The Seabourns

Travel

Lunch in Sitges

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I’m sitting in a restaurant at 2:15 pm Tuesday afternoon. We are 6 hours ahead so it’s 8:15 am in Orlando. I’m in Sitges almost a day before others arrive for the internet ministry conference. So I’m on my own today.

The missionary life of travel is a bit different than tourist travel. I’ve done both. In missionary travel, I am frequently on my own to navigate in a language I don’t understand. Today, I arrived in Barcelona and took 2 trains and a taxi to my hotel in Sitges, about a half-hour south of Barcelona.

Later, I went out for lunch. The following is my humorous experience ordering lunch in Spanish. I thought you’d enjoy it.

I’m glad you could join me for lunch. No one else has arrived for the conference yet so i’m wondering around alone for now.

I just ordered completely in Spanish. I got rissoto something or other for the first course. I recognized rice. I thought “you can’t go wrong with rice.” BUT this rice has little shrimp or prawns. I don’t like shrimp. So that’s what “con gambas” means!

I walked around for an hour, enjoying the sights and looking for a less expensive restaurant. It’s about 65 and partly cloudy.

This restaurant had a “fixed plate menu” that was the most reasonable I found. BUT it was only in Spanish!

If the waiter and I communicated, I’m having filet of sole next. We’ll see!

A “fixed plate menu” is pretty normal in Europe. Choose from several appetizers, several entrees, 2-3 desserts.

I arrived in Barcelona about 7:30. Navigated the 2 trains ok with the help of a lively group of high schoolers who must take the train to school. One thing about being on your own, you have to be willing to ask for help. Often!

Arrived at Sitges train station and got a cab to the hotel. Arrived about 8:30-9 at hotel.

I got my room early. I’ll be sharing with David Oliver from Barcelona when he arrives.

I decided to sleep 3 hours. Then showered. Felt good! I’m feeling really well.

YES! It’s fish! And its good! The flavor is really tasty.

Finished the sole.

I’m having something “caramel” for dessert. I recognized that word. And I ordered café con leche. I hope I remembered correctly from my last trip to Barcelona. It’s what I told the waiter. Where’s my Spanish-speaking son Jonathan when I need him!!!

OK. Dessert is some kind of custard. It’s ok.

YES! I got the coffee right!

I had thought about borrowing a friend’s Rosetta Stone language course this fall to prepare for this trip. Should have.

I had a whole row to myself on the plane. On a 767, that’s only 3 seats. But I lifted the arms up and laid horizontally. It was great! I slept about 3-4 hours of the 7 hour flight.

Well, café con leche is finished. I’ll figure out how to pay and walk around some more. I’ve taken lots of photos.

Thanks for lunch together.

Internet Ministry in Western Europe

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In a couple of hours, I’m off to Spain. I’m going to Sitges, about an hour south of Barcelona on the Mediterranean. Yes, I know. Most of you are stuck in winter, but someone needs to go, so it’s me! Here’s the Hotel Sebastian Playa where I’ll be staying.

I’m meeting with 19 leaders in internet ministry from across Europe. These leaders have found the internet to be very effective in reaching out to seekers in the skeptical, post-modern world of Europe. People want authentic relationships based on transparent communication. Shame is a huge factor in lives today. Young people desperately desire acceptance.

Some of the topics we’ll discuss include:

  • creative ideas for student-oriented websites and how to publicize them
  • making the most of Facebook to discover spiritually interested students
  • how to follow up students who come to faith on the Internet
  • understanding eLearning and using it for online follow-up of new believers
  • recruiting and training eVolunteers to handle email responses
  • ministering to eVolunteers and moving them toward greater involvement
  • making the most of an Agape Innovation website / forum to share ideas
  • linking evangelistic websites to local universities where you have a Student Ministry
  • best practice for getting contacts from website visitors
  • how to manage contacts (those making a decision for Christ / having a question) coming from a website

Wow! With an agenda like that, there won’t be much beach time!

Here are some more websites that you might use to learn more about the ministry in Europe.

Main AgapeEurope website

Pray for Europe

Knowing God evangelistic websites

Student evangelistic websites

Back in Orlando

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Kay and I are back in Orlando again. We’re enjoying being at home. I read this recently:

Signs you travel too much:

  • When you wake up from a deep sleep during an overnight international flight and you have no idea where you are, where you are going, and comfortably fall back to sleep knowing that you will figure it out when you land.
  • When you think the flight attendants should sit down so you can do the safety demo, since you have it memorized.
  • When you know the location of power outlets in several lounges and departure gates for different airports.
  • When you fail to pay attention to any flight numbers or hotel room numbers… leaving you describing your flight as the Six Something to JFK… and trying your room card key at a bunch of hotel room doors until one opens.
  • When you go to a movie rental store and you can not find a single movie you have not seen… and you have not rented a movie or been in a movie theater for over ten years.
  • You have notes and coins for half a dozen currencies in your wallet but none of your home currency.

Unfortunately, I identify with several of them.

But it is good to be home, drinking my coffee from my machine while sitting in my chair.

Missionaries Anywhere

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Living in 2008 is an exciting adventure. We have the privilege of being missionaries everywhere. And anywhere. I just helped a young lady who lives in Bristol, England. You might have  thought I was in Singapore. Well, actually I’m sitting in the Minneapolis airport on my way home to Orlando. “O” lives in Bristol but had contacted us through one of our websites. She wrote,

I just recommitted my life to Christ. My question is , in the bible it says when you are baptised is the time you turn away from your sins and is the time to recieve the Holy Spirit. i did not receive the baptism i pray at home , does it work pray at home ?

Great question! Does it work to pray at home to repent and turn to Christ? It was fun to help “O” with answers to her questions and to share some things that have helped me in my personal growth.

I also had an opportunity to talk with “T” on the flight from Singapore to Tokyo. He’s from Sri Lanka, traveling to San Diego to begin college studies in the U.S. I “happened” to have a Conversations CD prepared by Faculty Commons (formerly Christian Leadership Ministries). It contains several conversations with professors about important topics to students and includes opportunities to explore the spiritual side of these issues.

It’s been a good trip. Looking for opportunities to be an ambassador helps alleviate hours of sitting around in airplanes and airports. But right now, I’m ready to be home!

From Singapore

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Orlando to Detroit to Tokyo to Singapore. If this were a trivia travel question, it would be over in a few minutes. In reality, this is a journey of 30+ hours. I definitely think it would be more fun to have been an explorer traveling the northwest passage rather than sitting in a seat on Northwest Airlines.

I’m in Singapore without my favorite traveling buddy, Kay. She’s staying in Orlando for this trip. And when I get back, Abby and Lucy will have brought their parents to Orlando for a few weeks! Our children, Daniel and Michelle, have a break in their training and preparations for Central Asia. They are spending their break with us in Orlando.

We’re meeting in Singapore to continue planning and implementing the global measurements solution. The system is providing tremendous information to leaders allowing them to make wise decisions based on real-time information.

Recording the amazing results of ministry is very encouraging. Remember the feeding of the 5,000? The feeding of the 4,000? The appearances of Jesus to Peter, then the twelve, then to more than five hundred as Paul recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:5?

God cares that his activities are recorded accurately. We can exalt and celebrate God’s activities in our world.

There is another use for accurate information. We can empower leaders to decide wisely. Where is God most at work? Which strategies are most effective? What locations are more responsive? How can we best deploy our personnel and our funding to help fulfill the Great Commission?

That’s what we’re working on in Singapore.