English Camp in Granada

By Jill in Spain -
Patry Mendez (pictured here on the right) is one of the amazing staff that work with and serve here in Spain. Patry directed the 5th annual English Camp for young people in Granada, Spain which was held July 15-21, 2013. It is a partnership between the high school and university ministries of Agape in Granada and a believers who come from the United States to teach English and to share their faith in Christ. The following are Patry´s reflections from this year´s camp:

This year, I held the role of general direction for this project. After months of intense preparation, and in the midst of a difficult pregnancy, the 5th edition of our ENGLISH CAMP was held here in El Zaidín (on the outskirts of Granada) with the help of 70 campers! 

 We are so grateful to God because we had wonderful opportunities and experiences with these kids. We were able to strengthen some already-existing relationships and also form new ones, quite significant relationships that are providing beautiful opportunities to now follow up and spend time with some of these kids and their families.

 I wanted to praise the work of the volunteer team that came from the U.S. to help us carry out this amazing project. They poured out their hearts to serve and make an impact in the lives of the participants. We used the words of Jesus as our inspiration and theme this year: "....whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 15:40) This passage motivated us to work and serve with even greater love. As we have listened to many of these teenagers share what this camp meant to them it always moves us to tears, motivates us and invites us to continue working with great happiness and joy.

 The local team also did an amazing job of serving the community of El Zaidín through the English Camp. Our challenge for the school year now is to follow up on the contacts made from this camp through different activities that we will sponsor in the neighborhood for them. 

 We give thanks to God for his protection adn care in each detail and for each soul that has passed through our doors during this 5th English Camp. And, as I always say, The best is yet to come!

 Thank you, Patry, for your faithfulness, your leadership and your sacrifice to serve the Lord. Congratulations, too, for the birth of Lucas this summer!

And thank you to you, dear ministry team member, for helping us to equip and support staff like Patry to be on the front lines of ministry, to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to young Spaniards in and around Granada, Spain.







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Closing a chapter - "graduating" another cohort of new staff

By -
Image
pictured above: front row - Donna, Jill, Lucía, Liz back row - Andrés, Dani, Jemima, Mateo, Laura, Israel, María, Penny 12 of us descended on Barcelona, gathering in a rented Air B-n-B apartment. It almost felt a little bit like the 12 disciples in the Upper Room. Many had come from very busy ministry schedules. Some flew in from other countries. Others were flying out to other countries after we finished.  These staff represent a variety of ministries:  GAiN , Athletes in Action , Operations and Human Resources , Family Life This group of new staff were wrapping up their two-year training period as New Staff with Ágape. Just as in the orientation, we looked together at 3 more of the 39 topics. We took time to be with the Lord. We reflected on what it means to be a servant leader, the role of coaching others and how to put to evangelize with our actions. Pictured below: María, Lucía and Laura spend time with the Lord before our first session. Pictured below: Andrés and Liz tak...
Read more

Meet the Monkey on Mondays!

By Jill in Spain -
Image
Every week, heck, every day God is working in our lives....but how aware are we? How have you seen Him show up this week? One struggle in communicating regularly was related to the "slow" nature of ministry. Sometimes, it is hard to see what God is doing. One rationale that dominated  my thinking is that maybe it is that God is working much more slowly here, so rather share news each month, I may have to wait, 6, 9, 12 months to have a story to tell. However, as I make this shift to share a "blip" from each day, it has revolutionized the way I see God's work here, in my personal life and in ministry. A specific tool I am using to deliver my messages and stories to you across the ocean is MailChimp, an email marketing platform online; and, although I am sure that I am not getting nearly as much out of MailChimp as I could, but just the fact to be getting any news out at all is a big step for me. The MailChimp platform allows you to write back directly t...
Read more

Immigrant moms advancing together

By Jill in Spain -
Image
An American, a Brazilian, a Spaniard and 9 Moroccan women walk into a neighborhood center....it sounds like the beginning of a joke, right? God has a great sense of humor! Let me tell you how this story works out.... My church in Spain has an amazing outreach ministry in a city neighborhood highly populated by Moroccan immigrants. While immigration has increased globally, Catalunya has one of the highest percentages of immigration world-wide.  This drastic and relatively rapid change is historic and also traumatic for a Spanish system that is not prepared to receive so many immigrants. We personally have seen the burdening effects of immigration in our schools, at our hospitals and in our neighborhoods.  Many of those who come from Morocco are the poorest of the poor. They arrive looking for work and a better life. They come without having learned the language. Many, especially the women, come as illiterates, even in their own language.  While this is a challenge for our ...
Read more