Darren's Blog

Watering Kids' Camp Video

2010-07-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Thought you might like to see a video that the children helped produce during a film workshop at the kids' summer camp. The song is in English (Compassion Art), but the Spanish dialogue translates as: "Water is special. We've got to look after it. We've got to look after ourselves too, because we're unique, and because God loves us. He gives us all that we need. He's a generous God." The images in Spanish read: What's God like? Loving. Faithful. Special. Good. Caring. Guide. Generous. Kind.
Hope you enjoy it.

Faith comes from hearing

2010-07-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

We've just arrived home from summer kids' camp, exhausted, yet excited. The week has been fantastic. The weather was baking hot -- up into the 40's some days, but thankfully we had the swimming pool to cool down a bit. There were 60 kids there, and it was great to see seven of them from our village. We even managed to see both Spain matches during the camp.

What made the camp special for me was the group of boys that I was with. Each night they all offered to pray. There was no holding them back.

At the start of the week one of the boys explained that he believed that Jesus was a good man, but JUST that -- nothing more, nothing less. We talked a bit about some of the miracles that Jesus performed, as proof that he was God. A few nights later, we read the story of Jesus healing the blind man. When we came to pray he asked God to heal him, after falling earlier in the day and hurting his back! What a change. And what a privilege to plant seeds of faith in these lives, and see them growing each day. Faith comes from hearing. And oh yes, the next day his back was better, and he was up and about as normal.

Saying goodbye is always hard

2010-06-20T03:56:00.000-07:00

Last night we organised a farewell party for Alan and Hazel George. They're heading back to Northern Ireland soon after almost eight years working in mission here in Spain. It was both a sad and joyful time, as we looked back over the years and remembered all that they'd done, and all that God had achieved through them.

We first met them way back in April 1999 when we joined them on an church outreach team to Madrid. That was only for a week, but was instrumental in us eventually leaving NI, and coming to set up home in Spain. They were to do something similar themselves a few months after us.

At the start of our journey in Spain our paths often crossed. But when things didn't work out for us at the camp in 2004, we went straight to their door for help and advice. They welcomed us with open arms, and since then have been a constant source of encouragement.

It's always sad saying goobye, but we know that God has great plans for them as they return to Belfast. They leave a lot behind -- they'll always be in our hearts, and their generosity and openess will remain with us forever.

Make the best of hard times

2010-04-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

It was interesting listening this morning to the Independent's travel writer, Simon Calder saying that we'd lost the ability to travel 'terrestrially'. He was commenting on a family who were 'stranded' in central France beacause their flight back to England had been cancelled due to the plume of volcanic ash over Europe. "Why don't they just hire a car, go to the nearest port and board a cross channel ferry?" he wondered. And he's right. We really have lost that ability to think outside the box. We've become so set in our ways, so dependent on technology, that when trouble comes our way, we just can't cope.

Last week we faced some of that ourselves. The very day that friends of ours arrived from England to stay for a few days, our electrity went off for hours. And as dinner time and darkness approached we began to panic. So we decided the best thing to do was to prepare sandwiches, and light candles. In the end it was great fun -- very romantic and atmospheric. And eventually the lights did come on.

But the following day when we awoke, we discovered that now there was no water! We all had to do without showering. The breakfast dished piled up in the sink, and the toilet couldn't be flushed. So instead of complaining -- I went down to a local natural fountain and brought a bucket of water back to the house. It was enough to fill the kettle and to flush the toilet.

You see when push comes to shove, we can survive. It's just that we need to be creative, and make the best of hard situations.

Good friends

2010-04-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

It's been good to have had several visits over Easter -- first from my brother, sister-in-law and wee neice, and then from friends from school and uni, and their three kids. We go for such long periods of time without seeing family and friends, and so it's wonderful to have the opportunity to be able to catch up on all those lost months, and spend such an intensive time together. It's worth it! When they all go, and the house is quiet again, you realize just how important friendships are. Sometimes we neglet them, but when we make the effort, the rewards are plentiful and longlasting.

