Do I want to go back to Sevilla? You betcha!

Hola otra vez!  

Okay, so this really is the last of my email updates from my time in Sevilla. It's bittersweet, but thanks for reading these, even if you only have read one or two or if you read all of them - thanks for following my journey! It was great to write to you all and hear back from you as well. This has been a good way for me to learn how to express what I was thinking and feeling and be able to share with others even in a small way what it was like for me this past year in Spain. And I absolutely loved being able to share stories of the people that I met and of how God worked in my and their lives!  

On May 17, Monday, I pretty much did nothing other than study. I had three finals that week, so that first day I spent in my house or at tutoring, trying to sit down and focus on doing well on my finals. On Tuesday I had my final for the Mosaics: Jews, Muslims, and the Christian Experience final, which went pretty well I think. It was just nice to get it done. I then took a break and met up with my friends Elizabeth (as it was her birthday!), Andrea, and JoHelen, just to see them. After lunch I also went to the last Bible study of the year and got to share with and hear stories about the year in general. It was really casual and laid-back, and it was nice to see that group one last time. I then took off for my last tutoring session and headed home to study before going to bed. I then got up the next morning, studied some more, and headed to the University of Sevilla for my first final there for my History class. That final will determine my whole grade for that class - talk about pressure!!! Geez. It just makes me appreciate so much more my classes in my program and the ones at Linfield. I felt like the test went pretty well, but we will see how I did. I was pretty stressed before I went there, even crying a bit, which is kinda sad looking back, but I think it was a mixture of stress, pressure, general weariness, fighting a cold and allergies, and trying to cope with the fact I was leaving soon. I'm pretty sure I ran on adrenaline that whole week. I still didn't succumb to drinking coffee though, and I still can't decide if that was a good or a bad decision. haha. But anyway, I felt better after I texted Jake, asking him for prayer, and he responded back with an enthusiastic, "Of course!" He and Martha and Lea and others were a huge encouragement to me that week as I knew that they were lifting me up in prayer.  

Anyway, after my final I went home for a bit to study some more and eat and then headed to the Goodbye Party at my program. Most of the students (minus those of us who had classes in the U. of Sevilla, were already done and were flying out the next day or very soon, so they threw a party for us. I got there quite late because I ate dinner late, but I got to say goodbye to several of the students that I actually met that semester, and it was neat to see a few people before they left. I was sad when I left Sevilla because I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to some of the wonderful professors and staff at CC-CS who had helped me a lot that year, but I hope they know how thankful I am for each one of them. I got to know them pretty well after being there for 9 months.  

On Thursday the 20 I had my last final - Classic Mythology. That final was also in the afternoon, so I had more time to study, but my roommate Emily left at 5 a.m. that morning so I was physically exhausted by the end of that day. I had stayed up late studying, woke up when she got back and couldn't sleep because I had so much on my mind (I actually studied at 4 in the morning, then helped her take her bags down and said goodbye), and I didn't get back to sleep until 6 or so, then getting up a few hours later. I do not recommend that, but at the time I was just so overwhelmed with everything and was still fighting a cold, and I just wanted to study, take the test and BE DONE. The test went pretty well, although I was worried about one part of it, but in the end I took it and finished and now have officially completed three years of college. What a strange thought!  

Later that evening I went over to see Lucía and tutor her one last time in English. I got to say goodbye to her and her family, taking some photos and chatting. They told me that I have a place to stay there if and when I go back to Sevilla, which really touched me. What a neat, loving family! I then went to the last Discipleship Group (for me anyway) and got to hear from David and Martha and the others in the group. At the end I asked if we could all pray as a group, and they brought me to tears because they all ended up praying, most of them praying for me. It meant so much to me that they would do that. Indescribable. Afterwards we hung out there for a bit, and eventually went home quite late. I think I got to sleep in Friday morning, but I couldn't sleep too late because the two new girls, Katie and Christian, were moving in for the month of June, and I had to move all of my stuff to the other guest room and clean up a bit. I spent some time at home relaxing and chatting with my family (as my host parents had finally gotten back from their trip), and then I headed over to Martha's to have a chat time with her (and got to chat with Elizabeth!), which was such a blessing. We then got ready for Charlemos and headed into the center. We had a really good discussion about the Centurion and Jesus and about having faith in God. My friend Leti also surprised me with these two cute bracelets as a gift. We also played this game where we all wrote little notes of encouragement to each other. After Charlemos I was able to meet up with my friend Rosie from Australia and have a really good heart-to-heart with her. Thanks girl!  

