Insha'Allah

After only 3 weeks in Morocco, you could say we've got this place figured out. You would be mostly wrong, but it might occasionally appear like we do.

We have been staying at a youth hostel in a second location making friends with the staff and other travelers that come in and out. We are currently learning about how much of a privilege it is when we have personal space and how it isn't exactly a right. BUT everyone has been so lovely, and it is a blessing to have beds and a kitchen to cook in and freedom to openly love Jesus. 
That freedom included our team's ability to do a whole day of prayers in the hostel. We all crawled out of bed for the first Muslim call to pray at 4:50 am and did our own call to prayer for 24 hours, splitting up the day between all of us. We prayed about the freedom that Jesus brings and proclaimed His authority. 

One of the wonderful things about the Moroccan culture is the people's hospitality and warm spirits. We've (by the grace of God) made friends in ways that are totally different than anything that we Westerners are used to. By looking very lost, by practicing our Arabic, and by singing/making fools of ourselves in public we've been invited to different people's houses or to have tea and hangout. It is ridiculous and amazing. 

Another thing some of us have been enjoying here is handing out fruit and drinks to the people who ask for money on the streets of the markets. We have decided to refine them and call them "treasures" instead. They often have serious health problems and speak no English, but it's been great sharing a bit of life with them.

Some things we've learned as a team after Weeks 7 & 8:

1. Jesus comes before us and prepares a path for us. 
2. We take soap really seriously.
3. God never stops teaching us how to love one another.
4. Street vendor macaroons are the bomb.com. 

Continued prayers for our last week in Morocco are greatly appreciated! 

Salam Alaikum, Morocco

Hi friends and family. It is day 4 here in Morocco, and the group is adjusting nicely to the culture shock of being in North Africa. 
After a rocky ferry journey across the Strait of Gibraltar, we arrived and were met by floods of men offering luggage help, taxis, or tour guides. Once we got to the city center, some Senegalese guys showed us to a hotel that we could afford and would accommodate all of us. Plus, it has an awesome rooftop where we call all meet and hang out. The hotel is actually right next door to a mosque, so we are getting used to the Muslim call to prayer times and sounds. 

One thing Morocco is known for is having to barter in shops and markets. It is just a way to be relational in this culture. A couple people on the team have already had the chance to barter and pretend to walk away in a huff and use their bits of Arabic to buy things. It's exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. 

We have also had the amazing and heartbreaking privilege to work at an orphanage just outside of town. There are around 40 kids at the place, ages ranging from newborn to 16. We are split during the day, so some  of us go in the afternoon and some go at night. Then, we are split again between feeding, changing, and holding babies and playing/hanging out with the older kids (many of whom have mental or physical handicap). We can't really pronounce any of their names right, and we've only known the kids for two days, but all of us are really starting to love them. 


Things we've learned as a team after Week 6:
1. Carrying toilet paper with you is always a good idea.
2. God loves providing for us. 
3. We can go through chocolate spread quicker than you can say Nuetella. 

Unfortunately, one of our team members, Binny, has not yet been granted a visa into the country due to his Indian nationality. Prayers of guidance for him and health for the rest of the team would be greatly appreciated. 

Finding Wales in Spain

Welsh people occupy a very small percentage of the world's population, but it is a small world, and they are occasionally to be found here in Spain.
The whole team was out treasure hunting for people who we thought God wanted us to talk to, and Becky and Sarah had the privilege of finding and hearing a Welsh couple's story. That treasure hunting time also lead to a conversation with a man who builds large and intricate sand castles as part of his living and to a girl who was a Christian and had recently felt a push to go into full time missions. 

When we prayed and dreamed about coming to Torremolimos, we imagined lots of dancing and fiesta type ministries. So, when our church asked if we would be a part of a dance they were doing, we instantly agreed. However, our largely British and North American team are much more awkward and stiff in movement (as a generalization) compared to our local friends from the church. It has been fun to learn and funny to watch us try to copy their dance moves. A video of the actual performance will be posted shortly!

A couple people on the team have also had the privilege to lead some events and give talks. We were asked to lead a prayer night on Wednesday at the church that involved worship, a devotion, and (obviously) a prayer time. Becky, Simon, and Dave opened the night with some songs in English that was familiar to the congregation in Spanish. I was asked to do the devotion. Then, Lauren, Rachel, and Steph led and closed the prayer time. On Saturday, we also led a youth group in a park in Benalmadenas, which included parts of Becky, Kelly, Lauren, and Rachel's testimonies!

Our week concluded with a group discussion on the beach, watching the sunset and making s'mores. Life is good, and Jesus is good. 

Some things we've learned as a team after Week 4:

1. Community living creates an awesome environment for people to support and love you
2. Jesus loves us the same no matter what our dance moves look like. 
3. God can and will create ways around a language barrier.
4. We make excellent sand castles. 

Prayers for our last week in Spain would be more than appreciated! 

