Where have I been?

Like in regular life, time often gets away from us! These past two months have flown by, we are already in May! I didn't even realize that I hadn't posted a blog since March! As of today I only have 41 days until I go home! Honestly this experience is really zooming past and I want to make sure I make the most of it. So heres a small update on my life;

Where have I been in the last 2 months?
   My last blog was posted March, 4th 2017. What have I been doing since then? Well March 11-18 my brother and his wife actually came to Spain during March break to visit me! It was a great being about to spend some quality time with them. Though my brother and me are 12 years apart we have always been a weird kinda close and I also love spending time with him. (Plus it was very nice to have a piece of home! Getting to show him where I had been living, they got to meet my host family and overall I loved sharing my new life with them.) The rest of March quickly filled up with plans with friends from school, church activities and things with my host family. 
   Going into April, during Semana Santa (AKA holy week, or easter) my host family and I, all traveled 7 hours (in a car with no air conditioning) to Cadiz a city in the south of Spain located on the beach. It was an amazing week away getting to spend more time with my host family and really growing closer to them. Plus the beach was nice! 
   After that week Vicky Landis, the "director" of STEP in the USA came for her "check up" visit. (I don't know if director is the right word for her job, but pretty much she's in charge of us and did all our pre-Spain training.) That week was full with activities together and meetings. We even did the Madrid 10km together!
   After Vicky left we had a few days before the "Encuentro Menonita Espanol" which was a retreat weekend with a lot of the evangelical churches throughout Spain. The weekend was filled with getting to know people from other churches throughout Spain, having bonding time with the people from our own churches and most importantly hearing from God.
   All that to say, that's where I have been, what I've been busy with and how all these big plans and small plans added up to two months.

What has God been doing since my last blog?
Since my last blog God has been really working in my life. To others it may seem like nothing but He is teaching me to be patience and not to rely on myself. He's teaching me to look past what I would think are peoples "flaws" and see them for who He created them to be. And He's teaching me that somethings things are not easy, that sometimes people won't see eye to eye, or that situations won't play out exactly how you expected but he has a plan in all that.

Whats new in my life in general?
Well as of the first week in May I officially live alone! On May 3rd I said 'goodbye' to my host family and made a change into a new living situation. Not that my host family wanted me to leave, nor did I want to, but a decision was made that part of this program was for me to be stretched. Apparently living with a family I had grow very close too wasn't "stretching enough." Now I have been on my own for two weeks and I can honestly say I enjoy it. Yes, I miss the company of others, but it allows me to have space of my own to relax, unwind and really focus on God. Being on my own has also forced me out of my bubble to start doing more activities in the evenings and choosing to leave my apartment more. I also have been able to ignite my love for cooking and baking. At home in Canada I would love whipping together some muffins or something to eat (well if Mom would let me mess up her kitchen, for those who know my Mom know that her kitchen is her special space and she doesn't share it easily) But since I live alone I can make all the mess I want! Only downside is, well... I live alone, so I also have to clean up whatever big mess I make. All in all the change has been positive and though I don't live with my host family anymore I still have regular contact with them!

I praise God in all this change and learning because I know He has an amazing plan for my life. I know that He is using all these experiences and changes to mold me into who He wants me to be, and where He wants me to be next! Which is another blog entirely in itself so stay tuned! 

Half way there

Expectations vs Reality

And just like that it's April. We are officially at the half way mark. It's crazy how time has flown, before I know it I'll be on a plane heading home. The other week at church one of guys there told me time was going by so fast he feels like if he blinks I'll be gone.
Now that we are halfway I am starting to see how the reality of what we're doing is different than the expectations I had before coming. If you would had asked me before coming what my expectations were I would have probably told you I didn't have any. And in all honestly I did believe that, but now that I have been actually living out this everyday I have realized how many exceptions I really did have. 

Before coming to Spain I had the amazing opportunity of interacting with previous "STEPpers" through the Latin American Missionary Retreats, as well as having relationships with some through Roxbury Holiness Camp in Pennsylvania. Most of the "STEPpers" I spent the most time with had been based out of Honduras, as you might imagine Honduras and Spain are very different.  The two countries don't just differ culturally, but economically. Honduras was in greater need of "Missionaries" people to come in and complete a specific job; in the church, out reach, in mission projects. Spain on the other hand is in need of "lights," and by this I mean they need people who are "global workers." People who join into the culture, and become a light to those around them. This is a lot harder than it would seem, Spain is a very spiritually deprived country, less than 10% of the population attend church "regularly," with the evangelical church making up less than 1% of that. 

