John & Jan Lohrenz

International Campaign for Better Relations , Part 4

2009-08-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

On several evenings we presented different movies, projected on a large white wall of one of the municipal buildings. The first movie was "Luther," followed by "The End of the Spaear," and topped by the "Jesus" film. The night of the Jesus film, all 100 seats were filled with visitors. At the end of each showing we had a short testimony of God's changes in the life of one of the team members.

We were also able to put together a basketball tournament in which 45 young people participated. This gave us an opportunity to reach out to the teenage and young adult strata of Baeza. We'll have more opportunities to talk when we give them each a photo of their team.

The city of Baeza cooperated with us at the highest levels - from the mayor to the councilperson in charge of Social Affairs, to her executive secretary, and even the environmental impact department. Because of their support, we were able to carry out all of our activities with complete liberty and help with logistics. They even offered us free-of-chrage the municipal guest facilities for the team to stay in. In a public ceremony, the mayhor presented a plaque to the Decision Team and the Ubeda church for their efforts in the campaign!

By the way, we made the newspaper for a third article!

And thanks to the municipal offices, we were able to celebrate a service of thanksgiving to God in a local auditorium - the ruins of the San Francisco chapel. This was our first church service n Baeza!

We're following up this activity, and the campaign, through a weekly Bible study in our apartment. It's actually called a "Dialogue Group," in which the attendees feel free to expres their own ideas and doubts, and find answers to their questions in the Bible. We held the first study on Friday, July 24th, with two attendees. We hope in the future to gather enough followers of Jesus to celebrate a weekly service here in Baeza.

International Campaign for Better Relations , Part 3

2009-08-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

We also celebrated a Bible school under the name of "Bible Festival." Several Christian moral values were stressed, and the stories all taught the love of God through Jesus.

Every day for a whole week children came following the clowns, and participating in activities such as: puppets, music, Bible classes, handicrafts, photos with the clowns, and, of course, a snack table. The photos taken with the clowns provided an opportunity for team members to visit the homes of the children, to give them the photos, and talk with their parents. Several older folks arrived every day at the classes - without any children! They came to sit, observe, and talk. That provided us with a group of people we could talk to about Jesus!

By the way, the "Festival" will continue on into the fall as a Saturday afternoon activity, produced and presented by the Ubeda church youth group.

We were able to bring a Christian flamenco group called "Enkalma" to present a concert. As a further drawing card, we asked the local Multiple Sclerosis Association to charge an entry fee of E2.00, for their own benefit. The group presented a clear message of God's love through Jesus.

And, we made the newspaper again!

International Campaign for Better Relations, part 1

2009-08-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Young people gathered from all over Spain, the USA and even South Korea under the name of “Decision, Spain,” to celebrate a campaign to present Jesus Christ through activities of community interest. In total, there were 55 young people, among them 20 members of the church in Ubeda.

The team members were divided into small groups to allow for Bible study and prayer each day. Leaders were chosen among the young people, encouraging them to develop skills in leading groups. We used a series of booklets on discipleship from Navigators.

Our first activity was a blood-drive. Through personally delivered printed flyers and the example of the team members, several citizens of Baeza were motivated to donate blood. Approximately 50 people showed up, of which 37 were able to give 435 ml each. This represents the largest-ever response to a blood-drive in Baeza! We even made the local newspaper!

All the activities had the goal of investing in the community, providing a needed service, and reaching out to them with god's love and Jesus' gift of salvation. at each event the team members were encouraged to mingle and talk with the participants, observers, and bystanders.

International Campaign for Better Relations, part 2

2009-08-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

We used a questionnaire to engage the attendees at the different events. One questionnaire related to the Bible, and the other to a christian TV show. These encounters often led to an opportunity to share the gospel. 28 people expressed a desire to continue talking about God; and of those, 7 expressed a desire to accept Jesus as their savior.

Dustin Kelm, world champion unicyclist, brought his collection of unicycles to give us an exhibition of daring-do. Among his cycles were a simple wheel, and cycles of 3-foot, 4 1/2-foot and 10-foot heights. His combination of short testimony with different acts kept the crowd alert, and we were able to share the gospel with many people.

