Madrid Cady's

VBS

2008-06-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Immanuel Baptist Church, which is only about a 10-minute walk away from us, our kids are attending VBS this week. Today was their first day and they came home bouncing off the walls with the fun they had. Our kids actually don't have much contact with "church" kids here in Madrid, so I think it's great that they are finding out that there are others like them in our city.

I'm really grateful to IRC for providing this free ministry for our kids!

End of year show

2008-06-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Why we love our Dad by Meg & Nic

2007-10-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

Because he's funny. (Meg)
He likes to be silly. (Nic)
He goes on walks with us. (Meg)
Sometimes we go to the park. (Nic)
Sometimes we play a play with him. (Nic)
Because he gives us good-night kisses. (Meg)
Because he tucks me in. (Nic)
Because he reads stories to us. (Meg)
Because sometimes he picks me up from school. (Nic)
Because he helps us with math. (Meg)
Because he makes us oatmeal. (Nic)

Happy Birthday from 2 of your 3 biggest fans!

Mommy Powers

2007-09-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

I picked up Mac (formerly known as Max, but he's a grown-up dog now!) from the living room floor and opened Nic's door.

There was a gasp from the bottom part of his bed, and the desk-light behind the hanging sheet wall winked out.

"Nicolas," I said. "It's time to go to bed. You need to leave your light off now."

"I know, Mom." Then, "How did you KNOW I had my light on?"

"I didn't. I just came in to bring you Mac."

"Oh!" with a bit of relief.

I think my magical Mom powers just got a little tarnished.

Morning Prayers

2007-09-05T01:03:00.000-07:00

We have started using prayers from Celtic Daily Prayer during our family devotions at the breakfast table, and it has been really cool to watch the kids interact with it.

Nicolas especially is excited about it, and he gave himself the job of opening and closing our prayer time with "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The past few mornings he also volunteered to be the "leader" in the responsive section. The first time he did it, I was amazed with the feeling that he put into the words...

Call: Who is it that you seek?
Response: We seek the Lord our God.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your heart?
Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your soul?
Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your mind?
Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Call: Do you seek Him with all your strength?
Response: Amen. Christ, have mercy.

Even though he is only seven, I pray that the beauty and the impact of these statements will begin working themselves into the deep parts of his heart.

And in the meantime, this Mom is blessed to hear this spoken challenge from the voice of her son.

Boxcar Children books

2007-08-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

If you feel like helping us acquire a book or two, please leave a comment on this post so people know what books are still missing! Thanks!

By the way, this post will stay at the top for awhile, but there may be newer posts further down!

Identity Crisis

2007-06-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Overhead in our house this evening:

"Did you tell Nic he could have a magazine?"

"Yeah, I told him he could look at one until Meaghan was done reading" (Meg is sleeping in his room while Grandma is visiting.)

"Today's Christian Woman?"

Making Me Laugh

2007-04-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

We have a running joke routine with Nic where we ask him to bring us coffee in bed, and then we laugh at his indignation.

