Traveling with Ray Owens

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  • Day 8 – Barcelona Last full day

    Day 8 – Barcelona Last full day

    Day 8 – Barcelona Last full day and saying goodbyes. Feb 27

    This day brought mixed feelings.  On one hand, I am sad to say goodbye to Matt and Michelle.   I have come to think of them as dear friends this week.  It has been a pleasure learning from them about their work here in the Catalonia province of Spain.  We have also spent a great deal of pleasurable time with Clivi and His wife Ellie and his two kids.   It is a great privilege to learn about their faith journey to learn of their work in the community.

    On the other hand, I am anxious to get home to my lovely bride, Penny, and maybe the rest of my family.

    We met this morning with Clivi and Ellie.   They were joined by daughter and Ellie’s brother David who has Down’s Syndrome.   He joined them because his mother is having surgery today.  David needed something to take his mind off of that event.   David was delightful.

    Clivi shared the story of his life and his “unfolding” of his life of faith and study of theology.

    A few highlights of his story that he illustrated with photographs:  

    He was born in Brazil and spent his first 20 years there.   He was very involved in the church of various denominations.  When he was bout 7 years old, he and family belonged to a Congregational body of believers.  He remembers that some people in his community of other faiths were handing out bags of candy to kids.   The people in his church said they were sweets dedicated or blessed by other gods.   Therefore they said, the candy was cursed and Clivi should not eat it.   He talked to his mom and she said they could ask Jesus to bless it and he could eat it.   I was reminded of this passage from 1 Corinthians.

    1 Corinthians 8

    New International Version

    Concerning Food Sacrificed to Idols

    “8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.[a]

    4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

    7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.”

    In his teen years he and his family joined a Baptist congregation.  It was there he met his first girlfriend.  He did not dwell on that and did not have a photo. He and wife Ellie laughed about that.

    In his early 20s he moved to the Presbyterian denomination.   It was there that he felt his calling to ministry.   He also came to understand that Rock and Roll music was like any other music.   It was not from the devil but like other kinds of music it can at times be used by those who want to follow the devil.   BUT it does not have to be.

    At 21 he moved to Spain with his family.   There he encountered other challenges to his faith.  One of which was overcoming the belief that beer was not, in and of itself, a sin.  

    He shared his becoming interested in apologetics which is the discipline of answering “why is what we believe true?”  His teacher of apologetics in Spain encouraged him to continue his study in England.   There he met a vicar of the church of England who was extraordinarily rich but had the practice of using and abusing people around him to further that wealth.  He reported that at times he and Ellie were subjected to severe abuse and poverty.

    It was in England that he began working to make it through the abuse.  His new boss was Sara, Sara and wife Robin became very good friends and Clivi and Ellie began to see that they exhibited the fruits of God’s Spirit even though they were not believers.

    Galatians 5:22-23

    New International Version

    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

    The next stage of their life was to return to Spain where they were led to the work of Mosaic.   The ministry I discussed on Day 3 post.   Mosaic is a loving group of people that honor Jesus’ command to Love God and to love your neighbors this would include ALL your neighbors.  This would include believers and nonbelievers, all race and cultures, sinners and saints, and every sexual orientation. 

    It was a lovely morning of getting to know a little of the story of Clivi’s life story.  It took many experiences and many years to come to understand that he was not a broken person as the world was trying to convince him of.  At times he felt the desire or even necessity to make himself invisible so as not to be seen by those around him.  Rather than invisible he came to understand that he was God’s creation that God was UNFOLDING.   He was becoming the person God wants.   He is a work in progress.  What he is today is different from what he was and from what he will be tomorrow.


    After this morning session we all took the train to a small city where a community of believers have a building and where they are taking on the project of planting a container garden center.   There hope is to have a place where people can grow food.   Unlike liberty there is almost no bare ground where anyone might plant food.

    Matt told us that the first raised garden bed they bought for 250 euros.  Then he thought we can build these.   Someone knew someone where large wooden shipping pallets were used.   This person said they could have as many as they wanted.   So, with the purchase of some screws and wheels they were able to make several planters for almost no money.

    Matt and Clivi went to their equivalent of Home Depot to get Dirt.  Clivi suggested they talk with the older gentleman working in the farm and garden section of the center.   They quickly came to realize that they were talking to an expert.   They came away with gravel for drainage and sever kinds of soil and fertilizers.

    We had fun lining the wooden planters with material that would allow water out of the gaps in the slats on the bottom so the plants did not sit in the overly wet soil. We planted the vegetable plants they had purchased. It was a bit of a cartoon to see a bunch of people who had very little gardening experience set out create a garden. But it was fun,

    A garden party
    This is the strawberry patch

    After this little project it was around 1:00 and we had most of the afternoon to go back and pack up and rest.

    I saw this gathering on the way to the 6:30 meeting

    At 6:30 we met at Matt and Michelle’s apartment for our last and meaningful final time for reflection and looking forward.   This was our take on what God has been teaching us and what we might go home and continue to use it.

