Adventures in Ransom #3

Ransom has really started talking more clearly and more often. We're not sure if this is a good thing. Sometimes it's cute, like this weekend when he asked the driver of our shuttle at the airport, "Excuse me, do you have a drink for me in here?" or flagged down the waiter to say, "Excuse me, I don't like these vegetables." (The waiter looked at us and asked, do you want me to take them back?) But sometimes it leaves us a little speecheless....like when he asked another shuttle driver, "Excuse me, why are you black?" or one of the passengers, "Excuse me, why is your head shaped like an oval?"

What can you do?

Jacksons not in Spain

Sorry it has been a while since the last blog entry. We haven't really known what was going on. Our visitor's visas expired after 90 days and since the long term visas we applied for have not yet been approved, we have returned to the US to wait for their approval. Thank you to everyone who has been praying about our visa situation. It is a real encouragement to know that so many are praying for us so often. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for us here back home. In the meantime, our to-do list includes: Studying and practicing our Spanish, learning (or re-learning?) how to drive a stick-shift, and enjoying time with friends and family. We would love to see you!

Andrea was burning the midnight oil each night for about two weeks before our depature to make sure that her classroom was in order for the substitute teachers who will be filling in for her in Spain. Please continue to pray for her students, for the people of Camarma, and for God's will to be done in Spain!

A Day in English

A missionary couple who live in nearby Guadalajara organized "A Day in English" at the school this past Saturday. Brian was able to sign up to help for the day since fluency in Spanish was not required. There were about 25 adults and 10 children from the community who came to practice their English. There were 3 one-on-one sessions where a Native-English speaker (we all laughed at the mental picture of cannibals from England, whenever we used that term) was able to converse with a Spaniard in English. There were two workshops where the participants could learn how to make Chocolate Chip Cookies or Brownies (have we mentioned that Spaniards don't bake?), listen to an American song and talk about the lyrics, or solve a pretend situational problem (all in English of course). In addition, there were silly games for further English practice (it was like a bilingual baby shower gone mad!). It was a great success. The entire day was designed to form deeper relationships with the Spanish people, show them our willingness to be a blessing, and break down cultural barriers by inviting them into "our world." The Spaniards were noticeably impressed and we hope that they spread the word for future sessions. I've requested some photos and will upload them when I get them.

The Rain in Spain...

...falls mainly on the plain, they say. In the past three weeks it has probably rained 14 days here - which is very unusual. Everyone is happy to see the rain, as it is desperately needed. As a result, green fields of winter wheat have started sprouting up all over. Just a reminder that God can change what appears to be barren into a land of plentiful harvest - both physically and spiritually. Pray for Spain, that God would send the water of His Spirit, and we would see little green shoots springing out of "barren" hearts, all over.

A Spanish rainbow that Andrea enjoyed from her classroom window:

The Pumpkin Pie

Canned pumpkin is impossible to find here in Spain. In fact, one of the missionaries here told us that she carried a can in her carryon all around the Mediterranean and Western Europe. She still has it, waiting for that special occasion. Andrea and the kids love pumpkin pie and bought two pumpkins to make their very own pie the hard way. Knowing how much work was involved in cutting, baking, scraping, mixing, crusting, re-baking, etc., the chore got pushed back for about a month. The kids were desperate for pumpkin pie. Finally the evening came when they were to make the long-awaited pumpkin pie. Ransom kept exclaiming, "This is going to be so great! This is going to be the best pie ever!!" Not sure if it was just desperation, or if making it from scratch was the key, but it really was the best pumpkin pie. Here’s a picture of the bakers on pumpkin pie night.

Be thankful for your American water heaters.

We have an orange butane tank (slightly larger then the propane version hooked to your backyard BBQ) under our kitchen counter responsible for heating our water and gas range. When the tank empties at the end of two weeks or so, we switch it with the spare, and place the empty tank at the curb on a Wednesday or Friday and wait for the Butanero to knock on our door with his truckload of full tanks. The best part of this system is never knowing exactly when the butane will run out. You get into every shower nearing the two week point wondering whether this will be the moment your steamy stream turns to ice. (Brian and I are currently tied two and two.) The weather has gotten colder though, and we're emptying a tank faster, and we missed the Butanero, and Wednesady was a holiday, and somehow we found ourselves last Sunday questioning whether we could make it till Friday on the tank we had stripped the BBQ of when we drained our spare. We spent all week rationing our butane... washing our hair with cold water and turning on the warm shower only to rinse off! We could just see ourslves carrying mugs of hot water one at a time up the stairs from the microwave! I am happy to report that we made it to Friday. We were never happier to see the Butanero. My favorite part of the story was seeing Brian get out of his cold shower Saturday night (when the BBQ tank finally went out) wrapped in a towel to change the tank- I couldn't resist snapping a picture of him. I was immediatedly pursued, chased throughout the house, tackled, and the picture was, unfortunately, deleted. It's a shame. Would have made a great addition to my post, no?