Big surprise - not what we'd expected

2010-03-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

We'd another big surprise last week. After a routine medical check-up doctors detected that Darren had an unusually slow heart rate, and sent him for an ECG test. The results showed that he has an irregular heartbeat. He was immediately sent to the hospital for more tests and has been referred to a cardiologist within a few weeks (22nd April). He’s healthy and well and without any symptoms. But we’d value your prayers as we await a diagnosis. It’s also been very touching that our friends and neighbours have been asking about him and phoning up.

In the middle of these circumstances we trust God as a loving and caring father who knows best. Someone we can run to and find comfort in times of trouble. As we celebrate Easter, we know that he is someone who fully understands, and from despair and darkness, brings hope and new life.

Latest on mum

2010-01-21T01:19:00.000-08:00

Mum was operated on today -- the surgeons removed the padding inside her abdomen, and as there was no major loss of blood, they also went ahead and operated on her bowel -- which is why she originally went in. She's now back in intensive care for 24 hours.
She will be in hospital for a while. But we are so thankful that she appears to be out of danger, and has had the operation. Thanks for praying for her.

Out of danger

2010-01-20T01:43:00.000-08:00

Just to let you know that mum seems to be out of danger. She's still in intensive care, but is now conscious again and the loss of blood has stopped. The surgeons will operate tomorrow to remove the padding inside her -- please pray that this will go well.

Shocking news

2010-01-19T01:27:00.000-08:00

Shocking news this afternoon:
Mum went into the Ulster Hospital yesterday for a scheduled operation for a prolapsed bowel. The op was today -- but after they opened her up they couldn't stop the bleeding. She is now in intensive care. They have given her 12 pints of blood during the day, and coagulants, and then padded the wound. Please pray for her -- that the bleeding will stop, and that she will survive the night.

She's gone home.

2010-01-12T01:02:00.000-08:00

Today was a sad day for us all, as granny was finally laid to rest. I had the privilege of being asked to pay a tribute to her at the funeral:

"Let me say a few words about granny – that’s who she was for me. For you she may have been mum, old nanny, Ethel or Mrs Curry.
The past few times that we saw her there was one thing she said which will always stay with me. “I’m tired. I just want to go home.”
Granny was never more comfortable than at home. Out visiting on a Sunday afternoon, she would often ask when it was time to go home. It didn’t matter where she was, or how much she’d enjoyed herself. She still watched the clock. Restless – getting ready to put her coat on. She loved being at home. She was a home bird. It was her place. It was where she was at her best. And it was there that she did her most.
She opened her home to Andrew and me, when we needed it. She took us in when mum was ill in hospital. And it was in her home that she pointed us on our journey of faith. I can still remember that moment she prayed with me at my bedside. And years later – when we’d grown up and gone, it was there that she occasionally cared for her first great grandsons. Even though she thought then --14 years ago – that she’d never live to see any of them. But, in the end, she did even manage to wait until she saw little Tilly, her first great grand-daughter, born only a few months ago.
And it was in her home that she prayed for us constantly and consistently. There was never a day that we visited her that she wouldn’t whisper to us, “I’m praying for you. I pray for you everyday”.
She lived a long memorable life – 94 years in all. But as the years passed by she longed to go home. Of course, she wasn’t talking about Lambeg, or Carntogher Road, Tonagh Mews or Lisadian House. There was a deep yearning within her for her to visit her heavenly home. Her Saviour was wooing her, calling her. She had a longing within her for another land, another home. That’s what she was created for. Her life here, was only a taster, a glimpse of something far better to come.
She was so looking forward to it. For her it wasn’t something to be feared. Instead, it was something to be anticipated, the end of a long journey.
Now she truly has gone home – to a place where there is rest for her weary bones. Where her strength is renewed. Where there are no more tears. Where she isn’t worrying about all of us. A place where she is reunited with old friends, and familiar faces. A place where she is celebrating and feasting with her Saviour, who she loved so much.
Yes, we will miss her -- her love, her prayers, her humour, her sharp wit, her sitting at the dinner table. But she is a better place.
Now she is no longer looking at the clock. No longer waiting to get her coat on. For she is there. Now she has arrived.
It is with joy and hope that we say farewell granny. We know that you are welcome in your new home. What better place to be than there with Jesus."

