Week 1 Catchup

Hola de Espana!

We cannot update regularly since there is no wifi/Internet access at Camp L’Arcada, so I will attempt to describe the beauty and glory we have experienced in our time thus far.

After the fog of an overnight flight and jet lag since it’s 6 hours later here, we arrived late Saturday morning and rode a bus from Barcelona up to the incredible Pyrenese mountains where L’Arcada is nestled amongst winding roads and fields of wheat, chamomile, and wildflowers. There are farms nearby, so from our large wooden platform teepees that sleep 10, we can hear roosters crowing in the early morning, dogs barking, and horses neighing in the distance. Our attempts to avoid tripping on the ruts in the grass made by wild boars are distracted only by the swift movements of lizards, the flutter of butterfly wings, and the occasional snake peeping its head out of the shower drains. The mountains and terrain remind us of the smoky mountains, so even though we are thousands of miles away, it feels a little like home.

There are quite a few full time staff here, including David and Debbie Frank who some of you may know from Westover, along with their daughter Tafie and her husband Christian, who are the directors of English camp, which we will be running next week here. This week is dedicated to getting to know the other staff, including the full time missionaries along with the others serving from various churches from North Carolina, Texas, California, and Alabama. There is also a group here this week called “Cantera,” which is a discipleship group for young teens furthering their relationships with the Lord (most of whom became believers by attending L’Arcada when they were younger).

Culture, Darkness, and the Gospel of Light

We were introduced on the first evening to L’Arcada’s purpose in Spain: the camp was developed because many people in Spain see evangelicals as “suspicious,” and they wanted to create a neutral place in nature for young people to open doors for new ideas and to share Jesus, develop long-term relationships, and portray a genuine understanding of the gospel instead of the false view that many people have due to previous misconceptions. We are here to help in that purpose and develop the idea that salvation is not found in a “religion,” but in a relationship with our Savior, Jesus. We learned that Europe is now understood to be the “dark continent,” consisting of less than 1% of the population who are evangelical Christians. This atmosphere is a result of the Spanish Inquisition because the Spaniards rejected all faith in the following years because it was associated with fear and hatred. Currently, Catholic churches in the area are in every town, but very few people attend. Evangelical churches in Spain are held in places like storefronts, and there is only one in every large area with a small but strong group of believers. This camp helps the missionaries establish and develop relationships, and we are here to support that mission. We are not building physical churches, but the relationships and opportunities that will build the true church, which is the people of Christ.

On Tuesday, we heard stories from some of the locals (or “nationals”) who are helping as counselors/translators speak about their experiences as believers in Spain, and we were astonished as we learned for example that Rut, a high school senior, was the only Christian in her school of about 600 students until one friend became a believer recently. Another volunteer, Ligeia, shared that when her school has carnival, some of the students dress as the Anti-Christ as a joke, and when these girls share their faith, they are met with animosity or rejected as members of a strange cult. Indeed, in this beautiful country, there is a hopeless darkness in the eyes of many who live here.

Aclarate: to Illuminate and Clarify

The theme of the camp deals with bringing light into the darkness. This week, we are training and preparing for the campers to arrive on Sunday, and for all that we will do throughout the week. The days are long and filled with learning the camp activities, such as ropes courses, archery,  games, songs, and curriculum, and the nights seem short as we curl up in exhaustion and prepare our hearts and minds for the days ahead. We are tired, but the Lord continues to provide us with glimpses of His grace, such as in the darkness when we look up and see shooting stars, conquer a fear, or get a hug and kiss on the cheek from a new Spanish sister in Christ.

On Sunday, we were able to tour Girona province and Catalonia (Banyoles, Tossa del Mar on the Mediterranean sea, and Besalu, which looks like a castle on a hill) in order to get a feel for the culture and people of Spain, and on Wednesday, we will visit the city of Barcelona, where I can hopefully (finally) upload this post! The main language of Spain is of course Spanish, but in this area, most people speak Catalan, which is a mixture of Spanish with French influences. The food here is fresh and delightful, and we wish we could bring some home to share!

Pray with Us

We have received our roles for camp next week, so please pray specifically for each of us as we serve in the following areas:

--Jeff will be a lifeguard and helping with camp maintenance

--Ellie will be leading drama activities and working in camp maintenance

--Abigail and Jared will be counselors, so they will each lead a group of campers

--Griffin will be an assistant counselor and helping with the high ropes course

--Mary is on camp activities staff and lifeguarding

--Stephanie will serve with camp activities and dance

--Debbie will serve on the ESL team with language activities

--Jill will help in preparation of camp meals and ESL language activities

--Ian will be a camper and interact with the nationals as a peer

Also, please pray that we will have endurance and positivity as we approach each day. We are getting exhausted due to lack of sleep, but we desire to be the light of Truth here. Pray that the Lord will provide us with rest from our burdens and that we will be still and know that His grace is sufficient in all of our needs.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. I will probably not be able to post again until after camp is over, and at that time I can also upload some pictures. We miss and love you all, and cannot wait to share with you more when we return!