I am happy to share with you this lovely President's Day! This month's update will take on something of a narrative format, so, when you have the time, I invite you to sit in your coziest chair, with perhaps a cup of tea (my preference) or coffee (seemingly everyone else's), and share some of these recent experiences with me.For those who have missed previous updates and would like to catch up before reading this one, feel free to browse the other episodes in this Spain saga, ordered from most recent to least:
January: Building an Altar
December: Wanted
November: Spain-bound!
October: An Exercise in Trust
August: While I'm Waiting
July: The Comeback
Chapter 1: Another Time Around the Circle
It was the plane trip that I dreaded the most, and, to be honest, it turned out as I had feared. Not my seat neighbors -- no, no! They were splendid (a couple from Mount Vernon with whom I played a few rounds of Heads Up!) It's just...you know, the not standing for 10 hours part, and the not sleeping for more hours part.
But it wasn't all bad. Aside from the game of heads-up, one cool thing about the flight was that, several times, I had to pull my journal out of my backpack to jot down ideas for my 4th grade classroom, one idea after another, like corn kernels popping.
After a brutal layover in London, a short connecting flight, and an informative ride back to my apartment (Jaz filled me in on all I had missed), I found myself in bed at 3 PM with what would prove to be a severe case of jet-lag and, perhaps consequently, a dismal outlook on the next 6 months.
"Why am I even here?"
Isn't that interesting? It's actually the same feeling I had the first time I landed in Madrid - that brief yet sincere moment of....what, exactly? Doubt? Regret? Foreboding? Let's be honest - it was probably just the jet lag, but - who knows? Maybe my flesh was anticipating what lay ahead and throwing a tantrum.
Chapter 2: Saddle Up Yo' Horses!
Thankfully, that yucky feeling left quickly, as it had the first time. What didn't leave so quickly was the jet lag! For an entire week, I woke at ungodly hours, had my breakfast smoothies well before my roommates were even awake, and was ready to collapse by 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
That first week also happened to be a week of fasting and prayer for Amistad. It was during this week that I realized that the nice, easy month of introductions and feet-wetting was long gone, and that God now had a mission for me.
I arrived on a Saturday and had a few obligation-less days to, essentially, sleep. But then, Maritza invited me to a workshop on Wednesday afternoon at Ontheredbox, to craft my 2-minute testimony, which I could then use to evangelize on the street. I had attended this same workshop during my last stay in Madrid, but I had struggled to identify my testimony. The usual story I'd shared so often lacked a critical component: the moment I was convicted of sin and repented. When WAS I born again, exactly? What sin did I repent of, specifically? This time around, it all came to me, and, in that classroom, for the first time in several years, I publicly shared my testimony. And, for what I believe was the first time ever, I shared it in Spanish. Perhaps it was a small step, but it was a significant one for me.
"Where are you going?" she asked. (I feel like she sees through my soul sometimes!)
"Home. I'm sleepy."
"Home?! You can't go home! You're playing piano in the prayer room!"
And so it was that Dahlia stepped completely out of her comfort zone twice in one day, into a new mission, and simultaneously out of jet lag.
Chapter 3: This is the Great Adventure!
Since that Wednesday, I have sensed God asking me to step out of my comfort zone repeatedly, or, to put it another way, to "mount the horse" and let it take me along this adventure.
Teaching a Sunday School lesson, playing piano for a time of worship, leading a prayer meeting, co-leading a class for adults, standing on top of a box and declaring my testimony on the street, driving in Madrid (😱) -- all of these activities have forced me to confront my insecurities. But this is exactly what I wanted when I came to Madrid.
There's a topic I'd like to bring up, because it's relevant, and it's worth some thought. It's the topic of spiritual gifts. In Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul lists different spiritual gifts, adding that each of us is a member of the body of Christ, and, as such, each of us is important to the functioning of the body, mainly through exercising our unique spiritual gifts.
I could say I have the gift of teaching, which would explain why I am now a teacher. There are tests available online and surely in books that claim to help you identify your unique spiritual gift.
However, if teaching is my gift, then why would God ask me to play the piano? Or, if teaching is my gift, why would God call me to evangelize, or to pray for a sick person, or to organize a closet, or to sweep the floor? Surely, other people in the church have THOSE gifts, so why should I bother with any of those activities? Shouldn't I stick to what I do best?
That is kind of the way I have viewed things. But Maritza and I have been doing a devotional together, and the author of the devotional challenged the idea of only serving in areas that use your identified spiritual gifts. For, didn't God call Moses, a timid man who stuttered, to lead a nation? And didn't God call Gideon, an indecisive coward, to lead an army?
Perhaps, then, God doesn't just give us certain gifts and assign us to the tasks that correspond with those giftings. Perhaps the true gift God gives each of us is His Holy Spirit, who is the essence and the power of God, and who "gifts" us with everything we need to accomplish whatever mission God places before us.
This way of thinking eliminates all reliance on human strengths and pushes us to rely instead on the Holy Spirit.
And THAT is what makes life with Jesus such an adventure! He could call us to do any sort of thing at any moment, and, though we, in ourselves, are timid, stuttering, indecisive, and cowardly, He makes us valiant. He equips us with all the skills we need to complete the mission.
So I am making a conscious effort to no longer excuse my participation because of my inferior piano-playing skills, ineptness at driving in the city, or my inadequate Spanish. And, when someone asks me if I can lead a group, play on a worship team, or drive to Ikea, I am practicing saying, "Yes."
Chapter 4: FAQ's
FAQ 1: How is it? How are you liking it?
I really don't like this question! I never know how to answer it, because it's so general. (How rude would it be if I told people just to read my blog?)In an effort to answer the question, though, I am all about the people around me. It's not so much about where I am as who I'm with, and I love who I'm with!
We've dubbed our apartment "Maritza's House" (I pushed for a cooler name, like "The Music Box" or "Piso Pestañas," but no one seemed to like my original ideas! 😧), and we've had an inaugural movie night! We also cook together often and, as I mentioned before, we often gather for a morning devotional together. It's a great crew I live with.
Also, that doesn't even count all the other people I am in contact with throughout the day. But - enough. Next question.
FAQ 2: What are you doing now?
I mentioned some things already, but I'll outline it here so it's more clear.1. Work related to the children's ministry
2. Tutoring in English
3. College-aged youth group
4. Street evangelism
5. Alpha course for nonbelievers
6. Youth group
That's the skeleton schedule, but it usually fills up with other fun bits!
FAQ 3: Have you done much traveling?
1. To Toledo for a women's conference
2. Sledding
3. Ice-skating
And I have a few trips in the works:
1. A soccer game in Barcelona
2. A week-long mission trip to Germany
3. Some sightseeing in England with my brother
FAQ 4: When do you go back home?
I don't have a return flight yet, but I plan to return in July or August.If you have any questions I haven't answered, feel free to ask below!
And I leave you with a fun fact: There is no "garbage day" here in Madrid. We take out the trash daily, and the garbage guys come along at MIDNIGHT with their trucks to remove it!
Oh, and all of the chapter titles reference this *classic* song from the 90's. Enjoy:
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