Written by: Colleen Van Houwe

I’m sitting at a small table in Starbucks sipping a Gingerbread Latte, my favorite drink around this time of year, and wondering how I am going to explain all that happened this year while I was in Spain. I wish you could sit in the chair across from me, enjoy your own coffee and an hour of conversation, but that doesn’t always work out. So, I will do my best not to just skim the surface of all that God did in my life, in the ministry of Tlc International, and in the community of Altea, Spain.

First, I want to thank you for faithfully supporting me prayerfully, financially, and through your friendship. This whole experience has been a whirlwind of events and lessons learned and I could not have grown as much nor seen such an impact without your support.

I returned to the States at the end of October and have been on a fast track to acclimate to America culture and lifestyle while processing this past year. God never ceases to amaze me and He will always show up when you leave doors open; well, the door to the gallery. El Diseno, was always open and the presence of God rocked the community of Altea. I had the privilege of living in Altea since February, learning the language, building and deepening relationships, and creating opportunities for people to discover God through creativity and spiritual conversations.

Because of the culture and the nature of my ministry, my greatest memories and the moments that made me stop and say, “This is why I’m here. It’s so worth it,” were the simple conversations! I was able to see the power of God in the mundane, everyday Spanish life. From meeting people in the local bar to having dinner nights with my neighbors to spending the day with someone who needed a friend, God was working in the normal life moments. Simple moments become opportunities to speak truth into people’s lives. A conversation becomes the basis for real relationship. With a mission’s mindset, everyday is intentional and orchestrated by God, which is why this kind of work is hard to show. My investments are in people and their stories.

Cross-cultural missions are not always an explosion of people giving their hearts to God; sometimes it’s a slow process of simply being a light in the darkness and watching God soften hearts. It looks like my neighbor saying that my faith is silly in the first month we met and then knocking on my door every night to have spiritual conversations with me the week before I left. It looks like a girl I just enjoyed cooking meals with last year ask me to pray before every meal now and call me to pray with her when she’s in a crisis. It’s having a guy share his story about how hip hop dancing healed him of a break-up and sharing with him how God uses creativity and love to heal broken hearts. It’s a girl rediscovering her love of art, and through creativity, renewing her faith and trust in God. There are so many more stories like these that I could share with you that truly are a testament to God’s love, faithfulness and power.

Anyone can be mission-minded regardless of whether they live in another country or not. It just takes filling the need and being available to go, or stay behind and be intentional. Allow your everyday lives to be altered. So, that’s what this key is for. Print this article. Cut out the key and put it somewhere you will see daily. I believe that we have the keys to the Kingdom of God through prayer. I hope that every time you see this key it reminds you to pray for your community, that God would give you opportunities to see Him work within your own relationships.

If anything, this year has reminded me of the simplicity of a life abandoned to Christ, loving God, loving others, and the power of prayer to affect change. And, because of Jesus, we have the key to doing just that!

When I think about my time in Altea, I think about good eating and good drinking in good company. I can still taste, see, and hear it all: 

Eating Serrano ham, Iberico cheese, bread with olive oil and a glass of red wine at a cafe on the top of the hill that is Altea. Drinking cool mojitos on a humid August night. Enjoying paella on the beach after taking a brief dip in the Mediterranean. Eating an afternoon feast on Arianna’s patio: garlic and feta and tapas of all sorts, as hours of conversation serenade the sunset.

Or wine-tasting out in the country at Enrique Mendoza vineyard. “We are artisans; not industry,” said Pepe Mendoza, a 2nd-generation winemaker who regaled us with beautiful stories about Shiraz and Monastrell grapes.

Then there’s the experience of an art night at El Diseno: Strangers stopping to dance; impromptu tours of a neighbor artist’s home; conversation and art and of course, good food: Brittany’s coconut creations and chocolate truffles with fig and balsamic reduction. Oh so good!

Such is life in Spain. Or, at least the dreamy life of three summer days spent in Altea “on the edge.” People here see time differently, losing track of it on a regular basis as dinners linger on and on into the night, siestas sleep away the afternoon and midday heat slows everything to an eerie standstill. But at night, things are so alive.

