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.