This morning he said "I can't make coffee. I'm Nic. I am just a young child!"

~~~
Yesterday after an annoying round of chess with her brother (who questions all the rules) Meaghan said to me "I wish there were five people in our family."

After a few minutes of conversation delving into this little phenomenon, I found out that it was because then the third kid would be required to play with Nic instead of her. :) I told her not to hold her breath. Good family planning eh?

Chess

2007-04-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, our kids play chess. With each other. I don't play, so I'm never quite sure if they are playing by the rules or not, but they play it quite often. It's pretty funny. Since Nic is at the age where winning is everything, we've had to set some basic rules of engagement. When the game is done, they have to shake hands and say "good game."

My friend Lisa and I were joking that it's such a high-brow way spend a Sunday afternoon--listening to Vivaldi and the kids playing chess!

April Update

2007-04-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

April 10, 2007

Dear Friends,

On Sunday, we returned from our second annual Oasis Madrid Easter Retreat. Unfortunately the weather was not as nice as last year, and we spent a decent amount of time inside trying to stay out of the rain and cold. But we still enjoyed time together relaxing, eating meals we didn't have to fix, napping and celebrating the events of Holy Week as a community.

On the left is a photo of Shani Kilasi. We met Shani a couple of years ago here in Madrid, and she became part of our church. We were sad when she returned to England to finish her studies. But she came back! We were thrilled when she moved back to Madrid in September to work in Madrid and once again join Oasis Madrid. People actually think she is on staff because she helps out so much! Anyway, it was our privilege to baptize her on Easter Sunday morning. You can see photos further down of her baptism and of Troy anointing her with oil afterwards.

(Other photos top to bottom: the mountain above the camp, one of many Boggle games, some Scripture reflection, Shani's baptism, anointing Shani with oil, the prayer room, and Nic in a tree :) )

In other news

After Nic's initial assessment with the Educational Pyschologist/Speech and Language Therapist, it was determined that he does not have any learning disabilities. He does however, have struggles with language and speech. This Saturday, he'll have another evaluation with a speech and language therapist and will begin sessions with her twice a week. Nic has continued to improve at school and is working hard. We're confident that his therapy will give him the extra boost he needs to catch up to his classmates. He has been struggling with allergies and asthma as he always does in the spring. As always, he smothers us with grins and hugs.

Meaghan continues to grow up before our eyes. She is forging real friendships, and we are really pleased to see that she chooses her friends carefully and wisely. Recently she enjoyed a visit from her friend Ana Maria from her old school. It was really cute to see how happy they were to see each other. She continues to do well in school, both socially and academically. We are truly blessed to have Meg as our daughter.

Troy has been busy as usual. Recently he spoke for a chapel at the Christian school outside Madrid. (It's pretty impressive that a group of 7th graders requested he come back :) Junior highers are a hard audience! The Alpha course he has been running finishes tonight and next week he will begin teaching a Christian History class.

I continue to lead my Wednesday night group; this week we are starting the book of Hebrews. I enjoy this group so much! I have also been working on being more present and efficient in our home. And one of these days I'll get back into writing more as well!

We were happy to welcome the Crull family back to Madrid on March 18. They found a new apartment in record time and have moved in just down the street from the "Holy Spirit House" where Kelly Wills and Amy Swacina live. It feels great to have them back in our community again.

Amy Swacina continues to raise support in the US; we look forward to her rejoining us in August.

On a more personal note

Over the past few months, I have had an increasing feeling of "waiting for the other shoe to drop." I described it to my spiritual director like this:

"I feel like an Israelite who has been delivered from Egypt (the huge financial crisis we had in the Fall) and is on her way to the Promised Land. But it seems too good to be true, and I have been watching over my shoulder for Pharaoh and his army to appear. I can see them on the edge of the horizon (looming need of the funds to pay the last school payment and Nic's speech therapy) and I can see that we are pushing up against the border of the Red Sea (need to increase our monthly support.)"