    We then had our last meal. Not the last one ever but it was the last one the 10 of us would share and it was fabulous.   It was a completely traditional Catalon meal.  It was also at the traditional time.   The Restaurant did not open until 8:00 in the evening.  There were many large family/party groups.   It was quite memorable.  We had grilled and burnt on the outside leaks.   They had been described as onions and I had imagined green onions but these were the same shape but about ½ to ¾ of an inch thick.  We were instructed to remove the burnt layers from the onions.   I immediately thought of my complaints about shrimp in most places that are served with the shell on.   Why does the chef not handle that in the kitchen.  Nevertheless, we removed the burnt layers and dipped the end in a very delectable sauce.   Rather than cutting the onion into pieces you are supposed to dip the end then dangle the long onion over your mouth and then bite off the end, then repeat.   It was pretty good.

    Also, for starters we had a great green salad, tomato bread, a cabbage and potato dish, wild gathered broiled mushrooms.

    Then we were served our main course.  We had the choice between two kinds of sausage, grilled pork, chicken and rabbit.  I had rabbit.   No, it was not Peter Cottontail.

    the name of the restaurant that is located in a former bowling alley
    the onions
    How to eat the onions.

    It has a very meaningful and marvelous trip.   The people in our gang and the people we met on this trip have al been incredibly kind and oh so very generous with their time and talents.

    Tomorrow is our travel day back to what used to be the good ole USA.  I pray it will be again.

  • Day 7 Hearing from Martin and a Catalon lunch and football

    Day 7 Hearing from Martin and a Catalon lunch and football

    This morning, we set out for the now familiar walk of about 25 minutes from our hotel to Matt and Michelle’s apartment.   It very much feels like home now.   We had a nice discussion about culture.  My main take away (I do not claim it was the takeaway we were supposed to takeaway) was that culture is not only what you see in other places you visit. Culture is what makes our own hometown feel comfortable and familiar.  

    For example, in Catalon culture, if you pass a friend in the street and they say hello and you respond with a return hello it means you have time to stop and chat and you are likely to be there for a half hour or more.  But if you are on the way to go potty or pick up the kids from skill you would respond to a hello with a pleasant adios (goodbye).  Everyone understands and no one is offended.

    In our home in Cactus, Texas when I was a kid, if my mother called “Peggy, come here” she could safely finish what she was doing in her room.   But if she called “Peggy Jean Owens, get in here” she knew she had better drop everything and run to mother.  This was part of the Owens culture.

    This is a little taste of what culture is made of. 

    We were then joined by Martin (Mar Teen) who told us his life story and work in ministry.  As a young man he worked for a realty company.  One day the boss told Martin that the company was going to lease one of the expensive apartments to a company as a location for them to produce adult films (pornography).   God had been reminding Martin about what a problem pornography was for the youth and families of his community and nation.   He confronted his boss with this conundrum.  His boss did not change the company policy and Martin felt he had to quit his job and did so.

    Martin had a family with kids and needed to work.   The next day the pastor of the church, where Martin had been worshipping and volunteering in a service ministry for the unhoused people of the community, called and said he want to talk to him about taking on the full-time job of director of the ministry.   For many years he has been serving the poor and troubled of this area of Spain.  It was a delightful time hearing his story.

    Michelle and Matt prepared a wonderful lunch for us.  Matt grilled sausages and we had baked potatoes, cheeses, and were taught how to make the tomato toast that we have had everywhere we ate.  It was both delicious and delightful.

    preparation of Tomato Toast
    Jana Dave and Martin
    Cole on the deck
    Matt after delivering the grilled sausage
    Michelle and Karen
    Lunch table

    After lunch we were given the time to rest in our hotel and to be ready to go to the soccer game that they have recently started with a large group of Mali immigrants.   They play at a city owned soccer and basketball court.   The ministry from the church works with the city on several projects and the city lets them book and use the court for free.   There were 18 or so young men who came out to play.   They do not speak English and they are just learning to speak Spanish.   But all spoke the language of soccer/football.  

    They are all Muslim men and it is now Ramadan (Feb 18 to March 19).  So, they fast from sunup to sunset every day.  Clivi the pastor and wife and Matt and Michell bring lots of snacks (chips, fruit, bread sticks) and water for them to partake of.  They started at 6:00 and played soccer until 7:00.   The sunset at 6:40 and they were ready to eat.  

    The smiles on their faces were amazing as our gang of 8 and others applauded and gave high fives to them as they walked by towards the food when they came off the field.  It was a very good evening.

    It was a great day

    The football game
    Dave played goalie
    the star of the show!
    pastor Cleve was the referee
    Spider man showed up
  • Day 6 Barcelona Asset Training and Monastery tour

    Day 6 Barcelona Asset Training and Monastery tour

    Today we walked to the Matt and Michelle’s house and arrived at about 10:00.   We had a very nice discussion about how to love our neighbors.  We heard the parable (which is based on very real stories of mission activities) which I will try to summarize.

    There was once a small village of people that lived on the top of a very steep mountain.  They had to come down the treacherous trail on many occasions to trade with the people who lived at the foot of the mountain.  It happened regularly that someone would stumble and fall down the mountain side and often be severely injured.

    A church group of missionaries found out that this was happening and raised money to purchase an ambulance service located at the village at the foot of the mountain.  But the Missionaries did not stay in the village and when the ambulance broke down the villagers had no means of getting it fixed.   The mountain people continue to fall and then die because there was no way to get them to the nearest hospital for treatment.

    When the missionaries returned several years later they found this situation and their solution was to raise money and build a medical clinic and hire doctors and nurses to staff it at the bottom of the mountain.  This worked until the funds dried up and the doctors and nurses found other jobs and the clinic was closed.  