My last Saturday in Spain I spent with Inma, Jake, Martha, Hendrik, Maggie and Loida. Inma invited us to go out to her town on the beach and spend some time at the beach and then later at her family's chalet there. We all had fun playing in the water or sitting in the sun (although it was super windy and we got stung quite a bit from all the sand flying around) and watching the wind surfers. We hung out there for a while, and then went and got ice cream before heading over to the chalet. Thanks Martha! When we got there we met Inma's aunt and uncle (Jake and I met her uncle in Semana Santa), and they welcomed us there. It was a neat little place with a pretty garden and ceramic work that her aunt had done. I was impressed! They also had aloe plants that we used for the sunburns that we had accumulated at the beach. I thankfully put on sunscreen, so I didn't get it too bad, but some of the others were pretty red. I hope they healed quickly because it looked painful! Anyway, Hendrik, Maggie and Loida had to head back early, but Martha, Inma, Jake and I stayed for a while before we headed back, stopping in a few stores to shop for a bit. All in all it was a wonderful day. I also was able to get more good "heart conversations" with them, this time without finals looming over my head.  

On Sunday I went to my church in Triana one last time, the church that God blessed me with all the way back in September. I got to say goodbye to the people that I had met there, and I sincerely hope that I can go back and see them again. That church, group of people, is doing great things in their community. I then spent time at home, eating lunch and trying to pack and write letters. I had a bit of a breakdown again just from the tiredness and overwhelmed feeling (and the fact that I was only halfway packed), but I did have some good time to talk with God about it. I finally got out the door and biked over to Sala Encounter, the church out in the Alameda, to say goodbye to the dear people that I had met there. We couldn't stay for the service unfortunately as we had a "See you later" party (for Jake, Elizabeth, and I) to go to, but Jake and I got to go up front and share what God had done in our lives through that church. I'm so thankful for that opportunity. I then took off with Elizabeth, Rosie and Jake to bike over to Martha's house for the party. I took Elizabeth on my bike with me as she didn't have one, and let me tell you, even though she doesn't weigh hardly anything, it is difficult to carry anyone with you on a one-person bike. I gained a lot of respect for Jake and Abraham, who have to do that from time to time. haha.  

Anyway, the party was amazing. Hendrik and Maggie and Martha worked really hard and barbecued some yummy food and decorated Martha's place with balloons and such. A lot of our friends ended up coming (Martha, Hendrik, Maggie, Carlos, Inma, Rob, Jose Maria, Marixu, Carmen, Christy, Rosie, Rob, Thomas, Carlos M., Johnny, Loida, Marina, Yaneri, Nico...) and brought hugs and laughter and food with them. We all just spent time hanging out and talking, eating, writing notes, watching a cool slideshow that Martha made... I felt so incredibly loved and blessed and just wanted to shower all of that back on all of them but all I could do was say thank you and give them big hugs and smiles. I wanted to say more, but felt like I didn't have the proper words - in any language. It meant so much to me that they would take time out of their busy schedules just to come and spend time with us. And Martha and Inma even surprised me with this cute outfit that we saw in the store. It was such a sweet gift from them. It was hard to say "See you later" (I consider goodbye to be a bad word now) to so many wonderful people that night. People slowly left after a few hours, but Jake and Elizabeth and I stayed there for a bit, and Lea and Abraham were able to come over afterwards and hang out (as they were unable to come earlier). I was so happy to see them too, and I got the chance to have a good conversation with Abraham before he and Jake and I left to head home. I had to say Hasta Luego to Abraham then, which was hard, but I was able to head home with Jake (as we lived close together for about 5 days, haha), and it helped a lot to have someone to talk to and that I felt comfortable crying around. Thanks for cheering me up, Jake!  

