And this is where I planned to give you all the little details...

about how this trip to Spain came about as I remember them...

Instead I found a journal entry from December 31, 2009 that I wrote about our upcoming trip to Spain, the last minute whirlwind of my man going to Africa, and other trips we had a feeling were coming our way this year.  (Those other trips are already in the making! Can you even believe it?!)

I think it still sums up perfectly how I feel as I prepare the final details for our trip next week.  I still feel like I'm a total misfit, but as always, I am willing to go wherever He wants and do whatever He wants.  I'll be honest and tell you that a part of me is scared to death, another part is a bundle of nerves, and another part is just plain excited.

LORD, what do you have for us in 2010?!?!  Certainly more that we have ever thought or even imagined!  I am beyond blown away at your great love and faithfulness to us.  Don’t you know how screwed up we are?!  We’re a collection of misfits.  Surely there are others who have it together, but yet here You are sending us.  We have always said that we will go where You lead.  We will do what You ask of us.  Never looking to our own gain, but trading it all in for a lifetime spent in Your care.

International Media Missions

So you know we're headed to Spain on a missions trip, but this isn't any ordinary missions trip. As far as we know, there won't be any street ministry or orphanage visiting.  In fact, we may not even speak at a church or share our testimonies!  Instead, we will be working with some amazing people from an organization by the name of International Media Missions.

Simply put they combine media with missions.  More specifically they produce and distribute media throughout the world for other ministries, missionaries, and national churches. It's really a cutting edge organization.  Here's a bit about them from their website...

Through programming, media development, engineering, and media training, IMM is enabling people to influence their own countries for Christ.

Our Mission
: To establish a global witness of Jesus Christ through media by Training, Empowering, Assisting, and Motivating missionaries, national churches, and lay Christians to use media effectively in their culture, language, and nation.

train: Media training for students who are missions conscious

empower: Placing evangelism and discipleship tools in the hands of nations

assist: Partnering in media production and engineering services

motivate: Offering media awareness seminars to open minds, release imagination, and explore new opportunities.

The details of what we will do while we're gone are still being formulated. The Music Man is incredibly gifted in the area of audio production. He'll be putting those gifts to use recording a Bible translation project for the national church of Burkina Faso. I believe that this is the main project he'll be working on. There may be smaller "side" projects as well.

As far as I know, there is nothing specific planned for me while I'm there.  I've heard mention of them possibly needing some help in their offices.  (Hello filing cabinet!!!! Oh please let it involve some sort of organization!  Oh please Oh please!!!) I have long been praying for God to plan some awesome appointments for me in addition to whatever IMM has planned.  

Up tomorrow.... a little story about how this trip came to be.

T-minus 7 days and counting...

In roughly 182 hours The Music Man and I will leave our children with my mother and fly across the Atlantic Ocean to spend the next two weeks in Madrid, Spain. International Media Missions, based in Madrid, invited us to come and contribute to some projects they are currently working on. (And when I say that WE will be working on them, I mean The Music Man will be working on them.)

I will be blogging our trip as much as possible, which should be pretty regularily, considering we are going to Madrid and not on some African safari.  Although The Music Man did text his way through his African safari so I guess I really have no excuse NOT to blog my way through Spain, right?

This week is jam packed with to-do lists to check off.  I haven't made a list of my lists yet, but trust me, I will.  On one of those to-do lists is listed "Post about upcoming trip." Real specific, huh?  So that's what you get this week.  A bunch (or one or two) posts about where we're going, how we're working with, and what we'll be doing while we're there.

Disfrutar!


(That means enjoy in Spanish, although I'm not really sure.  I just googled it.  I don't really know any Spanish, so it could mean Paco is chewing gum for all I know.)