My sister wrote me a book of letters for me to read over my trip, the one letter was "2017 'Predictions' of the year letter:" a quote from that letter was "Hannah came home in June and was able to share many stories of the 105 people she helped lead to Christ." I can honestly say that sadly I won't be coming home in June with 105 stories of people being saved. I would love to come home with 1 story of someone being lead to Christ because of me.

I never expected that my "missions" work here would be so different than what the "STEPpers" in Honduras were doing. An expectation I realized after being here a few months that I had was my schedule would be more "missions" based. I didn't expect to have so much control over what I did every week. Since the need in Spain is to be a light to the people, our schedules needed to be more "relationship" based, than "outreach" or "missions" based. This meant investing in making friendships with people from class, our host families, church and others. 
So at this point you're are probably wondering, "if she isn't doing 'missions' work, what is she doing." 

A little of what I do in a normal week...
Spanish Class
Monday to Friday, from 9:30am to 1:30pm I attend Spanish class in Madrid. These are intensive Spanish classes designed to help us learn Spanish at a good rate. These classes allow us to learn the language to communicate with Spaniards but also open many opportunities for friendships.
After Class Activities
Our school offers after class activities; museums, tours, conversation clubs, etc. We are encouraged to participate in one of these a week, not only to practice our Spanish but to continue to build relationships with people from our classes.
House Group
Once a week I attend a house group from the church. I am currently attending the "Jovens" group. (Youth group) Here I am more of a leader than a youth. House groups allow us to create deeper relationships with other believers.
English Group
I have started an english group at the church. We normally meet every Monday,  the group is for people who have learned English in school and want to practice normal conversation to improve their skills. Right now we are currently on a pause though because there is a bus strike causing some transportation issues. 
Host Family
My host family is a big part of my time here. Being a light in their lives, showing them that I am different is very important. The chance that they will have another Christian speak into their lives again is very slim. I also am actually part of the family, I participate in most of the activities they do, attend family dinners on weekends, grocery shopping, etc, etc.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a program that they run through the church, and every person in the church goes through. It's a series of books that help you deepen your faith. I find mentoring really interesting, it allows you to look at your faith in a new way, and see new areas in your life that you need to give over to God.
Gym
Yes the gym is actually part of my work here. The gym is not only a place were I have built relationships with the workers, but its an activity that my host mom and me do together. 
STEP Meetings
Once/ twice a week we have STEP meetings with the directors or another person on the global team here in Spain. Every week has a theme for us to work on over the next week. The past two weeks we have been focusing on "inner healing." 

And with that, that is what a week in the life of being a "STEPper" or "global-worker" looks life. It's creating relationships, sharing the love of God and helping to further the kingdom here on earth. 

Though what I am doing is different then what I was originally expecting, I can see how God is opening up doors for me to creating and invest into so many different peoples lives. It's pushing me past my comfort zone to be valuable in my faith and remember that I might be the only christian that they ever have a genuine relationship with. 

                                                                                                            

In the same way, let your light shine
before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

                                                                                                            

Food for Thought

This post is going to be very short and sweet, just a little food for thought from me.

*

  What does it mean to have faith like a mustard seed?  For me I would say to have faith like a mustard seed is to take risks when God says "go", and to remember that when things in life don't make sense, it's part of God's plan. I've started re-reading the new testament from the beginning, I love starting books in the bible over again because I always see new things I had never noticed before.  For example in Matthew 4, God calls the disciples to come and follow him. Jesus says "come" and they don't even say anything back, they just go and follow him. They don't stop and ask "why," ask what the salary of a disciple is, how many vacation days they would get, they just follow him. Talk about having faith like a mustard seed. 

   At last weeks team meeting, we talked about the expectations we had when we arrived to Spain, of what this experience would include. Honestly I didn't think I had expectations before coming. But the more we talked about it, I realized I had more expectations then I even realized. This made me wonder if the disciples had expectations when they decided to drop everything and follow Jesus, were they ever disappointed with what they got? 

My food for thought is: 
If Jesus called you today to follow him, no matter where and to do anything he wanted, could you drop everything and go? 

What are the things in your life that would hold you back from easily following him?

Where did February go

And just like that, February is over. Finished. Gone. I don't know about other people but for me, February always seems to finish before it even starts. You almost blink and then it's gone. This month for me has been full of excitement; from birthdays, to trips, to emergency visits, I can honestly say this month had it all.

Since this month was so eventful, I'm going to give you guys small journal entries of some special and/or crazy days.

Lets start off strong....

