Team Seville

International World Changers

2010-07-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

Hosting 32 student volunteers involves a lot of preparation. Thankfully, IWC sends a staff ahead of time to get things ready. Here is the Project Coordinator, Vicki; the Ministry Coordinator, Lorie; the Office Manager, Sheila; and the Worship Speaker, Jason. The day before the students arrived we made shopping trip #1 of the week. We made the check-out clerks stop and stare at the amount of toilet paper, bread, ham and turkey, chips, and drinks we bought. They wanted to know where the party was and how they could be invited!

IWC was split into 4 "crews". Each crew was able to experience a different type of ministry each morning and we all worked together in the evenings. One of the morning ministries was teaching kids English. Above we are using a game (Elbow tag) to keep the students involved and speaking English.
Two evenings we hosted "Family Fairs". These are block parties where the student volunteers play with the kids (make crafts, etc) while we adults go around and try to get into good conversations with their parents. We have made some very good contacts with this method and are able to invite them to Bible studies and/or worship services.
And what mission trip would be complete without dancing? We did enough Cha-cha slide this summer to kill ourselves. I bet the guy who sings that never dreamed it would be such a crowd draw-er for mission teams!

Team Chattanooga

2010-07-23T04:27:00.000-07:00

Our summer was filled with volunteer teams. We started the month of June with Team Chattanooga and they set the bar HIGH for the rest of the summer! They were an amazing group of 16 university students and adults. While they were here they did a wide variety of things. As you can see here, the boys brought their testosterone and an American football and schooled some Spanish boys on what "football" means in Tennessee!!!
In the afternoons Team Chattanooga went onto the university campus to conduct Soularium surveys. They used those contacts to from groups that met in the evenings. Here they are with an English club.
Each morning we took the team into Los Alamos, one of the secondary schools where we volunteer. They have a 30 minute break each day and we used that to try to get to know some kids. We set up speakers and taught them dances like the Cha-cha Slide, the Cupid Shuffle, the Electric Slide, the Cotten-Eyed Joe, the YMCA, and the Macarena! The first day the students just looked at us like we were idiots. We were...idiots for Jesus!!! By the end of the week we had kids dancing everywhere and we were able to get them to come to 2 youth parties in the evening! We've been trying to get kids to come out of the school and play with us for YEARS. It is finally starting to happen and Team Chattanooga helped us take a giant step in that direction.

At the evening parties we served hot dogs, chips, and drinks. You know you have to feed teenagers if you want them to come back! Our three lady chaperones took good care of this task!

Merienda

2010-05-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

One ministry that Chanelle has been doing for a few years is called "merienda". In the past she has hosted this snack time (as well as breakfasts) at her home. These days, others who attend have started to host at their homes and the group is growing.
Each month ladies meet together to share a light meal and a devotion time. To date one very precious lady has come to faith as a result of these meetings! She is now involved in a weekly Bible study and is praying for her husband and children to follow Christ as well. We praise God for her decision and ask that you would pray that God would continue to use these times to draw others to himself.

HUGE news!!!!

2010-05-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

The church that started in February just had its first baptism!!! We were so excited to celebrate with new believer, Nieves! She was baptized a couple Sundays ago and, like good Baptists, we followed it with a pot-luck lunch! We have two more new believers who want to be baptized but are struggling to commit to it. I admire them in that they don't want to do it lightly, but we're praying that they will take this step of faith and we know the Lord will bless them for it when they do. Please pray with us for new believers, C and A.

Los Alamos

2010-05-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

As a thank you to our team for volunteering in their English classes and helping them, the teachers from Los Alamos took the interns and I out to eat last week. This semester's interns have worked hard at both schools where we volunteer and it has been a blessing to have them on our team.
Here we are with the teachers who took us to lunch. There were several who were not able to make it, but we were so surprised by the number who did and by the gifts they gave us! It is nice to be appreciated.

Kids say the darnedest things!

