The following are archives from Swains in Spain Highlights 2003. January 2003 Letter to the First Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, Ohio The first semester of this school year was filled with many firsts for our team. We began our first weekly Bible study for people who want to know more about the Christian faith. Students from Spain, France, the Philippines, Argentina, and Uruguay came together in fellowship to discuss the essence of what it means to be a Christian. We had our first intern come and spend a semester living with Spanish students and working with us. Arianna Aspan came from Texas where she just finished her first year teaching. She is a photographer and used a portion of her time here to help our team with a photo project of Santiago landmarks. We are so privileged to have had her here to share in the ministry. Our Teammates Troy and Jen Hellmann just had a baby girl: Emerson Grace Hellmann. She is their second child; her older brother Jack is now 18 months. Holding her makes our daughter Abigail seem like a giant. We are so happy for their family and very thankful for our newest team member! As we dive into 2003 we are excited about what God has in store for our team. We hosted our first short term missions team from Australia in January. Natalie and Richelle came here for several weeks on a trip to expose them to missions and church planting in particular. In January we also welcomed a new intern, Christina Gerskovich. Christina participated in the very first summer team that came here in 2001, and we are excited about ministering with her again this semester. We thank God for each of the people that he has brought into our lives here in Santiago. Please pray that this year as we continue to share our lives and our hearts that God would be glorified through these relationships and that our friends would grow eager to know God deeper. We love you and thank you for all of the e-mails and letters. We appreciate all of our friends and family at First Presbyterian and thank you for joining us in ministry to the students of Spain. Sincerely, Matt, Lori, and Abigail Swain Avenida Figueroa Nº2-2º 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain January 6, 2003 Holiday Traditions Today we are celebrating the day of Kings, the third and final holiday of the Christmas season. It refers to the magi who visited baby Jesus. It has been fun for us to learn about the different holiday traditions here. Kings’ Day is the traditional day for gift giving – instead of leaving stockings on the fireplace, little kids leave their shoes out on the balcony for the kings to fill. While Christmas is celebrated here it is more of a day of family feasting than gift giving, although Santa Claus is beginning to gain in popularity. One other Holiday tradition that is fun, but takes some time to master is on New Year’s Eve. At midnight with the first twelve chimes of the clock tower in Madrid it is custom to eat one grape with every dong. This is made more challenging by the fact that the grapes are not seedless. Crunch Crunch! Back to School Tomorrow the Holiday season is over and the students will begin to return to Santiago as classes start again on Wednesday. I am excited to be starting a Spanish class at the University on Wednesday in order to continue improving my communication skills. Australian Delegation At the end of their 34 hour trip, Scott and I picked up two Australian girls yesterday who will be here for a few weeks on a short term missions experience. They left Australian Summer to come to Santiago Winter and we are excited to have them here with us. In their first hours here they were able to experience Santiago rain as we watched the parade of the Kings and fireworks. Please pray for their time here and the students that they will come into contact with January 24, 2003 Do You Play Tennis? I recently met with a student who has been coming regularly to our Bible study. He is a French Catholic student with a heartfelt love for God, and he has really enjoyed studying and discussing the Bible with us. While the two of us were meeting over tiny cups of rich Spanish coffee, we were discussing the state of the Catholic Church in Spain. In the midst of our conversation I told him that most of the students I meet say something like, “Yes, I am Catholic, I just don’t practice.” He immediately said, “Yeah, I play tennis, but I don’t own a racket.” I was impressed with his quick comeback, but also with the realization that I am not the only one frustrated by this cloak of religion that people hide behind in order to avoid the most important questions of life. ….Do you play tennis? My Life in a Nutshell That’s part of what I spoke about when I was invited to speak at the University Bible Study (GBU) this past Monday night. I talked about why I decided to go into ministry and especially why Lori and I felt called to Spain. I talked about this within the context of how God has been working throughout history from the beginning to bring people into a right relationship with him. I think I