To be honest, even though God provided for us in a truly miraculous way in the fall, making it clear in the process that He wants us here, sometimes I still struggle to trust Him. I have the feeling that maybe that provision was our miracle, and that we have used up our share now. I know that sounds ridiculous. Sometimes it feels greedy to ask Him for yet more.

So will you pray with us, that we will sit on the shore here, between Pharaoh and the Red Sea, and have a fish dinner with Jesus around the fire? Pray that we (and me especially) will sit secure and peaceful, listening to what Jesus is saying to me, looking at HIM, not looking over His shoulder to see how close the army is or how big the waves are.

Whatever happens, I know without a doubt that He is sitting here with me on this shore, and that He loves me more than anything.

In May, I will be attending a seminar on support-raising in The Hague, so I'm hopeful that will give us some needed tools and motivation to continue to build a stronger support base.

We are, as always, extremely grateful for our love, prayers and financial support. There is no way we could be here without you!

Blessings from all of us,

Heather

April Prayer Calendar

11: Pray for Heather's group as they begin studying Hebrews

12: Pray for a restful day off for all our team members, and for restoration to full health for all of us

13: Pray for Nic's asthma and allergies to stay under control

14: Nic has an initial evaluation with the speech therapist who will be working with him twice a week

15: Pray for "The Gathering" as we draw people into community with Oasis Madrid

16: Pray for the kids as they start back to school after two weeks off

17: Pray for Troy as he begins teaching his Christian History course

18: Pray for Heather's group as they continue to study Hebrews

19: Pray for Kelly, April and Alleke Crull as they settle into family life in Madrid

20: Pray for financial provision for team member Kelly Wills

21: Pray for our church service; we're beginning a series on Joseph

22: Pray for Amy Swacina as she works on visa paperwork and support raising

23: Pray for the funds we need to pay for the last school payment

24: Pray for Troy's Christian History class

25: Pray for Heather's Wednesday group

26: Pray for strength, perseverance and faith

27: Pray for the funds to pay for Nic's evaluation and speech & language therapy

28: Pray for travel safety as our family heads to Barcelona to check in with our supporting church, ICB, and have a few days of vacation

29: Pray for Troy as he preaches at ICB, the church in Barcelona where we used to work

30: Pray for a restful day together as a family

Kids Riding New Bikes

2007-01-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

It works best if you let it buffer.

Written and Illustrated by Meaghan

2007-01-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

This is the kind of thing Meg regularly comes up with all on her own.

Our kids

2006-11-29T00:14:00.000-08:00

Meg got her braces on yesterday. I'm glad to finally be in the process and trust that she'll have a better dental experience than I did.

She is definitely becoming a young lady now. Behold the do not disturb sign she made for her door :) At least it's still polite!

She is doing really well in school and has settled in nicely. I had a parent-teacher conference a couple of weeks ago with her teacher, who said that after a rough start, Meg was doing great and she had nothing negative to say! That week, Meg got pupil of the week in both English and Spanish.

Nic seems to be doing better in school. He is definitely all boy! Even though he goes to school looking like this...

he comes home looking like this! Thankfully I was smart this year and bought patches for his trousers at the beginning of the year!

Our November Newsletter

2006-11-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

November 1, 2006

Dear Friends,

In the words of Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all doing direct the other way..."

You might want to get a drink, a box of Kleenex and get comfy, because this is an epic story!

On Tuesday October 17, we received a call from CAI to let us know that we absolutely had to have our account out of deficit by year's end. Many of our colleagues are, as we were, suffering financially, and CAI is not able to "float" all of us when that happens. We of course had already been working on fund-raising, but this put an extra amount of pressure on us. At that point, we believed we were about $8,000 in the hole.

It was a rainy, grey week, and our spirits took a real nose-dive. On Friday the 20th, we met with Nic's teacher and another woman who provides assistance to kids at the school. They expressed concern that Nicolas (who is definitely behind, having jumped into the British school system this year) might have some kind of learning delay or issue. Although on its own, this news was not terrible, added to the burdens of the week, it became the straw that broke the camel's back.