2010-02-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

In our after school English club the other day, we had the kids play "2 truths and a lie". Its a game where you have to say 3 things about yourself and people have to figure out which of the 3 is a lie. The week before, JoHelen had mentioned that in Louisiana, where she is from, it is common to eat turtle. They kids freaked out. This week, one girl's "truth" was that JoHelen scares her because she eats turtle! We had to take the photo. It was too good to pass up.
On a side note, it makes me laugh that eating turtle is strange to them, but frying up a pan of chicken BLOOD (no chicken, just blood) and onions is good ole' down home cookin'!

Sweet girls

2010-02-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

I introduced you recently to JoHelen and Andrea, our Hands On volunteers who are here for a bit over 4 months. Now, let me introduce Aryn (middle). She just arrived last week and will be staying with us for about 3 months. All three girls are volunteering in the high schools teaching English with both students and teachers. They also do dance classes, university work, children's ministry and one on one English practice. It is so fun to have energetic, fun girls to work with! They keep us "long-timers" pumped up!

Dancing Queens

2010-02-14T11:10:00.001-08:00

One of the ministries that the Chicas have gotten involved in is a dance class for a group of "old folks". These men and ladies meet once a week and back in November they somehow roped some of our teamates into coming and teaching them to line dance. Sean, Shelley, and Darby taught them the Cotton Eyed Joe and the Virgina Real. Now the girls are working on the Cha Cha Slide with them. It is a HOOT! Each week after class they are having coffee together. It is a good time for spiritual conversations. Pray that God will use this time for His glory and to draw Spaniards to Himself.

New Chicas!

2010-02-14T11:03:00.003-08:00

JoHelen and Andrea are our new Hands On girls. They will be here working with Team Seville for 4 1/2 months. So far they have jumped in with both feet and are fully involved in the 2 high schools and with dance classes with old folks and with one on one English chats. They are adjusting well and we are waiting for another girl to arrive tomorrow. Team Seville lost a lot of folks at Christmas time, but God is bring reinforcements. We're so excited to have "new blood"!

Shaphan's b-day extravaganza

2010-01-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Poor little Shaphan has a birthday at Christmas time. I always feel sorry for those poor people who get those combo gifts. Sad for them. To add to his misery this year, our whole team left town before his big day. We usually celebrate b-days together. We just didn't get to with everyone headed out of town.
I didn't realize that his big day was the next day when I had his family over for dinner before I left town. However, I improvised! In an effort to make his day "merry and bright", I put a nice scented candle beside his brownie and we all sang while he made a wish. What more can a boy want than a scented candle and a brownie???

International Christmas

2010-01-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

At our weekly worship the week before Christmas, we invited folks from each nation represented to come and share about their traditions from home. We had people from Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, the US, the Netherlands, and, of course, Spain! (No doubt I left out someone. Sorry.) Everyone brought a Christmas treat with them and we started off the holidays in that very special way...by eating way too much! Um-um good!

The Acton Kidlets

2010-01-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

I got to hang out with the Acton Kidlets a couple of weekends ago. We partied like rock stars the whole time! Okay, maybe not the whole time and maybe not BIG rock stars, but we did eat out 3 times and went shopping twice! If that's not a fun weekend, I don't know what is!
On our Saturday shopping outing, the girls decided that chestnuts roasted on an open fire were what would make our day complete. Here's Olivia trying the first one. YUUUMMMMM!!!

Christmas Concert and Play

2010-01-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

Darby and Megan worked all semester on a Christmas play and concert at one of the local schools. They had various kids show up at several practices, but by the time it came down to "show time" the concert consisted of two boys (on the right) and our MKs who joined in on that very night. The play turned out to be two girls and Darby. That is just the way it is here. There is little commitment to anything. But it was sweet anyway. I sat next to one of the singing boys' mothers. She was so stinking proud of her little boy up there singing in English. So sweet.

Our first BAPTISMS!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-01T12:43:00.001-08:00

After nearly 3 and a half years in Seville, we are finally seeing the fruit of the labor. God has called two new people into His family recently and Sean had the joy of baptizing them this past Sunday. Above is Oscar. He came to Spain from Peru to study for the priesthood. After several years of disillusionment with the church and running from it, Oscar gave his life to Christ and now walks with Him!
Below is Dora Luz. She is Oscar's mother. She recently gave her life to the Lord as well.
Praise God for these new additions to the family!!!