2010 What a start!

2010-01-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

Our new year started with a big celebration -- it normally does, of course, but this time it was different -- because Joan was celebrating her 40th birthday, just two days into the new year. We made the most of the bad weather sweeping across Spain, and spent a few days skiing. It was great fun -- although it was a bit of an effort remembering how to do it, after a break of almost 15 years.
The journey back home was treacherous -- snow, freezing fog, icy roads, and temperatures down to -8ºC. And it didn't help that we were travelling at night! But we made it safely home, and were relieved to drop into bed at 2am.
The following morning the phone rang -- there was bad news. Darren's 94 year old grandmother had just died in her sleep. We knew she'd had an infection, but hadn't expected this. I frantically booked flights back to Dublin, and Joan beat her way through the pile of dirty washing -- the suitcases had to be packed again.
Next day we made our way to the airport, and our hearts sank as we neared Madrid -- it had started to snow. But we soldiered on, and were grateful to board the plane on time. Unfortunately we sat on the runway for three hours, before the plane was de-iced, and we eventually took off. It was a long night, and after a slow bus journey north we at last collapsed into bed at 4am!

What surprises are in store for you this Christmas?

2009-12-21T01:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when we least expect it...God turns up. He bypasses our well intentioned plans and strategies, and suddenly and unexpectedly moves. He surprises us in ways we couldn’t have imagined. Take the Christmas story. Mary and Elizabeth — just two ordinary women getting on with their daily lives. And then God intervenes in their circumstances to change history in a way that they couldn’t have imagined. That’s because, in the words of the angel Gabriel, “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37 NIV).
Several times a week Joan goes for a seven kilometre morning walk with some women from the village. As they go around Sacedón they chat about everything under the sun. But just the other week God suddenly came up in conversation. Joan and her two friends ended up talking as they walked — about God, forgiveness and prayer. It all happened rather unexpectedly. Please pray that these two women will come to the point of opening their hearts to God.
Then, just a few weeks ago, as we parked the car to go into the primary school for our afternoon classes, the RE teacher approached us and invited us to give a talk to one of the religion classes about what we believe. It was an opportunity that we’d been praying for for years, and yet it came when we least expected it. It was a great chance to be able to openly explain to the year six pupils — all of whom we teach — about our living faith in Jesus. Pray for these kids and the teacher — that the seeds that have been sown will take root and bear fruit.
This Christmas let’s remember that God has a habit of working in ways that are beyond our control. Sometimes he chooses to act suddenly and unexpectedly. What surprises are in store for you this Christmas?

Our new family

2009-11-16T01:55:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months we’ve been going along to a house church, led by our friends from Belfast, Alan and Hazel George. There are about 20 of us from Spain, Columbia, the U.S., Northern Ireland and England. We take turns at hosting the group in each other's homes — many of them live close to us in the province of Guadalajara. It’s been very encouraging for us to connect with other believers regularly, and it’s even better that we don't have to travel far!

Fruit that will last

2009-10-07T02:03:00.000-07:00

Each year farmers in Sacedón harvest an average of 600,000 kilos of grapes, which eventually go into producing local red and white wine. And it’s been a bumper harvest this year — there’s a plentiful supply of robust and juicy grapes.
Jesus knew a thing or two about cultivating grapes. He once compared himself to being like a grapevine — and his disciples branches spreading from it. Then he challenged his followers not just to grow spiritually, but to be fruitful — bearing lasting fruit that wouldn’t wither on the vine: “I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit — the kind of fruit that will last”. John 15:16 (CEV)
Over these past seven years in Spain we’ve seen God moving amazingly in the lives of many people — but we realize that to have something sustainable in Sacedón we need others to come to work with us. Of course, we've appreciated the help of visiting teams and individuals from our home church in Belfast and from churches in Madrid. But for there to be a lasting impact we need to see either adult converts from the village, or other believers from outside, joining us. And so, we're asking you to pray on two fronts:
1. Breakthroughs with families: pray that God will give us many opportunities with friends and neighbours, and that'll we see adults in the village come to faith.
2. Development of a team: pray that God will open up the way for others to come to the village — from elsewhere in Spain, or abroad. Perhaps you know of someone who has a heart for reaching Europe, and who’s up for a challenge!

