Hello! Just a few snippets
of news / photos / film clips of our current antics in Madrid
The rain in Spain
The long, sweaty Spanish
summer, when kids whine all day in the heat, was revolutionised for us this
year by the amazing provision of a pool. Ellie learnt to ‘swim’ and Joseph to
sunbathe(!) and life was much more bearable for everyone.
In the video below the kids
say that other summertime activities included going out on bikes, meeting up
with friends and watching telly! (Forgive the head tilting) J
After a fantastic trip to
England in August, catching up with some of our family, friends and the crew at
Waterfront City Church, we’re back on the saddle, in the midst of the daily Spanish
routines of school, work, family and friendships, and yet with an exciting mission
permeating it all.
Outreach in parks and the
university, questionnaires, an event looking at belief in God in an age of
reason, small-scale social action projects such as an after school club, and
our very first Alpha course are all elements we have started / are going to be
starting this term… with the prayer that God would impact and transform people by
the gospel and that we’d come across those who he is preparing and calling.
We’re so aware of how
bizarre and freaky all this is to some people here, just as in the UK, but if
only they were aware of the reality of Jesus in our lives and helped to
experience it for themselves. Just this week Sally and I have been really
strongly impacted by God’s perfect timing of unexpected provision and his
obvious care for us, how he is so trustworthy and how he leads us through
challenges for our good, and personally this week I’ve sobbed like a kid in
gratitude… He is amazing and we want to share this kind of stuff with those we know here. PRAY FOR US in this!
In other news, Sal has seen
the light and is following me into the world of English teaching! She has
started one-to-one classes with parents from the kids’ school and next week
will be doing an English-play class for a group of kids too. Steep learning
curve for her but I think she’s enjoying the challenge!
We also just had our first
weekend away as a church, 25+ of us in a hostel in the mountains outside
Madrid, served brilliantly by Guy & Heather Miller and Andy ‘the Pie’. Great
and growing sense of community and purpose!
We’ll leave you with the
video link below that gives more of a taste of what we’re up to and is worth a watch:
Much love and til next time,
Al, Sally, Ellie & Joe x
