El Paso Comes to España

Ironically enough, the lone star adventures are over for this Jersey girl with the arrival of the eight-person team from El Paso, Texas. The team of three girls and four guys, lead by their youth pastor (also a CIU graduate!), arrived on Tuesday, and they will be my co-workers and flat-mates for the next month.

We are now living right in the center of the Old City, just a block from Misson Urbana. Today, I was finally able to take a decent number of pictures, while I lead the group on a brief tour around the city. (Funny how after just a week and a half, I'm already a tour guide! My supervisor sure is brave, but some quick internet research does a person wonders.) Below are a few pictures from our arduous trek:

Our first stop was the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (City Hall Plaza).

Another building at the Plaza

Spanish mounties

La Lonja de la Seda was the silk exchange center of Valencia's Golden Age. It's an absolutely stunning piece of architecture.

We also visited one of the two remaining gates of the old city wall (everything else was torn down)--Los Torres de Serranos. Like the Tower of London or the Bastille of Paris, these towers were once used to imprison nobility.

The men were enthused about an ice cream break after hours of walking under the hot, hot Valencian sun.

The girls vouched for fans instead.

We also stopped by the Cathedral of Valencia, which claims to house THE Holy Grail (apparently the most likely to be authenticated) as well as the mummified arm of San Vicente, the patron saint of the Valencian Community.

While Spain is still culturally Catholic, the Church is even beginning to lose its grip there with the younger generation. Increasingly atheistic, Europe's spiritual landscape serves as a grim warning to the American church. Without the power and influence of the Holy Spirit, America will be where Europe is now in the blink of an eye.

We also had our first opportunity tonight to do some "spiritual mapping." After dinner a few of us walked over to the park just across the street for some people-watching and praying. Standing in the middle of an obscure park in a land so spiritually desolate, six of us stood in a circle and prayed for the people of Valencia, Spain, Europe, and the world. It was beautiful.

I think we expected to see more bums in the park. Instead, there were a large number of youth just hanging out in groups. One particular group caught my attention, so after we prayed, I decided to walk over and ask them if I could take their picture: 1) I wanted some good up-close pictures of Spain's post-modern youth; 2) I needed a conversation opener. What ensued was just a fun, short time of interaction with the youth--finding out their names, ages, the best places to visit in this part of Valencia, etc.--as well as inspiration for some potential means of outreach right there in that park. There's nothing like some up-close, personal interaction to place a burden on an individual's heart for a certain people group.


After our short walk in the park, we debriefed European style--with some colacao (hot chocolate) and horchata (a sweet, milky beverage made from a nut) from a sidewalk café--under the cool breeze of a lovely Valencian night sky.

Our eccentric Moroccan waiter

Praises:

• The team and our living arrangements all seem like they are going to work out well.
• Our burden and vision for the people of Valencia are beginning to grow and take form.
• The work at Mission Urbana is going well and blessing many.
• We were able to establish initial contact with some of the youth who frequent the park.
• I'm beginning to feel more comfortable with my Spanish language skills.
  

Prayer Requests:

• Health--my supervisor, Anita, has laryngitis and has lost her voice; another member of the team, Levi, is getting the beginning symptoms of a cold; my hostess from the first week, Lydia, has a cold, back problems, and a broken rib
• Mission Urbana is in the process of buying a new location, but the bank keeps delaying the transaction. Pray for the director, Rafa, and that the sale will go through smoothly and we can begin construction there.
• Continued sensitivity to the needs of the people of Valencia and a vision for how we can most effectively do our part of reaching them this month (as well as a more long-term vision of church growth).
• Especially now that I am living with an English-speaking team, I would like to be able to continue developing my Spanish fluency.