did a fairly decent job speaking in Spanish, the students did not laugh too much. It was a great first experience (giving a talk in Spanish) and I hope that there are more to come! Aussie Posse We just wrapped up our first short term mission team from Australia. Australia is on summer break, so Natalie and Rachelle traveled 37 hours to experience first hand what missions work is like here in SdC. Once they recovered from jet lag (no small feat) they spent their days living with students and meeting with intercambios (Language exchanges). In their free time they taught us a plethora of Australian words like “oca” (a very Australian Australian), “struth” (use in place of “wow” or “whoa”), and “bindy” (a bothersome thing that gets stuck in your shoe). Out of Town We will be out of town between Saturday, January 25 and Wednesday, January 29. We will be traveling to Albecete, Spain on a business trip to pick up our new residence visas. In case of emergency you can reach us at 011-34-652-306-207 or 011-34-658-662-863. Prayer requests: -For a safe trip to Albecete and that everything goes without a hitch. -For students we have been and will be meeting with in the upcoming weeks. February 10, 2003 Answered Prayers The following accounts all relate to various prayer requests that we have had. We have been privileged to be a part of what God is doing here. We want to pass it along to you, and thank you for remembering us in prayer. Church History Spreads the Gospel Last Thursday evening one of the Spanish students (José) who I talked about in our December Newsletter stopped by our house as he often does. We spent quite a bit of time talking with him about our families and catching up on life when out of the blue he asked me about the differences between Protestant and Catholic churches. So, I gave him a brief overview of church history which led us to Martin Luther. I told the story of this Catholic monk who did everything every thing that he was told to do by the church at that time, but could not shake the sense of guilt that he felt in his life. Then, after reading Romans, Luther understood for the first time what grace really meant. José and I read several passages together and through explaining this simple history I was able to explain to him the central belief of Catholics and Protestants. That it is only through Christ that we are saved by faith and not by works so that no man can boast. (For more of the Martin Luther story read The Body by Charles Colson.) One Student Starting Youth Group “And things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:2 You may have seen this verse at the bottom of my e-mail from time to time. Well, this is the whole reason that we are here in Spain. We want to train up leaders in the Gospel who will in turn be able to go out and do the same. When Jean (the French Catholic student) began attending our Bible study he already had a deep love for Christ that was evident in his life. However, this week he wanted to let us know that he was really frustrated with the state of things in the Catholic church that he has been attending here in Santiago. Lately, he has been feeling compelled to do something. He has talked with the priests at his church and is going to start a youth group there. He thanked us for the example that we have demonstrated to him in our study group and said that he learned a lot from us and hopes to use what he has learned in his youth group. We are so excited about his new endeavors and pray God’s continued blessings on all that Jean puts his hands to in this new ministry. Offer Too Good to be True Our team has been specifically praying for a girl that we met here last summer. She is a foreigner who was invited to Santiago by family members with the promise of employment. When she arrived they basically used her as free labor and refused to register her with the government because they would be required to pay Social Security for her. So, she left their employment and found another job that paid 2.50€ an hour. Now, her boss has skipped town without paying her the 700€ that he owes her, and she’s virtually powerless because she has no papers. So, because of the hardships she had encountered here she was trying to decide about what she should do, and our team was praying for her in this decision. She received an offer from a man to go to Switzerland. He told her that he had family there in the government who would help her to get a job that would pay well. She was about ready to go with him when a Spanish friend told her that the man was not who he said he was. He actually runs a prostitution ring and preys on women who are having financial problems, takes them to a country where they don’t know the language and then informs them of their new job. She recounted this story to us with tears of relief as she was so thankful that she did not go with him. I praise God for protecting her and we continue to lift her up as she still has many tough decisions in front of her. These are just a few of the answered prayers that we have witnessed in recent days. We