In Altea, everything is an art. Food is an art. Wine is an art. Jazz and dance and conversation are art. Talking about life and God and dreams is also an art. Everything is appreciated, savored, sought out, discussed. It’s a place where love of “the finer things” is palpable. And in this context, the Edge Mission fits in perfectly.

The Edge cares about the finer things too; cultivating spaces to showcase beauty, establishing networks and friendships around aesthetic appreciation. Here, in the conversations and holy moments, over tapas and Shiraz, the mission is not to beat people over the head with the Gospel. The mission is to meet people in the mystery of life and share the journey with them, seeking truth together and living out the Gospel in love—sharing Jesus the way he so often shared himself: at the dinner table in conversation, sometimes with good wine.

I can jump from mountain top to mountain top.
I can fly high and touch the clouds.
I can swim with the fishes at the bottom of the sea.
I can run with the cheetahs on the plains of Africa.
I can sing.
I can dance.
I can laugh when there seems no reason to.
I can speak in front of a crowd.
Puedo hablar a vosotros en castellano.
Puedo escribir un poema en castellano.
El mundo me dice que no puedo.
A veces me digo que no puedo.
Pero Tu me dices que si yo puedo.
Todo es posible contigo…solamente necesito dejarlo.

Written by: Sean Hancock

While traveling through Europe, I was reminded of how wonderfully accessible of an art form Improvisation is to an audience.  I performed in large theaters, small community gatherings, and even a laundry mat!  However, being in countries like Germany and Spain, where English isn’t a primary language, made things very interesting.

I have been pursuing this art form for over a decade, and I love branching out and trying new things that challenged me.  Last year, I developed a solo improv show because there were many times when I would be alone, but still wanted to perform and do a show for an audience.  I had heard of another person doing one somewhere in Los Angeles, but I had never seen anyone do it.  After sitting in a friend’s apartment in North Hollywood and theorizing with some others, the possibility began to take shape.

I feel as though improv is so simple and hands-on, yet clever and inventive all at the same time (well, when done right).  The art form is almost still discovering itself.  I’d like to say I get to take part in this discovery.  I sometimes feel like a new pioneer pressing westward and this place before me is my land.  I can pass through it, or I can build on it.  It’s as if I have some sort of ownership of this art form as if it where my very own. Being in this mental state of discovery and willingness to venture, can allow one to develop a show that few have ever done, invent games that have never been performed, and play in a way that transcends language barriers.  To an improviser, this is all possible.

I have been practicing with my best efforts to produce a show that is upright and reputable.  It’s not about tripping up on perfection, but rather aiming for excellence.  Most people have seen comedians perform and can often see a bit of their own character oozing out of their performance.  This brings me to an awareness of my own character, perhaps the core of it all.  I believe the more I know myself, the more the audiences will get to see my character.  I hear people talking about doing shows that change the way people think, but if I don’t want to be anything like them, why should I listen?  Now, if there is something about them that I, myself, want to imitate, than I love the idea of changing the way people think.  That’s part of the reason why my group’s name is Recycled Minds and our motto is, “Do not conform.  Be transformed.”  But, I think I have to first ask myself if I am a man worthy of imitating.  To do that, I have to see myself with objective, honest judgment.  The more you are aware of your own identity, the more you are aware of your abilities, what you can expect from the world around you, and what you can expect to give because of all you have to offer. This is aiming for excellence. This is being who you are designed to be. This is a higher form of comedy.

Since I have been back in the United States, I have been performing in Boise and the Nampa-Caldwell area. While there may not be any comedy clubs, there’s still an abundance of laughter to be had, a space to perform in for audiences to enjoy, and I’m glad I’m here to help out!

Interested in seeing quality improv in the Treasure Valley? Check out my new improv group Recycled Minds at recycledmindsimprov.com.

We are now offering classes in improvisation and stand- up comedy. Sign up and start your adventure!

Hey Family!

     First and foremost, I love you so so so much. Distance has made the heart grow fonder, for sure. I’m definitely not ready to be done here, but I’m also anxious to see you all! Just a few more weeks!

 So I’m writing to tell you a little bit about the trip, like how I hiked to a lighthouse today, and I got to swim in the Mediterranean for the first time, and you know where I swam? Right next to Roman ruins! Come on!

