From the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Guinea

Hotel Makavo Aflao, Ghana

We had been awake and traveling since 4:00am. We flew from Madrid to London and from London to Accra, Ghana. Our dear friends the Heywoods (better known as the Brits) who were our hosts in London on our previous visit meet us at Heathrow airport and brought two suitcases of witnessing materials that had been shipped from home. We had a short visit with them. It was fun to visit with friends again.

Michael
On our flight from London to Ghana, one of the flight attendants recognized us from an earlier flight. His name was Michael and I was so touched that he would remember us. Michael is from Scotland and he questioned why we were going to Ghana. I shared that we are on mission and offered a website bracelet, which he happily took. I asked if he knew Jesus. Michael’s response is one I have heard over and over throughout my life. He was raised in the church but as an adult he has gone in a different direction. I immediately got a sense that he felt condemned. I also immediately felt the love the Lord has for Michael that he doesn’t yet know.

I shudder to think about those who lead churches than run people away from God. God holds those in authority responsible for those He has entrusted to them. God so desires for each of us to know Him more intimately and He delights in sharing His love with us. He aches for Michael to accept His love for him. God aches for all of us to open our hearts to Him and everything that happens is God trying to get us to turn to Him and seek His face.

“…nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,…” Hosea 2:14

I don’t remember exactly what I said to Michael, but I tried to encourage him to be open to God again. We didn’t get to talk long because he was busy doing his work on the plane. I sat and prayed for Michael. After we left the plane, Michael twice walked past us and spoke. I was blessed by him and his genuine kindness towards us. Please pray for Michael to be touched and healed by God. Pray that he will open his heart to the awesome love of God.

Our flight arrived around 8:00pm. Within minutes of arriving I knew we would like Ghana. There is great warmth that exudes from the people here. After passing through customs, we were met by our host, Rev. Wisdom Shelter Ameku. Rev. Wisdom, Moses (a youth leader of one of the churches in the region) and Toalla (our driver) loaded up our luggage and we headed to Aflao. The drive was about 4 hours.

The boys fell asleep on the way, but I was able to learn a little about Ghana.

Our Taxi Cab Driver Ministry

Madrid, Spain
Mario, Said, Jaeson, Awan, Sergi and so many more that we never asked their name. We have learned so much from our taxi drivers.

This last one was a whole different version. We arrived via train into Madrid from Granada close to 11:00 pm. We walked to the taxi stand. You must know that often when a cab driver sees us, they make a face. Three cabs pulled to the front of the line and they just looked at each other. It was obvious no one wanted to pick up this motley crew. The guy at the far end lost and he grumbled under his breath the whole time he loaded our luggage. I wanted another cab and walked to a driver second in line to ask if he would take us. The grumbling driver suddenly decided he wanted us in his cab. So we all piled in.

He took a phone call and got into a huge screaming argument with someone on the phone. He began to pull out of the train station without ever asking where we were going. I interrupted his call and told him our first of two stops. He went in the wrong direction. He continued his argument on the phone.

It was late, I was tired. I now understand why Jesus went alone to pray so much. It was the only way He could keep His composure. When our cab driver hung up from the call, I told him in a not so kind voice to stop the car and let us out. I was not happy with his service. He immediately responded in such a rapid and loud tone that there was no way I would understand him, even if I spoke fluent Spanish. I was in the front seat and I didn’t need to look back to know the boys were ill at ease with what was happening.

I took a deep breath and asked in a calm and polite voice if he knew where he was going. Our conversation then took a different turn. He had lived in Dallas, Texas for a year. He practiced his English and I practiced my Spanish.

He started talking politics and I turned the conversation to God. He didn’t seem in a hurry to get us where we were going and my guess is it took us an extra 15-20 minutes to get there. I can’t say I was a mighty witness to him, but I do know the boys prayed a lot in the back seat. They shared that with me the next morning at breakfast. I confess I too prayed a lot.
Come to think of it, I bet Jesus prayed a lot too, even when He wasn’t alone.

“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,…” 2 Timothy 2:24 and 25

Diego: "You Have Chosen Well"

Holiday Inn Express Room 111 Madrid, Spain

You Have Chosen Well

It’s 009 here, which means it is nine minutes after midnight. I had tucked the boys in and laid down to sleep but my mind was still awake. After some time in prayer, I knew I must write what is on my heart. I got up to get the computer and Reid’s sweet voice sounded in the dark, “Mom, is it ok to ask God for supernatural things?”

