The Hills Roll On

I’ve gone a while without writing on the web and I must admit that I have been lazy as well as having difficulty with writings disappearing before my eyes before they were posted. Regardless it is a gift to have the chance to share with so many people about what is going on in our lives.

It has been very interesting coming back to North America. I didn’t realize the differences I would see so many differences. One being the use of land . Here in Ottawa everything is so spread out and there is a lot of sky to see. I forgot how much land we use in N.A. It is quite phenominal. Acres and acres of corn fields, buildings that are not cramped together and very few highrise appartments.

Aside from all the differences in culture it is nice to be back. Many things have changed seen we have been gone including a change in the government (I don’t even know who the Prime minister is anymore.) It is nice to be back though. I’m looking forward togetting back to school and finishing the program. Not much farther to go now!

In terms of reflections I’m still processing. When you move around as much as us some times it takes awhile to get your bearings.

Maybe I’ll have more to say later. For now I’m just enjoying life as it comes.

Well what can I say.I put the car in the ditch. I was hoping not to do this while I was in Spain but with the weight that was in the car and the steepness of the hill it was somewhat inevitable. I should mention that the cars emergency brake was on when we rolled into the ditch. What was to be a simple 3 point turn turned into a 45 minute ordeal. Good thing that someone had a tractor nearby. Of course God used it for good and gave Martha an opportunity to witness to an elderly man who happened to see the whole thing. Strangest thing was that I didn’t feel embarassed about the event as I usually am. God was doing something. Good news was the car and people were fine and we were only 5 minutes late for the meeting. So there it is the story of my internship so far. Just goes to show you never know what God has for you in the day.

I’m not saying that I am looking forward to leaving Spain and all the friends we have made while we’ve been here, but there is a lot of things to do to get ready to leave and it is hard not to focus on the fact that we are in fact leaving. We still have plenty to do here though in the mean time and before it is over we are hosting my parents who are coming for 2 weeks. That visit really signifies the end of internship for me. Since my parents arrive at the end of April and we leave early May there isn’t much more that we can do once they arrive. We have about a month of “internship” stuff to do and after that well we are going to be spending time with my parents and doing some traveling.

Now that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law have gone we realize that we have a lot of things to pull together such as ministry with the church, over-due papers, and getting stuff organized for the trip home. It is funny the stuff that gets accumulated over such a short period of time.

Well other than the feelings of joy and sadness for leaving I’ve had a chance to reflect on the past 7 months in Spain.

At times it was easy for me to feel like I really wasn’t doing much, that I was wasting God’s time and our supporters money. However if you have read Tara’s journal entry “Great Expectations” then you will know that we have learned a lot in this area. It is a large weight off ones shoulders to realize that it isn’t about what we do but who we are. I’ve grown more over this time in Spain and been ministered to God more times than I think I have ministered to others, and yet I don’t understand how God has been ministering through me. It is usually an off handed remark by someone that asures me that even though I myself am not purposfully trying to minister it happens anyway. That is God not me, and I don’t feel it is my place to take credit. God has ministered to these people while we have been here and we have at times been the tool of that ministry, sometimes it is just the fact that we came here that people are touched by. I am blessed just by knowing that God is working and people are being encouraged. It is fitting that during a time where all the scenery is changing and blossums are blooming that we are embarking on another chapter of our lives. We leave this place perhaps leaving a small dent on peoples hearts knowing that God is working and that He loves this land. So it is with fondness that I will leave and in joy for Gods hands are at work.