2008-07-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

We made reservations weeks ahead to take Ben to the Alhambra in Granada, the last palace of the North Africans and the first palace of the Spanish kingdom. Completed towards the end of Muslim rule in Spain by Yusuf I (1333-1353) and Muhammed V, Sultan of Granada (1353-1391), the Alhambra is a reflection of the culture of the last days of the Nasrid Kingdom. It is a place where artists and intellectuals had taken refuge as Christian Spain won victories over Al Andalus. The Alhambra mixes natural elements with man-made ones, and is a testament the skill of Muslim craftsmen of that time.

Again, as we've seen before, the Arabic architecture was astonishingly light and airy! I caught myself thinking several times, "I wonder where they studied engineering?"

We were amazed by the intricate wall carvings and the beautiful tiles, typical of Islamic architecture. Although their religion bans them from making "images," their walls are highly decorated with inscriptions from the Koran, as well as geometric patterns. Balance and equilibrium brought a sense of stability to the architecture.

When Ferdinand and Isabella ran the last reigning North Africans from the Alhambra, they did very little in the way of remodeling. Thank goodness! the whole place is a wonder and a beauty to behold.

Rows of arches, repetitive shapes, matching elements, and other features make the Alhambra a jewel of a place!

Within the Alhambra is the Palace of Charles V, built in 1527.

The monarch certainly enjoyed their privacy and the beauty of these gardens! everything was enchanting.

One can easily spend all day enjoying the beautiful architecture and the many gardens. John and Ben had a hard time dragging Jan away from the flowers – there was every shade of pansy imaginable

Come and see us and we’ll make sure to reserve a day at the Alhambra – bring your walking shoes!

2008-07-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

Cazorla is a small town up in the hills east/southeast of Ubeda, in the middle of a national park. We went up there with friends John and Pam, from JBU days. The castle in the background guarded a border crossing in the old days, but became outdated after the conquest. they've turned it into a great museum, and you can climb all the way to the top (inside, of course)! The town boasts winding, narrow streets, and if you don't know exactly where you're going, and how to get there, I'd suggest parking the car and walking! which we did!

Surrounded by mountains, and fairly high up, Cazorla gets a lot of winter snow. the "snow chain" sign was still up on the highway, although it wasn't too cool out. we need to come back in the fall, and see the trees turning colors.

You can still see evidence of the Arabic architecture in the town, with light-weight arches and columns set against the heavy European stone construction.

Took a trip in the countryside, up in a Cazorla national park near here. We ate lunch by the roadside – baguettes with ham and cheese, chips ahoy, carrots, etc. The view from the lunch shelter was a beaut! You can hardly see it from the photo below, but there’s a quaint little town down in the valley below. Back to the right of this shot are the head-waters of the Guadalquivir River that finally winds its way down to the southwestern coast - the principle river of Andalucia. Crystal clear and VERY cold water. We went back later on with a church group from Ubeda, and did a lot of rock jumping, reminded me of the "good old days" back at school. Somehow Ben's glasses got lost, so he'll have to get a new pair in the US.

This was such a beautiful sight - looking down on soaring eagles and up at sailing vultures. clean air, fresh breezes, clear skies and deep valleys. We wandered all over on graveled country roads looking for a waterfall. never did find it, but we had a great time.

Ben climbed down a little ways form the lunch shelter – and if you can see him there, perched on the rock, you know how far it was! He went down there looking for the rusted out carcass of some vehicle that left the road at one time, and never made it back up. Of course, Ben made it back, it just took a long time to climb back up!

We took a trip to the royal palace, and did the tour thing. They said there were around 2800 rooms, of which we only saw about 28. That was enough! Tired feet and weary bodies demanded a rest! The palace was really beautiful, with lovely statues, decorations, wallpaper and even the molding around the ceiling. It must cost a fortune to keep up, and those poor house-girls who have to do all that sweeping and mopping! Seriously, myriads of tourists kept pouring in and out of the place. Maybe it IS a going concern after all!

Even though we all wore jackets, I got a pretty good sunburn. We rode a “topless” double-decker bus all over town, stopping off whenever we wanted to see something; museums, statues, plazas, and even a “Friday’s” restaurant! Ben found stuff on the menu that he loved to eat in Guatemala, but didn’t show up on the US menus in Dallas.