thank you for backing us up, and while this city is often a spiritually dark place we are encouraged by seeing God work and by knowing that you are lifting up this work in prayer! Prayer Requests Please pray for our up coming team retreat: -That God will direct our plans and visions as we talk about the coming year. -That we will be spiritually, emotionally and physically refreshed. -That God will bless our friendships and time together with teammates. Please pray for our personal and business finances and that God will provide for all of our families needs. Please continue to pray for these three students and also the others that we come into contact with each week. Pray that we will encounter students when we are not expecting it and that God will provide opportunities for us to share our faith both in word and deed. March 14, 2003 The Church God is working all of the time and sometimes we have the privilege to see it first hand. In the last letter I sent out I talked about a girl who was living in Spain as a foreigner who had been exploited by her employer and not paid for her work. After hearing about her situation, someone who had never met her was angered by this injustice and felt led to send her the full 700€ ($760). She was entirely overwhelmed by this generosity, and this spoke volumes to her of a God that cares for her and provides for her - even through the gift of a total stranger. Our entire team is encouraged by this and recognizes that this is the church truly being the church in the life of this girl and for this we praise God! Year Number One Yesterday we celebrated Abigail’s first birthday. Lori’s mother came from the states to join us in the celebration as well as friends who live here in Spain. Abigail is a people person and loved playing with all of the other little kids from our team. She is walking everywhere and very curious about everything. She loves playing with balls, telephones, exploring drawers and cupboards, flipping through her books, and being read to. Lori made a beautiful fish cake and Abigail shoveled it in. Café News In the effort to start a café/ministry center, our team recently has been making some significant headway. Visiting government offices to find out how to start a café as a foreigner has been a nightmare and literally has led us in circles. However, this past week two things happened that have been encouraging to us. First, online we found a complete list of what a foreigner has to do to start a business. This was posted by someone who has successfully navigated their way through the bureaucratic labyrinth. And second, some of our teammates had dinner with one of their neighbors who happens to be a lawyer that helps people start businesses. He was excited about what we want to do and has offered to help us. Thank you for your continued prayers for us in this endeavor! Finances We have been totally blessed as many have recently stepped forward to join us by supporting this ministry. However, over the past year the euro has continued to strengthen in comparison with the dollar. For us, this means that during this time, our salary has continually been worth less while prices around us continue to rise. For this and other reasons, we are in the process of raising more support. We realize that this has been a tight year for many of you as well, so we’re simply asking you to join us in praying for both our personal and business finances. April 12, 2003 TERRA NOVA “Terra Nova” is Gallego and means “New Earth” or “New Ground.” Terra Nova is what we are hoping God will create in the lives of young people here in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Terra Nova is the name we have chosen for the coffee house. Since we first moved to Santiago, we have been dreaming of the amazing potential a coffeehouse based ministry could have here among the university community. In the past month this dream has started down the path to becoming reality. All within the span of about a week and a half, (after about a year butting our heads against many walls and closed doors) God led us to a website that has detailed descriptions of all the steps that foreigners in Spain have to go through in order to start a business, and he led us to a neighbor of the Hellmanns who is a lawyer who works primarily with starting businesses. Through these two things we have successfully begun the lengthy process of starting the Café Terra Nova. We have already registered our name with the government and the next step for us is to deposit €3500 as seed money in a Spanish account here to establish our limited liability corporation. Currently our team has €1000 of this money. For those who are interested in contributing directly to the coffee house, tax-deductible donations can be sent to International Teams (411 West River Rd. Elgin, Ill. 60123) and designated for “Project Compostela.” Matt in Navarra This weekend I (Matt) will be traveling with a friend from Oasis Trails to the northeastern part of Spain near the Pyrenees Mountains. Oasis Trails is a ministry organization from Holland