“…how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11

“Absolutely!” I replied “God delights in us asking for Him to pour out His best.” I couldn’t help but wonder what was on his mind. “Oh, I was just thinking about the security guard.” Funny, so was I.

Earlier that day we had left to go pick up our visas and the hotel staff had warned us we would need a special ticket on the metro to get there. When we entered the metro there was Diego, the security guard. In Spanish I asked for help and he got a lady to show us how to save money and get the special tickets. I turned to thank him and the words suddenly poured out of my mouth. I just began sharing with him about our mission trip and our call. He shared that he was a Christian and I asked if we could pray for him. He seemed surprised and yet delighted. I asked what he wanted us to ask of God for him.

You must know we have asked this question to almost every person we have prayed over. We have had a variety of answers, but mostly people ask for health or their work or maybe for their family.

Deigo didn’t have to think, he knew exactly what he wanted. He asked that he would learn more about God. The minute I understood his request, I knew God would answer him in a mighty way.

We prayed and I could see he was touched by God. I tried to translate for him what we had all prayed and we gave him one of our website bracelets (we are out of all other witnessing materials as of this writing) and one of the 5 remaining tracts we had in Spanish. As we walked away to catch the metro, I turned back to look at Diego. He was absorbing the tract we had given him.

The trip to and from the embassy took about three hours. I could not stop praying for Diego. The minute he was out of our sight, the words, “You have chosen well” kept running through my mind. It reminded me of King Solomon in the Book of 1 Kings when God tells Solomon to ask Him for anything and He will give it to him. Solomon asked for wisdom to rule God’s people.

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 1 Kings 3:10

After picking up our visas, we stopped at a store and found a children’s version of “read the Bible in a year” (it was the only version of a Bible they had). I bought it in hopes we could give it to Diego. Harrison had prayed for Diego to read his Bible more.

When we arrived back at our metro station, there he was. He was delighted to receive the Bible. I shared with him the word I felt God had given me about him that he had “chosen well”. As we left, again I turned to see Diego absorbing what we had given him.

When I asked Reid what he was thinking about concerning Diego, he said that he felt God was going to do something in him and it would be soon. I too have felt that all day. Please pray for Diego and stand in agreement with us that God will pour out His supernatural blessings upon him.

The rest of the Story….

We are supposed to be in Ghana. Obtaining our visas (for another country, not for Ghana) have been a difficult task and this morning I learned we would not be able to get to Ghana for two more days. I was frustrated and took it to the Lord. I got on my knees and prayed because I did not have a peace about staying in Madrid. “Lord, I am ready to go to Ghana, why do we need to stay here?” Although He did not answer me directly, I felt a burden to pray in the Spirit and I did. After a bit of time, my frustration left and I submitted to staying in Madrid until Saturday. Whether He needed to prepare me more or He had something else for us to do, I did not know. I simply knew He wanted us here.

The Car Mechanic

Madrid, Spain
We left the metro after returning from picking up our visas. We had to walk several blocks back to the hotel. Hatcher led the way, with Reid and Harrison following. I was last. There was a short cut through a gas station and we took it. A car mechanic was working on something on the grounds of the station. He watched Hatcher walk by, then Reid and when Harrison got to him he started talking.

This is how it always happens. They say something thinking we speak their language and it sounds like this. “Sl%sk sldks*i dke@u kk s#k*srri ask oa ske rrr@hsi dkap!ao. Thahtiacck kskkI arrh otiw.” I am always stumped about how to respond, because I realize it is unlikely they speak our language. But I try to be polite by giving some response. Then they think I didn’t hear them so they say it louder and longer. “IRKA FO AKD AREIE OA FFIS EMEKQIPA. FMAOEQEI AMD KRKW, WOR YAJ ME. Skid theial slsekaoe. Twaowk naks ay eiaqq; oieap tn ksl .sneedi thasn akeapifwl wkwtk a ktao bkame aowk thankq."

He kept pointing to Harrison and Harrison reached in his pocket to hand him what was in it. It was obvious he was talking about something Harrison had. Then I realized, he was asking for one of our bracelets. I almost laughed. We have been pushing people to take our bracelets and here God had brought someone to ask us for one. Harrison and I both offered our arms for him to choose which one he wanted. He took six of them.

