Good Mornin'

Good morning. :) It’s a pretty day here and the birds are already singing. I hope you’re having a great one wherever you are today too. I can’t explain in words how cool it is to be here. International Media Ministries is an amazing organization and I feel like I’m in a dream. The team here is only 11 people. There are three missionary couples that do media here as a career, one couple here for a year, a 2-year intern, an administrative secretary, and the two summer interns (Javier and me). 

A few of us live in what is called the “IMM Mansion.” It’s beautiful. I’ll be putting up some pictures when I get a chance. It is a three-story Spanish house that has video production on the first floor, offices and design on the second floor, and housing on the third. I live upstairs and even have a terrace overlooking the mountains outside my bedroom.

We work 9-5 Monday through Friday. Each day starts with a 15-minute prayer and devotion time. It has blessed me to have personal time in the morning and then start with prayer with the group. Once a week on Wednesdays we get to start with a longer Bible Study that leads into staff meeting. Yesterday it went from 9 until close to 1. Jerry, the IMM director, started a study on 1^st Thessalonians. Later we discussed the summer projects, how Javi and I will start our positions, and the vision/purpose of the work the Lord is bringing forth through IMM. I think Wednesdays are going to be my favorite.

After work ended yesterday, Kim and Tim (the couple here for a year, also living in the separate suite in the house) took Javi and I into Alcala de Henares. We live on a hill/mountain pueblo called Los Hueros. At the bottom is a city called Alcala, about 20 miles outside of Madrid. We got to eat dinner, walk around the Spanish University of Alcala, and spend time in the plaza. Then, Javi and I got to sit in on a Bible study that Kim and Tim are a part of each Wednesday night through one of the International churches in Madrid. I’m excited to get to go to church with them on Sunday.

Javi is hilarious! He is the other intern from New Jersey. He will be working on recreating the IMM website and learning video production. It’s going to be fun having someone the same age, especially someone so funny. He documented our adventure into the city last night on video and caught me having a laughing attack when we visited a convent. Let me explain. Apparently there are convents around Spain that specialize in certain types of trades. The women inside cannot have contact with people outside. At the particular one we got to go to, the nuns look through a peephole at you and sell caramelized almonds. Kim told us to be on our best behavior when we went in, but when the nun popped her eye up there I busted and couldn’t help but giggle. I excused myself and the burst of laughter came luckily when I got outside. Bless the nuns, I apologize. :)

There is so much to say and so much to come. I can’t believe it’s only the third day. I feel like I have known these people for a long time. It’s amazing when Jesus is the center of a friendship because it’s relaxed and comfortable from the beginning. They have made me feel truly welcome and I’m so excited to be here. Please know how deeply I care for you guys and love you. I am praying for you, my friends and family, in the States. Thank you for your love and all our good laughs and friendships too!

I want to share this with you before I go to work this morning. It is from 1^st Thessalonians. It says, “You are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert… Let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.” Vs 5-8.

I got to go to Passion 2010, a Christian conference in Atlanta, in January. The theme was Awakening. It is my encouragement to you and to myself this morning that we wake up. That we realize who we are, our identity in Christ, and shine/manifest the light that He is inside of us. May we awake to His truths and stay away from the darkness and spiritual sleep. The King is alive and with us today. May we experience the joy and peace of His light.