Sunscreen, Emergency Rooms, and Paella

It seems crazy how much people can communicate despite a language barrier.

A man named Tony with scars all over his face sat down next to us before church and began to tell us the story of his accident. Almost 25 years ago, his motorcycle caused a massive fire which caused serious burn wounds. Becky said, "I've heard that burn wounds are one of the worst pains in the world." Tony responded with "It is a horrible pain, but you can see it. And you can see it heal. But it is not like the inside pain of heartbreak. You don't see that wound, and you don't see it heal. It hurts just as much."

Our first week in Torremolinas has been jam packed with things for us to do. We have been blessed with a lovely old chalet by a man from Iglesia Cristina Church named Angel. He doesn't speak very much English, yet he is the most hospitable and warm person there is. Plus, the house is a 5 minute walk from the beach and a 3 minute train ride from the church, so it has worked out very nicely.

Iglesia Cristina Church was planted by an American couple about 12 years ago, and they are now passing on the pastoral duties to another local couple. In this transition process, they have shown us so much kindness, and given us plenty of ministries to get involved with. They also have provided us with a few authentic Spanish meals, including paella and churros (!!!).

The church also had planned on doing a baptism on Saturday and offered to baptize any us that wanted. So, Kelly, Lauren, and Molly (myself) got baptized! It was a beautiful day and the Mediterranean was cold and refreshing. All of heaven was watching and rejoicing as the pastor asked "Do you plan to serve Jesus with your whole life?" and we all responded "SI!"

Jay also got to have a cool conversation after a couple of English people started talking about her tattoo. The tattoo is of a tree and signifies being rooted in Christ despite any hard things that come. She told them what God has done for her in her life. 

We have had a couple of unfortunate mishaps, the main and most obvious one being the Stephanie fractured her ankle. This has and will make ministry look different than we had expected, yet Steph has had a really good attitude about. She claims that "Spain swept me off my feet!"

Some things we've learned as a team after Week 3/4:

1. We don't have to be doing something every second for God to be happy.
2. Spanish emergency rooms are much quicker than North American/British emergency rooms
3. Sunscreen is necessary
4. Everyone, even extroverts, need some alone time.

We would love some extra prayers for this week for Stephanie as mentioned above, for a continued transition into the Spanish culture, and to overcome the language barrier.

Farewell, Cardiff

Singing "Wonderwall" by Oasis at the tops of our lungs with a bunch of strangers at midnight was not exactly what we were thinking would happen as we ventured out onto the streets to do worship at night. For most of the night, people quickened their pace passing by us with a confused but genuine smile on their faces, but we knew we would run into some interesting characters going out as late as we did. We don't know anything about that group of people, and we will probably never see them again. Yet, a weird and glorious moment was shared with them, and it was great. 

This week has been very different in terms of ministry and activities. We leafleted for a church cafe in a little village called Pontpernnau. We meticulously dated and sorted hundreds of cans of food at the Cardiff Food Bank. We also were trusted enough to paint a couple of rooms at the church we are staying at to bless them for accommodating us. 

The night we worshiped on the streets, we also handed out lollipops that conveniently led to some pretty cool conversations about Jesus.

Some things we've learned as a team after Week Two:

1. exercise sometimes hurts and can potentially limit one's ability to walk
2. God sees all our crud and still cares about us
3. being outside makes us happy
4. delegating and sharing responsibilities is vital
5. balloons keep us entertained

Tomorrow we all hop on planes, trains (and tubes), and automobiles to arrive in Torremolinas (outside of Malaga, Spain) around midnight. Prayers for safe travels and acceptance into a non-English speaking country would be super appreciated. Thanks friends and family!

Rholio mewn Cardiff

HAPPY EASTER! Jesus is risen indeed!

       It's been just over a week down here in Cardiff, but we have been rolling. Cathays Methodist Church (very near to the center of town) graciously offered us all accommodation for our whole stay, and we have made ourselves at home.

       It takes more food than you could imagine to feed 13 ravenous young people, so groceries were our first fun challenge.  Then, we had time to explore and do some team building and prayer walking. 

      After a couple of days of figuring out life and Cardiff and our team roles, we joined up with a couple of local churches to do a week-long ministry called Making More of Easter. We have all done questionnaires and sketch boards and a photo exhibition as well as some "praying and doing it" ministry that led to many challenging conversations, worshiping on the streets, shining shoes, handing out daffodils, and even 2 girls committing their lives to Christ. WHOOP!

      When this many people with different backgrounds and personalities are thrown together in situations like this, its inevitable that conflict arises, but we are continuously practicing conflict resolution and overcoming miscommunication. It's a risk we have to take when we try to love people extravagantly. Each day we becoming more unified with each other in Christ. It just takes some time figuring out who is the foot and who is the ear. (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

Some things we've learned as a team after Week One:  

1. God distributes his workers to the right places, but at the same time there is still a lack of workers
2. circumstances cannot stop God's blessings
3. we like cheese and onion flavoured crisps
4. Good Friday is just as important as Easter Day
5. we can't put Jesus in a box

We still have a week left of the Welsh part of our adventure, then off to Spain. Thanks for prayers and love- keep it coming!