We gave him a Spanish tract. He was very excited. I had difficulty communicating with him, but we tried.

Pray for our delightful friend, that God will fulfill his every want and need at least 6 fold.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

The Young Girls

Granada, Spain
We packed and packed and every time I turned around there seemed to be another website bracelet sitting there. I am in the habit of just putting it on if I find one on the floor or table. They seemed to be multiplying that morning and I remember thinking I would be wearing 30 bracelets all day because I’d never give all these out.

Part of our daily routine is replenishing our witnessing supplies. Right now that entails everybody making sure they have several bracelets on and that someone has tracts in Spanish and English.

We headed down the street pulling behind us our suitcases. It was a fairly long walk to where the taxis were, but it was all downhill. We walked past a group of young girls and their teacher. Not an uncommon site in Granada. Suddenly I knew in my spirit they were why the bracelets had multiplied. I literally had to turn around and chase them down a bit. Again in my broken English I started offering free bracelets. The girls clamored around me and gleefully took the bracelets. They practiced their English on me and eyed the boys.


I then started handing out the tracts and telling them about Jesus. The teacher arrived. I could sense her uneasiness. I again started explaining who we were and that we simply offered a free gift. I asked if we could pray for them. The girls were eager for us to pray. I lifted my hands and prayed mightily for these girls. I asked God to raise them up and make them mighty women of God, that He would show them His love and pour out His Holy Spirit upon them.


Unfortunately, we did not get to take a photo of this delightful group. Please pray for God to touch their hearts.

Flamenco de Granada!

History of Flamenco

Flamenco, now an international sensation, ironically hails from Spain's historically marginal cultures. Both the music and the dance are the results of centuries of absorbing, combining, melding and finally tweaking the elements of native Andalucían, Islamic, Sephardic, and gypsy cultures. It's also widely believed, due to the strong presence of the slave trade on the Iberian peninsula, that sub-Saharan African cultures also play heavily into flamenco.

During its early years, flamenco existed as an isolated but thriving subculture, flying well below Spain's cultural radar. In Granada, for example, flamenco was developed and performed in the gypsy caves of Sacromonte- in fact, you can still head there for flamenco shows! While there aren't concrete dates about flamenco's development until the 18th century, the mysterious music and dance began to show up in literature as far back as the 16th century.

Little by little, flamenco began to emerge as the sensational phenomenon it is. Special bars called "cafés cantantes" (singing bars) featuring flamenco singers and guitarists brought flamenco out of the caves and into the public realm. It was, however, when flamenco dancers entered the scene that the art really started to spark international attraction. Nowadays, in a strange turn of events, flamenco- created and perfected by Spain's persecuted population- is widely believed to be a quintessential part of genuine Spanish culture.

Flamenco Music

While many are drawn more to flamenco's dancing element than to its music, it was the latter that first developed. The core of flamenco is the singer, or "cantaor," who belts out a heart-wrenching song of lament and strife- so passionate, at times, that his face appears to twist in pain. The next element to make an appearance was the accompanying guitar. Watching the skillful, agile hands of a flamenco guitarist, or "tocaor," is quite the experience as he strums and plucks the 6-stringed instrument with his fingers and simultaneously taps on the wooden base to provide percussion. These two figures, the "cantaor" and the "tocaor," constantly work off each other in this stunning musical display. Finally, you're likely to see a group of people sitting beside the "tocaor." Known as "el jaleo," it consists of several people who clap their hands, stomp their feet, snap their fingers, and shout out to the dancer or to the guitarist.

Flamenco also manifests itself in other ways. During Granada's Corpus Christi and Cruces de Mayo festivals you're likely to hear "sevillanas" as well as see the accompanying sevillana dancing. Sevillanas are four-part songs and dances with a happy and festive tone that Andalucíans use to show their enthusiasm during happy times.

During another festival, Semana Santa (Holy Week), you may be lucky enough to hear a saeta. Serving as a sung prayer, a figure may appear on a balcony and belt out a soulful ode.

Flamenco Dance

The third, and certainly most visually stimulated, part of flamenco is of course the whirl of color and passion that is flamenco dancing. Interestingly enough, there is no single flamenco dance- there are over 50 "palos" (types), each of which has variations due to the individual dancer's personal style.