These "living" statues in Madrid provided a lot of fun. drop a nickel in their basket, and watch them move!

2008-07-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

We took Ben to Cordoba to see a former mosque turned into a cathedral for Ferdinand and Isabel, kings of

Spain

in the late 1400’s. The light airy Arabic architecture had been slightly hidden been the overpowering northern European heavy stone style, where modifications had been made. However, several niches were left unoccupied, no doubt waiting for worthy (rich, famous, handsome, and enchanting) individuals?????

The Arabs used light, well-chosen materials, and several tricks to give a light feel to this very big mosque: slightly bulging columns, stylish capitals, pointy arches, repetitive, well-spaced members, stripes and colors among other things. High ceilings and well-placed sky-lights added to produce a great effect.

The changes made by the Spanish conquerors produce an almost heavy effect to the building, filling in arches, large massive monuments to by-gone heroes, and burial crypts for all the rich and famous. Still, it was easy to imagine thousands of devout Muslims standing, bowing and kneeling as they chanted their “sala” five times a day.

The adjacent “kings gardens” were absolutely beautiful, and very tranquil. We just sat and watched for quite a while.

Spaced out in the garden were different statues, well-groomed trees and bushes, as well as other attractions. My favorite was Columbus with Ferdinand and Isabel, seen here. It was the same F & I who finally subdued the Arabic/North African kingdom in the south of Spain the same year that Columbus sailed to the new world.

2008-07-01T05:03:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the state capital of Jaen, about an hour from here. They had a marvelous castle there, and we able to look out over the great countryside! We were even able to recognize the great smoke stacks from the olive processing factories outside of Baeza. The castle has a great history of occupation, from the Moors, the French, and the Spanish. We met fellow-CAMers the Saxes there, and had a great picnic in the woods. The hill was real steep, and there was something dizzying about the whole thing. Turns out the trees grew perpendicular to the ground, not vertically like most trees. So, as we walked along, everything was “cattywompussed!” reminded me of the “spirit beings” in the C.S. Lewis science fiction books, that were never quite vertical with our world because they were oriented with a different other-worldly axis.

The town of Jaen down below had a fairy tale cathedral. Looks like a post card, but it’s the real thing! We wound our way down the twisty roads and streets of town, and stopped for a coke in the shadow of the great building. Warm day, cool coke! Great combination!

Had to take a shot of Jan for the record. Looks as good as ever. Right? I think life in Spain agrees with us.

Ben has been visiting for a few months, and enjoyed being a tourist in Spain.

2008-06-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

A team from Dallas and Mexico visited during Easter week. A couple of artists from Mexico did some evangelism in the park. Using their painting talents, they attracted lots of kids. Several kids knew the Bible stories, and they all got to take home some comic books with stories in them. The adults showed some curiosity over the art works, but remained cold to any discussion or presentation of a religious nature.

We took a short trip to GUADIX during Easter week. Apparently, when the Spanish re-conquered the area, they allowed the Moors to stay, but they preferred to move out of town into the nearby hills. There, they carved out houses in the hillside (caves), and put “house facades” on the fronts. So, they lived underground with beautifully finished facades.

People still live there. no need for heat in winter or air conditioning in the summer. It sure is strange to see smoke stacks poking out of hill-tops!

We’re always amazed at how religious people seem to get around Easter! And Baeza’s no different! There were processions all week long, at all different hours. Some even involved little children at 10:30 or 11:00 at night. The “floats” are fairly heavy, as noted by the number of people carrying them. I guess that’s not the only heavy load they’re carrying!

Different floats were carried by different groups and cofradias. Even the civil guard got in the act, and carried a float!

There were several bands that accompanied the processions, even some little kids got in the act. There was some similarity with holy week in Guatemala, but some distinct activities, too. We didn’t see any of the floral carpets, but they tell us that’ll happen on Corpus Cristi – next week.

