Gas Prices: It's all about perspective!

In DALLAS, the gas prices are around $3.73.




While we were in IOWA, the gas prices were about $3.48.
While in INDIANA, we paid $3.75 for gas.



In CHICAGO, we have been paying between $4.19 and $4.35...sometimes more!



When we get to URUGUAY, gas prices are about $6.20/gallon*.
In SPAIN it is around $8.15/gallon.
(*The unit of measure for gas is actually liters, but this is the converted rate.)

Looking at just the cost of gas can give you a good picture of the sort of standard of living that we will be introduced to in Uruguay and Spain. The value of the dollar, plus the problems with gas contributes to this increase in gas prices. Right now, the exchange rate in Spain is about 1Euro = $1.51. Because of this exchange rate, the monthly amount of support that we are raising is $8,024.19. The currency rate is one of the many challenges that we will face as we serve in ministry in both Uruguay and Spain. One thing's for sure...we won't take the $3.73 gas in Dallas for granted :)

Globalization - Part I

Globalization impacts all of us.

Whether your shoes, your computer, your fruit, your car, or some other thing is made outside the US, or you watched the news and saw live coverage from other cities around the world, you are impacted by globalization.

Recently I've had the opportunity to interact with some scholars regarding the topic of globalization and the migration of people around the globe. This issue is not altogether new because people have traveled to other countries for centuries, but it is a bit different in that information and people can move quicker to other parts of the world than they ever could in the past.

Globalization impacts our ministry.

As we move towards Uruguay and then Spain, we must track trends. People are moving from everywhere to everywhere. Chinese, Moroccans, Uruguayans, Romanians, and others are moving to Spain. How should we approach ministry in an increasingly diverse mixture of people? Do we plant homogenous or heterogenous churches? Can we even speak with any degree of confidence about who Spaniards are and what makes them distinct amongst so much diversity?

As you can see I have many more questions than answers. They need to be asked. I'd like input of others and more research done in terms of how to answer them though.

What a joy it is going to be to see the current realities play out and the upcoming changes that we don't even realize are coming yet.

Chicago

Last week, we arrived in Illinois for some time in Chicago. We have had a busy, but great week! Kendra Cervantes one of our teammates for both Uruguay and Spain) lives in Aurora - just outside of Chicago. Lindsey has had a great chance to spend time with her, as we work on support raising together, preparing for leaving the field (aka - sorting through belongings: purging, giving away, and selling!), and continuing to build out friendship. We have also been able to spend time with lots of Kendra's family, which has been awesome to learn more about the people she always talks about!

Last Wednesday our Uruguay team leaders - Jim and Cheryl Eberline - were coming through Chicago on their way from Wisconsin to Indiana. They joined Kendra and us for some time together chatting over coffee and a yummy dinner at Cracker Barrel. It was awesome to touch base with one another, discuss future ministry and Uruguay, and continue to build our team together. You can't beat the fried okra and veggies from this place!


Cheryl and Lindsey - Rocking on the porch at Cracker Barrel


Jim and Brad - what a duo!


Jim, Brad, Lindsey, Cheryl, and Kendra

Missions Pizza Dinner Night!

Sunday night we had a great time with some friends from church. Ben and Anne Britt, as well as Dick and Ina Ericson, organized a dinner for us at the Britt's house. Several members of the Britt's Sunday School class at our church - Grace Bible Church - were invited and we had a fun evening of dinner, fellowship, and sharing about missions. We were able to meet some great couples from our church that we had never met before, as well as reconnect with some couples that we have known for a while. They had some great questions about missions, Spain, and ministry in Europe. It was a blast to share the evening with them!





Thank you to the Britts and Ericson's for making it possible!!!


Would you like to support our ministry by hosting and event like this one? It could be at your house, your church, a park...anywhere really! We'd love to talk with you about getting it organized...please email or facebook us!

Last Days and First Days - Part II

This post is the second part of posts entitled "Last Days and First Days." Don't forget to read part I after reading this post.

Friday entailed a couple First Days that are particularly memorable for us:

Welcome Home Jackie - Our friends Aaron and Carrie Kraft welcomed home their little daughter Jackie Kraft from Guatemala. (http://www.bradandlindsey.com/blog/2008/08/welcome-home-jackie.html for the complete report).

When it comes to bringing your baby daughter home for the first time after many, many months of wading through government paperwork, there aren't many better feelings in this world, I am sure. We are all excited for the Kraft family as they are enjoying getting to know, hold, and play with their daughter Jackie (as well as get up in the middle of the night when she's crying :).

