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!