Church!

A personal and church-wide prayer request before I even left for Spain was for me to find a Bible-believing church. This was very important to me, and I knew that finding a protestant church might be somewhat difficult. During lunch with Jordi, Laura, and Quim on my first day, I asked about any nearby protestant churches. Laura was shocked to find out that I wasn’t Catholic, but they were quick to help me. There are only a few Catholic churches in Montblanc, and there’s nothing protestant nearby. However, both Jordi and Laura were going to ask around and see if any of the other bigger cities had any.

I was once again amazed at how helpful and well-communicated the teaching network was in the ZER Conca. Jordi, who sells fruit in Valls, talked to some of his clients and was able to get an address for a Seventh-Day Adventist church (not quite what I was looking for, but it was something!). Laura talked to the Religion teacher in the ZER, Josep, and he gave me two addresses for Baptist churches—one in Reus, and one in Tarragona. The news kept spreading, and it wasn’t long before several of the teachers knew about my search for a church. :-) They’re just so eager to help in any way they can. Such a blessing! I know that this isn’t the norm for most auxiliares, and I definitely don’t take it for granted!

Barcelona is about a 2-hour train ride from Montblanc, and I knew there were several protestant churches there. This was always an option if nothing else worked, but I was excited about the possibility of going to closer-and-more-manageable Reus or Tarragona. As I mentioned earlier, I was able to find the Baptist church in Tarragona, and for some reason, I really wanted to try that church. But something came up that I wasn’t expecting: there is very, very, VERY little public transportation from Montblanc on Sunday mornings!

Laura and I searched through various train and bus schedules, and NOTHING went to Reus on Sunday morning. Tarragona had one, but the bus arrived at 11:30, which is exactly when the service started. The bus station is quite a hike from the church, and I would be pretty late if I tried it. Was Barcelona my only option?

With more prayer, train timetable searching, and internet research, I discovered that Lleida, a city about 50 minutes away by train, had a Baptist church as well. And guess what? The train actually went there in the morning! A Sunday morning! On Nov. 7^th, I was finally able to go to church. The train leaves at 9 or so, I arrive in Lleida around 10, Sunday School starts at 11, and the service starts at 12. I had time to find the church, explore the city, AND eat something at a café!

The church is about a 10-15 minute walk from the train station, but it’s really easy to find. I decided not to go to Sunday School on the first day (I could say things like I wanted to see more of the city, make sure I knew my surroundings, etc. But the truth is, I was nervous and afraid that the class would be really small. I had those last-minute awkward visitor-in-a-church feelings. Having gone to the same church for the past 23 years, these feelings are infrequent. But they definitely exist! :-)). So after a snack and a lengthy walk around part of the city, I headed to church. I arrived about 10 or 15 minutes early, so the Sunday School service was still going on. Another woman walked in around the same time as I did, and I guess she was a visitor as well, because she asked ME if she could go in the sanctuary! Uhhh...I just shrugged and said I didn’t know, and then we both saw another woman who looked like she knew what to do. :-) She assured us that we could go in (as the speaker was still talking...awkward...), and I hesitantly walked through the door. For those of you who go to Valley Chapel, it was kind of like walking through the main doors that no one uses. You know, the ones in the sanctuary? The ones where if you open them, everyone turns and stares at you? The ones where the speaker stares right into your soul as you frantically try to find a place to sit and hide? Yep, that was me. :-) I quickly tried to find an unoccupied seat near the back, but there wasn’t any AT ALL. They were all up front. Sigh. I was planning on hanging out in the back until the speaker stopped talking, but that dear, pushy older woman gently shoved me in the back, telling me to sit down near the front. So much for subtle! I gave a weak smile to the curious faces and slid into a pew, trying to look like I planned this all along. Ha! I noticed several things: the speaker was going through a chapter in Daniel, the service was in Spanish (yes! I was a little worried that it would all be in Catalán!), the pews were really hard (just wood. For those who have padded pews in your church, take a moment, right now, and thank the Lord for them. Don’t take it for granted!), the baptistery had a BEAUTIFUL background with John 14:6 written in Catalán, there was a drum set, and the speaker was using PowerPoint.

It wasn’t long until the main service started, and they pretty much jump right into it once Sunday School is over. More people came, including the children who were in other classes, and there were probably around 100-150 people. Musicians included three or four singers, a drummer, a pianist (really, it’s a keyboard. Anyone who plays the piano knows that they’re not QUITE the same!), a saxophone player, a violinist, and 1 or 2 guitar players. Uh oh. Was this going to be loud and rocky?

Really, it wasn’t. They started with a traditional hymn, and like my time in Mexico, I had tears in my eyes as I sang a song in Spanish with fellow believers. It felt sooo good to be in a church again, and I just knew I was in the right place. The music is almost always tastefully done, and even if it gets a little jazzy or crazy sometimes, it pales in comparison to being with brothers and sisters and hearing the Word.

Anyway, after several songs (I found out later that they always start with a hymn, and then they sing more contemporary songs. Most I haven’t heard before, but they’re all pretty good), announcements, prayers, and an offering, the speaker gave a message about Saul/Paul and the road to Damascus. The communion service followed the message, and I felt led to participate. A few things different about their method are 1) if you plan on taking communion, you stand up. 2) When finished with the little cup, the ushers go back and collect them. 3) As I mentioned before, they use real wine (and real bread!) rather than grape juice. It has to be one of the most bitter, acidic, and repulsive things I’ve consumed, but I think it’s important to take communion.