     I also climbed through a little sea cave that was really scary and dark and wet and jagged, and then I climbed through it again in reverse to see how quickly I could get through it. And unlike most days, I brought my camera along with, so you’ll get a few photos of where I swam and stuff when I return. It’ll be quite the site for you, I hope.

     I also tried Sangria for the first time just after the hike. Having an alcoholic beverage after sweating out all my water reserves was probably not the best idea. I felt fine, but I was definitely feeling a little happier than usual. It was hilarious, and sangria is totally gross, in my opinion. But I also tried this drink called La Casera, which is the single best soda I’ve ever had in my life.

     It’s so light and refreshing, like drinking some sparkling water with lemon. Like an ultra toned down 7up, yum! Apparently it’s one of the staples of Spanish life. It’s so ubiquitous in Spain that any drink with a lemony, carbonated flavor is referred to as a “casera.” We need to track it down in the U.S. and drink it all the time.

     That’s my update for the day, basically, but I also wanted to tell you that I sent in my official resignation from the RC job today. My old boss had given me a deadline for the 1st of July, and I just was thinking about it, and now my mind is in the mode of imagining my future not in ResLife that thinking about returning just seems totally weird and totally wrong. I didn’t really think three days was going to change that, so I went ahead and sent it in. So it looks like living out of my car is in my near future. Who knows? I’ll figure it all out. The stars will align in some new fashion like they always do.

     That’s about it! I might be getting in with some Spanish friends this weekend. I think I’m actually going dancing with them Saturday night, so just pray that’s an awesome time for me to connect with them and begin building some friendships that will last a long, long time. Also maybe pray for some lyrics for me. I’ve got the melodies and structures down, but the words just don’t seem to come; fresh inspiration would be nice.

 Peace,

Matt

     My name is Heath Harmison. I have been married for 7 years to a beautiful woman named Mollie, and we have two beautiful kids, 5 year old Preston and 3 year old Zoey. I am a full- time standup comedian and Improv comedian. My family is going through a lot right now. My wife and I are separated and working on putting our family back together. I had been struggling seriously with my relationship with God and my family. The adversary had a firm grasp on me, and was taking me down a path of destruction.  I decided that I didn’t want to let him control my life any longer.  I had a serious desire to find my personal relationship with God so that I could become the person that he intended me to be. By becoming this man I knew that I would be the best husband and father that I could possibly be for my family and for him. So I started my journey.

      I started my journey with an awakening. The awakening hurt, and struck me to my very core. I had lost everything that I loved most dear in my life, my family. I didn’t treat my family in a way that was pleasing to my father in Heaven. I put everything before them and gradually lost my relationship with my wife and my kids. I thought being a comedian was who I was. I am very good at what I do and so I allowed it to define me. I lost sight of the things that truly mattered. My kids still felt love from me, but not in the right way. They didn’t see a man of God. They saw a dad that was fun, but absent from their lives. The walls that were put up between my wife and I had started from the very beginning. The absence of God in our relationship took its toll on us both. My wife is a very spiritual woman and she comes from a background of a very spiritual family. I promised her that I would be the spiritual leader in our home and I failed her. I knew what she wanted from the very beginning and I thought that I could be what she thought I was. But not having the relationship with my Heavenly Father took its toll on me.  I came from a home of part time spirituality. My parents are some of the best people I know, but when it came to living with the spirit of God consistently with our family. It just wasn’t there. I didn’t have much for spiritual guidance in my life growing up. My parents raised my sister and me in a way that was very good. They taught us how to love and care for others. They also taught us that we should love God and keep his commandments, but we rarely talked about him as a family in our home. So from the beginning I never built my own personal relationship with God. Which is in no way is of the fault of my parents, but it made it harder to get it. By losing everything you quickly come to realize what really matters in life. You realize that it is a “Privilege” not a “Right” to have a family.

     My journey continues on a trip that I took with my good friend and fellow Improv Comedian Sean Hancock. We went to Scotland and Spain to perform in the largest performing arts festival in the world, The Fringe Festival. God sent me across the world with my gift to perform and make people laugh, but that is not why he sent me.