Paella

2009-12-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

Our team was invited to a sweet couple's home for paella over the weekend. It is not very often that outsiders get invited into a Spaniard's home, so we were very excited!

This is Jose Luis making his very authentic Spanish paella. It was a process that took over two hours and was well worth the wait! This typical Spanish dish consists of meat, chicken, shrimp, mussels, rice, butter beans, peas, and whatever else you find in the fridge! The special ingredient that gives it it's unique flavor is saffron.
Above is the finished product. It was a work of art!
Below is David having a very large shrimp (king prawn) as a snack. Yes, those are the legs and the head you see there. I will never get used to my food staring at me. David didn't seem to mind.

Thanksgiving in Seville

2009-12-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

Since Thanksgiving isn't a holiday in Spain, it was business as usual for us. We spent the day in the high schools teaching about this important American holiday. The teens want to know everything about American culture. I'm always amazed at the fact that they know more about us than we do about them. (Thanks to tv and movies, what they know is often very distorted!)
This is one of the groups proudly showing off their Thanksgiving turkey. We had them trace their hands and their feet to make this cute little guy and they had to write on the "feathers" what they were thankful for. They enjoyed it far more than a high school kid in American would have! I don't think they get to do crafts at school very often.

Serious Darby

2009-12-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

Darby is at the end of her JourneyChick term and thinking about all of the "grown-up" things she'll have to do when she gets back to the US. She decided to wear her "grown-up" clothes out to dinner the other night. She even used HAIR SPRAY. It was a huge night. But after dinner, what did the Darbster want to do? She wanted to do into the arcade and play "Dance Dance Revolution". So much for Grown-up Darby.

Disciple Now Weekend 2009

2009-11-24T08:30:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Darby led her second annual D-Now Weekend with the MKs and a couple of local teens. It was a fun-filled, God-filled weekend. What will we do without Darbs???
Above: Darby and Megan leading worship in the Darbster's living room.
Below: One of the games was to wrap a team member in duct tape and have them roll around on the floor gathering bits of shredded toilet paper. This is Francesca wrapped in the tp that was to be shredded and picked up by Andrea's tape-wrapped body. Shaphan, with his hurt ankle, offered moral support to the two.

Volunteers from Florida

2009-11-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

I am sure they don't want to be called "volunteers" since that is the mascot of TN and not FL, but this past week they were volunteers here in Seville. This team of 7 from Gainesville, FL came to help us out in ESL ministry. The biggest event was an "English Chat Weekend" at a local university. It turned out to be a great outreach and we hope to see results with those who attended. The goal is always to offer something that is useful to the people who live here, start a new relationship or strengthen an old one, and through that relationship show them how our life is different because we follow Christ.
About 20 Spaniards attended the English Chat Weekend.
One of the activities to get the folks to speak English was to toss around a beach ball with questions on it. When you catch the ball you must answer whatever question your thumb landed on. It was a fun way to practice speaking and to get up and move around.
The majority of the weekend was spent in small groups discussing various questions about life in general and then questions about your spiritual life. There were some good discussions. Pray that the thoughts that were brought up would take root and that the folks will dwell on that theme a bit longer.
During the week the team went into the two schools where we help teach English. The students really enjoy a chance to speak English with native speakers. There aren't a ton of foreigners (us) here in Seville and there are even fewer out in the pueblos where we teach.
This particular school served us breakfast one morning. It was a lovely meal of bread, olive oil, Iberian ham, and a "tortilla espanola" (kind of a cross between a quiche and an omlette). And just so you know, this breakfast was served at noon! Gotta love Spanish time!

Scavenger hunt

2009-10-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

The weekend after Megan and Andrea arrived we sent them (and a few American exchange students who are here studying but want to get involved in the work here) off on an scavenger hunt so that they could familiarize themselves with the city a little bit. I don't know if they enjoyed it, but Darby and I did. We went and had a yummy gofre (waffle covered in chocolate and caramel) while we waited for them!