The role of the flamenco dancer is essentially to interpret the words of the "cantaor" with graceful arm movements that dramatically contrast the reverberating steps as they drill their heels into the floorboards. In all elements of flamenco there is a great deal of personal improvisation- flamenco dance, for example, is meant to be the spontaneous expression of the dancer at each given moment of the song. However, his or her performance must adhere to the music's traditions and rhythmic patterns.

Some performances feature both a man and a woman in a duet, which often proves to be the most vivid flamenco performance of the night. With their eyes firmly locked upon each other, thedancers build off and push each other towards what becomes a competition of intensity and passion. (This article was posted by a Geary family friend.)

Alone

Granada, Spain
This journey has been one of many new experiences. One new experience that I had not counted on is the experience of being alone. Of course the boys are with me all the time, but I am truly alone as the only adult. I must make all the decisions. I carry all the responsibility. I am the only one concerned about our safety or who considers our budget as we make purchases. It is up to me alone to think of all the things which need to be done each day. At night after the boys go to sleep, it is me with my thoughts of the day and doubts about tomorrow. There is no phone ringing and no one I can call. This past month I have had little access to internet so even the communication there has been delayed.

The reality is I am never alone.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God has been very clear to me about that. I have spent an enormous amount of time in prayer. Prior to beginning the mission trip, I thought I spent a lot of time in prayer when I prayed about 1 -2 hours per day.

The past three weeks, I’ve had nothing to read (I’ve read all the books I have and have not been able to find anything in English to buy.), no TV to watch, no one to talk to (when the boys are asleep or involved in something), and no work….so I sit with the Lord. I have shared to a new depth with Him and He has shared to a new depth with me. I have discussed every aspect of each day with Him. He has shown me new mysteries about Him and I understand more about His mercy and His ways (that just means I see more clearly how His ways are higher than ours and I have begun to understand how I will never really understand His plans…..they are too high for me).

He has taken me to a new understanding of how He speaks to me and I am amazed at how much more He speaks to me than I had realized before. I am beginning to see the importance of lifting others in prayer during the day when they come to mind and how often that is God showing me something about them that needs prayer. This is true for strangers I pass on the street. He will sometimes speak to me about how to pray for a person I pass. Many mornings I awake with a person on my mind and know God is calling me to pray for them. These are not necessarily people I am close to or those who I keep in contact with…they are people who are on God’s heart and He shares that with me. Regularly, I awake and lie in bed for an hour or more praying as He leads.

There are nights when I barely sleep, instead there is an ongoing conversation between the Lord and myself. Sometimes these conversations are started by me and other nights they are started by Him.

He is opening my eyes more about the gifts He has given to my children. They have begun walking in their spiritual gifts and He is showing me how to encourage and teach them in that walk.

He also has been showing me where I lack. These are not easy lessons and they are often difficult to accept. We have had many good old heart to heart discussions and I love His gentle way of teaching. And if I get frustrated and want to give up or get angry, He will show me His wonderful sense of humor and will often make me laugh.

I am learning to enjoy this time “alone”, it is a unique experience. An experience that I don’t think I could put a value on. One bonus I didn’t really expect to have on this trip.
“…and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

The gift of a Coke

When is the last time a total stranger out of the blue offered to buy you a coke? When have you been visiting another city, realized you were a couple bucks short for a purchase and the store clerk said simply, “bring it next time”? Have you ever gone to a government building to find it closed only to have the cleaning lady let you in to see if you could get help?
These are all small blessings and we seem to be receiving them in abundance during this trip. Not only have we been blessed, but these small acts seem to touch my heart in a deeper way than they normally would.

For the person on the giving side, these small acts of kindness are not necessarily a sacrifice on their part. In fact, I would guess that within the hour the act has been forgotten by them. But for me, it goes deeper. I feel called to bless them and pray for them and ask God to repay their kindness ten or one hundred fold. In fact, I sometimes pray for them for days or weeks.

It seems as though God has put us on the heart of the giver so that He can then put the giver on our hearts. The children seem to notice it too. Regularly one will simply bring up a person in prayer that has blessed us from a week or two ago.

It makes me wonder if the reverse has been true in my life. There have been times when I have suddenly felt a need to do an act of kindness to a total stranger, for no apparent reason. Right now, I can’t recall one person or event, but I wonder if the receiver is touched in a way that I was not. Did God then put me on their heart to pray for?
It is more blessed to give than receive.
I am beginning to understand that God has a way of putting His hand on one of us so we think we are helping another….but truly He is helping the one He touches and the one who is touched by the one He touches..

