Interesting...

The DPAN, published this article about drug policy/laws and the trends of drug use in Spain. The last thing this mini-blurb could be classified as, is boring. It lists some pretty startling facts about Spanish government, reform, and culture. I think this post is better without a picture :)

"Spain was one of the first modern European countries to decriminalize marijuana -- and one of the last to implement needle exchanges. The Spanish government paid a steep price for their initial reluctance to allow harm reduction measures. Spain has the highest HIV rates in Europe among intravenous drug users. These days needle exchanges - including needle exchanges in prisons - pill testing at raves, methadone maintenance and heroin maintenance trials are among the many public health interventions that are supported by autonomous regions throughout Spain. Drug use and possession for personal use do not constitute a criminal offence under Spanish law. However, public consumption is penalized with administrative fines.

Due to its proximity to Morocco and historical ties to Latin America, Spain serves as a transit point for Moroccan hashish and South American cocaine. Like the Netherlands, Spain treats drug consumption as a health problem, but participates in global interdiction efforts and has signed bilateral anti-drug agreements with third countries, especially in Latin America and Europe. Laws against trafficking are among the most severe in Europe. Spain’s marijuana policy is rather unique in that it encourages marijuana smokers to grow their own product. Personal consumption and home cultivation have been decriminalized, but buying or selling marijuana/hashish remains a criminal offense.

"By U.S. standards Spanish drug policy is very permissive. Spain’s drinking age for alcohol ranges from 16 to 18, depending on the autonomous region. Treatment instead of incarceration initiatives like drug courts are designed to mainstream illicit drug offenders and as such do not preclude social welfare benefits denied to drug offenders in the U.S. Drug offenders in Spain are eligible for unemployment benefits. As one of the last countries in Europe to embrace harm reduction, Spanish drug policy continues to evolve. Public drug consumption that was once common during the post-Franco cultural revolution of the 1980’s is now frowned upon. Administrative fines for public consumption once thought to exist on paper only are now enforced in many autonomous regions. In response to a growing problem of alcohol intoxication among teenagers at ad hoc street parties, public consumption of alcohol was outlawed in March of 2002. Outdoor cafes and bars with patios are exempted from “La Ley del Botellon.”

For a link to the article, click here.

Listen to this...

DTS Chapel Message, Adaptation and Being a Third Culture Person, by Dave Gibbons, 10/30/08

I listened to this chapel message Friday morning and loved it, so I thought I would share. Might I recommend this chapel message if...

• you're involved in ministry.
  
• you live in a cross-cultural context.
  
• you love Jesus and want to be encouraged.
  

This chapel is about so much more than what you're probably thinking. Let me give you some words, from the chapel, to perk up your curiosity: Bruce Lee, Outcasts, America, Jesus Christ, Language, Neighbors, Pandemics, and Purple Cows.

Do you have 26 minutes and 50 seconds to listen to something while you're running, driving, cleaning, etc.? If so, you should!

Living, Planning, Serving, & Encouraging

Living, Planning, Serving, & Encouraging

Looking back, celebrating the holidays with my aunt, Crystal, and her family was like home away from home. It was pretty fun to celebrate the holidays Spanish style. Between cards from friends at home, Christmas packages from friends and family, and invitations from church members to come over for dinner, I was showered with blessings this past month! In Dec./Jan. the students had a break from school and it was a great time to build better relationships with the older jovenes (Luisa, José, Cesia, Loida, & Maria).

Hit the ground running, that's the phrase which comes to mind to describe the past few weeks! This month, we have opened up our piso to host ministry meetings with our pastor and his wife, invited the youth over for our weekly meetings, and started a discipleship group with three girls. I resumed Spanish classes last week and have also been teaching English classes at the church.

Trying something new (aside from Spanish food), at the end of December, I mis-read my aunt's (flight) arrival time, and had an extra day to spend with some youth leaders in Madrid. Using ideas from these leaders as a jumping off point, we talked with Lázaro Pascual, our pastor, about starting a weekly Tertulía, or an open forum for English practice for people between the ages of 16-25. Crystal and I would plan and lead a weekly meeting that facilitates English conversation in order to build relationships with the young people here in Úbeda.

Praises & Petitions

• Leading; eighteen days from today (Feb. 7th), I will be teaching the bible study for all of the jovenes--in Castilian Spanish!
• Crystal and I; praise the Lord for providing a ministry partner and roommate that loves Him and has the same heart for ministry as me. We work well together!
• Language classes; honestly speaking, sometimes they can be pretty discouraging and overwhelming. Please pray for patience, good teaching, and that each day of speaking would build on the next.
  

Thank you for helping make it possible to live, plan, encourage, and serve here!

Representing you in the Spanish church,
Arista

Las Fogatas

Fogata: feminine noun
1. bonfire, fire

Last Friday, Crystal and I found out from our friend (and city event informant) that there were going to be bonfires throughout the city. I've only seen bonfires when camping or at homecoming, so I was pretty surprised to hear this! We heard three different reasons why the bonfires were taking place...

• To mark the end of the olive harvest.
  
• To remember the burning of St. Antone.
• To honor St. Antone as the patron saint of animals.
  