Firstly I am a strong believer in bucket lists... lets be honest I'm just a strong believer in making lists in general. (They make everything easier) When I was 13 my Grandma told me about her bucket list, all the things she wanted to do before she got to see God face to face.  I thought it was the coolest thing, it was all these dreams and activities, that she knew she wanted to complete. Talk about having an adventurous spirit! After this is when I made my first bucket list, and over time I added more and more to it. One of the list items was "Celebrate my Birthday in a different country." 


So on February 10th I got to cross "Celebrate my Birthday in a different country" off my bucket list. The day started off nice and early, at 6:30am and after getting dressed and ready I was off to Spanish class like a regular day. I was told that in traditional Spanish culture, on your birthday you bring in a snack to share with your friends to celebrate your special day. My sharing snack of choice was mini donuts, and honestly they weren't very good, but they did bring people all together. After class a group of friends and me went to popular Wok restaurant in the centre of Madrid. Six people, representing 6 different countries, all sat at one table. (a table that was actually intended for 4 people) Together all squeezed in, we shared a meal over great conversations and lots of laughs. By the end of lunch I was told happy birthday in 6 different languages and sang to in 4, it was definitely a moment I would never forget. After lunch Rose and I had to go a STEP meeting, the meeting flew by, and just like that we were grabbing our things to head to a second meeting. But this second meeting included pizza, breadsticks and lactose free chocolate cake, therefore it was worth attending. To follow and end the night, I went home to be welcomed by a table full of Sushi, all I can say is that on my birthday I ate enough food to feed a family of 4.. for a week.

 In all honestly I was not looking forward to this birthday. Normally I spend the day with my mom, and then have family dinner, this year not only was I away from home, but I had two meetings. Honestly not my ideal way to spend my day, but it turned into such a special day, with memories that I'll never forget.


 On February 16th I got the amazing opportunity to cross another bucket list item off. I have a lot of close friends who live in Northern Ireland, I've been there once before and I love the country so much. When I was living at home, I always would wish that I could go to NI for the weekend, but living in Canada it was not realistic to jet off for the weekend. But living in Spain, that was another story. As a late birthday present I got to go to Northern Ireland for the weekend, thus crossing "go to Northern Ireland for the weekend" off my bucket list. The weekend was amazing, great time spent with friends and was exactly what I needed to renew my tired spirit. Sometimes so much change at once calls for some needed familiarity, for me being with my friends, in a country that feels like home was exactly what I needed to help me come back to Spain with more energy and determination. 

All in all, "God's Country" as Northern Ireland is nicknamed, was exactly what I needed.

Lets end the month off with an adventure. On Sunday February 26, after waking up I decided to start the day off with a quick run through the mountain trials near my house. So there I was running down hill, thinking to myself "I'm surprised I haven't tripped over any of these rocks before," not even 2 mins after I had this thought occurred I was tripping over a rock, falling flat on my face. OW! Covered in dirt, with scratches and a fractured pride to tie it all together, I decided to get back up and keep running. (and hope nobody saw) I ran another 3km before I decided to start back towards my house. As I was started back down the mountain, one minute I was running, the next I was on the ground with throbbing pain in my ankle. What just happened?! The answer is I slipped on an erosion path, and a rock. I still wonder how I'm this clumsy. And with 2km left until I wold be back at the house my only option was to walk. So after the most painful walk of my life, I was finally back at the house and waiting for my host mom to get home so we could go to the hospital. The long story short, after 4 hours in the hospital, enough paperwork to last me a lifetime, and some x-rays, the doctor was amazed that I only tore a ligament in my ankle. His prescription was, a brace, a lot of Advil and rest. (Therefore no more running) Though it's not broken limping around is not ideal. 

All in all this month was busy... very busy. But even through the chaos, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming peace. At the end of the day all these stories all add up to make this experience, well an experience. 

It's the little things in life

This past week has been pretty busy for me, between language school, meetings, going out with friends, mentoring and activities with my host family my schedule has been packed full! Even though this week was so busy there was multiple times God really supplied exactly what I needed. These are the experiences that really spoke to me, and encouraged my week and I thought I would share them with you!