    The mountain village people got together to talk about what to do.  One man spoke up and said that he had a possible plan way back before the ambulance was purchased but no one asked him?   This plan was told to the missionaries and they offered to help by purchasing concrete to set the fence posts in.   The villagers were able to cut and use the abundant trees growing on their mountain to be used as fence posts.   The fence was erected on the edge of the mountain pass.   A committee of villagers were selected who checked the fence and posts each year to see if they needed to have posts replace which was an easy task for the villagers.  Since the fence was built no one has fallen down the mountain side.

    The moral of the story:  If you want to help a group you might want to start with talking to them rather than imposing your solutions on the perceived problems.

    Mischelle’s soon to be famous artwork that illustrates this parable.

    We divided into two groups and then walked the community there in Sant Cugat and we took notes of the strengths and assets we saw in the area.   We saw lots of things that a casual observe might not notice.  There were two cultural centers in the area, schools, music schools, lots of green spaces for families, a couple of washaterias, city offices where social services could be obtained, medical facilities and many other things where help and service could be provided.

    a mini street library
    Karen and David looking for assets

    As we walked to lunch our wonderful leaders told us many things about Sant Cugat and its history.

    This is one of the many faces that the Abbot of the monastery had placed on the corners of the building. Listen to the video to hear the story Kim was told about why the abbot wanted to be watching the monks.
    The Abbots image was place to keep watch on the monks…..
    This is the story of the many Giant costumes worn the inhabitants of Catalon citizens

    We then went to lunch together at a very traditional Catalon family restaurants.  A small restaurant with one very nice lady who was the only server, one man who was doing a variety of things and we were told that there was one person doing the cooking in the kitchen.   The menu was small.   There was a starter course with 3-4 options, a main course also with 3-4 options and about 3 options for the dessert menu.   I chose for the starter course the Garbanzo and chorizo first course.   This was a slow cooked soup or stew with chickpeas and mild sausage.   It was delicious.  The second course I chose the Meatballs in tomato-based sauce and French fries.   It was very good.   The dissert course I chose was described incorrectly to me to be cottage cheese with honey on top.   The cheese turned out to be the consistency of cheesecake without the cake and no sugar.   A mild cheese with very little taste.   The honey on top was a blessing.

    My meatballs and fries lunch
    Davie and Jana
    Karen and Cole at Lunch
    Billy Ray and Becky

    After lunch we discussed the morning findings and then the ladies went to the Mamaventura meeting that I think I called Mama and Me in an earlier post.   The women that come are often from abusive homes and so the men did not to attend in case it made them feel uncomfortable.  Instead, we were escorted by Matt to the Sant Cugat museum which is located in the restored Benedictine Monastery.   It is a delightful museum which we had virtually to ourselves.   The chapel is next to the museum and when I went in there was a organist practicing.

    Matt pointing out the pillars were made of stone.
    lots of pillars
    The center of the former monastery
    fish in the fountain in the middle of the former monastery
    this is the discovered remains of the foundation stones of a small church inside of the cloister of the former monastery

    The men then went to a coffee shop on the square and sat and told stories of our parents and grandparents who had passed away.   Cole received word earlier in the day that his grandmother had died.   Cole said he was essentially raised by his grandma.   We had a nice conversation.

    The three couples decided to stay on the square and have dinner.   I opted to have a very good gelato and walk to the hotel.   And here I am.

    A good day.

    a car on the street with a red-neck repair job for a loose trim.
  • Day 5 our Tourist Day

    Day 5 our Tourist Day

    Today was our only full day of being a tourist.   We left the hotel at 8:30 to arrive at the Basílica de la Sagrada Família (Church of the Sacred Family) for our 10:45 entry tickets.   The train would not normally take that long but we played it safe due to the strike.  The trains ran but they ran less often that on non-strike days.   The train was very crowded.  We got there about 9:45. The outside of the basilica is amazing as is the inside.  

    On 19 March 1882, construction of Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned, Antoni Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the church’s crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.  They are supposed to finish the exterior construction sometime in 2026.

    That is one long-term construction process, which was interrupted by lack of funds and by wars, and terrorist attacks over the years.

    The Gang of 8 plus Matt in front of the Sagrada Familia
    Another view of th Sagrad Familia
    The Alter end of the Basilica or the Passion area

    After spending a couple of hours with a few thousand of our closest tourist buddies in the Sagrada Familia, we made our way to the “Can Pizza” restaurant.   The pizza and the company were very good. 

    Where is the Pizza?

    Billy Ray, Becky and I opted to walk about a mile and a half to the Pablo Picasso Museum.   It was a very pleasant walk through a small park and then we stumbled on the Arc de Triomf (Catalon) translated: Arch of Victory, is a memorial arch in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was built by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair. The arch crosses over the wide central promenade leading to the Ciutadella Park that now occupies the site of the world fair.

    It was a very nice find and it was a pleasant stroll.

    Billie Ray and Becky at the Arc de Triomf
    This is me at the Arc de Triomf
    we walked on the ramblas, a pedestrian boulevard, where the very flat sidewalk is an optical illusion that makes you feel like you are on a series of curved stones,

    The Pablo Picasso Museum is a very nice art museum where it traces the artwork of Picasso from his early years where his work was largely realistic through his later years where he turned to and mastered cubism.   Pablo did his artwork in painting, drawing, sculpture, and many mixed media pieces.  Like taking a Magazine printed photo of a movie star (Neile Adams) in 1957 and adding to it a humorous cartoon caricature of his good friend and fellow artist Jaume Sabartes.

