Walk With Me

Today is day 9 of this trip, and every day I just feel more blessed to be able to be here. We had about 4 straight days of sunshine and beautiful weather to break up the non-stop rain Spain has this time of year so that has been nice. It has allowed for good walks around the city and is a preview of what Spring will soon look like.

Spring is when the rest stop at O Refuxio opens which is one thing this ministry focuses on. Since Pilgrims from all over the world will hike past this hostel, the Nobles have a rest stop on the lower level to invite pilgrims in to share the gospel with them. Winter is off season for pilgrims hiking the Camino so now that it’s beginning to get nicer out, we will open the rest stop again.

Saturday night the ladies in the house went to a church in Cee that was having a women’s night. Carrie delivered a message about the love of God, and we got to meet with a lot of the ladies. Carrie spoke about the unconditional love God has for us and mentioned the love displayed in the Princess Bride and The Chronicles of Narnia. Two completely different movies, but apparently The Princess Bride has an incredible love story, and that’s also Carrie’s favorite movie, so she was able to tie that love into the kind of love God has for us. As for the Chronicles of Narnia, we had been talking about the character of Edmund and how he is probably one of the least liked characters in the movie, but we realize that he portrays man and we are like him. There is a scene after Edmund is rescued from the White Witch where Edmund is seen talking with Aslan, and you can see the grace and love Aslan has for him. And in a few scenes later, you see Alsan take the penalty for Edmund’s betrayal and be killed. This is how much God loves us. I think the women enjoyed the pop culture references and were very sweet to be with and get to know. Sunday morning, we went to mass at a local church here in Os Muinos where we got to see inside an old catholic church and see what most of the people here believe in. Then later that evening we went to an international church in A Coruna where we sat in on an English service. The couple that pastors that church are from North Carolina and are here in Spain following God’s calling to minister. It was neat to see 3 different churches that were all very different from one another. It helped to understand the culture a bit here and understand where the hearts of these people are.

Yesterday was basically an off day for us. A few headed down a little stint of the Camino de Santiago while the 3 of us who are students stayed back and did homework. We had lunch out at a local restaurant that the Nobles frequent. You can get a drink, an appetizer, an entree, a dessert, and a cafe con leche for 13 euros (which translates to about 15 or 16 US dollars) which was a really good deal for all that food. This morning Carrie, Jana (the Swiss girl that is with us), and I dropped a couple off at the airport in Santiago and then walked through the Catholic Cathedral, had breakfast, and then did some shopping as just girls. It was nice for the girls to get away for a few hours and give Carrie a reprieve from her house and responsibilities. Tonight, we are going to help Carrie with an English class she does every Tuesday.

Tomorrow will be a day of grouting a tile wall and polishing that and making food and doing more housework. We have some more projects to get done around the house before I leave, so we will be starting those as well. As I’m looking ahead, I am quickly getting sad about my eventual time of departure and wanting time to slow down. God is giving me some direction which is something I prayed for on this trip. I have an idea of what will happen next, but I will let you all know when I pray more about it.

Thank you for your continued prayer and support! I do want to ask for prayers specifically for one woman that lives behind the Nobles. Her name is Faye, she lives on her own, she’s probably around 83 years old, and she comes over often to chat. Pray that God will open her heart to what we are sharing and she will become interested in learning more about Jesus. Also pray for the ladies of our Bible study which will meet again on Thursday morning. And then for a couple of mothers around Os Muinos and Muxia that the Nobles know. The religion here is Catholic and we are trying to love and plant seeds where we can.

I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

Courtney