Monday was my last full day in Sevilla, and boy was it FULL. I got up that morning after not getting a lot of sleep, and then I met up with Lea in the center to go do some last minute shopping and wander that area a bit, talking with her. It was so sweet of her to spend her whole morning with me before work. It was fun to wander into shops with her and chat and everything. Miss you, hermana! I ran into random people that I didn't expect to see while I was out there, which was fun. I also walked over to the University with Lea to say goodbye to Leti and Lucia (from my class) really quickly before we both hopped on bikes and rode over to a different part of town so I could meet up with my friend Laura. She and I stopped at a little cafe to chat for a bit, which was really fun. We then went to Martha's so I could see Hendrik and Maggie and give them hugs, and Martha helped me clear up an issue I had with one of my flights. Thank you!!! I then finally headed home for lunch and got to spend a bit of time with my family. I then spent time packing, but had to run into the center to CC-CS to drop off some stuff and say goodbye to whoever was there. I then raced back home, packed some more, ate dinner, wrote another letter, and left again to go say goodbye to my intercambio and friend Mari Paz. I'm so thankful I got see her before I left. I then went back home, packed some more, and chatted with my host family and the girls and watched a procession of the Virgin Mary from the church nearby pass by on our little street. I'm kinda bummed I didn't get more quality chatting time with Edu and Pepe before I left (although we had good talks throughout the year) but I hope they know I love them and am so thankful to have another family in Sevilla. Before I went to bed, I left the house one more time and rushed over to Johnny's to say see you later to him and to Jake. I had a good conversation with Jake about the year, and it was great to look back and see all that God had done through the Bible study and Connexxion and everything. And then to end my super crazy day, after saying see you later (another difficult one!), I headed back and home and in my exhaustion finished packing into the wee hours of the morning before crashing in bed for a few hours of sleep.  

I got up early Tuesday morning, ate some breakfast, lugged my bags into the hallway (and Pepe helped me carry them down) and then got to hug Pepe and Edu before heading out to meet Martha, who drove me to the airport. She, Inma, Rosie, Elizabeth, and Lea all went to the airport to see me off. I cannot explain how hard it was to hug them all again and then have to walk through security by myself, all the while wanting to turn around and run back. But I just prayed the whole way, knowing that wherever I go, I go with Jesus and knowing that it was time to go back to Oregon. Thanks girls for seeing me off!! I was so blessed this year in all that I learned from a God who really is God of the whole world and who really never leaves us or forsakes us and has plans waaayyy better than ours, and in all of the friendships that with wonderful people that He placed in my life. My flights back (all 4, yes FOUR of them) went well, and I even got to meet up with Fatima in Barcelona and then fly back with her, which was wonderful! I got to Portland quite tired and not a bit surprised that the pilot announced that it was raining outside. Welcome to Oregon!! But it was so nice to see my family and Alex again. And all of you that I have seen so far! Thank you so much for all of your prayers. They mean the world to me. This experience changed my life, and I have learned how to appreciate each person that God brings into my life and blessed me with - including each one of you! I hope you all are blessed!! I would love to catch up with you anytime. God bless you all immensely!  

Con mucho cariño y abrazos fuertes,

Sierra

Last few weeks just flew on by...

Hola todos!

Well, I was planning on writing this before I left Sevilla, but in the end, my last three weeks there were quite busy, so I decided to put this off until I got home. As most of you know, I am back in Oregon now. I got back last Tuesday night really late, and was welcomed at the airport by my whole family (minus Jackson, who is down in Corvallis) and my dear friend Alex Hayes. I got to fly back with Fatima, which was wonderful because it made the flight bearable. Thanks for your cheerfulness, Fatima!! You are like a ray of sunshine. It's INCREDIBLY hard to believe that the time to go back actually came already. The transition back has been good as I have been able to see a lot of you and catch up in one-on-one conversations and/or seen you at graduations. It's hard in some ways though because I still really miss the wonderful people I met in Sevilla. It really did become a second home to me. I am having a hard time accepting the fact that I don't know for sure when I will go back, but God is continuing to bless my life and giving me peace about it. I had the hardest time in the world saying goodbye, as I have made lifelong friends there and fell in love with the city and the people (people in general, don't get any wrong ideas, Salena and Jenna especially!), and I hope with all my heart to be able to return one day.