Another thing that’s a bit different than I’m used to is that women make announcements, help collect the offering, and pray publicly. However, they never teach, so I’m okay with it. Actually, the whole service is very much a communal thing; several people share announcements, several people pray, and every time I’ve been there, a different person has given the sermon (I found out later that there’s no official pastor right now. Two men rotate, and another week had a guest speaker). And their love for the Lord and each other just radiates. It was a good reminder for me to avoid making church just a “routine” and “something we should do” instead of worshipping the Lord and growing. Don’t take it for granted!

After the service, a few people talked to me, all very nice, but I still had that I’m-the-new-person-at-church awkward feeling and left fairly quickly. But I left with a happy heart and a knowledge that I would be back!

The next Sunday, I went to Sunday School as well. I peered at the books they have for sale, and I noticed books by Swindol, Stanley, several authors I didn’t recognize, as well as the “Ultimate Questions” pamphlet in Catalán, Pilgrim’s Progress in Spanish, and several Spanish and Catalán Bibles. Anyway, I was there early enough to get a seat towards the back this time (heh heh), and it wasn’t long before a man came up to me and started talking. He was shocked and excited to find out that I was from the States, and quickly brought another man in the conversation to meet me as well. I thought it was nice, but I didn’t think too much about it.

Sunday School was really good, but it’s hard NOT to love the book of Daniel. I also love singing hymns in Spanish. It’s something that I like to do at home in my free time, but I can’t really do it too much with people. So it’s delightful to do it in church! I do miss using hymnals (they use a projector with words), but I can’t help but sing with a silly, happy grin every time. Praising the Lord in Spanish just feels...right. :-)

I noticed that the second man I met was giving announcements, but I still didn’t think too much about it. I then started tuning him out for about a minute. It was then that I heard the words “Estados Unidos”. Uh oh. Was he talking about me? Chances are, yes! I quickly realized that he was looking right at me and introducing me, specifying that I found out about the church through the internet. He called me “Sandra” at first, which he now laments every time I see him, but I just clarified my name and all was well. He still seemed a little flustered for confusing my name, which truly didn’t bother me at all, and then he asked me to stand so everyone could see me. Have you ever had an experience where you just wanted to slide off your seat and hide on the floor? That was me! :-) But I think that would’ve brought even more unwanted attention my way, so I stood up halfway, gave a little wave, and mustered out an “hola” as the entire congregation turned my way. Eep!

Everything went back to normal after that, but apparently that was just what everyone needed to get to know me. After the service, I was surrounded by wonderful people greeting me, kissing me (the common greeting here. More about that later!), jokingly calling me “Sandra Sarah,” asking how I was doing and if I needed anything, telling me that I should consider the church like home, and getting more details about what I do and why I chose the church in Lleida. Ahh! It was so glorious! A mother and daughter talked to me (Isabel and Miriam) and found out that I just hang around Lleida until the train leaves for Montblanc, and they were quick to invite me to lunch for the following week. Actually, Isabel offered to have me come that very day, but I was planning on meeting Laura in Valls to go to a concert that evening. So after exchanging contact information with Miriam, I had plans to get together with a family the following week. Hospitality in action!

I started to head out, but MORE people found me and jokingly told me that I couldn’t escape. :-) Several people came up to me trying to speak English, telling me when they visited or studied in the States, etc. I left with an even happier heart, just praising God for His people.

Lunch with Miriam and her family was wonderful. Pere and Isabel, the parents, live in a flat, and their three children, Elisabeth (35), Miriam (33), and Pere (24) live together in the parents’ old house. Anyway, Pere, Jr. rarely goes to church and didn’t eat with us (soccer game/girlfriend time), but the rest of the family ate together and all go to the church in Lleida. Miriam’s engaged to Dani, and he was there as well. The interesting thing about this family is that the mother speaks Spanish and the father always speaks Catalán. So the children grew up speaking different languages with each parent, and the husband and wife speak different languages to each other! :-) It’s another example of how integrated Spanish and Catalán are in Catalunya. I also tried a famous dessert that means “little ears” in Catalán, and it’s like a pie crust of sorts. We also had lamb, soup, and a type of beef stew. The only downside to the afternoon was when Isabel was trying to get something from the top shelf in the kitchen. She stood on a stool, lost her balance, and fell. Everyone was fairly calm, but concerned, but poor Elisabeth, the oldest, was vocal and NOT happy with mom. :-) Isabel was fine, with just a minor hurt elbow, but she certainly got a reprimand from Elisabeth about being careful! I felt awkward being in the midst of a family confrontation, and poor Isabel was so embarrassed that I witnessed everything. :-) Elisabeth eventually cooled down and quickly apologized, and everyone got a bit of a chuckle out of the whole event. We still tease each other about it even now, and all is fine. :-) But aside from that, the day was great!

There are several Christmas activities in the church, including Operation Christmas Child, a children’s singing event, and a special service on a Sunday evening. I’m hoping to do some of these, but it depends on transportation issues. I also bought a Catalán Bible. :-) And this past Sunday was a special service where people just give testimonies, share Scripture, sing, play a song, or read a poem. By now, all of the 20-something and 30-something girls know about me from talking with Miriam, and I was once again surrounded by people who wanted to keep in touch, meet for lunch sometime, practice English, have Bible studies, etc. Each Sunday, my Christian network keeps expanding, and all I can do is praise the Lord! A true answer to prayer.

Several families in the church are from Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and one girl in particular wanted to meet me. She’s from Mexico and studying here, 21 years old, and living alone like I am. We connected right away, and I hope to meet up with her sometime! I also found out that her mom is from Morelia, which is the city in Mexico where I studied abroad in 2008. :-)

Whoa...long post! I think that about sums up the church situation. :-) God is good!