An investment for life

2009-06-26T02:06:00.000-07:00

Summer truly has arrived! Of course, here in Spain we need no reminder of that! Just a few weeks ago temperatures soared to a sticky 41°c. But despite the heat, summer is a time for us to recharge the batteries after a busy ten months — to look back on what we’ve done, and assess where we’re going. So it’s encouraging to know that God is here with us bringing refreshment and strength in these hot, balmy summer months.“The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” (Isaiah 58:11)
Of course, the idea of a restful summer seems very far away from the intensity and energy of our double camps at Easter, with nearly 50 kids and teens and 20 helpers present.
This year we had a group visit from our church in Belfast, and that really made both camps special. The team were wonderful and brought so much in terms of commitment, enthusiasm, skills, fun, and love for the kids and teens. The experienced Spanish counsellors also did a terrific job, particularly at the youth camp.
Here are some of the highlights:

On the final day of the kids’ camp, at least five children said they had prayed to invite Jesus into their lives.
A 10-year old girl from Sacedón said that one of the important things she’d learned was how to pray – that you can speak to God anywhere and at anytime, not just in a church. Her grandfather once owned some of the land on which the camp is built!
Another 6-year old boy from Madrid excelled at learning the Bible verses each day, and was keen to read his Bible.
Following the youth camp, one of the teenagers from Madrid asked his mum if he could start going to church each week.
One Christian teenage girl from Madrid openly shared her faith with the girls from Sacedón at the youth camp. We later learned that her mum wasn’t going to allow her to attend the camp, but that in the end, she was glad she did let her go and that she was such a blessing.
Although we had a serious outbreak of gastroenteritis at the camps, it gave us the opportunity to pray with the children for a demonstration of God’s healing power.

Afterwards, one mum from Madrid, whose son and friend attended the kids’ camp wrote to us: “I want to thank you especially for having taken the kids at the last minute. But above all, thanks for your hard work in giving them an unforgettable time. Both boys came home enchanted by the camp, saying that they want to return. My son came back really touched by the testimony of one of the counsellors, I think he was called Chris, and he’s been telling us all about it. We have five children, and this month we’ve spent a lot of money on camps for them. But we consider it an investment in their lives, and an opportunity for them to receive things from God that will stay with them forever.”

Keep going...despite the difficulties!

2008-12-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how cold it is here at the moment. It was minus five the other day, and yesterday, on our way to see friends, we drove through snow covered mountains and valleys -- a breathtaking winter landscape. It even snowed on the journey, and we wondered if we'd soon have to turn back. In the end, though, we did arrive safely at our destination, and thankfully didn't need to use the hard-to-fit snow chains we'd packed in the boot of the car.
We were in the historic and picturesque city of Cuenca -- there to meet friends who are looking after a small church. Inside, a handful of us huddled together in the cold -- our feet freezing -- to worship God.
A while later, and back in their cosy house, we had a real Irish Sunday lunch -- roast pork, apple sauce, stuffing -- and it wasn't long before we were warmed up and well fed. As we chatted we heard how they'd been in Spain for nearly twenty years.
What an encouragement to meet people like that. Still committed and keen to serve God. Focused on finishing the journey they started all those years before, and not likely to turn back because of a few upsets, difficulties or obstacles. Like us on our snow splattered journey, they've just kept going. Whatsmore, they haven't had to use those tricky snow chains either!

