Slouching Towards March

Well, faithful readers, the month of February has almost passed in the same manner as many February's before. My friends and I had a typical American Valentine's Day party: high in glucose, entirely female, and painfully short on rose bouquets and coquetries. The temperature is beginning to rise, little by little, making me more willing to face the elements for nighttime entertainment and even take an occasional walk. This month has been a mostly uneventful one, though that has allowed me to get to know the people in my church a little more and even try out a Bible study Saturday nights. It's all in Spanish, so often the practice of analysis is trumped by mere attempt to comprehend, but at the very least it is good to be in the company of believers of my generation. They can be few and far between here in Spain.

Perhaps that is one thing that I have come to appreciate here in a way I didn't before, is the presence of the church. In Memphis and Clemson, it is fairly easy to work in retail, barbecue with the neighbors and go out at night without leaving the comfort of Christian company. While these easily-accessed relationships may tend to the extreme of indeed never engaging the outside world, there is great encouragement to be found in such constant companionship, which constancy is more of a scarcity in Madrid. The benefit of the day-to-day immersion in this everyday world where God is an estranged and hardly thought of entity, nonetheless, is that the moments of fellowship and worship become increasingly sweet. Thus I find myself looking forward, not only to sleeping in late and going out on the weekend, but the prospect of sitting among the small but genuine assembly of Iglesia Cristiana Presbyteriana Reformada. I'm not sure if that's the exact order of it for, as you can see, they certainly haven't fallen behind in denomination title specifications.

Looking ahead, however, I have great reason for excitement with the prospect of two visits. Next week my friend Maria, a Swedish lass I met in South Africa and consequently haven't seen since, will be visiting Madrid. Then the following weekend, Brother Dave and Sister-in-Law Hillary cross the big pond to visit for a week as well. With Semana Santa, or Holy Week, soon following, I expect to have a smashing 3 weeks to make up for the slow and steady plod of the last two months.

Until then...back to the grindstone.