    This is Picasso’s aunt a very stern lady.
    Early pictures of pigeons.
    later he turned to cubism and the pigeons took on a different feel.
    This is the photo realism of yours truly, Ray Owens
    How is this for cubism?
    picasso taking a Magazine printed photo of a movie star (Neile Adams) in 1957 and adding to it a humorous cartoon caricature of his good friend and fellow artist Jaume Sabartes.

    It was a good day and we made our way to the train station and on to our hotel by about 5:00. I am not sure if the trains were crowed because of the strikes or just the commuter traffic, but they were very crowded.  I go to share my seat with 3 other people and a very cute Westie that was the spitting image of my Mom and Dad’s dog named Chelsea. The dog was down by our feet and nuzzled my leg and bent over and rubbed his head.  He then shook his head vigorously and the lady who had him on the leash began to reprimand the canine.  The gentleman next to me and I began to defend the dog saying that it was my fault not the dogs.  We had a pleasant laugh as new seatmates. 

    It was a very good day and I am exhausted.

    Tomorrow we are back to the task of learning about how to do what Jesus said was the second greatest commandment, which he said was the same as the first according to Dr. Level my Greek professor a few years ago.

    Matthew 22:34-40

    34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

    37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

  • Day 4 Reading the Raval Neighborhood

    Day 4 Reading the Raval Neighborhood

    Today was a day of learning to observe what is going on in a community with mostly our eyes and ears.  We were escorted into the city of Barcelona and the smart ladies and less smart men were split into two groups.  Matt took the men and Michelle took the women and we walked through the streets of the Raval Neighborhood. 

    Raval is one of the oldest areas of Barcelona.   We were instructed to look and listen and to see if we could tell who lives here, what cultures might be represented. what kinds of job they might have, where they might live, what would indicate that the individuals had achieved some measure of success or achievement.  We asked not to take photographs as we made our observations so as not to interfere with our physical observations.

    My first observation was of a couple of orthodox Jewish men walking.  Not far behind was a few traditionally dressed Muslim women.  We walked by the University of Barcelona Medical School, the institute of Catalon Studies.   We saw what appeared to be students in the neighborhood of these schools.  There was a hospital.  

    As we turned down a street there were many more shops.  Out attention was drawn to a store selling hair wigs and hair products.   The boxes in the window had many different products that were from many different countries written in different language.  The languages on the boxes were Sanskrit. Arabic, Hebrew, and several others.

    There was a clearly middle east sweet shop that had things like Baclava.  I had that in Turkey and it is delicious.

    There were many blocks with a dozen cell phone shops.  How do they all stay in business?  We were told that they were generally used as money laundering store fronts for the local criminal enterprises.  

    One block had a couple of men standing on each end of the block and several women were seen standing in doorways.  This was about 10:00 AM and we were told many more would be around later in the day and evening.   This, we were told, is the place where women were often trafficked here from some poor country and forced into prostitution.

    We saw store fronts where people were making garments. Another one that had people ironing what looked like sheets.  These were likely for one of the hotels in the area. 

    We were told, not observed, that the order established in 1950 by Mother Teresa called Missionaries of Charities ran the second largest feeding centers in the world right in this neighborhood. 

    Is this a place where ministry is needed?  It depends on what kind.   There are lots of things that people can get when they live here.  All citizens are given health care.  Undocumented immigrants who have emergency health needs (including tourists like us) can receive free health care in Spain.

    It was an interesting morning.  

    We had lunch at Café Moderno which is located off the beaten tour paths of the city.   The food was abundant and wonderful.  Tapas were served and we had the crockets (fried gravy balls) again and they were delicious again.  There were potatoes with, tomato covered toast with ham to put on them.  There were fresh tomatoes with onions, olive oil and kale.  

    Then we had preordered the main courses.  There were 3 options about half chose the thyme chicken with potatoes and the others had the seafood fideua.  This is cousin of the Spanish paella, which is a rice dish with mixed in seafood or other meats.  I have had that and loved it.  The fideua is made with vermicelli noodles rather than rice.  I like the Paella better but this was very good.  It was served in a skillet about 10 inches.  Everyone said they could not eat all that after all the tapas.  It turned out that it was only about a quarter inch thick but I still could not finish it.   I did manage to eat the ice cream for dessert.

    After lunch we were taken on a tour of the Gothic (old) part of Barcelona.   This is where the millions of tours hang out on the ramblas (a walking tour trap).   The whole area is under construction so the crowds felt even more crowding.  

    We walked by “el call” which is the old Jewish quarter of the city.  Several centuries again where plagues and contagious illnesses were common.  The non-Jewish communities all would get sick and many would die. They began to notice that the Jewish folks were far less likely to become sick.   This was due to the rules on cleanliness that they followed.   But of course, the non-Jews did not understand this and rumors sprung up about the Jews poisoning the water.   This resulted in a massacre of the people living in el call.  Sad part of the world’s history.

    All so in this area is the Barcelona Cathedral.   Although the Gothic Cathedral is very old, built between the 13th and 15th centuries.  However, the ornate façade on the square side of the building was only added in the late 19th century and finished in the early 20th.   It is pretty impressive.  Karen and I went in and got to enjoy the beautiful organ music while we were there.  We rode the elevator (not original) to the roof and enjoyed the stunning cityscapes.