Partnership Development Ministry - Friday was our official LAUNCH into our ministry of partnership development. Some of you have asked what in the world we are talking about when we say the words "partnership development."

Our ministry from now until we leave for the mission field is focused on providing opportunities for other people to get involved in missions. We've outlined some of the ways that you can become involved on our website (www.bradandlindsey.com/partner.htm). Check it out!



We have the privilege of welcoming you onto our prayer team, our financial team, or our service team. Some of you want to pray for us and those we'll be serving and serving with. Others of you want to contribute towards our monthly financial support that we'll live on as missionaries (it is our only means of support). Yet others want to use their talent of encouragement, crafts, video editing, writing, or some other gift to serve on our team. We've already gotten to know a few of you who are serving in all three ways. THANK YOU!


Join the journey. Be on our team. See God work!

Learn more at http://www.bradandlindsey.com.

Moving Out...Moving On

Done! No more packing, cleaning, organizing. Our stuff is in about 25 boxes + our bed. That is all we own, period. Enjoy the video.

Indiana Brad and Pepita...

I know what it feels like to be a cartoon now (see the picture).

Samuel and Luis are amazing. Two incredibly humble and fun men from Mexico.

They do art and they do it well. The only thing is that Lindsey says my biceps are too small in the picture (well, I just wish she said that).

How about that Olive Oil? Awesome huh. If you have never tried it, try toasting a piece of bread and pouring olive oil over it for breakfast. YUM!

Thank you Samuel. Thank you Luis. Thanks Frys. Thanks Anna. Thanks Miguel and Isaias and everyone else. Thank you for the memories of Spain.

My only question though: When will we see Pepita? (Lindsey's Spanish nickname).

Cumpleanos Feliz

Today we sang happy birthday to Samuel's wife who lives in Mexico City, Mexico. Since Samuel is in Spain with our team, he wanted to wish her a happy birthday from Spain. Enjoy!

Granada and Malaga

The morning today began with our van getting backed into at our hotel in Guadix. It was confusing for me to see him angry since we sat and watched him back into a parked car. A bit humorous actually.

Then we spent the morning in Policar where Connie Clark is serving in a very remote pueblo. She literally is the only Christian there which is amazing since she is serving by herself. I had the privilege of getting to know her and her deceased husband Ricardo about 5 years ago when he came to Sevilla, Spain to lead up a conference on Grupos Pequenos (Small Groups).

We had a great time of fellowship there with Connie, Amanda Roller (a Cedarville Student who I met when speaking at a conference at Cedarville and who is studying in Sevilla this semester), Nate and Mary Saxe and their kids, and our team. It was a motley crew but we had lots of fun.



Our day finished with a drive to Malaga where we had a great lunch and relaxing afternoon with Benjamin Martin of Evangelism in Action. He graciously gave us lots of his time and shared about his ministry in Spain.

We finished the night with a Kabob from a Turkish restaurant. VERY GOOD.

Please pray for our team, for Rod as he preaches tomorrow, and for the people of Spain as this week (Semana Santa, ie Holy Week) is a great opportunity for our missionaries in Spain and many others to share and impact many lives.

We Hit the Ground Sprinting

It would be safe to say that we hit the ground sprinting in Spain. Things have gone very well our first few days in Spain with lots of visits with missionaries in Madrid, some unique opportunities to serve, and lots of great times of mutual encouragement as each of us learn more not only about the Spaniards but about one another and ourselves.

We are now in Ubeda, Spain where we were warmly received today with a HUGE dinner full of Tortilla Espanola, Ensalada Mixta, and lots of other typical Spanish food. Two members of our team who flew in from Mexico did an artistic presentation in Baeza (a nearby town) where they had a crowd of kids watching them. We'll post some pictures soon but lets just say that they did an amazing job.

We are all quite tired so please pray for our energy levels, unity, and also that we would be a blessing to those that we serve and interact with.

For those of you that pray and/or support, thanks for partnering with us in ministry.

Surprised by Grace

Should any of us be surprised by grace? If we base our answer on what we see in the world today, probably so. However if we based it on the grace of God that He has shown to all of us, then probably not.

Today Lindsey and I experienced grace. We finished an exhausting day of two speaking engagements at Dallas Theological Seminary, multiple meetings, Lindsey's last day of work at DTS, running to buy a new battery charger for our camera, and picking up a salad at McDonalds (yum) with a surprise that we found at our home.

Some of our friends left a note on our door. We walked into our home, opened the card, and in it we found a message that some of our friends in seminary called and donated $400 towards our ministry in Spain. WOW!



At this point our need for our trip to Spain is down just below $600 due to another gift today as well. We appreciate all of your prayers not only for us but for our team.