     Our first stop was Edinburgh, Scotland. It was amazing to see this place because of its beauty. It was the first time I had ever left the states, so I’m sure I looked like the stereotypical tourist. The Fringe Festival is so big that the population increases about three times the amount of people in the city of Edinburgh during the festival. So to make enough space for all of the performances they turn a lot of churches into performance spaces. Our performance space was called Destiny Church. Our show was a variety show that consisted of dancers, singers, musicians, and of course comedians from all over the world. The people that I performed with were very spiritual people. They didn’t specify themselves in any certain religion, but they loved to talk about God. It was a little shocking to me at first, but realized that I didn’t feel pressure to believe in any certain religion or to join a certain church. Just that they loved God and centered their lives around him. I learned so much from these people just from their example. Little did I know that this was just the beginning, and that was going to prepare me for what was going to happen to me in Spain.

      I had the privilege to be able to visit the Edge Mission in Altea, Spain. It was a mission of people who came there to bring people to the Heavenly Father. I was there for about a week.  I could not predict what was going to happen when I got there, but I felt strongly in my heart that something big was going to happen. My friend Sean Hancock is the person that helped make it possible for me to have this experience. I know that God the father put him in my way well in advance to prepare me to come to him. Before we got to Spain Sean prepared me for who I was about to meet. He let me know that Arianna, the host we were staying with, was truly one of his favorite people in the world. He had to prepare me because she is very intense, but in a very good way. When I met her I immediately saw God in her eyes. I knew that she was a loving and caring person from the second that I met her. Within the first five minutes I was telling her everything about myself; personal stuff that I don’t just share with anyone. She was very understanding to my situation and knew exactly what I needed. She didn’t push God on me or her ideas of religion. In her eyes this life isn’t about religion, but about your personal relationship with God. And that was what I was searching for, the relationship.

     What I got in Spain was time alone. Time to sit and ponder about my life, and what I wanted, I was in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, which helped a lot. I wrote in my journal and prayed constantly, I could not stop! The people that I was around were people that have dedicated their lives to living the example of Christ, and it was rubbing off on me. Every day I had little miracles happen to me. I mean literal tangible miracles. Day to day I was changing, getting closer to my Heavenly Father, I could feel his presence constantly. One of the miracles that happened to me I will share with you.  This miracle is what changed my life forever. In a way that no one will ever be able to truly understand because of how personal God made it for me. It is a sequence of little miracles that happened to create one big miracle.  It started when one day we all went to the beach to relax and play. There was a point that I fell asleep on the beach with my hand over my left peck on my chest. Needless to say I woke up with a big white handprint on my chest; which was hilarious to everyone else. And I have to say that I found it rather amusing myself. Later on that night Sean and I decided that we wanted to sleep on the beach. While Sean was playing the guitar and I was just kind of doodling in the sand. Not really thinking about much. I doodled M + H and sappy stuff like that. “M” is the first initial of my wife Mollie’s name, and “H” is mine. Looking at it for awhile I then erased it and then just put my handprint in the sand. I looked at it for a moment and then drew a big heart around it. Then I filled it in with little rocks I found on the beach. I was pretty proud of it, so I took a picture of it. 

     Again, I didn’t have anything particular on my mind when I did it. The next day I was writing in my journal out on the balcony looking out at the Mediterranean Sea; writing about my feelings and the things that I did the previous day. At that moment I felt something. Something I have never felt so strongly before, but felt familiar. I literally felt something come and hug me from behind and felt a burning in my heart. It was so intense I started to cry. The feeling was so strong that I almost heard the words allowed. It said to me that the day on the beach that my hand was burned onto my chest over my heart, and the heart with my hand print I had drew in the sand was not my handprint at all. It was the hand of the Savior healing my heart.  There is no way that I could deny that this was the spirit of God sending me a message, a message that he is here with me always and has never left. But that my eyes and my heart needed to be opened.  When I left to come home I knew that God was preparing me to come back to the reality of my life, the reality that my family is not going to be with me, and though I have grown a lot, I still have a lot of growing to do before I will be ready to receive the gift of having my family back. It was about two weeks since had flown back home and I was having a rough day. I had been living somewhere else away from my family. And I had specific times that I got to see my kids and Mollie. I had been praying, reading scriptures, and writing in my journal which helped. I was having an especially hard day. I went to pick up my kids from preschool and my son comes running out with and piece of construction paper. He said,” Daddy I made this for you!” It was a picture of a heart with a handprint on it. I had not told my four year old son about the events in Spain.

