Spain: Day 10 - Church

Today was a relatively relaxing day compared to the rest of the weekend (see the previous post for an explanation).  Everyone from our house and most of the other people from World Partners went to a service in English at the church.  The service was beautiful and the message was given by a Brit who is the most eloquent speaker I've ever heard.  He had an amazing way of taking a passage of Scripture and explaining every verse so that it makes sense.  After church we ate lunch back at the apartment.  Instead of taking a siesta like normal, I and two other students decided to hike up the mountain to the castle again.  It was a very hot and sticky day but we made it.  Later that night the church invited all of the Americans to come back to the church at 7pm for a Spanish service and join their choir in singing some songs in Spanish and English.  That service was very powerful.  Many of the families of the children we work with were there, and several of them have never stepped foot in a church.  This was a great ministry to show them that church people aren't weird and that they are loved.  The choir, consisting of both Spaniards and Americans, sang several songs in Spanish.  Then Pastor Pedro gave a message and explained what it means to have a relationship with God.  The moment at which he finished was a holy moment as a member from our team sang My Tribute.  The Spaniards joined us singing in English.  After several more songs, it was time to end the service.  Because the Spaniards have blessed us so much on this trip by being so gracious and hospitable, the Americans wanted to bless them with a song.  All of the Americans went to the front of the sanctuary and sang From the Inside Out.  As soon as we started singing tears filled the eyes of many people in the audience.  This in turn caused a lot of the Americans to tear up.  It was a beautiful moment that I believe helped strengthen the bond between America and this community in Spain.  After the service, the congregation mingled for a while.  Instead of handshakes, the Spanish women like to kiss both cheeks and the men give bear hugs.  Suffice to say, I received many kisses and felt like I had enough makeup on my face to paint a clown.  One of the men, Nando, hugged me, pulled me away, hugged me again, and then cupped my face with both hands and said "God bless you" in broken English.  The love that the Spanish people have for the Americans is unbelievable.  I only hope that we have been able to reflect that love back to the community of Alcoy and my prayer is that many doors are opened because of our visit -- not because of us, but because of the love of God that has been expressed by both nationalities.

Lisa stayed home from church that night to watch the kids.  When we got home, she had prepared a huge feast of bread, 4 types of cheese, melon, oranges, cherries, ham, salami, cherry tomatoes, and gaspatcho.  We all ate outside on the patio and reflected on how much this day meant to us and to the Spaniards.  It was just another day of adventure in the Kingdom of God.