Samuel and Luis are on a plane right now as I type this on their way from Mexico City to London en route to Madrid. Pray for them. Pray for us as well as Lindsey's mother picks us up to go to the airport at 7am.

As we sit here tonight in our home though, it is safe to say that we were surprisingly encouraged by God's grace today. We invite you to await and anticipate his grace tomorrow as well.

You can go to www.caminternational.org/give to donate to CAM's work that we are serving with in Spain during the 2 week trip coming up (or call 1800-366-2264 to contribute by phone). Remember to include our name and account number 060288.

Thank You, Commissioning Party, & Remaining Support Needed

Lindsey works with cool people (she just shook her head no). Hmmmm. Let me correct that, really cool people (now she shakes her head yes). Since her last day of work at Dallas Theological Seminary is Wednesday, they decided to celebrate her four years working there with a thank you and commissioning party as Lindsey and I move towards serving in Spain as missionaries.



Lindsey and I were greeted with an incredible LEI from GUAM. Fun, you might think. Then you take a look at it more closely and realize that our leis were made out of chocolate and Lindsey's was full of $5, $10, and $20 bills. Thank You Team Admissions.

Their Donations got us even closer to what we need for our trip we are taking to Spain in 2 Days. We still need right at about $1000 and can't wait to see how God will provide by working through YOU!~~~ Thanks for your prayers and your donations.

You can go to www.caminternational.org/give to donate to CAM's work that we are serving with in Spain during the 2 week trip coming up. Remember to include our name and account number 060288.

Spain in March + Israel in May

Spain Team: March 13-25 (Total Need Left $3100)

Lindsey and I are leading a team from CAM International to Spain in March. This team is composed of Mexican believers, CAM Missionaries from Mexico, and some Americans that are also committed to learning about Spain, serving there for 2 weeks, and getting some great plans made regarding future church planting efforts in Spain that Lindsey and I would like to be a part of.

With the following conversion rate: 1 Euro = $1.48 US, our financial need for this trip has gone up. Our total need now for Spain is $3100.

Please consider making a contribution by sending checks to:

CAM International
8625 La Prada Drive
Dallas, TX 75228
PLEASE PUT IN THE MEMO LINE: Account #060288

Israel Team: May 12-June 3 (Total Remaining Need: $3990)

As the capstone of our seminary studies and an opportunity to further prepare for ministry, Lindsey and I are going to Israel with Dallas Theological Seminary. We hope to come away closer to our Lord, with a better understanding of Biblical lands, and also more prepared to describe the Bible to those we serve in ministry now and in the future.

Currently our financial need is: $1495 (Brad) + $2495 (Lindsey). Many of you have already given and we simply ask that those that are able and feel called would consider this opportunity to join us in ministry. Our total need for Israel is: $3990 which is less than the total because we've already paid some and also received a scholarship that brought the price down.

Would you consider helping us with the cost of this time in Israel? Your donation is not tax-deductible but know that we promise to be good stewards of our time there by studying, taking pictures, growing closer to Christ, and also planning ways that we can take what we learn and apply it to ministry. You can send a check directly to:

Brad and Lindsey Bridges
3909 Swiss Ave. #228
Dallas, TX 75204

Thanks for your support and know that even if you are not able to give financially, we'd ask that you keep us in your prayers as we seek the Lord's provision!

Brad and Lindsey

Did you know? (lessons learned in travel planning)

Today I learned something that may seem like common sense to some and something very surprising to others. While planning a trip for a team going to Spain that Lindsey and I are facilitating in March, we of course purchased the plane tickets for our team composed of Americans and Mexicans. However we ran into a snag. When a Mexican citizen flies to Spain and has an hour long layover in an American airport, they must have previously gotten a transit visa or else the airline will not let them on the plane. We should have thought of this but for some reason it came as a surprise.

Lesson learned: be careful to always investigate the visa requirements even for quick connections in not only any US airport but also in any other airport especially when you are making plans for someone who is not an American citizen.

As I think through all this, I find myself wondering how beneficial this is for the US economy to not be able to somehow allow foreigners to sit in a secure area of the airport while awaiting connections. The reason the US government requires the visas is that the foreign national could theoretically (and some probably have) leave the airport and enter the US even while holding a plane ticket. This would pose a security threat. However I'm sure in many cases like the one I just experienced, it would benefit the US economy to find a way to make this type of situation work without visas being required. After all, today $2500 worth of flights was taken out of the American economy and put into the British economy because the UK will allow a Mexican to get a transit visa on the spot to enter the country after a flight with British Airways.

If you find this confusing, you are not alone. We sure do live in a confusing world.