Looking Back and Looking Ahead

I've been almost two weeks back in the States, but I'd like to tell you about the experiences in Zaragoza, at the World Expo.
Imagine, for a second, that a group of churches (in different denominations) in your country get together and work together to make a pavilion (really a large presentation in a space a little bigger than the average mall store) to share the Gospel in a place where people from all over the world are gathering the praise their own work, their own efforts. Agua Viva was such a place. The volunteers at the "Living Water" booth share Christ with people visiting the Expo, showing an audiovisual presentation, passing out pamphlets and talking with people. The other pavilions at the Expo represented other countries, with information as to how the country is progressing with water management and sustainable development. It amazed me that people would visit these pavilions and wait long hours to see a short presentation. In fact, the wait for the Kuwait pavilion was 3 hours long -- feel free to insert your own punchline here.
The SEND short-term team kept with our operating motto "be flexible" and volunteered wherever the permanent Agua Viva staff wanted us. Some duties included greeting people, gaving pamphlets and answering questions, ushering for the audiovisual Gospel presentation, jumping rope and making balloon animals for children outside the pavilion and dressing up in crocodile and dog costumes to greet people and attract attention to the pavilion.
You can find more about Agua Viva on their Web site and view the audiovisual here.
All too soon we completed our stint in Zaragoza and drove to Torla, a small town in the Pyrenees and only twenty-odd kilometers from France. We camped there and hiked around Monte Perdido (Lost Mountain), stopping occasionally to refresh in the glacier-fed stream. After enjoying God's beautiful creation for those days, we returned to Azuqueca until our departure.


Since returning to the States, I've become acutely aware of the "foreigner" feeling SEND headquarters warned us we might experience. Everything seemed huge at first -- big cars, buildings, elevators, etc. It's been hard to get re-used to American schedules, mannerisms and attitudes.

But God is faithful and He watches over both Spain and the United States. So please continue to pray for workers for Spain and the States. Pray that God would send me where He wills.

The entrance to Agua Viva represents the desert. The other side, once you exit the audiovisual, is painted in lush, blue water tones.

A view of the Expo from Agua Viva -- the Aragon (a territory in Spain) display towers to the right.

Catching Up

In nearly two weeks, we've volunteered with the Agua Viva evangelical pavilion at the World Expo in Zaragoza -- this year's theme was water, so what better opportunity to tell the world about the Living Water, camped in the Pyrenees and played in glacier-fed streams and enjoyed a time of fellowship at a farewell/housewarming/birthday bash (for Casiana, Becky, Whitney and Grace) barbecue at the Hendricks' chalet in Guadalajara.

I'll post all about the work in Zaragoza soon -- The Holy Spirit is working in the midst of a huge, international meeting!

Tonight we're staying up the night to send off our first return flight, Ryan, who flies back at 6 a.m. Madrid time. I have the second flight at 9:55 a.m. The three girls fly together. Praise God, the Lufthansa strike on short-haul flights has not affected their travel plans.

It grieves me to leave all the spiritual family members I've met in Spain, especially after I've seen the work God is doing through the people here and the enormous need for workers.

Please pray for these faithful men and women who are working for the advancement of the Gospel. Heaven's going to be so much more joyful when we all get together there.