The Gym was my Home
Many of you may know that in Canada I worked at one of the largest gyms in the country. I LOVED what I did, getting to interact with members everyday, having amazing co-workers, and overall enjoying what I did. Not only did I love working at a gym, but I also loved working on my own personal fitness, this was not only something I found pleasurable, but it also helped me deal with the stress and anxiety in my life. Since arriving in Spain I have got the opportunity to join a gym near my house. This past week was my second week attending this gym location and while walking in I was greeted by the front desk worker (as normal) and with my limited Spanish I said "Hola" while walking in. On my way out the gym the guy at the front desk said "bye" to me, this kinda stopped me in my tracks, I was thinking "did he actually say bye in english or am I hearing things," he continued to ask "where are you from?" Apparently he had heard me on the phone one day speaking english, and had been seeing me around often and has wanted to know where I was from. We continued to chat about Canada, and how he knew english, and before leaving we exchanged names. Since that conversation every time we are both in the gym we say "hi" to each other, and have a small conversation. 
I was him in Canada, I worked his front desk position, and I know how much I enjoyed having genuine relationships with my members. I know that when members came in and you knew their name they were often surprised but felt important. But I also knew how much it meant to me when the member knew my name as well, and wanted to have a conversation with me. 
All that to say, this new interaction has meant so much more to me then he probably realizes. Being able to communicate and have a friendship in a place where I feel the most like I'm at home, completely brightens my day. I now look forward to going into the gym each day, knowing that there is someone I can have a small conversation with when I arrive.

Lost Metro cards
Friday was kinda a crazy day in the Metro for me, not only was it packed full and I mean packed! You couldn't move, but while trying to put my metro card into my bag, I must have missed. When I got to class and realized my card wasn't in my bag it was already too late to go looking for it. So I sent a message to our team leaders wondering what I should do, since in order to get home I had to take a bus and a metro. Their response was to go in with my passport (which is necessary for government documents) and get a new card made, only problem was, I didn't have my physical passport on me, only a photocopy. Their next idea was still for me to go in and in my broken Spanish tell them I lost my card and hope that they took pity on me. So thats what I did, shooting a quick prayer I approached the front desk apologizing but I only spoke a little Spanish and saying that I lost my card. The lady responded in English, apologizing that she only spoke a little English but could help me with only a photocopy. This was honestly such a "praise the lord" moment for me. Not only was I able to get my old card canceled but also was able to get a new card made, without any problems.  

Facebook Messages
This week I received a Facebook message from a old camp consular saying they read my blog and had found it "encouraging" and "exactly what they needed to hear." When I started this blog I wanted it to not only help me track of this journey,  but I prayed that it would somehow speak into the lives of others. Receiving this message not only encouraged me to continue to write but reminded me how God uses other peoples experiences to speak into the lives of other people. 

Parcels
To end this week off strong I received a parcel from home. My mom never fails to amaze me with the little things she does. Inside was my requested "Nature Valley, Crunchy Peanut Butter Granola Bars." Unlike North America, Spaniards aren't obsessed with all things peanut butter, this was leaving quite a large void in my life here. It also had needed hand sanitizer, I don't want to say I'm a germaphobe, but being in the city and using public transit definitely makes me feel a little gross, and by a little I mean a lot. The rest of the package had my favourite heart gummies from bulk barn that you can only get around valentines day. (There's only 12 so I really have to savour them.) A lovely note from my dad, and some kleenex with a little note that says "for when you are feeling a wee bit sad... you are not forgotten <3" I never knew how much  these few small things could really pick my spirits up, sometimes you really just need a bit of home to feel more comfortable in a new situation. 

Overall, this week has been a week of encouragement and blessing, thus ending my first official month living in Spain. I am constantly amazed of how God steps into my life and supplies exactly what I need, exactly when I need it. It's all these little things that add up to one big God that loves me more than I can ever imagine. 

"...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

Matthew 6:8

An Unorganized Schedule

I love my agenda, and I seriously mean LOVE. I always have loved planning, loved seeing my day get filled in with activities and loved tracking everything I do. The truth is I just love having a schedule and knowing what to expect each day. As you may guess moving overseas, with out a clear schedule of what my daily life would look like, sent me into a somewhat panic. Now that I have almost been in Spain for 1 month I can see how God is using a somewhat unorganized schedule to help me draw closer to Him and rely on His plans.

Host Families & Door Handles When I left for Spain on January 9th, I left without having a host family to move in with. When I arrived, where I would be staying was still up in the air. For the first two nights I had the opportunity to stay with a young family from the church, I then was moved to the pastors house for a few days, and it wasn't until a week after arriving in Spain that I had found a host family. 

The first week was full of learning 3 different bus times to get to places, it was filled with digging through my suit case everyday trying to find where my mom had cleavery packed everything. (Even now that I've unpacked I haven't found teabags, even though she swears she packed them... I'm pretty sure she never did.) And for a added bonus door handles in Spain are a lot different than in Canada. In both my temporary host homes it took me minimum 20 minutes and a lot of tears before I could finally get into the house. Overall my first week was unorganized, unfamiliar and not anything what I expected. 

