Sunday, June 16, 2013

I'm sitting on the couch in the living room of Hector and Lilli Ramirez. It is very warm out, but the fan is going and the windows are open. It is quiet, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in the house right now, unless everyone else just happens to be taking an exceptionally long nap, seeing as here it is already 7:00pm. Where is here, you might ask? Here is Madrid, Spain, where I will be spending the next six weeks working with Hector and Lilli at their children's summer arts camp. I am very excited to see what God will do in these next few weeks!

My journey to Madrid began early yesterday morning. I was especially emotional, only barely able to keep from crying at breakfast. I'm very thankful God allowed my Mom, Dad, my oldest brother Justin, and my wonderful boyfriend Scott to come with me to the airport. After I went through security and could no longer see them, there was no stopping the tears. I had been very nervous about this trip all week long because I wasn't sure what Hector looked like or how I would know it was him or even if he would be there to pick me up when I finally landed, nor was I completely sure where I would be staying, or what exactly I would be doing once I finally got here. I knew I was coming to help work at a kids youth camp, probably helping to teach the music, but that was about it. The fact that I was traveling alone only made things 1000 times worse, because I had no idea what I would do if something went wrong and I knew I would just have to figure something out for myself. At least that was my initial thought, before I remembered later that God actually was and is with me and is directing my steps even when I am very anxious.

The flight from Mobile to Charlotte was uneventful. After we landed, I walked from one end of the airport all the way to the other, grabbed a sandwich and some coffee at Starbucks, then sat down to call my dear friend Kaitlin Mosher before I headed out over the Atlantic where my phone would no longer be able to make calls. I was sitting there talking to Kaitlin when this beautiful little 1 year old girl walked up and threw her cup right under my chair! She smiled that cute never-meets-a-stranger smile, when her mom came up and apologized, picking up the cup and carrying that sweet little girl away. She definitely made me smile!

I finished up my conversation and sat for a while. And then a while more. And then Mom suggested I get snacks for the plane, so I did. And then I sat even longer. The longer I sat, the more anxious I became. "God, I just need somebody to talk to!" I thought to myself. Did you know that God provides even things as simple as that? I ended up calling mom, mostly just to let her know the flight was a little delayed, when she asked, "So, you have a moment? Cool, hold on!"

And then I heard Ronnie say hello! I was so excited to get to talk to him and Alex and hear a little bit about their CEF training which they were apart of this week. I was especially blessed when Ronnie said "All us guys are praying for you." No joke, when he said that, I felt a peace finally begin to settle over me in place of my anxiety. It was really cool. Thanks guys for praying, and thank you Ronnie for letting me know!

After what seemed like an eternity but was really only about a 30 minute delay, we were finally able to board the plane. On the plane I found myself sitting next to Juan, a guy from San Diego studying medicine. Juan was returning to Spain for a week to visit family and friends. You know how I asked God for someone to talk to? Not only was I able to talk to my mom and my brothers before boarding, but God provided someone to talk to on the way to Spain, and I was even given the opportunity to share some of my testimony. Though the flight was long, we did make it (and so did our luggage!) And that's when things got interesting...

You see, though I knew that Hector Ramirez was coming to pick me up at the Airport, I didn't know what he looked like. I expected him to be holding some sort of sign, but I was wrong, and I walked right past him without even knowing it was him when I walked out of the terminal! He didn't quite recognize me either, as he had expected me to walk out alone since I was traveling alone, but I walked out with a group of people because we all got our luggage at about the same time. Juan had actually left the airport when he turned around and came back in to give me a few euros in case I needed to use a pay phone or get a bus ticket. I tried to call Hector's number, but it didn't work. And then I was alone. At the airport. With no idea what I was doing, or what I should do, when all of the sudden I see a beautiful little girl. The same little girl who had been on the same flight to Madrid with that adorable smile. I remembered hearing her mom speak English and Spanish, so I walked up to her and very bluntly asked, "You speak English right?"

"Yes I do!" She replied.

"Ok, I am supposed to be picked up by somebody here and I can't find them and I don't know what to do and the pay phone isn't working and I don't know what to do!"

"Ok, do you have the number? Is it for here in Spain?"

"Yes!" And so she called Hector. His voice mail box was full. So she called Lilli, Hector's wife. I understood a lot of what she said, though she was speaking in Spanish. She said hello and that she was called on behalf of Lydia and that she had tried to call Hector and couldn't get a hold of him. Lilli said Hector had left for the airport an hour ago, and that she didn't know why he wasn't there. After the phone call I still didn't know what to do exactly, except wait for a while and see if Hector showed up.

And then the other lady turned and said "It's all right, He'll show up, don't worry! Did you check all of those people waiting at the gate?" I went back up and looked, but I didn't see a sign with my name on it, so I walked back over to the ladies, when suddenly this guy walks up and says, "Hello, are you Lydia?"

I replied, "Yes, yes I am!" Hurray! I was ok. I thanked the ladies for the help, and walked out of the airport with Hector. As we were driving back to his place, which is where all of the workers for this camp will be staying, Hector explained a little about Spanish culture and mindset and why missionaries are so desperately needed. as well as why they are actually very hard to find here. He describes the spirit of the people as having a hardness, a pride which causes people to stick to their guns even when they don't know whether what they are saying is true. It makes it very difficult to minister to them. This is one way you can pray for the people we will be working with hear, that God would soften their hearts and show himself to them in a way that they recognize that He is real.

When we finally arrived at the house after taking a quick detour to the school, I was greeted warmly by Lilli. Lilli danced at Belhaven many years ago. I knew she was an alumni, but what I didn't know is that she is actually Austrian. So I'm sitting at the breakfast table, listening to Hector and Lilli and their son, Danny, speak English, Spanish, and German. It was really neat! We ate palachinka, which is a very thin Austrian pancake which we spread plum jam on and rolled up and ate.

And then I took a little nap, and now we are all caught up to the present on our story. I'm very excited to see where it goes from here! Pray for our team members safety and wisdom, pray for me personally that I will listen and let God direct me. Pray for the kids and their parents, that Christ would become real to them. I love you all and thank you very much for your support! Thank you God for taking care of me and helping me get here safely and for providing help in the little things. You are awesome!

5 comments:

  1. I'm glad your travels were safe and mostly uneventful! I'm praying for you. I just read your first entry as well--the Les Mis thing sounds awesome! I hope you'll record it and post it later!

    Stay safe, have fun, and keep your focus. Sending lots of love and prayers!

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  2. I am soooo proud of you! You are an inspiration to me. I added you name to the prayer list of my Sunday School class. I will use your blog info to keep them updated on your mission. God has a plan, you're a part of it.

    Love you!

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  3. I was so glad to read this post! I knew you would be okay. I knew God was going to watch out for you. It is just so amazing to read about it all. Can't wait to hear more! When do the camps start? Praying for you baby! Love you!

    Oh yeah! You do know that when Ronnie said "us guys" he was not just talking about our family. He was telling us about how all the guys in his devotional group would pray over you every meeting. That is pretty cool!

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  4. I am so proud of you Lydia. Not so many young ladies would be spending their summer in such an unfamiliar territory to experience what God has in store for them. I am also proud of your Mom and Dad for being such faithful and devoted parents and raising you by and in God's grace and love. I am excited to hear about all your experiences!

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  5. Awesome experiences already! I'm praising God for His faithfulness in giving you someone to talk to you when you asked Him to. I look forward to reading more about your summer ministry opportunities, and of course I'll be praying.

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