The last time I wrote to you all was the 1st of May. The day after that I went to church out in Bormujos, a small town outside of Sevilla, with several of my friends. I got to see and chat with my friends Jake, Rob, José María, and Martha. It was wonderful to spend time with them and to hear another message from the Bible - in Spanish! The pastor there's name is David, and he is one of the leaders of my discipleship group here. He and his family are absolutely wonderful people that really live for God in a genuine way. Later that evening, I went to Plaza Nueva to meet up with my friend Inma so that we could Skype with our friend Carolina (who is back home already). It was a lot of fun!! The only bummer was that I was starting to get allergies (or a cold, not really sure which and I had that cold, or whatever it is for about 3 weeks... BIG bummer! ... so I had to blow my nose every five minutes. But we all had a good chat. Inma also gave me a really awesome book that has cool Spanish coloquial phrases in it. I will have to translate some of them for you all when I get back. Some of them are absolutely hilarious!

Anyway, the following week 3-7 was pretty busy with studies. I went to my classes, went to tutoring, and started trying to study for my classes in the University of Sevilla. I also had a presentation in my literature class and had to finish writing a paper for that class as well. But in the end I got everything done and turned in! Whew! One of the highlights of my week was seeing my friend José María. We met up after Bible study and just chatted for a couple of hours. We are both busy with studies, so I really wanted to get a chance to catch up with him before the final exams hit. It's awesome to see how God is working in his life. Bible study went well too! My friend JoHelen shared about trusting in God, and her story was really powerful and touching. She reminded me that I need to remember all the characteristics of Christ and to not forget how great He is.

That following weekend, the 7th-9th, was probably one of the best weekends of my life. I spent the day Friday trying to get some studying done, and then I packed my stuff in my backpack and headed over to Martha's house to meet up with some friends for our last Connexxion retreat of the Spring. There were a 11 of us that went - my friends Martha, Jake, Inma, Lea, Abraham, Elizabeth, Tyler, Daniel, Hendrik, Margarita, and me! It was SOO much fun! We all took two cars and road-tripped it down to Algarve, Portugal, which is only a couple hour drive from Sevilla, and is really close to the beach. That area is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. There are pictures up on my facebook and I will hopefully get a chance to put some up on my blog, but it was one of the most beautiful places I saw in Europe. We drove down Friday night (4 of them went down earlier and got everything ready, including making a really yummy dinner) and we got to hang out and chat that night. The next day, Saturday, we were able to go to the beach, and we had fun climbing up and down rocks, exploring caves, and just hanging out, even though it rained a bit. We also went to the beach on Sunday, before we headed back to Sevilla, and thankfully that day the weather was amazing - totally sunny and perfect for being at the beach. The sand is Sooo soft there and the water is a mixture of beautiful blues and greens. We had fun taking pictures, swimming, playing volleyball and soccer, and just sitting in the sun.

The best part of that weekend though was the spiritual aspect of it. The point of the retreat was to get away and to spend some time with God and each other. We talked a lot about the fear of God versus the fear of man, and how we need to focus on Jesus and value what HE values, instead of constantly trying to please people. This is something that I have struggled with for a long time, and I thought it was appropriate, considering the fact that God has really begun (is continuing to) change me in that area throughout that whole year. I was able to share with the group how God had really taken away a lot of my fears and timidity, especially thanks to the friends that I made in Sevilla, and what God had taught me through them. My friend Abraham also shared a really neat testimony of what God had done in his life that year, and my friend Jake shared a talk about the story in the Bible where Peter walks to Jesus on the water. We talked about the fact that if we fix our eyes on Jesus we can walk on the water, but if we look at the waves, at all the troubles in our lives and focus on them, we are afraid and begin to sink. It's all in our perspective. Martha also shared a great talk on the fear of God, and she and my dear friend Lea organized the entire retreat... it was such an amazing weekend!! It was so nice to just get away from the books and stress of the week for a bit and spend some time with some of my best friends. I thank God so much that I got to do that before I left.

