First Days in Spain

2 minute read

We made it to Spain safely after a 12 hour flight including a 2 hour layover in Philly.  After a 3 hour "nap" we talked with our teammates who we will be helping here in Talayuela, Spain.  After tapas we went to bed hoping we wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the noche.  Suffice it to say, we definitely didn’t wake up.  Jet lag was in full force as we both slept longer than just about any human besides a baby should.

Our friends here have 4 boys, 4!  I can’t even imagine!  They are aged 4 to 13.  They’re wonderful with their hospitality as they were in March and we look forward to working with them after language school.  On Wednesday we head to Salamanca to get situated before we start language school a week from tomorrow!

Yesterday we attended church with our friends, a small church plant they’ve started here.  Everyone was very warm and inviting.  They were also patient with us as we tried to use our Spanish.  As a student told me years ago, “Mr. Hemming, your Spanish is, um…”  To which I replied, “broken?”  This indeed was the case.  Obviously language school will help us a lot with this.

Today after I woke up from my travel induced coma, I spent some time reading and chatting with our friend Ingrid, catching up on what’s happened since March.  Well, the first thing I did was eat some delicious bread and cheese, I don’t exactly do too well without food for very long.  

In the afternoon Steffani and I went for a walk to explore the town a little.  A couple hours later I went on a walk with the two older boys to practice my Spanish with them as they practiced their English with me.

Life is going well so far here in Espana, on the other side of the pond.  It is much cooler here than in Florida.  Steffani is loving it and I’m enjoying it as well.  In the winter though, we’ll see how well I handle that since my mom has taken to calling me a pansy whenever I’m in the Midwest for Christmas  :)

Well, just wanted to write a quick update for those of you who might be wondering if we arrived safely.  Take care and have a great Monday!!!

What I've learned so far

3 minute read

Tuesday morning we were sent off by our mission sending agency, New Mission Systems International.  We had a breakfast, devotional time lead by our CEO, followed by a laying on of hands and prayers over our upcoming move to Spain (on Saturday!)  

It was a humbling time all the way around, but I wanted to focus on one thing in particular.

When we were sharing our hearts for our future ministry in Spain, a colleague asked a question I wasn’t expecting.  “What have you learned since you’ve been on this journey of missionary work?”  It caught me off guard to be honest, but it was a great question and one I wanted to put a little more thought into when I had a chance.

So, here goes, what I’ve learned so far on this missionary journey…

God is Faithful

First and foremost, God is faithful.  For some reason, I still stress about not having enough money for this or that.  This especially proved true in the middle of our partnership development time.  There were so many times I felt like throwing in the towel, and then we’d get an unexpected new partner or even an anonymous one time gift out of nowhere.  

He has proved Himself faithful and more than able to provide all we need.  Every. Single. Time.  My flesh certainly can still get in the way and cause unnecessary worry, but I don’t have to look back too far to see how He provided what we needed at just the right time.

Be Teachable

Early on in our relationship, I told my mom how one of the traits I admired most about Steffani was her teachability.  I’ve always admired that trait in others and wouldn’t have married her had she not possessed that quality.  Similarly, I’ve always tried to cultivate a teachable spirit myself.  This has proved more difficult in this season than times past.  

I have my own plans of what I think should happen and then I have people who have been in missions work for a lifetime tell me I’ve basically dead wrong.  Afterwards I have two options; choose to listen and be teachable, or do whatever I was going to do in the first place.  

It’s of upmost importance to listen to those who have traveled the path before you. This isn’t to say you never make your own decision, but rather that you seek the counsel of wise advisors before moving forward.

Fight Entitlement

At all costs, with everything you’ve got.  My generation (millenial) has been accused of having an entitlement mindset.  There is certainly truth to this observation, but I would also argue entitlement goes across generational lines.  

Whenever someone says “I deserve _____” that’s a pretty clear indictment that they have some sense of entitlement.  My parents did a great job at instilling in me the idea that we don’t deserve anything.  What they meant by this statement isn’t that working hard isn’t worth it, but rather that everything we have is a gift from God.  

Furthermore it can all be stripped away in the blink of an eye for no obvious reason as it was in the story of Job.  

Prioritize Your Life

People know the right things to say when asked about their priorities, but do our lives reflect what we say are our priorities?  If someone followed you around all day would their observations about your priorities line up with what you claim they are?  Are we investing our time in what we say is most important in our lives?  

Something that has helped me with this is a simple habit tracker app and Google Calendar.  I have daily habits and a tracker to make sure I do them all.  For some reason a row of X’s is deeply satisfying to me.  I have Google Calendar reminders to see if I’m doing things to make Steffani feel special.

There are several other lessons I’ve learned this season, but those are the four main ones.  

What have you learned lately in your current stage of life?

Missions and Slacklining

Now, what does slacklining have to do with missions?  (*Note - if you don't know what slacklining is, watch the videos first. Be forewarned though, they are not for the faint of heart :) )

A whole lot actually.  If I see a slackline video come across my Twitter feed, I almost always watch it; I just can’t help myself.  They’re these crazy videos of people who are absolutely fearless, or so we think.  The truth is, they have simply learned how to live with the fear and conquer it.

Overseas missions is similar.  Our CEO asked me yesterday what I feared the most about moving to Spain in 2 short weeks.  I responded that I don’t really have a lot of fear to speak of; I have concerns of course, but not really fears.  Other people posed this question to me when I went to Myanmar and I said the same thing, but quickly switched after I remembered how my good friend Ryan drove in Myanmar and how it always scared me a bit.

Anyway, fears come and go.  It seems like I have more anxiety than fear these days.  Not a lot to be sure, but enough that it can grab my attention.  I know Jesus will work everything out for our good, but sometimes I take my eyes off Him and onto myself; similar to taking your eyes off the slackline.  If you watch the Go Pro video embedded in particular, you will see what I mean.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, as the old hymn goes, and the things of Earth will grow strangely dim.  For me that relates primarily to the worries of life.  It’s extremely difficult to do; our worries can surface to the front of our minds in about a nanosecond.  Turning our eyes upon Jesus on the other hand, now that’s a real discipline to cultivate.  Some people practice what’s called contemplative meditation, others connect better with interacting with Scripture by reading and journaling in response to what they read.  Whatever it takes, it’s worth it to center yourself around the teachings of Christ.

That’s what I’m trying to remember in this season of transition.  Everything around me is about to change dramatically, so now more than ever it is vital to center myself on Jesus and His love for me.  The old saying that the only constant in life is change fails at the most basic level.  Jesus is the ultimate constant in our life.  He is there in the midst of our ever-changing lives.