    We also got to see the largest “painting” by Pablo Picasso.  It wraps around a large government building in front of the Cathedral.  It looks from a distance like it was painted on the concrete walls.  But when you look closely that Picasso invented the technic to make the art look like paint but it was really the result of etching in the fresh concrete. 

    Karen and I on our own, managed to fine our way to the train station and got off at the right stop and returned to our hotel.

    I am still full after eating the lunch so I am going to bed without my supper (kind of feeling like a naughty kid) in not to very long.

    Tomorrow, we begin at 8:30 and have tickets for 10:15 for the Sagrada Familia.

    The gang before the meal started.
    These gentlemen were looking out the fourth floor window.
    Luch and the seafood fideua
    The tomatoes were out of this world.
    The chicken croquettes (fried gravy balls)
    Pablo Picasso was asked if he wanted to do the art work on this building. He said no until he heard that his competitor arts had agreed to do it.
    Not paint but etched concrete
    The New facade of the cathedral
    inside the cathedral
    inside the cathedral
    from the roof of the cathedral
    from the roof of the cathedral
    The Geese that say goodbye to all that leave the cathedral
    You must listen to this story of the Catalan Christmas tradition
  • Day 3 Sunday

    Day 3 Sunday

    I had a very good night’s sleep.   I only had to get up once to use the bathroom.  That was a plus.

    I went down to breakfast with some of the gang.  I had coffee which was good. I did find out that one of our gang-of-eight members grew up in a major US city and that his or her grandfather was the head of a MOB family that ran illegal casino’s and was rather infamous.  He or she seems to have grown up to be an nice honest person.

    Our gang left at 10:00 to take the very empty train to the church this morning.   This session was a ministry that Matt and Michelle run.   We learned about the Mamma and Me service they provide.   It is a place for immigrant mothers to bring their babies and toddlers to a well-equipped fun place for the kids and a place for the mothers to receive what they need.  Sometimes what mama needs is a nap on the couch while someone holds and cares for their baby.  Other times they need to talk with other mother going through similar issues or to find a safe place to practice their Spanish.  

    The service (or Sunday school) was called mosaic and was held in a small room with a screen projector for the lyrics of the song they wrote and sang.  The 3 member that were present all spoke English (the pastor and his wife and their two kids, and another English speaker who spent time in Ecuador and New York City).  One of the cool things was that they took to heart Jesus teaching us about children. 

    Matthew 19: “13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

    14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

    The kids played in the floor and the older boy about 4 joined in singing while continuing to play with his truck.  They did not let them do anything they wanted but the kids had a good time and we adults did not get too terribly distracted.

    The purpose of Mosaic is to teach us to listen to others without judgement.  Two of the adults Immigrated to Spain.  The pastor is from Africa and the other came from New York and Ecuador. The pastor’s wife grew up in Spain.  The pastor and his wife spent several years in England where he studied theology.  He is nearly finished with his doctorate.

    We began by listening to the stories about trying to fit into the culture and to fit into the traditional churches.  The main themes of their stories were about the difficulty of race relations and the toxic theology in the traditional churches.   Race relations.   The pastor is a black man with dreadlocks. He described having the experience of being welcomed into the traditional Christian church and then coming to feel that he was being displayed (look, this our new Black Member of our church. 

    Another feeling was feeling shamed or rejected by the traditional church if they had any characteristic or behavior that did not measure up to the rules.   I was reminded of

    Matthew 9

    New International Version

    Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

    9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

    3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

    4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

    The Calling of Matthew

    9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

    10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

    12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

    It seems to me that God is perfectly able to call and correct what HE wants to have changed.  His Command to US is clear.

    Mark 12:

    28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

    29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”

    It was a good morning.

    Mamma and Me space
    mingling before Mosaic

    The pastor and cute child who told us she was dos

    this was as we were finished with the projector
    kids find the accesible statue
    fried gravy ball
    My meal. Can’t recall the name but it had meat, eggplant and cheese. Drizzled with honey on toast. Delicious
    kids playing in real water
    The spanish understand that ANTIFA stands for anti-fascist as opposed to the Trump white house which says it is a terrorist organization. This graffitti says the area or zone is anti-fascist and Anti-Natzi

  • Barcelona Day 2. The Gang Is All Here

    Day 2 in the city of Barcelona was very nice weather and by and large a near perfect day.   I had arranged to meet Matt and Michelle, our hosts, at the airport arrival station at about 9:00.  Jana, Dave, Alena and Cole (JDAC) were to arrive at 9:00 and would take about an hour to make their way through passport control and collect their checked bags.  I had arranged to take a 7:30 free shuttle from the hotel to the airport.  As I was on the way I got a text saying they would just pick me up from the hotel on their way to the airport.   So I said. I would just people watch when I got there.

    There were indeed a lot of people to watch.  Matt tells me that Saturday is a busy airport day as lots of folks fly in to board a cruise from the port.   There were lots and lots of groups of people who clearly were on the way to a cruise.   There were also lots of people who were either traveling with their snow skis or were all bringing their weed eaters on the cruise ship.

