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Published: September 2nd 2007
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It is God..
..who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights Ps 18 v 32-33 A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step
Joshua 1v9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God wil be with you where ever you go.
And so it was for me… From Umhlanga, to England, to Wales and now to Kent… and even then it hasn’t stopped. For after 2 days of working in the offices, I was invited to leave with the next trip to spain on Thursday. This was absolute miracle. So for a day I scurried around, gathering information on my guests, and on spain! What was meant to initially have been a week with 18 guests, became a total of three, and 99 guests. What a privilege it has been to fellowship with these new people, who began the week as strangers, but left as friends. They were all so lovely and encouraging, particularly when they heard it was my first time leading a group, and first time in Spain - and guests often offered to pray for strength for me. I was really blessed!
The expedition was to a small coastal town called Pineda de Mar, in the Catalunya district,
First group
..people who came as strangers, but left as friends of which Barcelona is the capital. We had 3 day excursions. The first was to Barcelona where we visited Guadi’s Park Guell, Segrada Familia (over 200 years, and still being built), Las Ramblas, Barcelona Olympic Stadium and the Palace where we ended the day watching this spectacular fountain show, set to lights and music. The next trip was to Besalu and Rupit - two typical medieval Spanish villages, and the third to Monsserat. This was by far my favorite of all the excursions: see the next journal with photo's! When not on excursions, the days were free to play on the beach where there were loads of things to do, such as free use of sea kayaks, pedaloes, bicycles for coastal rides and volleyball, while soaking up the sun and enjoying the warmth of the Mediterranean sea!
However despite all this, the highlight would have to have been the way God touched people’s lives: every evening we held a meeting where we had praise and worship, prayer, bible readings and a “sermon”. Seeing people having real encounters with the Holy Spirit; down on their knees; tears rolling down their cheeks; hands and faces raised upward or just resting in
Park Guell
Guadi's Park Guell with some brilliant mosiac houses His peace, was even more beautiful then Monsserat. The Lord really blessed us, very quickly creating a fantastic sense of unity as His children got to know each other! What a privilege to come alongside people and bring the truth about Jesus: who He is, what He’s promised us and how we can truly know Him. Having a blind person see is an incredible miracle, and even more when it happens in the spirit. Many people came away for a relaxing holiday, but I thank God that He met people where they were at, and almost every one had a story about how they had encounted Him during their week.
So of all the wonderful things that we saw and did over the 3 weeks, it was having discouraged people find hope, depressed people find joy, captives made free, apathetic people become passionate, disillusioned people find vision… that made it for me. We serve a mighty and powerful God - God of the nations, and God of the Individual.
Some of the other highlights /comments which have to be mentioned would be:
Guest: “I hate cold things in my mouth” then ordering a 5 scoop icecream sundae
Enjoying
SC11
Some of the group posing in Guadi's Park Guell, overlooking Barcelona Martin’s icecreams on the way to / from the beach…
Jame’s yacht that he promised me dinner and roses on … but which became the yellow submarine dinghy with any more then 2 in it!
Tube surfing on the baby waves in Pineda
Having our coach break down before it even got to us, so trying to find rooms for 20 people in a hotel at midnight - and so “Stealing” linen out the linen store to make up the beds!
Negotiating directions to places I’d never been to, in Spanish!
Playing pool volleyball!
Dave throwing a Frisbee into the wind, and having it do a u-turn to hit an unsuspecting couple enjoying the night air on the beach!
Holding “church” in the disko!
Starting ever day with prayer out by the pool, in the cool of the morning
Having big group hugs, and swallowing “frogs” while trying to pray at the end of the holiday when everyone had to leave..
Making hot chocolate on the side of the marquee in Dijon, France, while hoping a coach would be collecting us.
Ministry until 2am!
Enjoying Monserrat with group 2 in torrential rain, so listening to the oldest boy’s choir in
Segrada Familia
Church which has taken over 200 years to build, and still not finished! Europe sing in the Basillica.
53 guests huddling for an hour under a mulberry tree while waiting for a Spanish coach to take us on an excursion - one way to get to know each other well!
The higher the mountains, the more understandable is the glory of Him who made them and who holds them in His hand
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he’s come to see
Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights, it is a chance that goes on, deep and permanent in the ideas of living
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