The next week, the 10-14, was my last week of classes. I had to turn in one last paper, go to tutoring, and study for my Literature final exam, which was on Friday. I felt like I did a good job on it though. Wow... that feels like forever ago! I really enjoyed that class, and the professor that I had was the first one that I had back in September, so it was kind of bittersweet to look back. That whole week my host parents were gone on vacation, so it was different around the house, but my roommate Emily and I had a lot to do, and our host sister Alicia took good care of us. I learned a lot from her! The Bible study on Tuesday went well as well. I think that week we all just kind of shared stuff that we had learned, as it was the last Bible study for a few people whose programs were ending. That same night I went out to eat tapas (popular way of eating in Sevilla.... they're kind of like appetizers) with my professors and some of the students. It was a good way to chat with a few of them our last week there. I also got to meet up with my dear friend Inma the next day and chat with her for a bit that evening, even though we were both quite tired. But we are good enough friends that it was okay even to just sit on a bench in Puerta de Jerez and just hang out together.

On Thursday, the 13, I went to Discipleship Group and got to hear from two friends and co-workers of Martha's that work in Spain. It was so neat to hear their stories and learn from them and spend time with some good friends. On Friday I also went to Charlemos, our Bible discussion group, and led that. It went really well, I thought! Afterwards several of us went salsa dancing again. It was bittersweet because I knew it was the last time I was going to go dancing with that particular group of friends, but it was wonderful because there were a lot of people that came, even if they didn't dance: Martha, Jake, Abraham, Lea, Inma, Carlos, Jose Maria, Marixu, Tyler, Elizabeth, Emily, Yaneri.... and more! What a great time. I owe a big thanks to Abraham, Lea, and Jake for teaching me how to dance.... this sounds weird but something as simple as that made me more confident as a person, and it was so fun to go out as a group on the weekends and just have fun, but in a good way, you know?

On Saturday I had to type up a second version of my thesis proposal - oh goody! - and another assignment for Linfield, but afterwards I was able to go meet up with Lea and hang out and chat. We had a good talk and time walking around that afternoon (the weather was gorgeous) and it was wonderful to sit and listen and chat with her, as she has become a wonderful friend and sister to me. She's such an encouragement! We then met up with my new friend from my program, Kendra, and we hung out with her and met up with another girl to then walk into the center and go see the medieval fair. Lea headed off to go eat dinner with friends, and Kendra and other girls from my program and I met up with Jake and wandered around the fair for a bit, chatting and looking at all of the interesting things they had for sale.

That Sunday was a very special one as I went out to the church in Bormujos again. A lot of us met up in Plaza de Armas, and we all carpooled out to the town. It was a big group of us! Abraham shared his testimony in the church service, and Jake shared some of what God had done in his life in the last nine months, and the pastor David gave a good sermon on baptism, as a woman in the church was being baptized that day. After the service we headed outside and watched the baptism in this little, shallow kids pool. But it was a precious, blessed moment to watch a sister-in-Christ proclaim that her life belongs to Jesus and to share that moment with her. We all then continued real church time - fellowship and eating lunch together, sharing stories and wonderful laughter moments. I even got to take some of the videos that Salena had suggested that I take, asking my friends to tell me on video a memory that they had of our time together. It was wonderful! A lot of us then headed back into town and went to the center and then walked to a nearby park, spending time together on a nice day to celebrate Hendrik's birthday and enjoy the good weather. We all had to then say "Hasta luego" to Tyler, who was heading back to the U.S. that next morning. I cried a bit in the park because of all of the emotions that were starting to pile up at the thought of leaving. That whole week I must have hugged my friends dozens of times and we had a lot of good talks and joking around too... just trying to savor the last weeks I had with them!

Anyway, this email is super long, and although I hate to break it into two, I am going to have to do that. There's only a week and a few days that I have left to recount, but a lot happened, and for those of you who are brave enough to read all of this, you may appreciate the two emails versus one that is insanely long.

Ya hablamos (we'll talk again soon)!
-Sierra