first real week...

Have you ever met one of those people who is so in love with Christ, that they cant help talking about him all the time? The kind of people who have received so much love and joy from God, that they just automatically pour out into other people’s lives? This week, we met a whole group of them.

Every Wednesday night, the SIS (semester in Spain) group gets together to have our own worship time together. We talked about being God’s Ambassadors in every moment. When the American Ambassador to China is there, he can’t decide that on the weekends he just doesn’t feel like being the Ambassador-No! He’s representing the US at every moment-when he’s in a taxi, at his hotel, when he goes out at night-he never stops being the Ambassador.

In the same way, we are called to represent Christ at all times. This is something I’ve always known, but I’ve never truly lived it. I seem to live my life thinking, Well, as long as I don’t do anything wrong I’m not actually misrepresenting Jesus. This is so off! In the same way that we shouldn’t live not to sin-but to live in order to bring God glory, we need to stop living acceptably, and truly LOVE every person we see.

Here in Spain, people are really closed off to the gospel. Christianity is thought of as a cult, and discussing their personal lives and belief s is not a cultural norm like it is in the States. I was really surprised to learn that not a single director, receptionist, or teacher here in the program is a Christian. The lady who is so graciously letting us stay in her house and giving us food three (very different!) times a day has been hosting girls for 14 years. She is not a Christian either.

At the end of our service on Wednesday, a group of Germans and their leader from the Dominican Republic came and shared with us about the work that they are doing. For four months they are traveling around Spain, supporting different churches in their work, brining different churches together with different projects, going out into the streets and talking to people about Jesus, etc. I can’t remember when I’ve met people so in love with Christ. Three girls in the group came with us during our “Noche de Chicas” (Girls’ Night) and we had the most amazing conversation about God’s plans for our lives and how to be a light to this city.

I can’t really explain what’s happened this week, but I do know that something’s changed. When I got here two weeks ago, I was excited about the opportunity to better my Spanish. Now, our focus has changed. We’re here to be God’s Ambassadors here in Spain. We’re here to show God’s love to as many people in Spain, even if it doesn’t mean “fitting in” with the culture. If you want to pray for us, please join us in asking God for opportunities to talk to Amparo and José (the couple who host us), as well as our teachers, and the other people who we come into contact to.

Thanks for your prayers.

May God be lifted high here in Spain!