Learning Respect

Calle Gloria
Granada, Spain

The majority of people in Spain are Catholic.[1]. As we have walked around the city we have only seen Catholic churches. I kept meaning to ask at the school if there was a protestant church we could attend, but forgot. So this morning I decided we would worship with the Catholics. The boys have never attended a Catholic Mass before.
I have a vivid memory of being in Switzerland with my mom and brother, Ben many years ago. We attended a Catholic Mass there. Not knowing any better, I went up to take communion. I remember the Priest giving me a funny look and I wondered why. So I forewarned the boys not to take communion.
We entered the cathedral about 10 minutes before the service was to start. At first I thought I had misread the time. There were only five other people in the whole sanctuary. I was thinking we would leave and go look for another service and then the organist started playing. I was happy to be in the house of the Lord and sat quietly to open my heart to Him.
There was no singing and the entire service was in Spanish (as we expected). At the height of the service there were less than 20 attendees, including us. During the entire mass there were probably double that number of people who walked in to view the cathedral and then walked out, not pausing long enough to take in any of the service. These people talked to each other as they walked around and numerous times the door was slammed behind them. Towards the end of the service a large family entered and was extremely noisy. So noisy that the Priest actually stopped the service and reprimanded them.
Needless to say, my heart was breaking. I sat and tried to absorb what was happening. Did they not see that people were there to worship? Did they care that there was a worship service going on? Do they hold such little regard for God’s house, worship or God as to act this way?
When we left the service the boys could not contain their surprise. The discussion was not about the different ways Catholics worship, as I expected. The whole discussion was about the behavior we had witnessed. They understood that this was not because it was a Catholic Church and that all Catholic Services are not this way. They immediately recognized it was a lack of training. They felt that all the people who were disruptive had not been trained to respect or honor the church, God or those who worshipped Him. There was much concern about the consequences these people would face as a result of their lack of honoring a worship service.
God’s word is clear….
“…For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:5 & 6
“Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.” Deuteronomy 8:19
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy.” Exodus 20:8
“The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.” Proverbs 15:33
Again God is reminding me of the importance of honor. Honoring the house of God, honoring a worship service, honoring a denomination that has evangelized a large part of the world to Christianity…honoring my God by honoring what He holds dear.
[1] Google reports 77% to 81% in Spain say they’re Catholic, although most admit that they do not attend church regularly.

Our Spanish Classes

Escuela Delengua
Granada, Spain

We have just completed our first week of Spanish lessons. Almudena is my teacher and Juan teaches the boys. In my class, I have Misuki from Japan, Jules from England and Ottr from Norway. The class is totally in Spanish. It has been such a treat to spend time learning with these folks. They are fun, interesting and our discussions have been lively. The more Spanish I learn, the more I realize how little I know. I can’t help but laugh at how my head and tongue don’t seem to want to work together in spitting out the words and at the end of class each day I am exhausted in a mental and tongue twisted way.

The boys have been witnessing to Juan. I am amazed at their boldness to speak to him. This morning Hatcher dug through the few witnessing items we have left to find a specific tract to give to Juan. He had already given him one the day before but wanted a different one today. This afternoon they told me that Juan had asked, “How can Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit be One?” Hatcher answered, “They are like a pretzel twisted together, three in one” I silently thanked God for giving him the wisdom to answer.

It is interesting to me how often the discussions in my class go in such a direction that I can speak of God. From day one, I explained we are on a mission trip to witness about Jesus. Every night I pray for each member of my class. Occasionally I feel called to pray in depth for one of them. God has given me a sense of what specifically to lift in prayer for them individually.

During one exercise we were to list what was important in our lives. I listed God first. I was questioned that I would list God before my children. I assured them He is first in my life, before anything. What I regret is my lack of knowledge of Spanish that I couldn’t explain how if I did not have God, I could not be the parent that I am. Without God and His grace, I know that our family would be in a totally different place. A dark place wrought with problems, pain and struggles, a place I shudder to think about.

I know I am able to love because of the love God shows to me. Without His love, it seems it would be hard to love others to the depth that I can.

I don’t mean to imply that our family does not have problems because we have God. Yet because we have God, He is who we lean on during any problems and by His wisdom and grace we get through what problems come our way. When God is first, we have His light and in His light, all issues fade.