I think that Friday was the worst day we have experienced in Spain. As the rain poured down outside, we struggled and grieved. We cried a lot of tears. We talked about leaving Spain, even if the money came in.

On Saturday, we sent out an email asking that you join us in prayer on Sunday October 22nd. We really did not know what God was doing, where He was leading. That evening, we had a service. At the end of the service, they kicked Troy & I out and voted to give us a generous financial gift from the church. Afterwards they sat us down, gathered around us, prayed for us and cried with us. We went home feeling more peaceful and encouraged, but still wondering what God was going to do. We asked our kids some loaded questions about where we should live. Among other things, Meg said "I think it's important to live in Spain to tell people about God."

Emails began pouring in, speaking words of encouragement to us. People were praying with us.We were certainly not alone. That Sunday we spent as a family, talking and praying and asking God to show us what to do. We asked God only that He would get our account back in the black by the end of the year. We made the difficult decision that if it was not in the black by then, we would leave Spain at the end of the school year.

Then the financial commitments starting coming in. Some of them before we even asked; some of them after. All of them generous, one huge one from a man we have never even met before. Part-way through the process we found out that we were actually $12,000 in the hole after having paid for school this fall. Still, the emails kept coming.

As I write this, (between actual gifts and pledges) God has provided funds to wipe our deficit, pay for the next school payment in January, and begin to build up our required 2-month financial buffer. He has also sent $350 per month in new monthly support.

Needless to say, we are staying in Spain! God answered clearly, quickly and with overwhelming generosity. It's amazing. The difference in our emotional states has been remarkable. I think both Troy and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders.

What can we say but "Thank you"? Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, love and yes, money. God is not finished with us in Spain, or with Oasis Madrid. We are so hopeful and excited to see what God is going to do! By the way, the photo collage is from our most recent "The Gathering". These are events we use to introduce people who do not normally go to church to our church community. This particular event was a photo scavenger hunt, in which each member of the winning team received a 5 euro gift certificate to a local English-language bookshop. (And, of course, Troy's team won! Just wanted to add that.).

With grateful hearts,

Heather, Troy, Meg & Nic

November Prayer Calendar

2006-11-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

November Prayer Calendar

1: Thank God with us for the amazing way He has answered our prayers.

2: Pray for Amy Swacina; our intern. She is in Germany this week, seeking God's will for her future after her internship with us ends in January.

3: Pray for Meg; she'll have her second tooth extraction in preparation for her braces.

4: Pray for our service today; we'll be talking about the Incarnation.

5: Pray for the homeless people that our congregation has been building relationships with.

6: Pray for Heather as she teaches on "Loving Others" at the Cross Current course.

7: Pray that God will provide a place to hold our Thanksgiving outreach planned for Sunday 26 November; we'd like to have it in a place where we can invite the homeless people that know us.

8: Pray for Troy and a team from Oasis Madrid as they travel to Morocco for the ministry our church has in an orphanage there.

9: Pray for Nic, that God would open his mind and help him to grasp the many new things he is being exposed to at school.

10: Pray for continued financial provision for team member Kelly Wills.

11: Pray that God will continue to provide new monthly financial support.

12: Pray for "The Gathering": this time a service day to the homeless people that we've been getting to know in Madrid. We'll be taking out an additional round of food (we feed them every Friday) as well as sorting clothes donations that have come in.

13: Pray for all the people who finish the Cross Current course this week; that God will continue the healing work He has begun in many lives.

14: Pray for Troy's Tuesday night community group that is studying Colossians.

15: Pray for continuing growth and strength in our marriage.

16: Pray for more families with children to join Oasis Madrid.

17: Pray for team members Kelly, April and little Alleke Crull as they travel back to the US. Pray that travel with a 6-week old baby would go very smoothly, and that God would also provide the funds the Crulls need to raise before they return to Madrid, hopefully in March 2007.

18: Pray for Troy as he speaks at a Young Life retreat this weekend, and for the rest of the team as we have a concert of prayer at our service.

