What Now?

Well, was this the mission field for Jon? How do I know if this is where God would have me to go and serve Him? As I spent time with the missionaries in Spain, I approached them with this question. How did you know Spain was where God wanted you? I found that invariably the answer would always be two things. First lots of prayer, and secondly, just take those "open doors" as they come along the way. So as I journey through seminary and through Fiber-Line somehow God is going to make it clear to me if I continue to do and seek His will.
The picture above was taken in the city of Merida during my stay in Spain. It is of a beautifully preserved Roman road. The day I took this was a particularly hot day, and the mere stepping into the shade was a relief from the beating sun. This road has made me reflect on one main thing...the journey I have ahead. As I pursue God's calling on my life, I must continue to cast the shadow of prayer all along the way. In the picture it is only partially covered by shade, but my goal is to cover every area of my journey with the shadow of prayer. May every step and decision of my life be shadowed in prayer. Phi 4:6 "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Missionaries

Like any good trip it flies by way to fast. My expectations in learning, looking, and listening were far surpassed. Mr. and Mrs. Albright did so much for me, and their servant/humble spirit was something that stood out to me. I did my best to pick their minds thoroughly in regards to the ministry. In Madrid I spent three hours talking to the missionaries about their ministry. What a blessing! They were all such an encouragement. God is doing a work there despite being such a hard country towards the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each missionary has been equipped by the Lord in a unique way to serve Him, and they work as a team utilizing these abilities. I can only hope that wherever the Lord would use me, I would be able to work alongside a team like these missionaries. I am so thankful for their investment in my life.

Spain from a window...car, plane, & train

Citizenship...Merida

Thursday and Friday we visited the Roman Capital in Spain...the city of Merida established by Ceaser Augustus for the V and X Legions. This city was filled with ruins from the time before Christ. Most of the ruins were Roman but there were a few Moorish ruins scattered throughout the city. The city reminded me of what Philipi must have looked like. Merida was like Philipi in that it was set up as a replica of Rome. They have the amphitheater, theater, circus, aqueduct, and many more Roman sites. The city reminded me so much of the Philippians that I could get over how Paul tells them about their true citizenship...heaven. Those who lived in these extravagant, pleasure filled cities must have been reminded that they weren't permanently Roman but rather citizens of heaven. "Only let your conversation [citizenship] be as it becometh the gospel of Christ:" 1:27 Paul makes reference of the Philippians citizenship. And tells them that essentially their citizenship is actually in heaven. And that they must act as one of such a place. Let your citizenship be representative of the Gospel.

Salamanca, Machacon, & Zamora

The Last Few Days

The last few days have been very busy. We have been traveling to different towns where Kent Albright, the missionary here, has been showing us the need for the Gospel in these towns. The day before yesterday we visited Machacon, a very small town, and had the opportunity to sing a few songs and pass out more tracts. This small town is where a family from the missionaries church lives. It was exciting for us to have the opportunity to share Christ alongside them. As we sany in their small plaza people would literally peak around buildings but would not come and stand to listen. At times we would see windows open but the curtains closed. When the wind blew the curtains moved and we could see people intently listening to the music.
Yesterday we visited city about an hour north from here named Zamora. It contains about 66,000 people and is extremely dark spiritually. It was interesting to note, however that as we walked through the city, there was a Roman Catholic church/chapel every hundred or hundred and fifty yards. All of these were built somewhere during the XI and XIII century. The architecture on them as you will see in the pictures is beautiful. And the fact that they have remained relatively intact is an amazing architectural feat. However once again I cannot help but make the analogy between these cold, stone buildings with the hardened Spaniard. During one of our times out in a plaza singing, a man came out of bar/cafe and began to listen. Being slightly drunk he began to yell out, "There is no God. God does not exist." All the time we continued to sing. This and many other hard reactions to the Gospel can be found here.
Please pray for safety as I have been driving quite a bit in an unfamiliar land. Also continue to pray that as we pass out tracts and sing the Gospel will soften the hearts. I can't help but compare Spain to Peru. In comparison Spain is much harder spiritually than Peru, yet they have had "Religion" for much longer. They have had the Bible, their eyes are so darkened by sin and Satan's grasp on this country.