which runs hostel ministries for Pilgrims on the Camino to Santiago. I will be volunteering for a couple of days in the hostel in Navarra and am looking forward to the time that we will have with the pilgrims there. Please pray for the time and conversations that I have while I am there. I have been told that it is not uncommon to meet people from 5-6 different countries each day. Gallego Class Every where we go in Santiago and Galicia (our state) we hear people speaking a language that sometimes resembles Castellan Spanish and at other times has apparently nothing in common with it. While almost everyone speaks Castellan, Gallego is the language of the people. A cross somewhere between Spanish and Portuguese, we have picked up words and phrases during our time here, but this month Lori joined a Gallego class that is taught by the Government so that she can communicate on a deeper level with the people in our area. We’re Moving Over the past two and a half years we have been blown away by God’s provision for us and this ministry, and we have learned to rely on God in ways that we never could have had we stayed in the States. During the past year or so (with the arrival of Abigail) we began praying for a new place to live. We love our little apartment with the small balconies off of the back that face the Cathedral and the perfect location right in the middle of everything that happens in the city. However, in spite of the beautiful location and character of our place we realized that it is not the best place for children. This week we signed a lease on a house that is a ten minute walk from where we live now. It is near a part of the city that is called the “Door of the Camino”. It is a gorgeous place that has everything that we have been praying for and some extra things that we think are cool but probably never would have prayed for. We are most exited about having an office separate from our family room, a full sized refrigerator, a patio, a guest room (sorry, if you stay with us, you still may sleep on the lumpy futon for a while) and heaters that are in every room. We praise God for this new place and pray that it will not only be a home for our family but that it will be a place where people congregate and feel His presence. Our new address will be effective May 1: Matt and Lori Swain Calzada de Santo Antonio 6 Santiago de Compostela, SPAIN 15703 June 21, 2003 Coming to a city near you! We will be in the states in August 1 through September 15 for a working trip and hope to see as many of you as possible. We will be in Ohio throughout the month of August, in Pittsburgh for the tentative dates of September 3-5, and Chicago for the tentative dates of September 6-12. If you will be near one of these cities during these dates drop us a line and we will try to get together. Summer Team 2003 The American college students who join us for two months of cross cultural ministry experience have been here since the beginning of May. It is always fun for us to have them with us and to study and live what it means to be the church of Christ. Please continue to keep the students in your prayers as they seek to be a light to the Spanish students whom they encounter each day and for the extra challenges added when trying to do that in a foreign language and culture. Night of Prayer We were blessed to be able to use the “Bajo” (the nickname we have affectionately given to the storefront that we are renting. Bajo- literally means ground floor) to let the GBU students host a night of prayer. GBU is the Spanish bible study group that Matt has been attending this year, and as we came upon finals they wanted to dedicate a night to prayer (not just for finals, but as a time to connect with God and pray for friends, family and the people of Spain as well). We donated the use of the bajo and then they did the rest. They decorated the bajo and divided it into three main sections. They walled it off with sheets of plastic and covered the wall with scriptures in English and Spanish. The zones that they divided the room into had three specific purposes for prayer. The first was for a time of introspection and penitence, the second for worship, and the third for intercession. They invited anyone who wanted to come and it was great to see God work in the lives of Spanish and American students alike. One American student told me that this has been the best experience that she has had in Spain! Comings and Goings One of the exciting and more difficult parts of living on the mission field is the almost constant ebb and flow of visitors and people who walk beside you for a time in this journey of ministry. In the middle of May we were blessed to be joined by Chris and Cathy Gouzoules who are missionary church planters that are currently working in Mexico. We had a great two-day mini-conference with them as we studied the bible together and were challenged spiritually as we looked in depth at what it means to start a church movement in Spain. Then we had the privilege of hosting our first house guest in our new home. Susan Duncan went