A Trip to Guadalupe

We have been so busy with studying and with mission teams and just general "stuff" with our family that we haven't been on one of our "outings" in quite a while.  In our first 2 years here, our friends David and Marisa took us on excursions all over Extremadura.  We really enjoyed the fellowship, it helped us get to know our providence better, AND it allowed me to enjoy GREEN!!!  Most of Extremadura is pretty brown and dry most of the time.  Growing up in upstate NY, I literally crave the luscious green foliage (not that we actually get that type of green, but some green is better than no green!)... Wes is this way with the ocean, having grown up in FL. :)  Are any of you like that?

Lunch!

The boys throwing an American football.  We were loving all the wide open spaces!

Anyway, this month, we finally made the time to get away and explore once more... with David and Marisa, of course. :)  We drove 2 hours to Guadalupe, which is in the mountains, and it is well known for the monastery there, and of course, the virgin of Guadalupe.  We stopped just outside to have a picnic lunch together.

Little Juan!... actually, not so little. :)  LOVE his smiles!  and look at those eyes!!

Noah... sweet girl who has just as much energy as my boys!

Jonathan

It was gorgeous up there.  I know there are a ton of pics here, but at least you get to see a little part of the quiet, not-so-touristy parts of Spain. :)

I guess you can't really see b/c of the guard rail, but behind the guard rail is water!... actually, we were sitting on the wall of the dam.  (haha... I avoided writing 'dam wall'... and then I realized why...)

Jonathan being Jonathan... ever the adventurous one!

Nathan and Carolina. Sibling love. :)  I LOVE Carolina's face here.

So, a little side note here... Wes has this very strange idea that he is getting old.   I keep telling him that I'M not old, and we're the same age, so it's not possible that he's old!  He doesn't get it. :)   One thing Wes really misses from the States is playing sports and getting out with the guys.  He does play basketball here, but got injured (maybe this is why he thinks he's old??!?!... doesn't make sense to me) so he hasn't played in a while.  We've been brainstorming about other types of sports he can do around here.  When we drove up into these mountains, I asked him if he would enjoy rock climbing.  There were some amazing rock faces... I couldn't get pics of them, though, b/c of the way the sun was hitting at the time.  Anyway, Wes just laughed at me when I said it... and then changed my mind REALLY quickly.  The thought of the father of my 4 children hanging on a rope at such a height... that made ME sudden feel old!!!!! Not. A. Good. Idea.

This is the monastery at Guadalupe.  We paid to get in and take a tour.  It was extremely interesting. There is a ton of history here!  Many people from around the area make trips here to pay homage to the virgin.  At the end of our tour, we had the chance to go see "the virgin."  I asked Marisa about it, b/c I wanted to go see this very cultural ritual, but I wasn't sure if I would offend people by being there.  There is a LOT of emphasis placed on virgins, saints, and of course Mary, here.  Marisa told me that they would stand in line, waiting to kiss the virgin, and she thought it was fine if I went up.  So, we walked the long stairs up with the rest of the mob, and it was eerie to me when we got up there.  We stood in this empty chamber, in a long line, waiting our turn to "see" the "virgin."  It was an atmosphere of worship... quiet, reverence.  It was so sad to me... this type of reverence should only be reserved for the one true God.  Not a woman who was a sinner and died... and is still dead.  We watched people walk up and kiss a picture of the virgin that the priest was holding.  We only watched for a few minutes, and then we headed back down stairs... with a heavy heart.

 Once we got down to the bottom (David and Marisa did not go up, b/c they do not hold to the Catholic rituals, even though they were raised Catholic and their families are Catholic.)  Marisa asked me what I thought about it, and I was able to share from my heart.  Both of our families do similar things (like not celebrating these traditionally Catholic rituals and not sending our children to "religion" class in school, etc.) but we do them for very different reasons.  Marisa and I were able to chat and share our hearts for quite a long time about the convictions behind our actions.  This was not a new conversation for us, but definitely more in-depth than ever before.

This was inside the monastery.  It was beautiful!

The courtyard inside.  This was the only place they allowed you to take pictures.  It was prohibited all through the rest of the monastery.

It was a very special day... to be able to spend extended time with our friends again, as well as have the chance to share about something that is SO much a part of who we are.  Our love, faith and trust in the Lord has shaped us.  It changes who we are b/c of our love for Him... and His GRACE toward us.  I was excited to be able hear Marisa's heart; and then in turn, to share so many different aspects of my walk/relationship with the Lord, AND the why's behind them... things that I hold so dear to my heart... shared with a friend that I hold so dear to my heart... this equals a good day! :)