#commtrans

        We are a month in to our outreach here in Spain and my mind is whirling as I think about all the things I could share and yet it is so had to put any of it into words. The Lord has blessed us more than we could ever ask for. Our first three weeks were spent in Barcelona on the ninth floor of a perfect apartment overlooking the beautiful city streets, silhouettes of incredible cathedrals, and rolling mountains not far off. 

           Our expectations of Barcelona were lined with uncertainty but expectancy and the Lord literally blew us away. We were met by an incredible community of friends that welcomed us in and treated us like family from day one. The city itself was more beautiful than Pinterest could have prepared us for. The language barrier has brought some good laughs and interesting stories. However, I am remembering more Spanish from my 3 years in high school than I anticipated. But to spice things up a bit, Spanish is not the main language here, though many people know it. Barcelona is in the province of Catalunya (Catalonia) and thus most people here speak Catalan. We were expecting a subtle difference in dialect but were pleasantly surprised to find we were quite off. 

        Our ministry in Barcelona was focused on serving the long term missionaries in whatever ways they needed. They are the ones making the long lasting relationships and leaving the greatest impact. Many of the opportunities were helping them tangibly through cleaning, organizing, building, etc. Every day looked different but The Lord showed us so much. My perspective of missions and my expectations of the satisfaction it should bring were challenged immensely. Somehow missions comes with the expectation of accomplishing something tangibly measured and a need to satisfy our craving to serve. Our craving to serve and expectations of good things are no doubt "good" and come from the Lord. But when missions becomes about making oneself feel better or satisfying a void, then it is time for a reality check. That is exactly what we got in Barcelona. We had to keep asking ourselves: If The Lord sent us to Barcelona to only do A or B, would that be enough? If what He brought us here for did not satisfy our expectations, would we be okay with that? What is even considered a successful outreach?           Needless to say, we were a few weeks in to outreach expecting some really cool stories for all of you but weren't getting anything worth a "wow". But as The Lord began to gently change our perspectives, our mission here became to solely obey His voice. So each day here has been a surrender to our expectations and a whole lot of waiting on Jesus to move… and He really has. I am not here to for missions to satisfy what Jesus already came to satisfy in me. He paid it, it is over, and I don't have to earn a thing.

                 Jesus has humbled me and brought me to places I'd rather not go. He has shown me grace to love when it's the hardest. He has shown me how to let go and be loved when I didn't want to receive it. He has been showing me his eyes for his people. He has been widening my perspective of ministry into ways that are easier to swallow. It is easy for me to want to see all of Barcelona off the streets, employed, fed, and met by the love of Jesus by the time we leave but I don't think I would make it on the plane alive or at all for that matter. It isn't my job to save people. All I have to do is listen, obey, and love like I've been loved.

        I am so proud of this team. I cannot brag on them as much as they deserve. Their one desire is to be the hands and feet of Jesus and love the heck out of people. The Lord was just showing off when He put me on this team but his blessings are overflowing every day because of them. Hard days become a lot easier with them around. They push me and love me and show me grace when I least deserve it. I've learned more from them than I can put into words. But they make me love Jesus more and I think they're pretty great.

       This is our new home for the next few weeks: Roda de Bara. We have been living here for a little over a week and have been challenged and blessed in ways we did not expect. We are living at a house of prayer that is open daily to the community and Jesus literally brings people randomly knocking on our door every day. But our journey here feels like it is still just beginning so I will have to leave you here until my next post. 

     Thanks for all of your encouragements and love from the other side of the world. I miss you all immensely but I'm stoked to let you see a glimpse of this amazing country. Jesus really loves these people and I'm falling more in love with them each day. 

//with love; con amor; amb amor//

Hey friends!

I know that some of you had questions about having friends and family visit during DTS--we greatly encourage this! We do want to let you know that while your guests are here, you are still required to attend everything that is on the DTS schedule. Even if your family is coming on vacation, this does not excuse you from the schedule. There is a place on campus where your guests can stay--this is called the Go Center. The Go Center is by donation-but there is a suggested donation of $72.  If you would like to get in touch with the Go Center on campus, here is their email address:

go [email protected]

Another thing that we wanted to clarify is that you are NOT allowed to leave during DTS--this includes Thanksgiving and Christmas. If family wants to come visit for Thanksgiving-this is fine-but you will most likely be in your outreach location for Christmas. There is not a break in between Lecture Phase and Outreach--so you will not be going home until the end of the 6 months! 

I hope this helped answer some of your questions!