Flashback to Spain

I'm sitting here at my kitchen table with a delicious cup of raspberry chocolate truffle coffee. Trying to pretend that it feels like fall outside, since it is, in fact, September. Which is kinda fall...although not technically. Anyways, I should be focusing on the task in front of me, which is to tackle my first patient profile/care plan/pathophysiology paper that is due tomorrow at midnight 11:59 PM. Instead, I keep thinking about the fact that I kept telling myself I would write about my trip to Spain. And only got one post done. So, here I am...procrastinating, and writing about that amazing trip. It shouldn't take too long, right?

Monday, March 9, 2015 - Leganes-Madrid, Spain 

It has been completely different than I thought. And yet, somehow, it's exactly how I thought it would be. We aren't technically in the city of Madrid, which I thought we would be. We're more on the outskirts of the city, like suburbs. Yesterday, we got to go into the city, which I absolutely loved!

Cimber, one of the leaders, going to church

Let's face it, I am a city girl. Some of my all time favorite places are cities. So, yeah, I love Madrid. We walked around for hours, took pictures, ate traditional Moroccan food and gelato.

Moroccan food

Gelato

 And let's not forget about the delicious Starbucks! Seriously, I think I may be addicted to cappuccinos now...

Starbucks in Spain

 It was an amazing day. But, the real magic happened today.

We started today by meeting at 9:30 AM to head to the mission building. Once there, we did some debriefing, had some coffee (my fav!), and prayed. One thing I have learned is that prayer is SO very important in missions! 

At around 11:00, Eva had some ladies come for aerobics. I think it is absolutely amazing how she can witness and build relationships through exercise! At 12:30, the team had our second Arabic lesson. We learned colors, objects, fruits & veggies, and some phrases [fast forward to September, and I don't remember anything..]. I honestly wasn't that interested in learning at first, but I actually really liked it! 

We ate lunch around 2 and started preparing for the night. At 5:15, my group (Deya, Collin, and myself) started teaching six 4th graders. It was great! We definitely had challenges, but I can't wait to see them again! If anything, God has just added six new names to my prayer list! These children need Jesus! 

At 8:15, it was time for the youth. We weren't sure if anyone would come, but two girls showed up. Deya, Emily, Kristen, Rachel, and I spent an hour spending time with them, playing games, and teaching them English. They were the sweetest girls ever!

I am so excited to see them for the next four nights! I especially am praying for them. At one point, they asked about America, culture, and religious freedom. They were amazed that all of us (five girls) had a choice in life and beliefs! It breaks my heart how much I take for granted! I feel like God has put them in my life (however brief that may be) for a reason. I will be praying for them constantly. I already feel like they have a little piece of my heart. 

I am so excited to see what God has for me and the rest of the team!

11:30, pizza for dinner. Yummy.

Well, I guess that's that. I finished one more entry about Spain. Now, time to start procrastinating, and time to start tackling that paper due tomorrow. At least there's coffee...

XOXO, Nichole