When this trip was first announced in our church, I told Phil that this trip was the type of trip I would like to go on...someday. Of course I couldn't go now, we have kids at home that need me. He challenged me to go now. Through a series of conversations and much prayer, I realized I was telling God I would obey...later. On my timetable. Yikes! Once I realized this, I jumped in, and am now a part of Team Madrid.
I am being stretched to trust God in many ways. I am stepping out in faith, faith that He will watch over me and my family while I am gone,that He will protect me on the trip, and that He will equip me for this trip. I am looking very forward to developing friendships with my host families (I get to stay with two different families), the Alliance workers in Tres Cantos, and the children at English Camp. I am also excited to get to use my rusty Spanish.

Please pray the following for me:
I am an introvert, and being "on," both at camp and with my host family will be a stretch for me in terms of energy level. Please pray that I will have an abundance of energy.
My Spanish hasn't been used in quite a while. Please pray that it will come to me quickly and I will be able to converse easily.
I have a cold right now. Please pray that it will go away quickly and not hinder me on this trip. Please also pray that the colds three of my four kids have will go away, too, so they can be healthy for their adventures with Phil.
Please pray that my time in Spain will stretch and grow me in great ways.

Thank you,
Nancy Christiansen

Hello every one! We are getting down the wire here as we prepare to depart for Spain on Friday. We all hope that you will be able to check in with all of us from Team Madrid here on this blog. We will try and post updates semi-regularly so you know how we are. In case you have forgotten or never knew here is every one going on the trip:
Dillon Barber, Nancy Christiansen, Martha Falk, Whitney Martinez, Michael and Lindsey Hemington, Kendra Santoro, Mike Tripp, Lauren Magoffin and TJ Santoro.

We are very excited to be helping at an English camp and staying with different Spanish families. We leave Friday at 6:30 and return on Sunday, the 18th, at 11pm. While we are in Spain all of the different team members will be posting individual up dates to the best of their ability (it's going to be a busy 2 weeks), so keep an eye out for lots of different up dates!

Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers as we travel and we look forward to telling you all about our trip in person when we get home!