It's about time ...

None of us wants to leave Sevilla. We will remember these two months fondly and forever. November: Thanksgiving came & went, we didn’t see a pilgrim or have a big feast, but we were definitely giving thanks to God for our good friends. December: nothing really felt like the Christmas season except the spirit of giving, which continues to overwhelm us. We ask each other, “If a family came from abroad and landed in Orinda for months, would we show them this much attention and love?” I pray we pass the test when the opportunity arises. The truth is, we all have the challenge before us almost every day – we make choices to focus on our list of things-to-do OR on prioritizing people. We have seen such unselfishness during our trip!

Primarily, the two families of Charlie’s old friends, Cesar & Isidoro, have embraced us, included us, guided us, gifted us and loved us, so that we ache to think of our near departure. What’s more, they have introduced us to their friends and those people have reached out to us on several occasions.

Last week, Chase & Mary met an American man while walking his dog. He and his Colombian wife live in our same apartment complex. Shortly after, they sent us a note inviting us for tapas and are now insisting that we come to dinner before we leave. When you meet someone briefly or you think you may never see them again, aren’t you tempted to think “Ah well, we don’t need to invest anything in that relationship.” People here continue to make time for us and enrich our lives. And, as we’ve seen over & over, we often think we’ll never see someone again, but God seems to bring life around in a way that only He could devise.

We had a very special Christmas. Charlie and I didn’t buy many gifts, since we’re packing those suitcases again soon. We all had to be a bit creative with our presents – nothing too large, nothing for winter, nothing heavy, and nothing that we wouldn’t need in South America. For instance, we gave Mary a barf bag that we’d collected from our last flight, but Jane decorated it beautifully!

We didn’t plan to fill stockings or have piles of packages, but the kids woke up to a fantastic array of stockings and gifts for each of them, thanks to their friend Krystal from home who sent a box filled with treats for everyone. Another thoughtful friend from Germany made us cookies and sent an advent calendar, so we could begin the season with a sweet tradition. In addition, Piotr, one of our young friends from Poland, sent us drawings (he’s quite an artist) and a fossil that he’d collected when he was very young. We were touched beyond words …

Jane said to me yesterday, “If there's one thing I’ve learned on this trip it is generosity. People are always giving us so much, and that is what really matters in life." Thanks for all your thoughts and cards and love!

Feliz Navidad

What a gift it has been to really see how Christmas is celebrated in another country-- not just passing through to see the city lights or attending one night of festivity, but living alongside the people for the weeks leading up to and including Christmas Day. We have commented to each other how full our lives have been during this season and yet we aren’t going to work everyday, we aren’t studying for exams, we aren’t hanging lights or trimming a tree or baking for gifts! How do we do it back home?
One of the most important traditions here is the Nativity Scene. Spaniards have recently begun buying trees for their homes, but the oldest and most popular custom involves a day (or two) of setting up an extravagant, detailed Belen which is Spanish for Bethlehem. Sevilla has a central plaza filled with temporary stores all filled with different artists’ figures, houses, palm trees, and animals that the locals buy, adding to their sets at home.
We have also enjoyed something called zambomba which is a beautiful flamenco tradition in this southern province of Andalusia. Everybody gathers around a fire (typically it would have been in the courtyard of someone’s home) to sing, clap their hands and enjoy the Christmas songs to the sound of the guitar, tambourines and, of course, the zambomba, an instrument for which the celebration is named. It is basically a clay vessel covered with animal skin. In the center of the covering a long cane is secured which produces a deep sound when pulled up and down. We have seen three zambombas this past week – one in a large patio of the university, one at the elementary school of our friends’ children and another on a blocked city street nearby. When Mary got up “this morning” she looked at the clock (which read 12:15) and said, “That’s what the clock looked like when we came home last night.” . . . our typical schedule.
We will spend Christmas Eve at the home of our dear friends and they are even going to prepare a turkey for us! Jane, Mary & I will endeavor to bake an apple pie, but if our recent chocolate chip cookie attempt is any indication of success, they’ll be fortunate to eat dessert. That night will be full of anticipation for the arrival of Papa Noel, but the bigger event takes place on January 6th when the Three Kings come to bring gifts.
Thank you for the Christmas cards that you’ve sent. You can’t imagine what a blessing one piece of mail is. And while we are loving this special trip, it is difficult to be away from all of you, especially during the holidays. But we joyfully celebrate Christ’s birth and anticipate Chapter Two of our adventure . . . South America. God bless each one of you!

La Vida Loca

A simple yet full life here continues. We visited a beautiful town called Ronda week before last (and even saw the King of Spain up close!). We went to Cordoba last weekend and had a fantastic visit to the mosque. It is an unbelievable preservation of the Roman, Arab, and Christian beginnings of Spain. We still have difficulty absorbing the incredible antiquity of these structures that can date back as early as the first century.
We came back to a festive long weekend in Sevilla. All of the universities in Spain have traditional musical groups called La Tuna. They serenade senoritas and they stroll the streets singing about each region they represent. Once a year, many of the groups congregate in Sevilla for a long night of song and it all happens right around the corner from our apartment. Craziness in the streets until the early hours of the morning!

Also, Monday was a holiday celebrating the Immaculate Conception (our Mary asked how the birth happened only three weeks later . . . these are small details in the big scheme of things, huh?). There was a mass in the main Cathedral and a special dance performed by a group of boys called Los Seises. The fun never ends!!

One more serendipitous event was given to us . . . when returning to our flat yesterday I noticed a woman looking up at the balcony of another apartment where there was a “For Rent” sign. I passed her, but decided to turn around and ask if she was looking for a place to live. When our eyes met, she said “I know you!” And it turns out that we studied in Madrid at the same time during our junior year in college. She is here on a mission similar to mine a month & a half ago – looking for a place for her family to live when they come to Seville in January. I brought her back to our flat and we called the owner to see if they could rent it when we leave and she said ‘Si’! Carol spent the afternoon with our family and it was such a joy to hear our kids share their enthusiasm for the life that awaits her children. She told us that she was on the verge of losing all hope that things would work out when we bumped into each other. Isn’t God good? The difficult task I had He used for good! We don’t go through trials for nothing.

Serving breakfast in the elementary school has grown to be more rewarding than I’d thought possible, mainly due to the fact that, again, we have established relationships with the children. Charlie is quite the entertainer when he is refilling cups and mopping up spilled milk. (Have you noticed how long his hair is? Not one trim since July 28th!)

Jane’s friend, Avery, is coming to visit us for ten days and she arrives on Saturday. We can’t wait!