2008-06-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

We always love to visit our good friends in Decatur, Alabama, where the First Bible church is. While in the

during March, I had a chance to attend FBC’s missions conference. Along with that great experience I got to spend a couple days with Jim and Lynne Burleson and do a little “work.” They’re re-modeling their log house, and agreed to an extra hand in putting up the last of the logs for the roof, and a few of the columns. The first day we worked in the drizzle all day, and the second under a snowflake-filled sky. Sure was cold! But it was great to be back in the construction business. And having that handy “heavy-log-lifter” was a boon, too!

I (John) spent a few days in Dallas, helping with some family matters, and would you believe it snowed! That’s the first snow we’ve seen for almost 20 years. Didn’t last long, and I was glad to let it go! Our three boys are living there with my sister Barbara, and really enjoying it. Tim and Ben are still in college, and Andy is working in the film industry, traveling in the Dallas area. At present, you can look for his name under the “gaffer” in the credits. He’s hoping to do some actual shooting, and maybe work into direction some day. Tim has a couple of semesters left, having transferred from John Brown to the UTD. Ben just spent three months with us here in Spain, and will be returning to Dallas in early June. He’ll be working at a local Christian camp during the summer, and probably pursue studies in journalism in the fall.

There’s always a warm welcome at FBC, and I had a great opportunity to give a report about what’s happening here, and just renew good friendships in general. Time in a Sunday school class allowed us to challenge folks’ thinking again, and get us out of our comfortable ruts.

The music at the conference was outstanding, as usual. I came home recharged, and challenged again. We’d like to see some young folks from that church do an internship here, when we get all settled in.

2008-01-31T06:43:00.000-08:00

We talked to someone recently who had visited Spain in the past. Their impression of Spanish food was summed up in four things: bread, tomatoes, ham and olive oil. Although that’s not all they eat, it was certainly an interesting observation. There’s always a big rack of hams at the grocery store. There are also shelves and shelves of olive oil. One of the favorite ways to use tomatoes is to peel them, grate them, and spread the “sauce” on toasted “French” bread covered in oil. And bread – well, when we walk into the bakery, the girl there almost automatically reaches for a “bar” of bread. And everyone heads for the bakery right before lunch every day. There are, of course, all kinds of other foods, but if you don’t like one of the above-mentioned ones, you might have a hard time when you visit.

Olive harvest is almost over. John went out one Saturday to help a friend “harvest” black – ripe - olives. (And did you know that green olives are really black olives that haven’t ripened yet? And that the little red thing inside isn’t really part of the olive? You can buy olives with anchovies, pimento, cheese or even jalapeño in them – yum!) anyway, big canvas-like nets are spread under the trees, and then the workers either beat the tree with light rods, or use some kind of vibrator to shake the olives loose. After about 15 trees, the olives are all scooped into a light utility trailer (if you aren’t a big-time producer) and taken off to the “Co-op” where they are cleaned, washed, weighed, analyzed for oil content, and processed right then. The farmer then gets credit for so many pounds (kilos) of oil. After a whole day of beating olives, the neck and shoulders can sure hurt!

Over Thanksgiving we went to an “English camp,” put on by a different mission. The greatest part was the one-on-one conversation time. John learned all about the political structure of Spain (not ALL ABOUT, just enough to understand the elections coming up this March, 2008)

Jan had a chance to learn about all the great vacation spots in and around Spain. (not ALL, just enough to wish we were going somewhere!) We hope to offer some kind of English camp like this in Baeza in the future.

Over Christmas we had a visitor – a future colleague! Krista spent about two weeks with us, got to know the church folks, and got a better idea what to expect. She’ll be back in the summer for a one-year internship. As it turns out, she’s also going to have a companion here for the whole year! We’re also expecting a short-term intern this summer. Jan and Krista posed in front of our favorite sidewalk café where we’ve spent many a summer evening watching the town go by. We see the hosting of interns as a key ministry – whether from North America, or Central America. Christmas dinner lasted two days (we prepared two different dinners for two consecutive days), and had people from Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Spain, and the USA, of course. Good thing we found two small turkeys!

