Worldly Holiness

Just thought I should report in since a few things are/have happened in the last few days or are soon coming up. Tonight I got pic-pocketed while riding the subway. Darn. What a drag. They got off with some cash, my pride, and were also able to make some ATM withdrawls before we were able to freeze the cards. Unfortunate but I guess it was bound to happen sometime. It went something like this.

I boarded a full train and as is my general custom, I took off my backpack with one hand and held the rail with the other. I usually am able to protect my front pocket where the wallet is kept. The train was unusually full and the ride rough so everyone was reaching for the overhead bars. That exposed my precious underside. I got off the train at the next stop to make a transfer to another line and took about 10 steps. As my general practice, I checked my pocket and wa-la, it was empty. I was so pissed off but the train had already eased away so there was nothing I could really do! I was at a main hub where several trains converge. I just wanted to scream or hit somebody. My transit ticket was also in my wallet, so I could not poke up out of the subway to see if I could track anyone [like that would really work anyway!]. If I did I would not be able to re-enter the system without my transit ticket. No money, no ticket, smashed pride, some panic, etc. What a rush.

I got onto my train and got off at home, almost running up the street and 4 flights of stairs to our apartment, bursting in to belch out the news. "Quick, we've got to get on-line to cancel the cards," etc. It is a horrible feeling. Well, all is not loss. We are safe and now a little more sane after a few hours have passed.

The good news is that we get to move in to our permanent place sometime this weekend. We might get out to a neighboring town this weekend to see the building of the human towers. Have you seen that on the discovery or travel channel. Pretty wild. They are called the Castelleros, literally, castle builders. Tomorrow night, Carol and I meet with a Ecuadorian couple who are sloted to help plant a church for the immigrant latinos here in the city. Should be fun. We will lend moral support but have a different focus. I have met with a missionary from Argentina already several times who has the ministry of encouraging local churches to reach out to immigrants. He is very networked and is an invalable resource. Sometime this next week, we will visit a drop-in center that ministers in practical ways to our focus group as well. I have heard that they give Spanish and English classes to these immigrants, giving them a leg up in the tourist heavy job market. I met the leader of this ministry last October and find what they are doing very interesting and compelling. Many of the leaders are Egyptian but they have amassed an international team. We'd love to help out.

Next month we travel to a mission committee meeting in La Coruna, in the Northwest corner of Spain and then in Novemeber I will attend a conference in Istanbul looking at special insider movements–this is basically looking at models and the practical aspects of contextualization for our focus group. All very fascinating and important. The underlying question is, "do non-westerners have to assimilate into western or Christian cultural ways to know Jesus?" We would like to say no, after the model of Cornelius in Acts 10. Anyway, we want this idea to be foundational to anything we do in Europe. A lot to learn. Fascinating time to be alive and serving, in spite of all the dark stuff that is happening in our world, and the occassional personal setbacks, like my experience tonight.

By the way, I don't hate Spain because of what happened to me tonight. Frankly, I feel safer here than many other places around the world. Our experiences have been very pleasant and encounters civil. Spanards are wonderful people and we have felt God's presence in this transition in many, many ways. Thanks for your continued prayer support. I WILL watch my back more carefully on the subway however. Well, it is about time for me to collect my thoughts before I go to sleep. It is a little after 11 at night here, 2 in the afternoon there.

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