19: Pray for our dream of having a ministry center someday.

20: Pray as we multiply the Cross Current groups into five new community groups.

21: Pray that both our kids will continue to learn Spanish.

22: Pray for wisdom as we try to make some adjustments for Troy to feel more integrated in Spain (Spanish language, driver's license etc.)

23: As you celebrate Thanksgiving with your loved ones, join us in thanking God for the miraculous way He is providing for us.

24: Continue to pray for leaders in our church.

25: Praise God for another year of life for Heather! 38 down!

26: Pray for our Thanksgiving outreach.

27: Pray God's revival in Spain.

28: Pray that we will be a light in our building and neighborhood.

29: Pray that Heather will have a chance to build relationships with some of the women that attend the Curves where she goes.

30: As we get close to Advent, pray that our hearts will be prepared for the message of the Incarnation in every way.

Day of Prayer, Sunday October 22

2006-10-21T04:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

We want to ask you to pray urgently with us. Our financial crisis has deepened due to the fact that we MUST get our account out of the red by the end of the year. This has forced us to take a hard look at our future here in Spain if the funds do not come in.

We've had a discouraging week, and just yesterday we met with Nic's teacher and a woman who provides assistance to kids in his class. At this point they feel Nic has some sort of learning delay or comprehension problem. While we feel that he only just started school and has a lot to catch up on, it still makes us feel like we have put him in this position with the educational choices we have made so far.

We have set aside tomorrow, Sunday 22 October, to pray and seek God. We need His provision financially as well as clear guidance. Would you pray with us? We would really appreciate it!

Blessings,
Troy & Heather

Meg on Family

2006-10-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was feeling fluish so I put on a movie for the kids and crawled under the covers. Later, Meg brought me in a cup of tea that she made for me, completely her idea.

I said "Thanks Meg, you take such good care of me!"

She said, very matter-of-factly, "That's what family does!"

October Prayer Calendar

2006-10-03T00:29:00.000-07:00

Prayer Calendar
2: Pray for Kelly & April Crull as they await the birth of their daughter ANY day now
3: Thank God with us for 37 years for Troy (and that we're the same age for a few weeks :) )
4: Pray for Nic to continue to work hard to catch up in school. He got 10/10 on his first spelling test last Friday, so he was pleased about that
5: We have met at least two families from school that live in the neighborhood and have begun to build relationships with them
6: Please continue to pray for our finances; we still have a large deficit and monthly shortfall
7: Pray for our service: we will be talking about the community part of our vision statement "Oasis Madrid is a Christ-centered community that helps people follow Jesus". Also pray for Kelly Wills as she travels to Holland for some field orientation with CAI.
8: Pray for the people in Oasis Madrid who are involved with taking food to, and building relationships with homeless people in Madrid
9: Pray that all the members of our church attending the Cross Current course we are running will find growth and healing
10: Pray for the team that is preparing to go to Morocco in November, especially Nicole, who leads the ministry
11: We are making progress on legalizing Oasis Madrid; please continue to pray for this very complicated process to be as simple as possible!
12: Pray for Heather as she worships God through good health and establishes an exercise routine
13: Meaghan will have two teeth pulled today in preparation for her braces to be put on, pray it goes smoothly and that she won't have too much pain
14: Pray that we will be known and make a positive impact in our neighborhood
15: Pray for "The Gathering". Today we will host a potluck lunch and game day so that people can invite their friends to get to know the Oasis Madrid community.
16: Pray for a ministry center in Madrid for our church
17: Pray that more and more people in our church will go through the Christian Growth Pathway we are using for discipleship
18: Pray for a strong and healthy marriage
19: Pray for good health for our family
20: Heather is hosting a scrapbooking/craft time every Friday morning; pray for relationships to be built during this time and for new contacts
21: Pray for our service: Troy will be speaking on evangelism and discipleship
22: Pray that more families will join Oasis Madrid
23: Pray for the spiritual growth of our kids
24: Pray that more "internationally-minded Spaniards" will join our community
25: Pray for rest and encouragement
26: Pray for Kelly Wills as she attends "intercambio night" (a language exchange in her neighborhood every Wednesday night
