El Extranjero (The Foreigner)

"Any foreigner living in Spain will, to a certain degree, always remain a foreigner. You may have adapted beautifully to living in Spain, yet the Spanish culture will always remain different. A foreigner may become Spanish by nationality, may even think and act like a Spaniard, but will never be a Spaniard at heart. No land in Europe, possibly no land in the Western world, has such a forceful personality, such a strong flavour as Spain, nor such a proud history." This excerpt was taken from a book series: Culture Shock!- Spain. Written by Marie Louise Graff. I wanted to do something just a little different in this newsletter. I wanted to share with you some of the "differences," I have encountered living as a missionary here in Spain, for just a little over 3 years. The month of November got me thinking on just a few...

As an American, I was accustomed to weighing things in pounds. Everything from body weight, to weights in a gym, or fruit in the market. Here in Spain, those things are measured in kilos. When it comes to driving, there on my speedometer, it tells me how fast I am going with the increments in mph. I also can know how long it will take me to drive to the next town, because the sign will have how many miles until that particular destination. Not so here, the number on the sign is actually in kilometers, and in my Golf, it has kmh on the speedometer. One would assume that Spanish is the official language in Spain right? Wrong. The official language here is actually Castilian (Castellano). It is used by the majority of the mass media, and in official documents. Some of the various regions in Spain, also have their own languages. In Galicia, they speak Gallego. The Basques call their region Euskadi, and their language Euskera. In Catalonia, they speak Catalan. Catalan also has some various forms, including Valenciana of Valencia, and Mallorquin of Mallorca. In these regions, the road signs are also written in these languages. I found this to be true while living in Mallorca, with all the signs in Mallorquin. I now live in the Southern region of Spain, which is Andalucia. Fortunately, this region just speaks Castilian. Although, Andalucians tend to cut their words, and have a distinct/thick accent. All in all, Castilian uses Vosotros, the pronunciation of words differs from other Spanish speaking countries, and some words are omitted altogether.

Monday November 1st, was the last day of the Church Retreat. This day also is the exact day that Paqui and the Arevalos family were saved. Continue to pray for all four of them. The one thing Karen was very fearful about, was facing her friends. She is 17, and every single one of her closest friends are atheists. On Sunday November 7th, I was blessed again, to join the Arevalos family in their home for lunch after service. It was just awesome, to speak with Hugo (Karen's padre), about his experience with Jesus at the retreat.

In the book of Acts, we see that Paul the church planter, had a team of guys. Every guy had something to contribute, but all supported the vision Jesus gave Paul. Ivan is the "Paul" here, who has planted the church here in El Rincon de la Victoria (mouthful). I see myself simply as a "Barnabas," to encourage Ivan in various ways here. Practically speaking, this past month I was able to co-write his newsletter. I am happy to serve him in this way, especially because English is his second language. Ivan, Eunice, and I, all felt it would be beneficial, for Ivan and I to do this from now on.

Sunday November 28th, marked our first "Movie Night" at the church. My vision for these monthly meetings has two goals in mind. First, it creates yet another opportunity for the church to invite unsaved family and friends. Second, it edifies the church itself. We want to provide an evening that is very relaxed. Eunice and I, also made some fliers for the church to hand out. The night began with food and fellowship. We then showed "Fury to Freedom," the testimony of Pastor Raul Ries. I went up afterward, and shared out of Ezekiel 36:26-27. I explained how the essence of Christianity isn't about changing a certain behavioral problem, but God putting His Spirit in you and giving you a new heart. The result, is a truly changed/transformed life. After the movie, everyone clapped and was ready to hear the message. Ivan did a great job interpreting for me. As I looked out, I noticed people crying, really listening, and nodding their heads in agreement. Everyone already looks forward to the next one.

In future newsletters to come, I hope to share more about the Spanish culture with you. Also, to share more on language study. Spain now feels like a second home to me, but some things will always be "foreign"...including me!

By His Grace,
Eric