Meet Our Family!

Hi friends!

Welcome to Sojourners of Grace! We are a multicultural family of weirdos thrown together with the purpose of travelling around and loving people.  Here, we will be posting our weekly experiences and sharing stories via blog. But first, get to know all of us:

DAVE!

Hey, my name is Dave. I'm 23. I really enjoy having adventures and doing creative things such as art and music. I love travelling and experiencing different cultures. My life is surrendered to God, and I want the Holy Spirit to use me in amazing ways. I get a lot of energy from being around people.

                                                                

                                     ELIZABETH!

Hello, I’m Elizabeth. I have lived in the same house in Port Orchard my entire childhood. I'm not sure what that has to do with anything, but for some reason, that's always been part of my identity. I was fairly quiet (and remain fairly quiet and calm to this day) as a child, and spent a lot of time roaming around our pond, reading books and dreaming about adventure. And I did find adventure! For the past three years, I've been living and working in Wrexham, Wales. I lead and mentor young people as they learn about God and the world and do urban missions in Europe. While an adventure, it's also a challenge, learning how to lead, how to live humbly in a close community, and how to care more about people from day to day.

STEPHANIE!

My name is Stephanie, I am 20 years old, I am from Sacramento, CA. My favorite color is purple. I love going to the beach and hanging with friends. I play the flute. I like Doctor Who and meeting people.

                                   BECKY!

Hey! I'm Becky from Lancaster, PA. I'm 22, and really enjoying hanging out with my friends. I have a variety of interest in my life, ranging from wine to cars. I also enjoy reading; my favorite authors include Maeve Binchy and Lori Wick. I have discovered a love of schedules and planning, and have become the official note-taker and scheduler for our team!

                      

            JAY!

Hey I’m Jay, I’m 20 years old. I’m a super conversational person and love making new friendships. I’m a bit of a hyperactive child with a heart that loves to give to and serve those I meet. My favourite quote is what many Christians say when God shows up - “I love God”

BRAD!

I am Brad, from England. I am 24 years old. I enjoy playing football (soccer) and am currently learning British Sign Language. I love the Middle Eastern people; their hospitality and their generosity are like no others that I have met. My favourite drink is an avocado smoothie, which you can get from North Africa. They are the absolute best! (not actually Brad Pitt, as pictured)

                        RACHEL!

Hey! I'm Rachel and I'm one of the Brits in the team. I grew up in Birmingham, and have spent the past 4 years in Wales, both at university in Cardiff and here in Wrexham. I love being outdoors, so any chance we have to go on a walk I will. When it's raining I love to curl up and read.  I'm looking forward to experiencing new cultures and making new friends, but most of all seeing all that God will do in our time away. My favourite ice cream flavour is mint chocolate chip. :)

                                     BINNY!

Hey, I am Joel Sharon, but I love to be called Binny which is my nick name! I am from an incredible place called Hyderabad, South India. I love deep conversations with people about the Father's love, I'm crazy about cricket, I like to have fun and find joy in everything. I love to encourage people and help each other in everything! Communication and love make a deeper friendship!

         MOLLY!

Hiya, I’m Molly. I'm 18 going on 6. Some of my favorite things include circus peanuts, socks with sandals, mountains, and documentaries about whales. I really love hiking and hammock naps. I don’t really love vegetables or peanut butter. I am learning to be more about Jesus. One of my favorite quotes is from the book Loves Does; it says “love is never stationary,” and that is pretty much why I’m here.

SIMON!

Hi, my name is Simon; I'm 21 years old, and I'm from just outside Reading. I love meeting people, hearing their stories, and sharing life with them. What I find so life-giving is being able to encourage, teach, and challenge people, spurring them onto great things. I also really enjoy exploring different ways to be creative, whether this be through music, story-telling, or food.

        KELLY!

Hey my name is Kelly and I am 25 years old from Yorkshire, England. I was born and grew up in Bradford and now live in a seaside town called Scarborough with my family.  I was a full time support worker for adults with learning disabilities before moving to Wales. I am a very adventurous person and love roads trips,  camping and music festivals with my friends:)

ROBYN!

Hello my name is Robyn and I am from the land that has moose, maple syrup and hockey! I enjoy traveling, football, swing dancing & eating ice cream. I love laughter, even when it is at me at times. But most importantly I LOVE God!

LAUREN!

Hi, my name is Lauren, I am a recent high school graduate, and I'm 18 years old. I am from Alberta, Canada. I have two brothers and a sister, and I love animals, mostly cats. I love to read and write and doing nothing is one of my favourites. Being in Wales has really opened my eyes to how big God is and I can't wait to see what he does on our outreach!

We might all talk in different accents, but we speak with the same heart to love and to serve. Today was our first day together and in Cardiff. More to come; stay tuned!