We’re also beginning to branch out a bit, as time permits. We visited Tomelloso one Sunday to help in a church, with Angel and
Raquel, missionaries from Mexico and Spain who met at the Rio Grande Bible Institute. Issac and Lidia are also missionaries who will be moving to a town about 10 miles from Ubeda (Sabiote). We hope to be an encouragement for them, too. Our friends who commented on the dietary practices also commented on the spiritual conditions they found. Their observation? This is a very Godless country. By the way, who has a higher per cent of believers – Japan, Thailand or Spain?

Thank you, Krista, for the photos!

2007-11-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

As the olive season approaches harvest, we’re seeing new activities: as the olives turn black, the farmers are spraying their orchards with some kind of insecticide. The big fan-thing blows away the fine mist coming out of the tubes around the perimeter of the fan. They tell us that harvest should start around mid-December here. It’s interesting to see big tractors circulating about town, bouncing over speed bumps, and pulling up in front of the pedestrian crosswalks.

If it doesn’t rain these days, harvest will be on time. The tractors have a big set of jaws on the front, that grabs the tree and shakes it. Everything falls off onto a sheet under the tree, and that’s it. Doesn’t sound all that romantic: you know, Mediterranean, olive groves, harvest festivals, etc. oh well…

I’ve got a few photos of the September campaign. We were waiting for someone to send us a CD of photos he took, but it didn’t happen. We took advantage of market day to set up on a street corner with a sound system and a board with an interesting presentation of the gospel. Unfortunately, the police ran us off before we could get to the end of the presentation – left a lot of people lost! Turns out, we were wrong to use the sound system, but DID have the right to preach on the corner. I imagine the officer’s mother-in-law or mom called him up on the phone, and said to “Git down here, and get rid of these heretics!”

I had a chance to preach in the park – felt a little like Paul in Athens, except the Greeks here made no comments – not sure if they were even listening! But three of us talked a little bit each. I’ll confess, I didn’t feel all that comfortable standing out there, and talking to the wind. I wonder what guys like Jeremiah and Isaiah thought when they were out there preaching, and their countrymen didn’t pay any attention.

We handed out about 4000 pieces of literature – booklets, tracts, Bible portions, video tapes, and even bibles in some cases. Every single thing got a sticker that gave our phone number and names, in case of questions. Everyone joined in the work of sticking them in.

One thing that really drew crowds was the “evangelistic bike.” Felisa, a lady from church, was a fearless bike rider, stopping to talk to crowds, offering them the gospel in plain language. Lots of kids were drawn by the bike, and wanted a try. The answer? Turn in your cell phone, and you can take a spin around the park! A lot got a ride, everyone got his phone back, and we had quite a bit of exposure.

We had a church outing before the weather turned cold, and went to a national park for a day of fun. Climbing rocky crags and mountains took me back to the “good old days” in Nigeria as a kid! We will definitely have to do that again!!! We played games (John and Jan being the official game preparers), shared lunch, and sat around and told stories for hours. Got home about 10:30 at night – as usual!

Just yesterday we had a visit from a church in Milwaukee, looking for opportunities to partner with a local church. We shared the church’s vision for ministry and expansion, ate good food, and walked around Baeza, to give them a feel for the town. For a Euro, we got to climb the bell tower of the cathedral. Sorry –no bells – no bats, either - just lots of pigeon poop! We had a great panoramic view of town and the surrounding countryside. They headed off to the Czech Republic to check out a work there, before flying on home to the USA.

I'll add a shot of our church in Ubeda. The church (the people part) is about 100 years old - although the building itself was bought in 1963 0r so. We'd like to expand into a newer attractive facility that would give us room both in the sanctuary and classrooms for Sunday school, etc.

Next issue should have a photo of my driver’s license. I take my written test the 8^th of November, then the driving part. I can’t believe I’ve been driving for thirty years, and am finally taking drivers education. No comments, please!

August 2007 long week!

2007-09-03T10:21:00.001-07:00

We attended our first CAM missionary conference in Barcelona last week. Of the 32 attendees, a little over half were CAMers from Spain. We invited some Latin missionaries who were by themselves, some CAMers from Albania, and some other expatriate missionaries who were by themselves, too. With Jan are Miriam Ramirez from Santander, and Karen Jaworski from Toledo (Spain, of course!) Check out the Mediterranean in the background.

