Erin in Tenerife

 Many have asked if it is possible to make donations toward the mission work in Tenerife off-line. The answer is "Yes", of course. See that info below. To make an offline donation, there are three options available: 1.   Mail a check payable to IberoAmerican Ministries (see details below). 2.   Set up an automatic withdrawal from your checking or savings account. 3.   Donate stock—please call the home office at 360-805-2885 If you are donating by check: ·   Make your check payable to IberoAmerican Ministries . ·   Write “Erin Shead - Canary Islands” on the memo line of the check. ·   Mail your check to: IberoAmerican Ministries P.O. Box 1493 Monroe, WA 98272  

Let me begin this update with an apology. I am sorry I haven't posted anything in months. The simple fact of the matter is that there was no news to report, nothing to update. I was in a holding pattern waiting for a letter which would open the door for me to apply to go to Spain. Let me explain a bit so we're all on the same page.  First of all, if your confused, thinking, "but, I thought she was going to the Canary Islands, not Spain", you are correct. I am planning to go work with the Tenerife church in the Canary Islands. And though the Canary Islands are located just off the coast of Morocco (Africa), they just happen to be governed by Spain. So, to get a visa to live in the Canary Islands I need to petition it from Spain. Now, let me explain the letter. For those of you who live in the USA, you may have heard of a sponsorship letter for immigration purposes. In Spanish this is also known as a letter of invitation, written by an entity (in my case, a church) regi...

I'm approaching the end of my time here in Tenerife. It has been a great time of learning and growth. I've gotten to know several of the people at the church. I've been leading a study on prayer during our Tuesday morning fasting. Mama Emma and I have explored the island, made friends with the neighbors, had the car breakdown and called a tow truck, eaten various Canarian food, and kept each other good company. After church on Sunday, Mark said some words of thanks for my help these months and led a prayer for me and that I would be able to return soon. People gave me lots of hugs and were very kind with their farewells. Oddly, I'm not feeling very emotional about leaving. Maybe that's because I don't feel like I'm saying good-bye. It feels more like a "see you soon" instead of a "good-bye". I was here so recently; it just seems like I'll be gone for a short while and be back to pick up where I left off. Already, I am making a list of...

Someone asked me yesterday how I'm feeling as my time here in Tenerife is drawing to a close (for now). I think I replied with something dumb about my allergies. The question jolted me. Hang on for a minute because I'm about to go deep.  I have no idea where the summer has gone. It seems like I just got off the plane last week. I feel like I've finally figured out a routine here and it's time to go. I don't know when I can come back because I need to get a visa to move here. The visa I qualify for (religious volunteer) requires that a church or christian organization (registered with the Spanish ministry of religion) write me an invitation letter (also known as a sponsorship letter) stating the date and purpose of me moving here (mission work). I include that letter along with a copy of the church's articles of association, and a copy of the church's entry in the ministry of religion registry with my visa application. The church in Tenerife is in the process...

  I went on a walk this morning to the top of the hill that blocks our view of the airport. In the picture above, our house is in the second row of red houses on the left, third house in from the end. Got it? I was proud when I found the house, but weirded out that I could see my bathroom window. It's a whopping mile long walk, roundtrip, due to the winding route and you have to watch your step because people take their dogs off leash to do their business. There isn't much vegetation, but it's best to stick to a path to avoid the many varieties of cacti. I slipped on some loose rock and caught myself hard on my hand to discover the volcanic rock is pretty sharp to land on. I dusted off red dust from my shorts as I found my feet again. The view is beautiful with the rising sun. I had been trying to take a picture of this "shrine" when I slipped. Someone placed rocks so they could prop this stucco image of Mary overseeing the city of San Isidro. Finding myself on my...

The days have been heating up on the island. The strong winds that brought over the “calima” from the Sahara have come to a standstill, my curtains don’t even move except when I turn on the ceiling fan. On the one hand it is very uncomfortable to have over 90 degrees and no breeze. On the other hand, no wind makes it easier for the firefighters to control the huge forest fire on the other side of the volcano. You can read about that fire here . Our first outing was to a beach that our neighbor Nuria recommended called “Las Teresitas”. We found out later it’s one of the “famous” beaches on the island. It is a huge beach with lots of free parking and the sand is yellow. It is Saharan sand that they shipped over from Africa. Native Tenerife sand is black and extremely hot! So, the sand is for safety as well as aesthetics. They had to build a wave breaker a way out in the ocean to keep the sand from washing away. I dipped my feet in the crystal-clear water. The water is much colder than Ec...