Fun people

2009-10-16T11:25:00.001-07:00

These are our cool fall interns. Andrea (left) and Megan (right) have just hit the one month mark and are doing a great job. They are teaching English in a couple of local high schools as well as working with Martha in the university ministry. It is always so good to have "fresh blood" on the team. They keep us all motivated with new ideas and new energy!
This photo was taken on a day we went sight seeing. We rode on the top of a tour bus in the open air. Thankfully it was a day that was not so hot...it was only in the upper 80s. Whew!

Tapas y Temas y Germans!!!

2009-10-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last week a group of German university students came to do a cultural exchange with students here. One of our team members, Martha, started 2 groups in Germany that are thriving. She is here trying to get one started in Seville. A group of 8 of the German students came last week to work with Martha to help her kick off the new school year. While they were here they also led "Tapas y Temas" on Thursday night. It was interesting to hear all of the languages being spoken in that room! Don't you love that EVERY language will be around the throne?

Feria de la Familia

2009-10-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

This past summer we had a group of International World Changers come and work with us. One of the events they helped us with was a Family Fair. It went so well that we decided to do it again this past weekend. This is the youth pastor from the only Baptist church in Seville who brought his group to help out. The clowns and the jumping castle were big hits. And while the children played, we were able to make some new contacts with their parents. It's fun for everyone!

Tapas y Temas

2009-10-14T13:13:00.001-07:00

On Thursday nights we have a worship service called, "Tapas y Temas". Tapas are a snack-type plate and temas means themes. We sing praises, have testimonies, hear a short lesson, and then discuss the theme as we have tapas. This used to be a monthly event but we have decided to give it a 3 month trial as a weekly event. Pray with us that we can get a CHURCH planted in Bormujos!!!
This photo is of Margarita while she was sharing her story. She is from Colombia and lives here in Seville with her daughter and grandchildren. She was describing what this weekly event does for her. It is not only a place where she can worship, but it is the community aspect. It is hard to find other believers here in Spain. This event gets folks together and gives them a non-threatening place to invite their un-believing friends. Did I mention we meet upstairs in a bar/restaurant?

Team Seville

2009-10-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here we are! Team Seville officially has a blog. We've talked about this for a long time and it is finally a reality. Woohoo!
Let me introduce us. This photo was taken just a week or so ago at English Worship in the Park. We try to get together with other English speakers once a month to praise the Father in our native tongue, to hear from His word, and to, of course, have snacks and play. Pictured here with us is a couple who runs the seminary here just outside of the city.
Here we go, left to right...
The Acton family consists of : David is holding onto his youngest daughter, Olivia. Next to Olivia is Francesca who has her hand on her mother's back, Chanelle, who is leaning down and holding her son, Christopher's, hand. Also holding onto Christopher is Isabella. They have been here close to 5 years. David is the "fearless leader" for folks in Spain and Portugal.
Chris and Beth are the couple from the seminary who came to worship with us.
Standing in the back middle is Martha. She is here on loan from Germany. She originally came to work with university students for just one year, but has decided to stay with us for a while longer. Woohoo!
Next we have the Blacksten crew. Shaphan is wearing the red t-shirt; his mom, Shelley, is in pink. Dad, Sean, is sticking up behind her while Shalyn is looking oh so fabulous in the cute little cap. Sean and Shelley are our team leaders.
Beside the Blackstens are all "the single ladies". Megan and Andrea are in the back trying to be seen. They are our fall interns. They arrived in September and will be with us until just before Christmas.
Darby is in purple. She is a Journey-chick who has been here nearly 2 years. She was able to extend her term just a bit so that she can finish out this semester at the local high schools where she teaches English.
And finally, that's me, Christy, on the end. I just got here 6 months ago (this week!). No one is really sure what my job is.... I think I am might just be comic relief. And I am now the official blogger.
Okay, that's us. I hope you've memorized the names. There will be a test.