As the newcomers to this field, we were drafted to plan some games (call them activities, they’ll be more acceptable). We played reindeer cootie with a bull instead of a reindeer – and don’t even ask! One team kept losing on purpose so they wouldn’t have to move, until we discovered they were sitting right under the air conditioner! Barcelona weather was a little overpowering at times – humidity and higher temperatures than here in Andalusia. We also played a take-off on what’s my line. We learned a lot of well-kept secrets about our colleagues! Blackmail anyone?

Bill Lawrence came from Dallas to work with us during the conference, and we were really challenged in our Christian lives and walk. Even after being here for just a few months, we enjoyed hearing a sermon in English again. Speaking of English, we went into downtown Barcelona to look for an English-speaking bookstore. Well, we found it, but the cheapest thin paperback was about $10.00! We’re going to have to get something in motion to keep us in books. We planned on taking the train to Barcelona – a nine-hour ride – but when we went to buy our tickets, they were all out! Apparently, everyone in Spain goes on vacation in August, and everyone returns home the last week of the month. Well, the road was pretty long going, so we decided to change routes going home – it was longer still! But we sure saw some pretty country: rolling hills, orange orchards by the mile, wheat fields from horizon to horizon, more rolling hills, grapevines loaded with grapes, pine-tree forests, winding river beds and canyon, lots and lots of traffic – tractors pulling trailer loads of grapes home from the vineyards, and finally the olive groves of home. We pulled in about 10:30 or so Friday night.

We had lunch Sunday with a lady from church, and heard a lot of the history of the area. The church itself has grown and shrunk over the years, depending on who was persecuting them at the time, and how the local economy and agricultural fortunes were doing. We are about 50 right now. Things are a lot simpler here in the church. Very few people attend who aren’t serious about their faith. As little as 20 years ago believers were being persecuted right here in Ubeda! Prayer meeting on Thursday evenings is well attended, and we have a special prayer meeting at our place the second and last Tuesday of the month, to pray for Baeza specifically. Lucia plays the guitar for our services, and different members take turns leading the service. Communion is celebrated every Sunday, and the preaching is rotated between the two elders, a couple others, and myself. Imagine my surprise when I found that neck ties and suit coats were persona non grata here! Sounded fine with me.

A couple weeks ago we went for a Sunday afternoon ride in the country, a picnic, and a long afternoon out. We took a picnic and went with a family from church – Jose and Encarne, with daughters Eunice and María José. When they talk picnic, they really talk food! We had shrimp, a “pressed meat/ham” thingy, chicken salad, bread, watermelon, other fruit, and a lot of other stuff. We were stuffed by the end of the day!

The ride up into the hills reminded us of Guatemala – pine trees, winding roads, hairpins: just take a look.

We also went by a dam and hydro-electric plant built in the 1940’s, on the Guadalquivir river – a large drainage basin in southern Spain. Lack of water in the last few years has left a lower water level. If you want to find it on Google earth, look for “El Tranco.” Up on the highway there’s a town called Villanueva del Arzobispo. They told me there are three untruths in that name: No villa, nothing new, and there never was an archbishop in these parts. I guess it was a real estate scam to get settlers in here. Lots of strange names around, giving witness to the different ethnic groups that have controlled southern Spain over the years. The Arabic impact is seen in the music, architecture, language, and agriculture.

Here in Baeza there’s a heritage of long history. We saw a building with a stone in it that said, “1412, site of old municipal butcher shop.” There are a lot of old buildings, including several cathedrals. We were also shown where the grand inquisitor used to stand on his balcony and watch the “heretics” walk off to the stakes to burn. Makes you stop and think, doesn’t it?

Saturday afternoon there was an interesting parade. We really couldn’t figure it out until we asked one of the many observers. They told us it was a “romería.” Turns out, that’s a Roman Catholic tradition – hence the name “romería.” In this case, they were returning the statue of the local “virgin” to its normal resting place until next year’s fair.

There was a lot of dancing and drinking – not all of it alcoholic, but it sure looked like the folks were have a merry time! I imagine there were blessings for those who participated.

Everyone got dressed up, from little kids to adults. And when the different “wagons” slowed down to wait for traffic, everyone would get down and begin the typical dance of this region.

