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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

Good things can come out of bad times

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The news is full of horrible economic information. This morning, I was writing to a friend who is in a period of great apprehension and confusion. I wrote a little, but then I started recalling that God is God, all the time. I found this page of the names of God very insightful.

He is El (sovereign, in control), all the time. (250 times in the Bible)
He is El Roi, the God who sees me, all the time. (Gen. 16:13)
He is El Hanne’eman (faithful), all the time. (Deut. 7:9)
He is El-Kanno (lovingly and jealously watching over us), all the time. (Exod. 20:5)
He is El Shaddai (all sufficient), all the time. (Gen. 28:3, and many other places)
He is El Chaiyai, the God of my life, all the time. (Ps. 42:8)
He is El-Channun, the gracious God, all the time. (Jonah 4:2)
He is El Rachum, the God of compassion, all the time. (Deut. 4:31)
And perhaps my very favorite, He is Immanuel, God with us, all the time. (Isa. 7:14)

John Piper wrote a very intriguing post today: Bad times are good for missions. He lists some reasons:

1. During an economic downturn we are more dependent on God. That is the most fertile soil for creating missionaries.
2. During an economic downturn unreached people around the world do not expect you to come, but to look out for yourself. So they may more likely see your risk as love rather than exploitation.
3. During an economic downturn those who need Christ around the world may be less secure in earthly things and more ready to hear about eternal life.
4. During an economic downturn people at home may be wakened to the brevity of life and the fragility of material things, and so may become more generous not less. And when they give under these circumstances, it will make Christ look all the more like the all-satisfying Treasure that he is.

God did not wake up some morning and say, “Look how big a mess these folks are in. I better sort this out.” It’s all part of his plan, even the difficult or confusing circumstances.

He is El (sovereign, in control) and He is Immanuel (God with us), all the time.

Hrossa philosophy

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I’m re-reading C.S. Lewis’ science fiction trilogy. It’s been a longtime favorite and I’m enjoying it again. I first read Out of the Silent Planet as an English Literature assignment in 11th grade. At that time, I had no idea who C.S. Lewis was, nor that he was a believer. I don’t think our English teacher did either. But he wanted to teach us about metaphors and similes and Lewis’ book is full of them.

As I read the book that first time, I ran into some amazing philosophy, which I later learned was C.S. Lewis’ biblical-based worldview. I applaud how Lewis embeds his philosophy into simple conversations between characters in the story.

One of the characters is a hrossa (a seal-like creature that can reason and talk) who is named Hyoi.

Hyoi, speaking about memories to the man (hman) Ransom, says

A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered. You are speaking, Hman, as if the pleasure were one thing and the memory another. It is all one thing. … What you call remembering is the last part of the pleasure… When you and I met, the meeting was over very shortly, it was nothing. Now it is growing something as we remember it. But still we know very little about it. What it will be when I remember it as I lie down to die, what it makes in me all my days till then – that is the real meeting. The other is only the beginning of it. (Out of the Silent Planet, p. 73)

Deep thoughts like this are delivered very enjoyably through Lewis’ fun story.

Now, on to Perelandra.

I Voted

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Kay and I stood in line for 1 1/2 hours yesterday. But the weather was cool. And the company of fellow voters was good. The person in line ahead of us was knitting a maroon and white bedspread for her nephew who is attending (you guessed it!) Texas A&M. She was an Aggie also. Pretty amazing to find three displaced Ags standing in line for early voting in Florida!