through International Teams training with us and stopped to visit us while she was in Europe. Susan is working in Costa Rica with an IT youth ministries program. We were so thankful to be able to see her again and to see how God is working in her life and the ministry in Costa Rica. Christina Gerskovich was the second student to complete a semester internship program here with us this spring. We were so blessed to have her here with us and see God work through her friendships here with Spanish students. She has an amazing gift with connecting with people and we are sad to see her go. She graduated this winter and postponed starting her new job at Bank One Downtown Chicago until this summer. We thank her for her sacrifice and pray God’s continued blessings on her in her new career. NEW! Abigail Video Lori just got finished updating our site with new photos, a new video clip of Abigail (grandmas and grandpas definitely want to check this out) and some other reformations. When you get a chance visit us at http://www.fade.to/swainlife and let us know what you think, we love hearing from you! Feel free to pass this on if you know someone who is interested in the ministry here in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. If you received a copy of this and would like to be added to our snail-mail list please contact matt.swain@iteams.org . As always we appreciate your prayers and know that we could not do what we are doing here if we did not have the support and encouragement of friends and family behind us! Sincerely, Matt and Lori October 15, 2003 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15 Isn’t it amazing how one tiny candle can fill a dark room with light or be seen from quite a long distance away on a dark night? This week at the campus Bible study that I attend and help out with the students turned out the lights and then lit candles as they prayed for this city. Each person lit a candle to represent their life of faith. In a room with only nine students I was reminded of how light conquers the darkness. Even though we live in a city that appears to be overwhelmingly secular, God can and will work through the lives of those who love him to bring his light to the world. Most of the students prayed for wisdom as they start a new school year for how to best share their faith with friends and loved ones. They prayed that just like the candles in the room they would be able to shine on their campus, in their classes and in their homes. Please pray for these nine Christian students who want to share the gift that they have been given. Pray that God will give them wisdom when to speak and when to say nothing. And most of all pray that their love for Christ continues to grow and deepen daily. Sincerely, Matt, Lori and Abigail Swain October 20, 2002 The following are discussion questions that we talked about at church after watching the movie “The Body” with Antonio Banderas. Feel free to use them if you watch this movie in a study group or even with a group of friends. Before the movie What is Faith? (Luke 7:9, Ro 1:17, Ro 4:5, 2 Cor 5:7, 1Tim 4:1, Heb 11:1, Jas 2:14) If you call yourself a Christian, why did you choose that religion out of all of the religions in the world? Does Christianity call us too blind faith? Why or why not? (2 Cor 5:7 We live by faith not by sight. Luke 16:31- Why do NT authors refer to OT prophesies?) Have you ever questioned or challenged your own beliefs over your faith? If so, what conclusions did you come to and why? If not, why not? What is the one key that holds all of Christianity together, the one thing that makes Christianity true or false? (Answer only to yourself in your own mind- Be honest!) If there was evidence that absolutely proved to you that Christianity was a lie, how would that change your life? If the was evidence that absolutely proved to you that Christianity was true, how would that change your life? After the movie Were you bothered or nervous at any point in this movie? If so, when and why? What are some of the healthy and unhealthy ways that characters in this movie responded to challenges of their faith? (Especially talk about the cardinal, the priest, and Antonio) Is there actual evidence surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus? If so what? 1. A Public Execution Assured His Death 2. A High Official Secured The Gravesite 3. In Spite Of Guards, The Grave Was Found Empty 4. Many People Claimed To Have Seen Him Alive 5. His Apostles Were Dramatically Changed 6. Witnesses Were Willing To Die For Their Claims 7. Jewish Believers Changed Their Day Of Worship 8. Although It Was Unexpected, It Was Clearly Predicted 9. It Was A Fitting Climax To A Miraculous Life 10. It Fits The Experience Of Those Who Trust Him Additional reading on this topic: More than a Carpenter- Josh McDowell The Case for Christ- Lee Strobel Mere Christianity- C.S. Lewis Evidence that demands a Verdict II- Josh McDowell November 14, 2003 Night of Worship With the warm glow of the fireplace to our backs, and the smell of hot cocoa, Spanish cookies