For the record, Molly and I (Nicole) did finally join in with the group. We arrived in Úbeda today, but I want to first tell you about our experience in Madrid:

     So immediately after we stepped off the plane, we got into taxis and drove to the church. Teressa didn´t come with us though...because some guy in orlando decided he loved her luggage bag and took it with him. At the church, we took part in communion and worship. We left church a bit early since we were all tired and hungry and we made our way to a cafeteria in the mall. Aaron is quite proud of the fact that he had octupus for the first time...and he forgot his side dish (by the way, Teressa was back with us at this point). We dropped off our bags at the hostal and then walked around the city with Steve (the other missionary). For supper we had tapas (similar to appetizers...a traditional spanish dinner food): fried anchovies, tortillas, bocadillos de calamari, olives, patatas ali oli, fried baby squid, and bread. That was pretty much the end of day one. We were all still recovering from jet lag...so we dont remember much more than that.

     Day two: We went to breakfast and then Steve made a presentation about the culture and religious background of Spain at the church. The presentation was really interesting and we were really shocked to see that Spain is considered the third most lost country in the world in regards to Christianity. Religious freedom has only been present in Spain for 25 years. There are 7500 cities without a single known Christian. For lunch, Steve dropped us off at the grocery store with a huge list of groceries and we basically had to find our way around the store on our own. Groceries in hand, we walked back to the church and ate bocadillos (sandwiches), white asparagus, chips, strawberries, flan, salad, cheese, cookies, and some sort of enchilada/keish/tuna...stuff (we dont really know...but it was good). Following lunch, we canvased the neighborhood with flyers which advertised a Christian television show that the church has helped to establish. We also passed out tracts on the sidewalks (which is illegal so we had to be discrete). Then, we were on our own for dinner. We found a small restaurant and ordered some interesting entrees. I (nicole) got a sandwich with smoked salmon, oregano, tomato, cheese, and olive oil on it. Anna got meatballs in a cider sauce. We also had Croquettes (like a fried ball filled with ham and cheeseish sauce). El fin.

    Today, we spent the majority of the day driving to Úbeda. We are at the church now with the Pascual missionaries. Aaron, Teressa, Katlyn, Rachel, Dawn, and Anna will be staying here at the church. Tim is going to a host family, as are me and Molly. Tomorrow, we will be making presentations about the United States in English classes at the local school. Thanks for your prayers everyone. More updates to come. Adios.

-nicole (on behalf of MIS Spain 2007 :) )