     I broke down crying in front of the other parents with the overwhelming feeling of the spirit. These events are nothing short of miracles. I am still going through the growth of coming home to my family. God showed me my Destiny then took me to the Edge. He then pushed me over, so that he could catch me. Now through my faithfulness he will show me Glory.

My Dear Family,

I miss you like a bird misses its nest, like a boat misses its port, like a porcupine misses its tree house it built in a pine tree. I’ve been pretty homesick the past couple days up until I had this dream during my siesta today. (It’s kind of a gross dream. Sorry.) I was talking to my sister, then all of the sudden I got super sick, like being hit by food poisoning in an instant. I started to run to the bathroom, and I just barely made it to the toilet. I started puking big time. Gagging and heaving and waking up in a panic, thinking I was actually vomiting in my sleep. It was crazy. Definitely my first ever throw up dream. But I take that I was dreaming of my sister as we were talking about Spain as a symbol for my homesickness. Luckily, though, I woke up from the dream and I haven’t felt homesick at all the past 8 hours. Maybe the dream worked it out of my psyche.

There are a few things you should know about Spain:

1. No spiders! Seriously, I’ve seen maybe one spider here, and it could have been an ant with two extra legs.

2. Little salamander families roam around and climb on everything.

3. People here love dogs.

4. The seagulls seem to speak a different language. They roll their R’s well and lisp their S’s. (By the way, I’m picking up the lisp a bit. I’d say I’m sorry, but I know I can unlearn it, so no big deal. Plus, I kind of like it)

5. The ants are gargantuan and seem to have no interest in human food yet somehow are always around. Also, they don’t walk in straight lines, they just sort of flamenco around, take a siesta, drink some sangria, and maybe get back to work eventually.

So there’s the interesting wildlife of Spain

Today, the festival of San Juan begins. It commemorates John the Apostle, after whom their beach in Altea is named—”Playa San Juan.” So John’s sort of a big deal here; but not really him as much as his feast day in the Catholic Church. They celebrate it for a few days straight in all sorts of crazy ways.

It starts by cutting down a tree that all the strong men in Altea carry up steps to the church, which is atop the Altea hill. It’s a big beautiful church, at least from the outside. I imagine from the inside as well.

The tree is some big, long, heavy pole and the muscle beach tough guys of Altea take it on up. Of course it symbolizes Jesus carrying his cross. But that tradition isn’t respected anymore here. The significance has been lost. All the guys are just drinking heavily the whole time they are carrying the pole up the hill. By the time they reach the top, they are totally drunk. And then the competition starts. Whoever can climb the highest up the pole and tie their shirt at that point wins. So you can imagine a bunch of drunk, competitive men doing this dangerous thing is really entertaining but also kind of scary.

San Juan continued at about 10:30pm tonight with another tradition. We gathered with a bunch of our friends in Altea on the beach. Everyone brought a little bit of food and drink to share and had a mini feast. Usually people will join with their families to celebrate and feast, but the 20 and 30 something’s usually gather with their friends for revelry together for the night. They take their own section of the beach for an all night party.

We were in the more wholesome section, were we could partake in the finer traditions of the holiday. We built a fire, and everyone took a moment to write all they want to forget from the year—just things to get off your chest, regrets, bad habits, etc. In the tradition it was a time for repentance and confession.

After writing everything down, you throw your paper into the fire. Then, you jump over the fire three times. It all represents a refining fire. The final part of the night’s festivities is to go swimming in the sea at midnight. You and everyone else in your group go down to the water and back up into the water together, heals first. You can go in as deep as you want, but at least to your knees. Washing in the water is meant to be purifying, like another baptism.

Unfortunately, much of the significance of the tradition has been lost. Now it’s a ritual that gives people an excuse to act crazy. It’s slightly sad to see home many people didn’t know how to take the holiday seriously, but I’m really glad to say that our group could have the best of both worlds, a lot of feasting, celebration, laughter, as well as deep, meaningful enjoyment of the tradition.

