Plan A

Thank you all for praying for the concert at the Ecuadorian gathering. Actually, it didn't end up being a concert at all. Plans had to be quickly changed because of a major triathlon in Casa de Campo. The Ecuadorian gathering still happened, but there was nowhere for the band to set up to play and even the other groups that are usually playing weren't there. Because of God's blessings there was still a group of Samford students who were able to walk through the food stands and where people were sitting to engage with some of the immigrants. We are praying that the contacts that were made will be with people who are interested in the Bible and interested in knowing more about Christ.

For Brook and me it was such a great opportunity to finally spend some time talking with immigrants. We found three women sitting under a tree and sat down to talk with them about their life here. They have been in Madrid for 15, 10, and 8 years. Not being new to the area we were able to get information on what they thought about the schools here, the work they have, and life in general. One thing that broke my heart is how they said they can be treated by police, especially on public transportation. Because of accents and physical features, Latinos sometimes stick out so police will stop them demanding that they see their papers. This is a disheartening thing for legal and illegal immigrants. These women, who say they have all their papers, said it's a pain for them. They even said their children are treated differently in schools. When they asked us if we had any problems with the police, I almost felt ashamed to say that we don't have any problems. This conversation reminded me of the ugly face of discrimination. It's not just a matter of having your papers if your children are being treated negatively in schools. No one likes being talked down to, and this seems to be an issue that many immigrants face.

We told them that we were here in Spain to learn about the life of Latinos here and to know ways we can help. We talked to them some about church and then gave each of them a tract sharing the Gospel directed towards immigrants. I'm learning that conversations like these aren't always meant to get to the punch line of "will you now accept Christ as your Savior?" Sometimes these conversations are about letting the Holy Spirit lead and work in the hearts of those you are talking to and encouraging.

Gary Clifton, who's part of the Diaspora team in Madrid, directed the Samford students in how to engage in conversations. He said it best when all the plans changed for the concert. He said that going around meeting people without a concert may have been our plan B, but more than likely it was God's plan A. There was initial concern about how the music would be perceived by the Ecuadorians, so God knows best. We don't know the reason why our plans change, but sometimes it's the leading of the Spirit. I've seen a lot of my plans A,B,C and D get changed over the past several months. I would even say where I am now wasn't even on the list of plans. It didn't even make it onto plan Z. I can always trust, however, that the way things occur are God's plan A. This means it should be my plan A too.

Brook and I were able to go later to Plaza Mayor where this volunteer group who were supposed to do the concert set up and sang for awhile. Spaniards gathered around and at the end of several songs some testimonies were shared. When someone starts talking about Christ, people can be quickly turned off. Some people even got up to leave, and I felt physically ill realizing they were walking away from truth. The wonderful thing is that some people stayed. Whether they were listening or even cared at all, they still received information in their hands about Christ. Pray that these Spaniards who received these tracts still have them. Pray that the Spirit leads and softens their hearts to read the information and to find out more about Him. It is a very lost world over here, and it's a dry place. Pray for a great awakening of hearts here among Spaniards and Latino immigrants.

Seeking Plan A daily,
Taryn