Whatever the reason, every year, on January 16th, bonfires are lit throughout the cities in Andalucía. Not gonna lie, it was pretty fun to walk around the city with the jovenes and see the different bonfires. The fires go until 6:00AM and people stay up all night. I went to bed a little after 2:00AM though!


It's tradition to see a few bonfires, and afterward, go out for chocolate con churros with friends.



Honestly, I don't think you could get more Spanish than something like this. Families, adults, and youth, walking all over the city, enjoying the night until it becomes morning; standing in line for churros for over an hour, and not being bothered a bit about it taking so long because you're with friends and, after all, "La noche es joven!"

One of my favorite things about the whole night, was stumbling upon a singing group at one of the smaller bonfires. I'm trying to find a way to post a few video clips, hopefully soon!

He is who He says that He is

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 The subject in this passage clearly refers to the name of Jesus Christ in verses 10 & 11.

A few weeks ago, advertisements for atheism appeared on the side of buses throughout Britain.


Atheist organizations in Spain and Italy are now following with similar advertising.

"To whom would you liken Me and make Me equal and compare Me, that we would be alike? Those who lavish gold from the purse and weigh silver on the scale hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; they bow down, indeed they worship it. They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; they set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; it cannot deliver him from his duress.

Remember this, and be assured; recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is no one like Me..."
Isaiah 46:5-10a

Wouldn't you like to know...

Wouldn't you like to know...this is a list of interesting tid-bits from living in Spanish culture. The list may include, but is not limited to: food, people, expressions, daily living, language blunders, etc.

• …we eat comida (lunch) after 2PM and cena (dinner) after 9PM.
• …“El Koko” is Spanish for bigfoot, like the sasquatch. I laughed out loud when I learned this!
• ...I've been using the word "tocar" meaning "to take" and I just found out that that word doesn't mean "to take", it means "to feel". You can imagine, my horror when I thought back about all the different instances that I have said that to people! You've got to be able to laugh at yourself with these things.
  
• …public announcements are made here by attaching speakers to the roof of a car and driving slowly around the city playing recorded messages. I’ve heard a wide range of announcements, anything from a restaurant’s special of the day to an upcoming holiday.
• …In Spain, clapping is an art form, i.e. Flamenco dancing.
• ...the jovenes told me to be ready to meet up at 2AM the night of New Year's Eve.
  
• …In the last few weeks, I have been served blood sausage, dirty clothes soup, and beer without alcohol.
• …When we greet one another, instead of shaking hands, we kiss once on each cheek. This is very common and normal between women and women, women and men, (children too!) but I’ve noticed when men greet one another, they shake hands.
• …I usually say one of these words in every sentence, “Vanga”, “Vale”, “Pues”, and “Bueno”. These words translates to, “Come on”, “Ok, “Well”, and “Good”.
• …Instead of states, we have “comunidads” or communities. So there is a community of Galicia, Andalucía, Catalunia, etc. Each community has their own flag, just like the states. Here is what Andalucía’s look’s like:

• …the sound of mopeds or scooters in the background is really normal, at all hours.
• …Crystal and I don’t have a microwave or a drying machine. With food, we heat water and warm everything in the oven or on the stove.
• …in Spain, it is normal for people to comment on other people’s appearance.
• …most families (if they have an oven) don’t know how to use it and instead use the space for storage. (I realize this is probably a huge assumption, but I’ve heard firsthand accounts that support this and I’ve talked with several Spanish women.)
• …The word “peacock” in Spanish is “pavo real”, which (literally) means, “royal turkey”.
• …For Christmas dinner, we had a turkey. Some of our Spanish friends told us that they thought it was a little weird to eat turkey for a special holiday. One day, Crystal and I were making fajitas (Tex-Mex) and one of the jovenes from the church came over. She asked what we were going to cook for Christmas and we told her we were going to have turkey. She (literally) said, “¡Que rado!”, which translates to “How weird!” Crystal and I couldn’t just leave it at that and told her that turkeys are really popular in the US. We told Luisa that turkeys are all over the United States, they just run free. You'll see them on buses, in the airport, streets, all over! We were on a roll and later told her the truth.
• …When you go to a café (which is also called a “bar”), you order your coffee/tea beverage of choice (and maybe a croissant) and then you sit down with friends, and enjoy! You don’t pay when you receive your drinks/snacks. You sit, talk for a while, enjoy the conversation, and then as one is leaving, one walks to the counter and asks for the total.
• …In Spain, we type, “jajaja” when we mean, “hahaha”.
• …Text messaging costs 3x (maybe more?) the cost of calling.
• …When watching a movie on TV, commercial breaks last a little less than ½ hour.
  

A good quote...

Andrei Rublev's Icon of the Trinity, ca. 1425

I'm reading, Ministry in the Image of God by Stephen Seamands and strongly recommend it. The book explains why the doctrine of the Trinity matters and what the implications of the Trinity are for us in our daily lives. The quote I wanted to share is pretty simple, but really true! 

The author states, "We depend nominally on the Spirit but mostly on ourselves--our training, our skills, our personality, our past experiences, our knowledge, our sincere efforts. As a result, what we accomplish is limited by what we can do...If you rely on training, you accomplish what training can do. If you rely on skills and hard work, you obtain the results that skills and hard, faithful work can do. When you rely on committees, you get what committees can do. But when you rely on God, you get what God can do."