Adjusting... Adjusting... 123
Tough times make us relatable
Today is my 117th day in Tenerife (don't worry, I'm not keeping track, I just asked Google... hehehe), and I'm happy to say that the shiny newness hasn't worn off yet. That doesn't mean that I'm struggling to find my way, or that I'm not struggling in any way. In fact, I had a tough moment a couple of weeks ago when I got a text from my 10 year old nephew asking me to pray for him because he had Flu A and his nose was bleeding all over the place and it was only 7 am (Missouri time). I wanted to be able to go hug him and pray with him and help him feel better. I know his parents and even grandparents are there for him. But in that moment, I felt the distance to be so far and I may have shed a couple tears as I prayed for more than just his bloody nose.
I'm not going to philosophize or wax poetic about the beauty of the nostalgia of being far from loved ones, but it is a blessing to have loved ones near and far. In fact, everyone at church has emigrated from their home country (except for the one native Canarian), and missing loved ones and home country is a common and very relatable condition. Before you ask, yes, I miss all my home countries: Chile, United States, and Ecuador. Mostly, I miss family and friends, food and beautiful places, in that order. Turns out, others at church have the same list. We can talk for hours sharing those things.
If you're like my mom, you are probably asking why so many people have moved here. A few years ago, I remember there were several series, like Narcos, about drug lords in Latin American countries. Lots of people were drawn in to the excitement portrayed on-screen. It's not the same when you see those things happening in your neighborhood. Or when your country's economy is failing so badly that the national currency is devaluing daily. Or a civil war has broken out, or your country still hasn't recovered from its last war. The sad thing about the awful events you see on the news is that real people are actually going through them.
However, it is amazing to see how God has redeemed, and continues to redeem, the lives of these immigrants that meet up every Sunday to have loving community with each other.
You remember the church ladies like to celebrate birthdays by taking out the birthday girl for a meal. This was Elena's birthday, she's on the far left. Elena is from Argentina. She turned 78 a couple of weeks ago. I met Elena on my first visit in 2021. Steve was going through the Romans study they use to prepare someone to be baptized. Now, she and I have a Bible study together on Monday mornings. We are currently going through the Romans study from OCC Next Level. Fortunately, the woman who oversees that amazing online resource is a very good friend and she said it was ok for me to translate the handout notes into Spanish. Thank you, Grace Jones! 😊
Elena grew up Catholic as most do in Argentina. She and her husband moved to Canada for a while as newlyweds because life was brutal and violent during the 70s in Argentina. They moved back in the 80s and raised their kids. Elena was an art teacher and one day on her way to work she was hit by a truck, which broke her left femur. She has walked with a cane since her recovery. She moved to Tenerife a decade and a half ago to be with her grown children who had established lives here. She was always devout to her Catholic church until the pandemic when all churches closed their doors. She started reading her Bible by herself and when she came across something she didn't understand, she googled the passages and ended up watching preachers on YouTube. Through one of her Google searches, she found Comunidad Cristiana de Tenerife which was just a handful of blocks from her apartment. She contacted Steve and Priscila and had loads of questions for them. They started the process of discipleship, and a couple weeks in, she wanted to be baptized into a new life in Christ.
She still has lots of questions and we talk about them when we meet. She is one of our children's Sunday school teachers. The kids listen to her better than the rest of us. 😂 She starts conversations with people who sit to share her park bench. She's great at listening and they open up to her about how tough their life is. She tells them Jesus can make it better and offers to pray for them. Sometimes they say yes, mostly they dismiss her offer. She tells me she gets frustrated when that happens, but she prays for them anyway, quietly, so they don't know. Her biggest prayer is for her kids and grandkids to know Jesus.
Father's Day
Today is Father's Day in Spain. We honored them and prayed for them at church Sunday. We had 10 fathers there! The reason Father's Day is celebrated on March 19th is because it is Saint Joseph's Day. Apparently, because of the great way he raised Jesus, all fathers are honored on his day.
After church, Steve got to choose where we ate. So we went to Habaneros, which is similar to Chipotle, just a different kind of pepper... See what I did there? You can choose to eat a burrito that's as big as your head, tacos, burrito bowl, or salad bowl. The meat choices caught my eye: pork, beef, chicken, duck (quack!), sofritas, vegetarian (no meat substitute), and vegan chicken. Apparently, vegan chickens are quite exclusive when you consider the price.
The other menu item that caught my eye were the churros. The Spanish don't mess around sprinkling their churros with cinnamon and sugar that leaves a gritty trail. They just dunk them in chocolate. In this case, the options are Nutella or dulce de leche ("milk candy" seems an apt name for caramel). After my three tacos, I had no room for these delights. I'll have to go back another time.
The other amazing thing that happened at church on Sunday was that Isabella, the youngest and, coincidentally the smallest, person at church finally let me hold her! Her parents were told she would never be, and yet, God had other plans, and there she is.
Ramadan
While the Catholics are observing lent, some more faithfully than others, the Muslim community is observing Ramadan. This time of fasting includes not eating or drinking while the sun is out, and then, closing the day with a family meal. During this time, the faithful pray for Allah to reveal himself to them.
I would like to invite you to pray for our Muslim friends. As they take this time to seek truth, may they have dreams and visions of Jesus, may they encounter the one true God and receive his light and salvation.
You may remember me mentioning Hadrami, pictured above with his mother and grandmother. Hadrami is a long time friend of the the Dye family. He is currently in the States checking out work opportunities. A couple of weeks ago, his mother got very sick and needed to go to the hospital. Hadrami called Priscila from Florida to ask for prayer and she offered to take her to the hospital. The father is a doctor and he was working his shift on another island. So Steve and Priscila spent the night with Lala in the hospital until Lebat could finish his shift at the other hospital and make it back on the ferry. It turned out to be her appendix and she is fully recovered now. But, what a great opportunity to show God's love. Priscila told me it opened up a new level of their friendship so that Hadrami's family felt comfortable enough to ask questions like, "How can you believe that Jesus was God himself living as a man?"
Let's pray that God continue to draw them to himself and they would find true salvation in Him.
If you would like to sign up to get prayer prompts for Ramadan, follow this link: https://pray4movement.org/ramadan-2024/
Coffee Tutorial
One of the things I've had to learn since arriving is how to order coffee without having a menu of options in front of me. I have to say, the coffee is cheaper, though admittedly, what you pay for is a cup of coffee not the two-bladders-ful venti that are sold elsewhere.
The first and most obvious is black coffee or "café negro". I don't have a photo because, why even bother? Ya'll know what black coffee looks like. Though here it's made americano style: shot of espresso with extra hot water.
Next, we have the "café con leche" which, though it sounds like it's simply milk in your coffee, actually is served with foam like a cappuccino.
Another favorite is a shot of espresso with sweetened condensed milk, "café con leche condensada". It looks cool in the glass and then you stir it and slurp it for a one-two punch of sugar and caffeine.
The prettiest, in my opinion, is the "café con leche y leche". It's a shot of espresso with Sweetened condensed milk at the bottom and foamed milk on the top. Some places you can order a "barranquito" which is a Canarian specialty where they add a distilled alcoholic fourth layer.
Another note on the coffee culture here is that "Let's go for a coffee" is rarely just coffee. You'll probably eat something too. In the afternoon it'll typically be a dessert. In the first coffee picture above, you'll notice a pistachio cream puff and a strawberry tart on the plate. If you meet up anytime before noon, you'll probably order a sandwich. The one above was ham and cheese, but they spread a ripened tomato with olive oil on the toasted bread before assembling the sandwich. So good!
Silly things
Well that's it for now.
Until next time,
Peace.
Erin
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