San Juan will continue over the next couple days with the burning of these giant floats that they make in the public square. They work on them all year long, designing something really beautiful. And then, everyone gathers around to watch it all go down in flames. We are going to Alicante, the nearest major city, to watch it all. And I think we’ll finish it all off Sunday by going to the Catholic Church in town.

A few more little highlights:

- I made paella all on my own using whatever I could find around the house. Jazz paella, fully improvised.

- I played music late into the night with my friend Tuesday night again.

- I played volleyball on the beach in Altea with our Spanish and Finnish friends.

- I got to lead worship extemporaneously in our team meeting today, making up a praise song on the spot, and it actually turned out really beautiful and meaningful. God really touched our hearts through it.

Thanks so much family! Love you with all my heart! Hope one day we could come back and experience this all together!

Yours,

Matt

Hey family!

You were right. Last night a friend we had made came to one of our art gallery nights. He speaks 5 languages and lives way out in the country. He watches Arregla Mi Coche (Pimp My Ride) every night on TV. That’s what he knows about the US. It was hilarious hearing him describe it partly in English and partly in Spanish, I was dying laughing.

He owns some land out in the mountains where he farms. He told us, “I’m in agriculture.” And he lives in a tiny house way out there.

But dad, here’s the funny part where you and mom were totally right. He and his friend, unrolled their cigarettes, and then mixed the tobacco with some noxious green plant. Not before, of course, they asked me if I wanted to smell some. “No, no quiero.” It turns out it is pretty common to smoke marijuana in public without a second thought here in Spain. Some people refrain from drinking too much, and they just smoke weed instead. I’m actually glad they were with us that night, because it’s better they smoke weed with some Christians who care about them and want to show them Christ’s love, then to smoke weed alone, or with others who might want to take advantage of them in their tainted state of mind.

Our friend commented on how he knew we were “good, nice people.” And he even commented on how Colleen “thinks in a better, different direction.” I really hope he comes to learn why we’re good people and why we think differently.

He’s actually coming over in about fifteen minutes, and we’re going to make paella for lunch. He told me he knows how to make it, and I told him I wanted to learn how. All we have to do is buy the chicken and red peppers. He’s going to make it in my house with two others from our team. I’ll take copious notes and make the best darn paella you’ve ever had when I return!

I love you guys so much! Miss you so much!

Matt

I’M HERE IN SPAIN!!! ALTEA! Sunny! Humid as the devil’s bathtub!

Here’s the story:

I board the plane, and guess who comes walking down the plane aisle to sit next to me? My doppelganger. He looks like a bearded, Spanish, thinner me; if I were to wear converse shoes and plaid shorts. He even carried a guitar onboard and placed in the overhead bin above our seats, believe it! I couldn’t work up the guts to actually speak a word to him—language barrier—and you might think I’d discover the courage deep down somewhere during a 13 hour flight, but nope. Instead I just sat there sleeplessly, for the most part. Though I did get to say “pollo” when the flight attendant asked me what dinner I wanted. I was pretty proud of myself. Spanish fluency, here I come!

I landed in Madrid, and the airport is remarkable. It’s huge and colorful, but it’s also primarily comprised of wood, brushed metal and whitewashed walls. I had to pass through security twice so I could exchange all my ugly American money for fancy, beautiful Euros, just kidding, I still love America.

I ate McDonalds in the airport. It will be my last plunge into fast food for a while, so I figured why not? But I made the mistake of not bringing any sort of timekeeping piece with me, so I was minutes away from missing my flight from Madrid to Alicante.

I have never been as tired and sore as when I got onto the second plane. I was so glad to have a comfy place to sit for a while. Even before the plane took off, I started dozing. But I’d fall asleep for a moment, and then I’d jolt awake over and over again, but finally at one point, I didn’t jolt awake.

You know how I hum in my sleep? I woke myself up making my humming sound. I was trying to match the pitch of the plane’s engine. I think I was dreaming that I was trying to do so. It was pretty crazy and the best thing that happened on that super short flight.

This is where it starts getting interesting: when I land in Alicante.