and candles, the dark chill of the Santiago rain melts into a faint murmur in the background. The guitars are tuned and the discussions decrescendo as the music begins and then intensifies. Then in a tongue that used to be meaningless babble to us, we begin to sing songs from our hearts that declare the power and majesty of our God. As we sing, something holy happens as the words of each song penetrate the hearts and the minds of those in attendance. For those who are believers we are reminded of the God whom we serve, and we declare our love for him and desires to grow closer to him. This year we have continued what we call Spanish worship night. Every Thursday we meet in our living room with fellow teammates and Spanish students and worship in Spanish. During this night we also have a different person speak each week and share of a time when they saw God work in their life. This has been a wonderful time for us each week to pause and connect with God through music. It is also our hope that this will be a place where people can invite friends who are seeking God. Please pray for God’s blessings on this weekly night of worship. Pray that all who come will be challenged in their walk with Christ. Also, pray that God will draw those who do not know him to this night so that they might experience a taste of worship. Matthew and Lori Swain Calzada de San Antonio Nº 6 15703 Santiago de Compostela, SPAIN matt.swain@iteams.org lori.swain@iteams.org December 1, 2003 Modern Day Cinderella Story Gossip columns around Spain have pretty much given their sole attention to Prince Felipe’s recent engagement. Anytime a royal gets engaged it is big news, and even more so in Prince Felipe’s case since he is heir to the Spanish throne. His story is a unique one because instead of marrying another person of royal blood (which is the longstanding tradition), he will be marrying Spanish news anchor Latizia Ortiz. Incredibly their love for each other remained secret for over 7 months until they made a public announcement. Neither the paparazzi nor Latizia’s family (save her mother) knew about her secret boyfriend until they made it public. Anyway, Spain is curious to know more about their future queen and all of the details that surround the upcoming royal wedding. Café Encounter Recently I went to a café that I frequent to read the paper and study. If you have come to visit us we have probably brought you there for a coffee (it is the café that serves a mini-croissant and a small OJ with a coffee). Anyway, I went through my normal café rituals, and as I got up to leave, the waitress who works there asked, “Mateo, would you like some roasted chestnuts?” Chestnuts are a typical food this time of year, and when they are hot and roasted they cut some chill of the winter rain. I said, “Sure.” And so she piled two huge handfuls of chestnuts on the bar. Then she said, “So what is it you do here? Are you some kind of teacher?” From her questions we had an hour long conversation about who I am and why our team is here. We talked about more things in that hour than I could ever write in an e-mail like this. She asked tons of questions about our church and what it is that we believe and gave me a glimpse into her life by telling me a little bit about her kids and family situation. Several of the members on our team have been praying for this particular lady for some time and it was so cool to see God working in her life. Before I left, I looked her in the eye and said, “I am really glad that we talked about these things today.” She said, “Me too. We will definitely talk some more later.” We praise God for encounters like this and we continually pray for opportunities to be salt and light in this land through word and deed. Please pray for this woman as well as other people like her that we know. Art Sale First Presbyterian Church will be having an art sale this Sunday, December 7 after both the first and second services. A group of volunteer artists from Lancaster has been working for several months on producing artwork - from paintings and drawings to jewelry with a Spanish theme. The artists that have been working on these projects are donating the proceeds to help fund the opening of Café Terra Nova. If you can not make it on Sunday, but would like some more information on how you can see the artwork, please contact Mindy Boyd at (740)-536-7216. Stationary Fundraiser Last year our team was blessed to have an intern who was also a photographer. While she was here she took black and white photos of the ancient buildings in Santiago and donated the photos to our team. These photos have been printed up into stationary in packets of 8 cards and 8 envelopes. If you would be interested in selling some of these for us in order to help raise money for Café Terra Nova please e-mail me for more information at matt.swain@iteams.org Pass it on: Feel free to pass this on to anyone who is interested in the ministry in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. If you do not currently receive this update just e-mail matt.swain@iteams.org