God at work

2008-11-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

It's been another busy week. After I got back from the church youth conference in Portugal last weekend, it's been pretty much all go. First of all, the trip to Portugal was worthwhile. I got to meet the leaders of several churches in Portugal, Spain, Italy and England. It was good to hear their stories, and be able to identify with some of the triumphs and struggles. I stayed with a Portuguese lady in her seventies -- that was hilarious as she couldn't speak English or Spanish, and I can't speak a word of Portuguese. But we did manage to communicate using sign language.
Back in Spain, on Monday the I-Themba group -- a Youth for Christ ministry -- came up from Madrid and stayed with us in Sacedón for most of the day. Their dance performance in the secondary and primary schools was excellent. The House of Culture in the village was packed with over 200 pupils and teachers. The group spoke about life in South Africa, and how their faith in Jesus had helped them through difficult times. We were very content with how it all went. What a great opportunity! We really saw God at work that day.

A few hairy moments

2008-09-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

So.....it's been a while since we last updated the blog. Yes, we're still here, alive and kicking! The truth is that after a busy few months and a busy start to the summer we needed a break -- and we've enjoyed just that. It's been a great time of rest and relaxation.
Over the summer we've done some decorating in the house. We dusted the tent off again -- and headed away camping to Asturias and Valencia. Then there've been the village fiestas -- this year we kept our heads low! In August, Joan's mum paid us a welcome visit. We've also been able to catch up with some friends who are ministering here in Spain and who we haven't seen for ages -- a good time to encourage one another to keep 'running the race'.
The response after our trip to Northern Ireland with the kids from the village was phenomenal. Not only did the children want to stay on longer in NI, but their parents were so pleased with how it all went, and were asking if we're going to repeat it again next year! They were truly bowled over by the love and care shown to their children by the host families during the week.
Looking back on the past few months it's been such a blessing to rest and recover. However, there have also been some 'hairy' moments too. But then that's when we've seen God at work -- as we've cried out for his help.

Such as when we arrived at the airport in Madrid to fly back to Northern Ireland only to find the long stay car park full! With only an hour and a half to go before take off, we panicked and ditched the car at the side of the road. Thankfully just at that moment -- and after a quick prayer -- a taxi passed along the road, and we managed to get to the airport, only to find our flight delayed.
On our return a week later, the taxi drivers at the airport refused to take me back to the car, because it was a short journey, and they'd been queuing two hours for a fare! Instead I had to take the metro to the village nearest the airport. Trouble was I didn't have a map, and didn't know exactly where the car was! But God heard my cries, and after receiving vague directions from a passer-by I came upon the car after a 20 minute walk in the dark.
The day Joan's mum flew back to Dublin was the same day as the airline disaster at Madrid airport. We turned on the radio and heard the breaking news while on route to the airport. We just didn't know what to do. But again we saw God at work in the midst of confusion and fear. Joan managed to drive to the terminal despite advice that it was closed to traffic, and her mum checked in just a matter of hours after the crash. She eventually flew home after a delay of three and a half hours.
While camping in Asturias Matthew lost his mobile phone. We didn't realize it until we got home again. We searched high and low, and even phoned the campsite -- but his mobile was nowhere to be found. We prayed frantically that someone would be honest enough to hand it in. A week later Joan phoned the campsite again, and yes, someone had found it, and handed it in! They then kindly sent the phone to us free of charge.
And finally, on our first night camping in Valencia someone tried to enter our tent while we were sleeping. We were both woken at 3:30am with the sound of footsteps outside and a torchlight. Then we saw someone reach out to unzip the door -- I jumped up, and only saw a dark figure running off into the shadows. As you can imagine we were freaked out by the experience. Joan went and found the security guard on duty. But all we could do was pray for God's protection on us and the boys.

This week has been spent getting life back to normal now that the holidays have finished. On Monday our church linked up with us via telephone to hear what we've been up to, and then to pray with us. On Wednesday, Gabriel returned to school - excited and expectant. Joan also had a meeting with the headmistress about both of us helping in the school.