So I get off the plane, and then I wander around until I find the bus platform I’m supposed to go to. The next bus to Benidorm doesn’t leave for an hour and a half, so I just chill out in my sunglasses looking cool for a while—until this older Spanish gentleman sits next to me and makes some comments about the heat. We start having a conversation entirely in Spanish, mostly him talking and me trying to figure out what he’s saying. He’d ask me repeatedly “me intiendes?” And my confused look was answer enough, so then he’d go into a long explanation about what “barato” means, only for me to remember that I already knew what it meant. Apparently he’s from Argentina originally, but he has lived in Spain for so long that he’s a Spanish citizen. During a lull in the conversation I asked him “De donde viajes?” (Where’d you travel from?) Then he corrected me: “De donde viaje?” (Where did you travel from, sir?) It was kind of interesting to be corrected that way. He was an extremely nice guy, even if that comment felt a little heavy handed in demanding respect. But maybe that’s just an outsider’s perspective on the language.

I get on the bus to Benidorm, where Colleen’s friend is supposed to pick me up. I arrive at the bus station and nobody’s waiting for me, and I start freaking out! I tried using pay phones and none would work. I eventually found one, and I was so thankful! I had to send a text message from the pay phone. It was kind of funny; Europe’s super weird. Eventually my ride showed up, and she’s super gorgeous, definitely the leading contender on my, obey-Grandpa’s-wishes-and-bring-home-a-Spanish-bride list. It’s easy to be a leading contender when you’re the only one on the list.

I arrive in Altea, and I’m escorted to the gallery, where they are having a special art night thing. Drawings are on display, and a bunch of people are playing music out front. By this time, it’s about 11:00PM; Spain just sort of stays up all night making noise. We were loud, and one of the guys brought down a cajon, which I jumped on eagerly.

Two men traded off the classical acoustic, and another played the electric. They were so cool, all of them. So much talent, I feel like I quickly had a connection with them through music, despite language and culture barriers. They even commented on being impressed with my playing and my rhythmic skills. I told them “Cuando era pequeño, mi padre manejaba su coche él tocaba el steering wheel con la musica.” It felt so good to get out a full sentence in Spanish to them.

The music recharged me, and I finally got home at about 2:30AM, washed the travel stink off me, and then conked out majorly.

As I write, it’s about 3:45PM here. I miss you guys like crazy, and I’m learning the lay of the land little by little.

Love you all so, so much!

Matt

As a representative of Edge Project Mission I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by world changers and life savers this fall at the Vanguard University Missions Fair and Westmont College’s Global Focus Week. Aside from sharing with students what Edge Project Mission is, I was helping students right there realize that their passion or hobby, no matter how simple it may seem, is actually an expression of art. I absolutely love going around to the other tables and speaking to the other missionaries, and not only learning about their mission, but hearing their stories. I learned what led them to where they are today, and shared ideas on how we both can continue to figure out ways to serve God and help make the world a better place.

How many of us have an idea or moment of inspiration and never act upon them? It’s crazy how one moment of inspiration can lead us to not just one world changing experience or a life saving organization, but hundreds! It was very encouraging to learn what other organizations like: Krochet Kids International, Eurasia Café, UW Sports Ministry, Mission Nannys, and Surfing the Nations are doing to change the world for the better and save lives in the name of God. The amount of strength, courage, and faith it takes to continue to change the world is inspiring me to move forward.

Even though this global recession has led to very unfortunate situations for millions of people, I think that this global recession has the possibility to create some very great things. A lot of people for the first time in their adult lives are unemployed and are being put in a position to focus on what’s really important to them, and act upon their inspirations and ideas. I am excited to see how Tlc International and Edge Project Mission will be able to partner with this year at Vanguard University, Westmont College, Azusa Pacific University, Fuller Seminary, and Biola University to name a few. And there are many other Universities that we have yet to build relationships with.
I find it is a privilege to see ideas sparked or inspired when someone is open to do something to change the world.

A dear friend of mine always quotes, “As a fellow pilgrim once said, sorry we’re only trying to change the world.” When I first heard him quote that, I did not necessarily realize how that applied to me, but as I continue to intern with Tlc & Edge, I am meeting others who have experienced some serious backlash in areas such as Asia and the Middle East where the mere mention of the word Jesus is a death sentence. I now understand what that means and how it is something to be proud of as we all take a step to be world changers. 

Written By: Lauryn Pena