    Matt and Michelle arrived right at 9:00 and we sat and drank coffee and had a lovely time sharing life histories with each other.  JCAC arrive right at 10:00 and we made our way to the garage parking where we loaded Matt’s car with our luggage and he took the car and luggage to his home in Sant Cugat (it turns out that it means Saint Cugat the surname of a long dead monk from the city.) Do NOT go to Google translate on the internet and translate that name from Catalon to English.

    Michelle escorted the 5 weary travelers into the city of Barcelona, by bus,  where we stopped at a coffee shop and had coffee (duhh) and orange juice.  I had the orange juice which was made from oranges that they put into the top of a large juice machine.  The OJ was great.

    We then strolled to the repurposed Catalon bull fighting arena.   Catalon banned bull fighting from the state of Catalon about 40 years ago. It turns out that they became aware of the cruelty imposed on the bulls.  Recently the Spanish national government has toyed with the idea of requiring Catalon to allow bull fighting here. No changes as of yet.

      It is now a shopping mall.  The former arena now has a roof over it and a large outdoor walking area that you can see the city from.  It is a lovely mall.

    After oohing and aaahing at the view we made our way to the subway station and then to a commuter train station.   We then were guided to Matt and Michell’s lovely home arriving about 1:15. There we met up with Billy Ray and Becky Gossett and Karen Rogers.  The gang is all here. We were fed lasagna, salad and bread.  For dessert we were given a small cup of warm thick chocolate and some cookies to dip in the chocolate.  It was wonderful.

    After Lunch we were taken, 3 at a time, to our hotel with our luggage and checked in. On the way there Matt told the 3 people in my group that right up the road from our hotel there was a market that was opened on Saturday. The three of us who arrive early decided to walk there.  The market was fun.  Lots of places to eat food and some shops.  We went into the used book shop and they had a ton of book running from floor to a quite high ceiling.  Not surprising almost all of the books were printed in Spanish or Catalon.   I was able to recognize some of the world-famous authors, Emanual Kant, Zane Gray, and Stephen King, etc.

    There was also a used music store.  It is amazing how much of the world’s music came from England and America.   I did not buy anything.

    After shopping at the market Billy Ray, Becky and I walked to a recommended place to eat some dinner.   It reminded me of ordering food in Hong Kong.  You can order anything on the menu and they will bring you whatever they think you should have.  This was exacerbated by the language issues we had with the waiter that took our order.   We ordered something that was labeled with Calamari.  It came and it was a sandwich stuffed with something that may or may not have contained squid.  Billy Ray pointed to something on the menu and when it came it was not what he had pointed to.   The menu item above said Bacon.  That is what our waiter brought.  It was VERY crisp piece of pork with lots of fat.  Billy Ray and I ate it.   A bit later a different waiter with very good English came and we pointed and asked what it was.  He said Pig lips and cheeks.   We all got plenty of food and had a pleasant time.

    We then walked to the city square and visited the Monastery of Sant Cugat.  This building was begun in the ninth century and finished in the 14th.  It is a lovely building.

    I was back in my hotel room at about 9:30, a very good day.

    bull fighting arena turned mall
    Former bull fighting arena turned mall
    Take the kids swimming and keep them dry.
    Cole Alena Michelle Jana and Dave
    Cole and Jana waving
    Used books and Bread art
    Used music and an Idian Chief
    The food in the bowl is deep fried Pig lips and cheeks
    Sant Cugat Monestary
    Sant Cugat Monestary
    Sant Cugat Monestary

  • The two-day first day. 

    The two-day first day. 

    The two-day first day. 

    Day 1 of my Barcelona learning experience with my good, soon to be better friends from my church.   Eight of us have ventured from Liberty to the lovely city which is the capital of the Catalon region of Spain.  Historically the people of this region have been distinguished from the Spanish people for some many centuries both culturally and linguistically.  I was told that this region and people were nearly wiped out by the Spanish under the dictator Francisco Franco in the 1940s.  The Catalon people opposed Franco’s dictatorship and Franco opposed the Catalon people.

    Confession:  I need to pay more attention in meetings!

    The eight of us (Alena and Cole, Jana and Dave, Billy Ray and Becky, and Karen) joined me to travel to work with Matt and Michelle the missionaries stationed in Barcelona.  Originally, the church web site gave us the information that if we were to make our travel plan on our own, we should book airplane tickets to arrive in Barcelona on Friday February 20.  So, I booked my nearly free unchangeable tickets for that day via Delta using our milage points we had accumulated.

    This is where the attention or memory came into play.  At our first group meeting some weeks later it was announced that the plans had changed and we should arrive on Saturday February 21.   It was further suggested that if we had already booked unchangeable ticket that we would be there a day early.  

    I honestly don’t know if I was not paying attention when this change was announced or whether I heard it and noted that I would need to book an extra night of hotel in Barcelona when I arrive on Friday February 20 and then promptly forgot this detail and assumed that all my fellow travelers would be arriving on Friday.  

    When I announced to the group that I had gotten through TSA security and was on my way to Barcelona and would see them on Friday, I was quickly informed that most people would be there on Saturday.  

    Fortunately my lovely bride, Penny, was quickly able to book a nice room for me near the airport with a free shuttle service to deliver me to the hotel for one night.   I will go back to the airport on Saturday morning and meet the other for folks who are arriving then and Matt and Michelle will meet us and take our luggage to the hotel we will stay at for the duration of our trip.

    Continuation of day 1ish. 

