parting thoughts on purpose...

some of you may know how hard this year has been, and one area of which has been the stretching experience of renting a room from an elderly lady. from the teeth sitting around the house, to the dirty bathroom and kitchen, to the mystery meat stinking up the house, to the yelling (because she's deaf, not angry)...yes, it has been an experience. and now it is soon to be over.
but today i was reminded that we see not as He sees. today as yesterday, doña teresa insisted on my sharing lunch with her (which was fried fishies--spines, heads, fins and all--and rice dishes) and today as the conversation wove its way through doctrinal thoughts and family issues it happened upon extraterrestrial life (bear with me here) and as she affirmed that there must be life in "otro mundo" i said, "pues, cuando usted llegue al cielo, pueda preguntar a Dios" to which she replied that she wasn't going to the cielo, to the infierno maybe but not the cielo because she wasn't a perfect person.
at this point i had the opportunity to share that it is by faith, not buenas obras that we are saved and if we believe in Jesucristo's death and resurrection, His blood for us, we can indeed go to the cielo. well, a bit later she said if that were so then yes, she was going. in humility i almost cried. here a catholic raised to fear Dios and yet confident that the same Dios in whom she believed would calmly send her to the infierno has come--i trust--to know that grace has triumphed over judgment. and Dios used me, in spite of my frustrations and failings to share this hope.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. --Tolkien

going to the beach...in Spain

growing up i went to the beach a lot...but it meant something different in oregon. in oregon the beach is a place to walk, maybe swim if it's really hot, but not really the sunbathing capital of the world. we enjoyed nice bonfires and beautiful sunsets.
here, in spain, it's a whole different story. this weekend i experienced "el cabo de gata" in almería province, where the beaches are the draw (since the landscape is semi-arid, looking a whole lot like eastern oregon but without any trees). and the people that frequent the beaches have a rare form of terrets syndrome which makes them take off all their clothes at the sight of blue water and unforgiving sunrays. yeah, it was not a family-friendly experience. i enjoyed seeing the area but i could definitely have lived happily without the extensive nudity. and i definitely miss the green of oregon. i did get to walk on the very same beach that harrison ford and sean connery used in _the last crusade_ when he said "let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds of the air"...monsul, beautiful (would be better without the nudes).

what i have to work with...

i think i've mentioned the complete laziness of many of the students here in spain. so today i give you exhibit a, an example of what i'm talking about. M is a student in my 3ºeso class, the 3rd year of secondary school which normally hits about 14-15 years of age, the second-to-the-last required year. M is 18 and still in 3ºeso and refuses to study, being what we call a bench-warmer i suppose. his parents insist that he attends. he doesn't even try to participate and when questioned about his interests he dislikes movies and tv and music, and only lives to drive his moto illegally (he still doesn't have a permit--even though after 14 he can get a moto permit and after 18 a regular driving permit). he doesn't ever plan on working, saying that his parents will support him and after they're gone he'll get the house and the government will support him (which is true). sigh. so you can imagine the only english ability he has after so many years is purely by accident. sigh.