Just a quick plug for our good friends, Philip and Lisa Bennett, who have just arrived on the mission field in Olomouc, Czech Republic. CLICK HERE to follow their blog.

Snowy Spain!

We woke up this morning to a phone call informing us there was no school because of the snow. "The What?!" Yes - it unexpectedly snowed 3 or 4 inches last night. Soooo fun!

Mathis and Rachel excitedly looking at our backyard.

They got bundled up and went out to play. Mathis's first ever snowy experience.

Mathis had fun eating it.

Making snow angels.

This really happens

Sunday we had an interesting meeting. A veteran missionary couple here in Spain introduced us to a young couple (20s-ish) who were from Iran. Their story was incredible. They are Christians who had been meeting a a home-cell-group in Iran. One day, they got a phone call that warned them not to go to their cell group meeting that night because several of the other members were being hung. So they went and hid in someone else's house for 30 days, then along with some other Christians, somehow got together around $20,000 and hired a mafia-like group to get them out of the country. They rode in the back of a truck for 6 days/nights until they were safely away. I can't remember exactly, but I think they were en route to England when they got stopped in the Madrid airport for having stolen passports. So the Spanish police put them in prison because they didn't know what else to do with them. So the missionary we know (I don't want to say any names just in case...) does regular prison visits and met the Iranian wife and learned her story. Then, after talking to the police found out that they were only in prison because no one knew what to do with them. They weren't criminals. So my friend gave the police her address as their permanent address and brought them home with her. They stayed with them for a few months and were able to find a job in Southern Spain doing landscaping and housework for a Christian businessman. But because of the economic crisis, he had to let them go finally. So they were back here in Madrid, praying and waiting for God to show them what's next. It really is an incredible story. I've been reading in magazines and watching on the news about stuff like this, but still felt pretty far removed from it. But there are refugees fleeing to all parts of the world. I would encourage you to learn more about ways to help any who are near you. What an incredible way to minister to the body of Christ!

Rachel's not-so-snowy birthday

Rachel's birthday is the day after Christmas. So we thought it would be fun to drive up into the mountains, about an hour away, and go sledding. Someone told us about this great little ski resort where there are sledding hills and cafes to get churros and coffee. "Great!" We thought. So we bundled up and drove but once we started ascending the mountain, we sat in bumper to bumper traffic for almost an hour and when we finally got to the top, it was unbelievably crowded. We drove around for a while looking for somewhere to park, to no avail. The police were giving tickets left and right because people were parked all kinds of places, double parked, etc., so we turned around and very disappointed, drove back down. We ended up stopping in a little village and finding a cafe, though, so we did get to have hot chocolate and pastries, but we were so disappointed for Rachel. I guess we should have expected it, being Christmas weekend, but still... Here are some pictures of our journey.

The snowy mountain in the distance.

A cute little village we passed through.

Snow at last!

At the cafe - enjoying our hot cocoa and pastries.

And after a long trip back, we were hungry and since we've been in Spain, Rachel has been asking to go to Burger King, but we never had. So this was our birthday treat. We got there around 2:30 p.m. (prime lunchtime in Spain) and there was not a table available. It was packed! So we had to eat outside - freezing! But then we went inside and let them play on the playground for a while. We tried to make the best of it.

Christmas morning

Thanks, Grandma, for the cute matching pajamas!

'

First we opened stockings, then took a break for Churros y Chocolate. (Think funnel cake with chocolate sauce) Mmmm. And on to more presents...

Thank you to all who contributed to the abundance of gifts, resulting in the mess you see here. :)

And finally, with money from several family members, we purchased this little playhouse for the kids. To find it, David gave Rachel a card with a scavenger hunt message. She had to find the clues around the house, which finally led her outside. They were so excited. SO FUN! :)

This is the first year we have been away from family for Christmas since we have been married. As much as I love our families, I admit I (Keri) was kind of looking forward to the slowness and quietness of a small family Christmas, like I always had growing up. And truly, the month of December has not been the rushed blur it usually is because aside from one all-school Christmas concert and a small dorm party, we didn't go to any preschool programs, school programs, church programs, parties, open-houses, and because it was just us, we had very little shopping to do. And because we were away from our families, we decided to open our home to anyone in our ECA community who didn't have other plans. We ended up with 16 people for Christmas dinner and it was a blast! I had so much fun decorating and planning and I think all who came had a great time as well. We ate ham, turkey breast, broccoli salad, two kinds of stuffing, sweet potato casserole, applesauce, Venezuelan 'pan de jamon,' sushi rolls, olives, and for dessert chocolate pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and Rachel's birthday cake.

We bought the long table a few months ago at Ikea. With the leaf in it, it comfortably seats 12. We added a folding table to make room for everyone else.

I just put a roll of red foil wrapping paper down the center of the table and made these little napkin rings out of some 75% off Christmas garland we found at the grocery store. It's not exactly Christmas China, but I was pleased with how it all turned out.

Our dear friends George and Bonnie came over and Rachel quickly talked George into a game of Jonah-Go-Fish (Thanks, Miss Debbie!).

The entire gang, including two young ladies from the U.S. who are studying abroad in Germany. They are here for the week staying with our friend Penny.

And finally, to honor Rachel on her almost-birthday, we sang and let her blow out candles on her birthday cake.

El Belén

One of the Christmas traditions here in Spain is the Belén, a very elaborate moving Nativity scene. Most families create their own in their home and I am told that each town has their own "Belén committee," a group of volunteers who put one in the town square and it supposedly changes each year. We went with some friends to the one here in Camarma on Christmas Eve. It was amazing. Enjoy the pics!

The surrounding walls and passageway were decorated to look like old Bethlehem.

Here are some miniature people dancing around a flickering fire.

Rachel standing in front of a shepherd's cave

A moving river through the village

A very life-like miniature farm scene