Do you think you will go back after next year? Our first response to this question is that we are open to staying a third year or more (as our initial commitment was only for two years), but that we only have enough financial support to get us through this coming year. As we have said, we realize now how difficult it is for ECA to attract and retain staff, especially long-term staff. Having jumped through all the legal hoops this first year, we would love to continue serving the school and missionary families as long as the Lord would have us there. There are, of course, logistical questions, especially concerning raising more support, so we continue to pray and ask God for his wisdom and timing in it.
What is your house like?
We live in a 5 bedroom home, which is just a house that the school rents. We pay a portion of the rent, but because we open our home to boarding students, we have a larger house than just our family would need so we pay part and the school pays part. The construction is all brick exterior, concrete walls inside and tile/marble floors throughout. Wood is very scarce in Spain and very expensive, so this is the standard building style where we live. We have a fenced in yard all the way around our house, which is great for our kids. They can go out and play without me having to be with them all day long.
How big is the school? Our school is Evangelical Christian Academy and this past year there were 92 students, grades 1 - 12. Next year, there are around 75 students registered. To learn more about the school (and David's website design) go to http://www.ecaspain.com/
What has been the hardest thing about your year there? The hardest things for me (Keri) were the initial cultural adjustment - just not knowing and understanding everything like I do here, including the language barrier and learning to cook there. The first few months were a bit of a struggle, too, to just accept our much slower pace of life. Now that we are here, I am looking forward to going back to it. :) Personally, I had some ups and downs with cultural adaptation as well as learning to handle criticism and deal with some difficult situations, but I have learned through the experience and continue to rely on God's grace and His continued work in my heart. For David, I think his biggest obstacle was driving school. To obtain a license in Spain, he had to pay about $1,200 and attend classes from November until March. CLICK HERE to read more detail about his experience. He passed and is now legally allowed to drive anywhere in the European Union.
Do you have a good church home / Where do you worship? The first part of the year we attended a small church plant in Camarma, the town where we live. But for several reasons, earlier this Spring we began attending an international church in Madrid (IBC), which we really love. Interestingly, David and I have talked about how not having a solid church home has been good for us in that we both feel like we had to seek out theological books, sermons via podcasts, etc. We feel like we have both grown more this year than in the last several years because we didn't have TV and made time to read our Bibles and do more personal Bible study. Also, not having Sunday school or church activities for our kids has made us focus on our responsibility to teach them God's truths and that has been an unexpected blessing for our family, as well.
Have you made some good friends? Within the ECA community, we feel like we are pretty well connected and have a lot of people we can call if we needed something and feel like our community needs are met. As far as deep friendships, though, I think we still consider our closest friends to be here in the U.S. Thanks to technology, we can still keep up with everybody and not feel like we're all that far away. And as a side note - when we arrived in Spain last fall we asked you to pray that Rachel would find a good friend her age because she was so sad over leaving her friends here. Over time, God showed us that He had already given her that by giving her a little brother. I've said it before, but I'm so thankful that even though Mathis was a surprise to us, God knew then that Rachel would need him now, and it's been really special to watch them only have each other this year and to see how close they have become.
How can we pray for you this coming year? Our two big prayer requests continue to be 1) wisdom as we decide what to do after this year and 2) for our kids. We have felt for a long time that this experience and opportunity was for a purpose far greater than just David and me. I know that God is using this in the lives of our children and that He has His own purposes for them. I don't know what they will grow up to be or how God will use them to affect His Kingdom, but we feel in our hearts that this is all part of their life experience to that end and we ask for your prayers that we would be faithful to continually bring them before the Lord and that God would work in their hearts to give them a heart for Him.
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