Back in the city 60/60.

Back to the hustle and bustle of the city....after spending a nice, relaxing weekend outside of Madrid, I returned this afternoon on the train. I am a city girl, always have been, always will be. But, every once in awhile it's refreshing to get out of the city. I left Friday afternoon and took the train to a town called San Rafael. It is located in the community (similar to our states) of Castilla y Leon and in the province of Segovia. We were only an hour and a half away from Madrid, but it seemed like we were so far away! The building we stayed in was kinda creepy when you looked at it from the outside. And the inside come to think of it. Not lying. The building was VERY old and the inside reminded me of the Haunted Mansion, complete with the huge circular chained chandeliers. The building was dimly-lit and there were some suspicious looking stains on the wall that we were unsure of.

But I really had a great weekend. The entire purpose of our retreat was to discuss and think about what is our purpose in being in Madrid and why God wanted each of us here. We talked about how the concept of missional living - living with a purpose and trying to make a difference here. Western Europe is one of the places where you would think is majority religious, but in reality, it's one of the places in the world where religion, especially Christianity is dying. The statistics are crazy. 75% of the country identifies as being Catholic, but 58% never attend mass. Even sadder, is that only 22% of Spaniards think that religious faith is something important to teach their children. So the question is, did God send me here to teach English or did he send me to do something greater than I ever imagined? A friend from church who lives two blocks away from me and I are going to start meeting at the local bar, hopefully once a week, in hopes of befriending some neighbors and to also pray for them. I am excited to see what God has in store and how he plans on using me!

Our schedule for the weekend was quite funny. It went something like this. Wake up, first breakfast, morning session. Second breakfast, session, lunch. Free time, snacking, session, dinner, free time. And repeat. Because all we do in Spain is eat. No, seriously, it was really nice and our group was small - only 18 people. So it was neat to meet and interact with new people. On Saturday, we took a hike during free time. Forget the fact that it took us an hour to find the hiking trail. (Hey, that's the spanish way of life. You do things without a plan!) Yes, I was gasping for air because we were pretty high up. (Such a shame that I worked out so hard during the summer, only to have my cardio plummet back down so quickly....) But it was totally worth it. It was so refreshing to not only have the fresh air, but also to see what an amazing artist God is. His masterpieces far exceed those of the famous painters.


San Rafael, Spain

Tonight, I unpacked my backpack. Which is something my mother nor my Grandmother would believe. I have been known to leave suticases sitting in the middle of my floor for months on end. My friend, Hassan, dropped his friends off at the airport, and then we met at a metro station. We went over to Malasana, a hippy neighborhood in the center of town and ate amazing calzones at an Italian restaurant. He had never been to this part of the city before. This area of town is what I would consider a "locals" hangout. I then went with him to the bus station in the south of the city. We have nicknamed this station, the sketchy station. I had never been to it before and probably won't go back unless I absolutely have to. It was cool to hangout with him again and we talked about trying to meet somewhere next month. Otherwise, I won't see him for another two months, when we both fly home together for Christmas.

On Friday, (yes, I know my chronology is out of order this blog....) I wore my Spanish national team jersey (football). The kids went crazy. They found it unbelievable that I was wearing it and that I liked the national team. All the kids in the hallway were just going nuts over it. My sixth grade class even applauded me as I walked in the door. Seriously. And of course, the Sara Carbonero name calling continued. Which, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I take as a complete compliment.

I hope everyone's weekend was enjoyable as mine. I pray that your week will start off on the right foot.

Quote of the Day: "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." -2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (Don't live missionally because it's something you think you should do. be compeled to do so.)

Spanish Word of the Day: La Flecha - the (computer) mouse

How you can pray for me: That I keep an open heart and mind to receive what God wants me to do here in Spain.