illness or injuries here or there

-Christlike love for the kids and the local team at Reconciliaciòn church.

We are meeting at New Life to drive to the airport together on Wednesday...feel free to talk to a team member if you want to come see us off!

Rebecca

Why Granada?

Our team was commissioned by New Life this morning for our trip to Granada, Spain, and a few people asked me later why exactly we were going, and what we would be doing there.

Every summer, the Reconcilianción ministry runs two weeks' worth of English camp for the local kids in the neighborhood of the Zaidín. Most of these kids have immigrated to Spain, speak different languages, and are curious about the English language and all things American.  So the local church asks churches in the US to send short-term teams to volunteer at these camps to teach English, play American sports, play games, sing silly songs, and generally love on the kids who come to camp. They range from the age of 6 to 18; the camp is split into two groups (ages 6-11 and 12-18). When we arrive, the long-term team will mix our group of 11 coming from New life with groups from other US churches, and we will work together as leaders of different "teams" of kids for the week of camp. 

I had the privilege of going to Granada last year, and it really was amazing to see how The Lord meshes people together to accomplish His work in the Zaidín...not only within our team from New Life, but also among the various people coming from churches across the US! Pray for us as we go, for humble spirits, willing to serve outside our comfort zone!

Rebecca