Salt and Light

We understand that the Spanish people have been subject to a corrupt government and a corrupt church. We´ve been told that in the past the government has used the church to convict people through their supposedly private confessions and to take advantage in other ways. I´m not saying that all the Catholic churches in Spain are corrupt, or even that the church is corrupt now, but only that there has been abuse in the past. And the government also has changed within the last generation. But because of this history, the people are suspicious of any organized religion. So we tread lightly. Carla reminded us that we are the salt and light of the earth, but that no one wants salt dumped on their food or a light blinding their eyes. We pray for opportunities and we pray for wisdom to know how best to use those opportunities.

Susanna and I have had a couple of conversations about my faith and the evangelical protestant church here in Alcoy. She explained that many people aren't interested in church because all they do is talk about sin and about how God wants to punish people for their sin. I tried to explain that my faith isn´t about religion or ritual or punishment, but about love. I told her that I go to church not because I have to, but because I want to. I explained that, yes, I sin, and yes, God has a right to punish me for my sin, but instead he chose, in love to offer to redeem me instead. Because of his amazing love for me, I CHOOSE to live a life that is glorifying to Him. No one makes me, and no one holds me accountable. I tried to explain that God is our loving father and that Jesus is my loving groom, who accepts me with all my imperfections. My behavior, my choices to attend church and to try to live well, are not a requirement, but a choice that I offer as a thanksgiving for the incredible love He has shown me!

Sometimes we wonder if what we are doing here is actually making a difference. And even though we know it is only our job to plant and water and let God give the increase, and even though we know that the increase may not happen until long after we are gone, we hope to see results.

Last night since it was just the two of us, we went downtown to the old part of the city to have supper. I was so impressed with the historic European atmosphere there. They close off the side streets, and the restaurants set up tables in the middle of the streets. We ate next to an historic building just next to the Plaza of Spain, and I was absolutey in awe of the mountain view and the architecture! We talked about how strange it is for me to be in the mountains and so far from home. She talked about how hard it must be for me to be away from my family, and yes, I cried right there in the street in public, and she cried with me. She recognized what a sacrifice it is for me to be here. And I explained that in spite of the difficulty of missing my family, I have a deep seated peace because I know without a doubt that God has brought me here for a purpose and to do His work. We had a long conversation about God and His presence in our lives. We talked about the strong love of a mother, and how we would give or do anything in the world to protect our children. Which led to talking about how much God loves us. Susanna told me her story and I told her mine. We talked about how during the hardest times of our lives, God was present, even if we didn´t recognize Him. I told her about God´s love and how when we, like a rebellious child, hold Him at arm´s length and refuse to let Him love us, He loves us anyway. He sits nearby, watching to make sure we don´t hurt ourselves, and He waits for the moment when we are ready to run into His arms again. We seem to understand each other already in a deeper way than many friendships.
I thank God for the friendship Susanna and I are developing and for the work He is doing here in me.