The parade took hours to pass, we finally got tired and went on home
We have a couple of routes we take for our evening walks. One goes north and west around the edge of town – out into the olive groves. Beautiful sunsets out that way! And we can see the olive trees beginning to show their loads of olives. Apparently December is harvest month.
The other route is the eastern and southern edge of town. We end up going home through the central park, and often stop for a coke or a lemonade icee, sit, and watch the folks go by. I guess it’ll be getting too cool soon to do that, so we’d better take advantage while we can!
You'll have to take the olives on faith - small picture, smaller chance of seeing them.

2007-08-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

This week the town fair started in Baeza. Main street turned into the fair grounds, and everyone is out promenading all night long. Since our apartment is only one block off main street, we celebrated the fair all night long. The last stragglers to give up are the young people who stay out all night drinking, and head home around 7:00 a.m. We went to see the horse and buggy exhibition this last week. Everyone seems to be going somewhere - some in style and some not. Sure was interesting to see a bit of history replayed before our eyes.

You can tell our apartment s not all that big. After the house in San Cristobal, it is taking some getting used to. Jan says, "At least I don't get tired wandering all over the kitchen!" Hold your breath, dear, and suck it in, I need to pass, to get out to the balcony/laundry room! Our windows look out directly at an intersection, down which blows the wind all day long. Makes for a cooler place! We did buy a portable air conditioner - looks like R2D2 from star Wars. Turns out, we've only used it once all summer. Much cooler weather than normal. Someone said not to pack it away, things could warm up. It was down to 72 degrees this morning again.

Everywhere in the country, we see olive trees, olive trees, olive trees! That is one of Andalusia's biggest sources of income. We see a lot of four-wheel drive vehicles in the streets - olive farmers. One of the most popular is the Suzuki - just like ours! sure makes us homesick for "Suzy!"

We drove over to Jaen yesterday - state capital. There we picked up our residence cards - not a hitch! So, we're legal until June of next year, when we apply again for a one-year residence visa. Eventually, if we live long enough, we can get permanent residence!

We also got a home phone installed! 953-74-83-81. We signed up for a plan that allows us 1000 free international minutes of phone calls per month. Of course, that depends on the definition of "international, minutes, and free." We'll see what happens on our first phone bill, and then start calling around.

Till then, just check here weekly.

Back home in Baeza

2007-08-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we’re back in Baeza – after the funeral we returned the 20^th of July, and, as always, we said, “When things slow down, we’ll be able to do ….” How many times have we said that? And how many times has it not happened? So, we’re back, and not a minute too soon! A group from Evangelism in Depth is helping us with a campaign here in September (14-24), and two of the team came to check out the town. They are fairly well experienced in these activities, so as we drove all over town, they checks their maps, stopped at every park or square, took photos, and discussed which places were best for what activities. They even checked out places where young people gather at midnight with their “botellón” of wine, to drink and talk and drink.

We’ve started a prayer time in our apartment to pray specifically for the campaign – second and last Tuesday of the month. We had 11 adults and two children here for the first meeting! WOW!

We wanted to get this blog page up and running, with photos and all. SO – here the start. We’ll try to update weekly – fine plan, eh?

One of the key things about Baeza is the olive production – in every direction, all the way to the horizon are olive groves! Olives for snacks, in food, olive oil everywhere and in everything! It’s a good thing we like it! We take long walks during the week for exercise, and along the edge of town we get to see the tree up close. A lot are old and gnarly – maybe 500 years old , or more. Who knows?

Of course, home is where your hat is, but we are thankful the Lord gave us a great apartment. It’s not that big – 15 people really fills it up! But the location is great, the landlord is reasonable, so is the rent! And the kitchen is livable. Of course, the house in Guatemala was a foretaste of heaven, and we’ve lived in worse. The street ain’t too shabby either. We live on the 3^rd floor above ground, and from the photo below, you can see our view.

The summer sun hasn’t hit the wall directly, so we have escaped the majority of the heat so far – It’s around 90 degree all the time in the place, but fans tend to move the air around. I suppose after a cold winter, this will be very welcome!

OK, María, pass the address around!

2006-12-25T09:18:00.000-08:00