27: Praise God for leaders in our church
28: Pray that our kids will continue to make friends at school
29: Pray for another "The Gathering". We'll be hosting a photo scavenger hunt
30: Pray for Amy Swacina (our intern) as she travels to Munster, Germany, to investigate CAI's church plant there. Pray for wisdom for her as she seeks God's will for her future
31: Praise God for His overwhelming grace in our lives

September Prayer List

2006-09-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

September Prayer Calendar:
1: Please pray for no flight delays, and a smooth flight from Miami to Madrid
2: Pray for a few hours of rest before our Oasis Madrid service at 6:00 pm Spain time. Troy will be speaking at the service
3: Please pray for quick recovery from jet lag
4: Pray for travel safety for Troy as he flies to Amsterdam for some CAI training. Pray he gets over jet lag quickly
5: Pray for Nic as he will have to have the five stitches in his chin taken out
6: Pray for the funds to pay for schooling
7: Pray for Meaghan and Nicolas as they have their first day of school at Numont School
8: Pray for Troy to have a safe trip home to Madrid
9: Pray for our family as we begin to order our life in the city
10: Please pray for our first incarnational event, a picnic in Retiro Park in Madrid
11: Pray that new people in Madrid who are searching for a church home will find Oasis Madrid
12: Please pray for Kelly Crull as he works hard on the Oasis Madrid website
13: Also pray for Kelly & April Crull as they prepare for the birth of their baby girl (due around the beginning of October)
14: Pray for the legalization of Oasis Madrid
15: Pray for our whole team as we are deliberate to be out in our neighborhoods and communities, making Christ's presence known in Madrid
16: Pray for our Oasis Madrid service
17: Pray for Heather as she sets priorities for her time now that both kids are in school all day 18: Pray as we launch small groups based on the "Crosscurrents" program; that many people will find growth and healing through this program
19: Pray that all the funds for school will have come in in time for tomorrow's deadline for payment of first term
20: Pray for our team member Kelly Wills, that God will provide the funds for her to be able to spend Christmas with her family
21: Pray for Troy as he leads Oasis Madrid
22: Pray we will find a regular babysitter so we can resume our date nights
23: Pray for our second Incarnational event out in the community
24: Pray for Jay & Carolyn Sensenig, who mentor us and serve at both Mountainview and Oasis Madrid
25: Pray for new monthly support
26: Pray for our team intern Amy Swacina as she seeks God's guidance for her future
27: Pray for Nic to catch up quickly with his class, and for clear speech
28: Pray for Richard & Riekje Wallace as they lead Mountainview
29: Pray for Meg as she will be getting teeth pulled in preparation for her braces
30: Pray for leaders for Oasis Madrid

Our little girl is growing up

2006-07-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight Meg came into the bathroom for her shower and told me "I learn a lot about God from Dad. I really enjoy that."

It seems like she is getting so grown up. I think she has grown this summer even since we have been in the US.

Since our furlough two years ago, Meg has been dying to go tubing again at Uncle Tony's house in Kansas. Below are some photos of our visit.

Meg and her cousins Chelsea and Jennifer

Meg on the tube!

Having the time of her life.

Cutest and Most Overpriced School Photos of Nic

2006-05-18T03:20:00.000-07:00

May Prayer Calendar

2006-05-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

May

1 Pray for Kelly Crull
as he works up
several proposed
web designs for
Oasis Madrid

2 Pray for our team
as we choose a web
design, that we
would have wisdom
and clarity

3 Pray for Troy and
Kelly as they have a
training day on the
web-site

4 Pray we’ll get a
definite answer
(either way) about
the apartment we
have been pursuing

5 Pray we will get
good prices for our
plane tickets to the
US

6 Pray for our
service at 6:00 p.m.
Troy will be
summarizing our
“Body Parts” Series

7 Pray for our
church as people
begin leaving for
the summer or for
good

8 Pray the dollar will
regain strength
against the euro.
This affects our
budget a lot

9 Pray for our team
as we have a
business staff
meeting

10 Pray for Meg’s
Spanish. Pray
especially that she
will be motivated
and willing to learn

11 Pray for a day of
spiritual and
emotional
refreshment and
renewal

12 Pray God will
provide us with
good transportation
options for our
furlough

13 Pray for our
team: Kelly Wills,
Amy Swacina and
Kelly & April Crull

14 Pray for
abundant financial
provision

15 Pray for us as
we continue to plan
for furlough and
seek to make wise
decisions

16 Pray for rain for
us. Spain’s water
reserves are still
very low

17 Pray for Nicolas
as we work on him
on clear speech and
reading and writing
in English

18 Pray for good