    The flight to NYC was nice.   Small aircraft but was able to get my carryon bag in the overhead and had an empty seat beside me.  Got to New York around 2:00 and caught the flight to Barcelona around 6:00.  I have been in the New York airport several times an do dearly love it.  The people are diverse and marvelous.  All except the one airport employee that I asked how to get to terminal 4.  He said I would need to go that direction for about 20 minutes and then make a right turn and take the train to terminal 4.  So I made my start and after15 minutes of so I came to a Delta Information desk and asked the nice employee how to get to terminal 4.   She said: “That will not be difficult.  You are in terminal 4!”  She checked by ticket and said it will be gate 31, and pointed back the way I had just came from and said about 10-minute walk that way.

    I found the gate and found some food and waited for a couple of hours.   During the wait Penny called and told me she had found me a hotel in Barcelona and gave me the details of how to find the free shuttle.  I did.

    At the Best Western plus Hotel Alfa Aeropuerto, a very nice lady said my room was ready at about 9:30 in the morning.   Great.

    So now my job was to stay awake until later in the day.  I opted to take a walk to El Prat -Parque Natural (The meadow Nature Park).   It was a lovely park that runs along an estuary.  There were lots of walkers, runners, and bikers on the path I walked. I saw a flock of parrots, a herd of sheep (OK a group of 5 sheep) lots of agriculture exhibits growing labeled crops AND every 5 minutes a plane flew low overhead to land at the airport

    It was a good walk with no business nor restaurants.  I got back to the hotel at around 3:00 and went to the restaurant for lunch.  Lunch is served from around 1:00 to 4:00 and Dinner 8:00 to 11:00.  I had a nice bacon burger with the obligatory European bacon that is really thinly sliced ham.

    At 4:00 I was back in my room with the goal of staying wake until around 8:00 PM.  I was asleep at 6:00 and woke up to pee at midnight and am still awake at 1:30 as I write this.  I am going to attempt to get some more sleep in a few minutes after I post this.

    Day 1 and 2 have been very good.

    More later.

    scare crows but no crows
    sheep herd but no shepherd

    Parrot budies

    bird watching tower but few birds
    one of about 28 planes that flew over
  • Day 11-13 September 27-29, 2025, Saturday, Sunday and Monday

    Day 11-13 September 27-29, 2025, Saturday, Sunday and Monday

    On this day the ship docked in Vigo, Spain.  Elvin and I took a one-hour drive to the north to Santiago de Compostela.  I have been to Spain several times and have seen the shells marking the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, is a centuries-old network of pilgrimage routes that all end at the cathedral in Santiago.

    The lingering story is that in the 9th century the remains of St James the apostle were discovered where the cathedral was built over the remains.   In the 10th century Muslim force invaded and completely destroyed the city and cathedral.   In the 11th century the Muslims were expelled, and the cathedral was completely rebuilt.    Over the centuries since then the Cathedral has remained intact but large and visually imposing facades have been built around it.   Pilgrimages to Santiago became popular in the middle ages and to this day thousands of people walk the various routes from around Spain to this city and this cathedral.

    Our guide was a delightful and knowledgeable lady who shared with us the ins and outs of seeing the city.   I thought I would like to go into the cathedral but again on this day the timing was difficult.  At noon the cathedral held a mass for about an hour.   The tourist doors were closed.   The line to get in was not closed and was very long indeed.   Elvin and I opted to see the city and find food.  

    It was about 11:15 or so and we walked around the streets.   We found a restaurant that where Diego was arranging the patio furniture.   We stopped to read his menu, and he gave us a paper copy.   He spoke some English and asked if we would like to eat.   Elvin asked if he had empanadas.  Elvin had been trying to sample these for several days.   He said yes.   The deal was sealed for us when we hear the music coming over his PA system to be 1950s and 60s American classics.   It was quite enjoyable.

    As we wondered around, we saw a restaurant that had a large sign touting the fact that they had Churros and Chocolate.  We had those last time we were in Spain. We wanted some more.  We partook of dessert in this location.   The Churros were very good and the chocolate (in a coffee cup) for dipping was pretty good, not as thick as the previous version but it was thicker than hot chocolate.  It was still enjoyable.

    We did get a little worried at one point about the time we were supposed to meet with our guide and leave the city.  One of us could not find their phone.   We rushed back to the churro place and as we walked in about to ask the waitress if the phone was there, she smiled and held up the phone.  Whew!  The problem was averted.

    This was our last excursion day of our cruise.  Sunday, September 28 was a cruising day which we enjoyed by trying to get stuff back in our suitcases.  Monday. September 29 was a very long day of getting off the ship, catching our ride to Heathrow airport and catching our flights.  A pleasant surprise was that we had the same driver that we had for our trip from London to South Hampton last week.   It was a pleasure to visit with him as we drove to the airport.   It turns out that we had 6 people and 3 different flights leaving from 3 different terminals. But our driver got us all where we needed to be.

    The other twist was that our flight from London was about 40 minutes delayed leaving.   Penny was checking our Delta app during our flight and found a notice that said we could book a later flight from Atlanta to Kansas City, if we want to.   We talked about it and talked to a flight attended who know Atlanta airport very well.   We figured we could make the flight we had originally booked.  

