Wednesday, January 31, 2007

The Rain in Spain...




The Rain in Spain was insane after we got off the Plane. Well maybe not quite insane because it did not maintain. It did however cause disdain in our brain which made our attitudes wane. I must refrain so as not to complain, but I do wish that I had some Lidocaine to numb my pain. (pretty impressed that I used lidocaine huh?)

Anyway, we are finally back from our travels. We had a great time and are also glad to be back in our home. Here is a little update on our time away:

Weather - Well, for once the weather forecasters were right! It started snowing in Lithuania the night before we left for Spain and snowed off and on while we were gone. We did get to come home to snow though! And the weather in Spain went from the mid to upper 60's down to 50's with some sweet storms. Oh well, Spain was still beautiful and the conference was great!

Conference - This was a time for all the Campus Crusade STINTers (Short Term INTernational) from Europe, Russia, North Africa, the Middle East and the "stan" countries to get togerher and be encouraged. Most STINTers spend a total of 10 months in-country (unlike our team which is doing 22), so by the end of January, which is about the 1/2 way marker for their commitment, they are pretty tired. The purpose of the conference is to allow STINTers to get out of their country and be renewed. This happens through great Bible teaching, debriefing the last 5 months, discussing what's going well and what's not with a coach, and working on team building exercises. The conference also helps everyone to see the big picture of what God is doing all around the world even though it might not seem like much in their own town. Our team got to discuss strategy with other teams. One highlight for us was getting to sing worship songs in English! The experience of singing inEnglishh with 250 other Christians brought many on our team to tears.

Us - The conference was also good for Sharon and I to talk with others all over the world who are going through the same stuff as us and even the same struggles. We also were reminded what an amazing team we have!! We are coming back with a renewed perspective, and are excited to get to partner with the Lord this semester in Kaunas.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Matt, I miss your sense of humor... other people try to be "pun-ny" like you, but it just doesn't work.

SLOVERBIA TEAM 2009 said...

Hey friends...SO good to hear from you! Hey Sharon give me a call when you get our package and read the letters =) I'm glad spain went well and that your dream of snow came true=)

Matt Mikalatos said...

It was great to see you guys in Spain. Keep up the great work and let us know how we can help you.