health and energy
19 Pray that we will
have an apartment
contract signed by
now

20 Pray for our
service. We’ll be
doing Godly Play
with adults and kids
alike

21 Pray for Troy as
he travels to Lisbon
to minister in
several ways at
Lisboa Matrix

22 Pray as we
begin to finalize
moving plans

23 Pray for safe
travel home for Troy
from Lisbon

24 Pray for safe
travels to the coast
for our family, for a
few days of rest and
refreshment

25 Pray for physical
rest for all four of
us

26 Pray for a fun
and relaxing family
day

27 Pray for safe
travel back home

28 Pray as we
gather our core of
leaders to talk about
ministry in a
postmodern setting

29 Pray for
someone to keep
the dog this
summer while we
travel

30 Pray for good
relationships with
our new neighbors

31 Pray for us as
we pack!

May Newsletter

2006-05-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

May 1, 2006

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for praying for us during the last month. We have been encouraged to know you are holding us up. Don't stop now! May is probably the most pivotal month in our transition. We need your support and help, but more about that later. First, we want to let you know about April.

The first annual Easter retreat was a huge success. Thirty adults and kids headed to Aguas Vivas, a camp about an hour north of Madrid, to spend from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday together. (More people joined us just for Sunday morning and lunch.) We kept the "busyness" to a minimum, and everyone really enjoyed the amount of free time we had to just be in community with each other. The sessions we did have were meaningful to everyone. On Thursday evening we had a solemn Maundy Thursday service featuring communion, symbolic washing of our hands and confession time. On Friday morning we had a session featuring Godly Play and a worship dance performed by Amy. We also had the privilege that morning of sharing in Rosy's Rite of Conversion, where she professed her faith in Christ and the Oasis Madrid community gathered around her to pray for her and commit to supporting her. It was incredibly moving.

In the afternoon, we celebrated a Messianic Seder (Jewish Passover ceremony) which was a great chance to explore the meanings and traditions of Easter in a different way. Saturday morning we had another session with Godly Play and worship dance. Later, Amy taught a group of 8 of us a worship dance for Sunday morning. Saturday evening most of the group joined Monaca in her baptism preparation, which included some history about baptism, scripture reading, and a time of prayer for Monaca.

Sunday morning we celebrated the Risen Christ with Monaca's baptism. We sang together, performed the worship dance, and rejoiced with Monaca. One of the special things about our church is that we really personalize baptism to each person, as well as following the example of the early Church. Troy put Monaca under the water three times, once for each member of the Trinity, and before each time Monaca affirmed her faith by responding to parts of the Apostle's Creed. After she emerged from the water, Troy anointed her with a handful of oil, symbolic of the Holy Sprit's presence in her life. The generous amount of oil is a beautiful image of God's abundance and grace.

We were so proud of our team and all the work that went into the retreat. Kelly did a great job with leading worship (after recovering from food poisoning and joining us a day late. Amy's dance was beautiful and worshipful as always, and everyone really enjoyed performing or watching the worship dance on Sunday morning. After we got home we got this email from a gal who went on the retreat even though she had only been to one service: "Hi Heather and Troy, Thank you very much for organizing the wonderful Easter retreat.I had such an amazing time! It was really nice to get away from the life in the city and have a different pace of life and scenery for a few days. I also really loved fellowshipping and meeting everyone. It is apparent how the people in Oasis are real people on fire for God.Thank you for being so inviting and welcoming me in among your family. It is great to see God is alive in your congregation. Thanks for a special Easter!"

We are also thrilled to announce that Kelly & April Crull (along with their baby, due in October) will be rejoining our team early next spring!

Now that Easter is over, we have turned our attention to the serious business of moving into the city. We praise God that both are kids are now registered at Numont School, which is a small British school in the city. We'll need to do some work with Nic to get him a bit caught up, but the school is going to provide some assistance and materials with that. It's a big answer to prayer to have that hurdle out of the way.