In this first week of not having a host family, I had never felt so jealous of what someone else had. The other girl on our team had been placed right away with her host family, she was becoming part of the family, while I was spending a lot of time alone. Everyday in our orientation class when I saw her, she would talk more and more about how great her family was, meanwhile I got greener and greener with envy. I didn't understand why she had the perfect family while I was left all by myself. Every night I was arriving to my temporary host home feeling sad, cold and very alone. In this first week God really showed me how this experience was not going to be easy, nor was it going to be comfortable, and if I was going to make it through I had to really rely on Him, and on His timing. 

During that first week little did I know God did not only have a host family in mind for me, but had made them the perfect match for me. And exactly one week after arriving in Spain, I was moving into my new home, I was unpacking my things, and I finally felt "at home" in my new country.

God Knows
When I was deciding a year ago what I should do after high school I felt God's clear calling to come to Spain. Though this entire process God knew my every need and supplied more than I could ever imagine. Now that I have been in Spain for almost a month I can see how God's timing with my host family was the perfect timing. That in that first week it caused me to really fall on Him, and trust He knew better than I did. At the end of the day God knows us better than we think we know ourselves, and I'm really learning that though sometimes things seem difficult and unreachable, but God is there and he will carry us through. 

"In him we were chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his 
will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory" 
Ephesians 1:11-12

Getting to Madrid

As the countdown for Spain changed from months, to weeks, to days, it finally was my last weekend at home, and I still hadn't packed, or really thought about packing. The realization that I was leaving that Monday still seemed like a lie. But soon the weekend was over, my bags were packed, I had said many heart felt goodbyes, and I left my organized life to take on an adventure were not every detail was final.  

Monday January 9th my parents, sister and I all headed to Buffalo, New York where I would be catching my first of two flights to Madrid, Spain. With time to spare before my 1pm flight from Buffalo, we decided to do a little shopping around, before heading to Panera Bread to grab an early lunch. After ordering I logged onto the wi-fi, to check that my flight to JFK had, had any changes. What I didn't expect to see was not only had my flight changed, it had been canceled. In a disbelief and panic we all quickly packed up our lunches and headed to Buffalo airport hoping to get some answers. My flight couldn't be canceled, I had to catch another flight later that day to go away for 6 months! Once we arrived at the airport we were told that I had been rescheduled for the next day, except I couldn't go the next day, I needed to get through today. As the airline looked for any possible way of getting me onto another flight that day, and we all prayed for some kind of airport miracle. God answered our cry for help, and it came in the sentence of "Oh it looks like we had a cancelation for the next flight, would you prefer the window or the asile seat?" 

This was just the beginning of a crazy day, but God used this to show me, even something like a flight (which seems so small) was something I had to completely surrender to Him. I know for myself that I often take for granted how easy situations are supposed to be, organizing details and completing them carefree, is just part of my day to day life. What I often forget is that ultimately it is God's flight, His details, and we need to trust Him in every situation no matter how "normal" it is to us. 

With my flight figured out and the appropriate changes made, I got to spend what was my last few hours with my family, in a airport bar, laughing and enjoying each others company for the last time for a few months.  

Soon the hours few by and it was time to say my final goodbyes. (or "see you later!" as I prefer to think) With teary eyes we parted ways, and I started the journey that would be my next 6 months. After making it through security, finding my gate, waiting through a 40 minute delay, we finally were boarding on route for JFK airport in New York City, New York. 

After a hour and 30 minute flight (30 of those minutes being circling the airport waiting for the okay to land) we finally touched down. After getting off the plane I rushed to grab my bag so I could recheck it with the other airline. With both my carry on, my big suitcase and a giant tote I started out to find the Delta check in desk. After being direct to two of the wrong areas in the airport, and after a solid 30 minutes of power walking,  I finally found the Delta check in. With sweat dripping down my back I got my bag checked in, and I was off to security. After getting through the unorganized security line, I finally found my final gate and the other girl in my program, Rose. 

Together we waited anxiously for our new chapter of life to begin. And soon after a long day of complications and delays we were finally boarding our flight to Madrid, Spain. Six and a half hours later we were preparing to land in Madrid airport. It was now 9:30am on Tuesday January, 10th, and with only two hours of sleep we started day one of our next six months.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

God is good! A year ago I was just applying to the STEP program, I am now writing this blog post from Spain and have started the program. This past year has really taught me to rely on God for all things. Over the course of this year He has shown His provision in providing the total funds to come on this trip, as well as the spiritual support needed to keep me going. Thank you to everyone who has felt lead to support me financially and through prayer. Without your help this journey would have never happened. I hope that you enjoy these blog posts from Spain over the next six months!