    When we landed, we had just a little over an hour to catch the flight.   Our global entry got us through customs quickly.   Our next step was to get our bags and take them through customs and recheck them.  But we were waiting for the carousel to begin when the very nice Atlanta airport people announce over the PA that the folks arriving from Heathrow could skip customs and go directly to our next flight.  Very cool we went to the terminal train that was waiting with doors opened stepped in and off we went to terminal B where we fast walked all the way to the far end and our flight was preboarding wheelchair folks so we made it in time and off we flew.

    Conclusion!   I have not shared several things about our trip.   Suffice it to say there were illness and accidents that waylaid a few of our group for part of the time we were on this cruise.   But we all made it home.   It was a very good trip, but that is said by one who did not suffer and injury or illness.

    Santiago de Compostela the place is full of really cool buildings and icons.
    see I told you
    The Cathedral most of this is a facade and the original cathedral is inside as is the purported remains of St James.
    No, she is not claiming she is 23 years old. She is our guide and everyone in our group is 23 years old.
    Elvin and the flowers
    A message to the pilgrims: ” The road kills me. This way to nikis factory.” I am not clear what the they were trying to sell the pilgrims.
    the line to get in to the cathedral
    the end of the line on the other side of the building
    one of the doors that is only opened on special holy days
    Yum yum!
    a Christening of a child celebration
    The lunch place when we arrived.
    Churros and chocolate.
    I was there.
    The gang in the back seats of the van on the way to Heathrow.
  • Day 10 September 26, 2025, Friday

    Day 10 September 26, 2025, Friday

    Day 10 September 26, 2025, Friday

    On this day they docked the ship in La Coruna, Spain.   Penny, Jen and I sat out early for the Historical City of Lugo.  Lugo is the only city in the world that has an intact Roman wall that encircles the old city.   The wall dates from the 3rd century and is mostly original.   The wall length is 1.3 miles in length.   There are currently 71 towers spaced around the wall.  They were designed to be two stories high and allow for lookout spots to keep an eye for folks wanting in the city that the Roman folks did not want in the city. Most of the towers are rectangular.  A few are semi circular and built later.  

    Our guide is a historian and author.   He was very entertaining and educational.   He did make one tour guide mistake.   After we arrived in the city he took us to the top of the wall.  He lead us up a set of stairs that were pretty steep and a bit tiring for us old codgers.  We walked for a ways and learned of the life of the Romans (perhaps I should say heard of the life of Romans),   We did not go very far on the wall and he took us to a ramp that led down to the street level.   I pointed out that it might have been better to let us go up the ramp and back down the ramp since we are old.  It was still a nice feature.

    We had free time to explore the modern shops and business inside the old wall.   During the free time I tried to go to the Saint Mary’s Cathedral (Lugo Cathedral)) but my free time and the daily mass were at the same time.   So, I was not able to go in.   Well technically I could have gone in if I were wanting to worship but my time was limited.

    Our guide told us that only about 10% of the city inside the walls has been excavated to see what the Romans left for us to discover. Everyone in the group but me took the opportunity to explore the shops. I went with the guide and he showed me one of the recent discoveries in the city where the owner of a shoe shop was going to build a new shop. As they began to dig the foundation they discovered the remains of a Roman villa belonging to a very wealthy family if the size and decorations were any indication. So they excavated a portion of the roman house and then built the shoe shop above it. so a few modern columns are sunk into the villa to support the new building but you can go into the villa and look at the mosaic floors and other features. The shoe shop also installed a glass floor by the entrance door of the shop where customers can peek at the past occupants dwelling.

    Our tour included a stop at a very nice restaurant that was located on the banks of the Minho river.  The menu for lunch was a set service and was great.   We had a tuna empanada (which was in the shape of a square breaded thing kind of like a hot pocket only bigger and much, much better.   We also had fried cheese in the shape of a small sausage.   The main course was delicious chicken breast with potatoes and covered in mushroom gravy.   

    The grounds in back of the restaurant were lovely and peaceful. 

    A good day out.

    The ships entertainment that evening was a nice group of musicians who had individual performed in many shows featuring music from the 1950s and 60s.   Right up my alley.

    Our guide to Lugo
    Jen and Penny ready to tackle Lugo
    Our guide told us we were about to see a Roman soldier. This is what we saw.
    a gate into the city.
    the round tuwers are original there are a few square ones built in the 1700s
    Our guide pointing to the place we plan to breach the wall and ransack the city!
    Penny and Jen Ransacking the city
    I am not sure but I think this was a live guy in his statue costume. I was too afraid to go poke him.
    The top of the wall is quite wide
    The desert bush that can be seen from atop the wall. OH, wait, my bad that is just lichens or moss or algea growing on the wall.
    we were told that the people of this region believed in things like witches and magic. there is a bunch of witches in the windows.
    The glass in the street looks down into the Roman aspects of the city
    The Camino de Santiago. The way of St. James is the pilgrimage that many believers take to reach Santiago where it is believe that the Body of St James resides. These signs (shells) mark the route.
    The Roman villa below the modern shoe shop.
    The mosaic floor of the Roman villa below the modern shoe shop.
    Jen and her daily search for chickens has been acomplished
    the inside of a private club that the guide took me in that is looking for new members to keep afloat.
    we found the meeting point.
    the back yard of the restaurant
    The Minho river that runs by the city also runs by the restaurant.
    Jen and Ray on the wall
    Ray hanging out with the locals
    Lugo school children
    A bit of Little Richie Music