We are still looking for God's home for us. It seemed that we had found one but that feel through. We are now in "negotiations" with another apartment in the same complex that is unfortunately more money, and the owner is asking us for a 6-month bank guarantee. (For us that would mean depositing 6 months of rent in the bank for them to guarantee us.) Please pray that God will be clear about this apartment. And pray that we will be peaceful; sometimes it's hard not to be anxious about it especially as it can be very wearying to feel like we have to "prove ourselves" to landlords.

Lots of you commented on the specific prayer needs we included in our last letter, so we are attaching a prayer calendar for May to this letter. It's a PDF document. If you need the reader, you can download it for free here

We've been working on the web design for Oasis Madrid over the next few days, so we are really excited about that!

Our furlough is looming ever closer (planned departure date of June 28) and we do not yet have any good options for furlough transportation. Here's where we need your help! If you (or anyone you know) has a car that we could drive (we can pay a rental fee) for the 2 months we are back, please let us know as soon as possible! Rental car fees become really out of reach for us since we have to pay for their extra insurance. At the moment, we hope to visit Florida, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and Canada. However, depending on what we come up with, we may have to limit our destinations just so that we are good stewards of God's money. If you have any ideas or offers of help, please let us know. Thanks for praying with us! We're really excited to be able to share what is going on here with friends new and old. As soon as we finalize our destinations we'll let you know of our availability.

We're excited about this new chapter of life in the city. At times the process and details of actually getting there can be a bit overwhelming, but we know God goes before us. Thank you for the many ways you love and support us. Keep praying!

Blessings,
Heather for the whole family

Snowy Day

2006-03-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, February 26, we woke up to a white world. I left early in the morning for Portugal, but Troy, Meaghan and Nicolas had a fun time playing in the snow.

Cutest Frog You Ever Saw

2006-02-23T06:42:00.000-08:00

Since Nic is in a Spanish "guarderia" they celebrate Carnaval instead of Halloween. This year, instead of having us dress him up, they dressed him up at school. That made me really happy. And have you ever seen a cuter frog???

Nicolas Turns Six

2006-01-31T09:51:00.000-08:00

My baby is six today! Here are some photos of his birthday party on Saturday.

14 Years!

2005-08-17T00:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I was awakened by a small boy who made several trips in and out of our room to bring all the necessary stuff for a proper morning cuddle. This included his pillow, his green blankie, Baby Max (the tiny toy dog,) Baby Max's bed, a toy for Mom, Dad & Nic (a stuffed sheep, a fox puppet and a stuffed Larry the Cucumber) and strict instructions on proper behavior; "Stop kissing my back Mom or I will go sit on the stairs." For awhile I just dozed and enjoyed the morning show. Until the trip to the bathroom and back involved a "Oops, I forgot to wipe! I'm so sorry about that Mom!" Good thing I was planning on changing the sheets today anyway!

Fourteen years ago today I woke up to our wedding day. The morning involved a bath, a trip to the hairdresser to get my hair done, avoiding seeing Troy at all costs, hoping my strapless bra would stay up in the muggy August weather and finally this:

GQ Pose

No laughing! I know, we look like we are about 12 and all that.

So here we are 14 years, 2 children, 3 dogs (only one at a time), 11 dwellings (including one on Troy Street) and quite a few pounds later. We're church-planters in Spain. Wow. How did we get from there to here?

Us

It has definitely been a wild ride. And although I am not a fan of rollercoasters, I am definitely going to stay strapped in and see where this ride takes us next. I have a feeling that there are still a few unexpected loops and twirls ahead!

Happy Anniversary Rev. T. ILYMTYALTT.

Nic Loses His First Tooth

2005-07-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

In true offspring-of-his-mother fashion, Nic has already lost a tooth, and another will follow soon. Here are the before and after photos!

Loose tooth

Toothless

Wizard of Oz

2005-07-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

Last week we watched the Wizard of Oz as a family. I had never seen the whole thing, only parts of it. Our friends Paul & Rosa kindly let us borrow their copy so our children would not be as deprived as I was! Here are some of the faces that resulted... Total Concentration Giggles Oh my! More giggles What? Hmmmm

Happy Birthday Lexi

2005-06-27T03:13:00.000-07:00

Lexi

Our kids are very excited that today is Lexi's 3rd birthday, so this post is in her honor. Although Lexi constantly tests her limits, she is a great dog for the kids and they love her dearly.