Greetings from Spain!

Leigh and I (John) are now in Spain! We arrived in Madrid on Saturday and immediately took a bus to Granada in southern Spain. We're staying with a wonderful couple, Pedro and Gaby, and their 1 1/2 year-old daughter Rebeca. Gaby is the sister of our good friend Johannah in Vancouver. Pedro is the pastor of a small mission congregation in Granada called Light of the Nations Church. It is a multicultural church, like Peace, with people from 14 different countries. Worship is in Spanish, of course. Our first experience with the family outside their home was Sunday breakfast at a bar - a Spanish traditional breakfast of cafe con leche (coffee with milk) and toasted baguette with shredded tomato and olive oil. Yummy! Worship was from 11:30 to 1:30pm, a celebration of their connection in mission with indigenous Quichuan churches in Ecuador - pretty cool because there are many Quichuan people from Ecuador in the congregation in Granada. It has been fun to talk with Pedro and Gaby about their ministry in Spain and to find commonalities with our ministry in Tacoma. Pedro and Gaby have been amazing hosts, taking us places and sharing meals with us. We've explored the amazing Alhambra in Granada, the fortress/palace/city/gardens of sultans and kings and queens, an eclectic mix of architecture on a hilltop overlooking Granada (a little different than our Hilltop in Tacoma!). We went to the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains - a huge skiing site - and have taken some great walks around the city and eaten good food. Food highlights (gotta share those): hot chocolate and churros, beer and tapas, fried local seafood, tea in a Moroccan-style tea house. Here are some pictures.

Pastor Pedro after worship at the church in Granada

Pastor Pedro, Gaby, and daughter Rebeca - our hosts in Granada

A narrow street in Granada

The famous Alhambra in Granada

Churros and hot chocolate

Local seafood feast

Tomorrow we're heading south... We decided to check out Fez, Morocco for a few days. After that, it's time to head north to start the Camino in northern Spain. Thanks for your prayers. We're remembering our family, friends, the Peace congregation, and the Hilltop in our prayers as we near the holiest week of the year with Palm Sunday coming up.

Time with Leigh's Family in the San Francisco Bay Area

In Oakland we were again greeted with sunny weather! 

We had wanted to go to Angel Island for a while but hadn't had time.  This time we made it!  Angel Island is the Ellis Island of the west, receiving, detaining and sending back immigrants from 1910-1940 here in the San Francisco Bay, mostly from Asia.  So my mom came with us, and after arriving at the island, we boarded a tram to take a tour.  Later we walked back to the Detention Center and had a closer look in the old Men's Dormitory which is now a museum.  My dad's father came through here as a "Paper Son" and was allowed to enter into the United States.  But some were not so lucky, were detained for up to two years or even returned to their country.  It was a great walk the island and think about all these people who are connected to me being here!  We had wonderful weather and amazing views!

On Angel Island!

Where everyone was received back in the day.

Poetry written on the walls by detainees at the Angel Island Men's Dormitory

My dad graciously invited us to his annual Chinese New Year luncheon at an old and well-known restaurant in SF Chinatown with some old club members at the YMCA.  He has been meeting with them since they were all 8 or 9 years of age!  Now they are 76 to 81 years old!  The day they were honoring their leader, who is 86!  It was an amazing 7 course lunch and we were privileged to enjoy it with them!

We had dinner with my brother Glenn, my sister-in-law Jenn, and their kids Owen, Ian and Seth.  The last time I saw them was when I came in January to care for them for a week and almost all of us had fevers!  We also took my parents out to dinner...Thai food!

John and I were also able to see some friends, visit Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, and go on some runs to my former high school.  I love touring around my hometowns (Oakand and San Francisco) with John.  Everything is fresh and new and an adventure!

We drove back to Tacoma, had two days for preparation, and now we're heading to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago!

New City Parish in Los Angeles

We continued our time in Los Angeles finding our way with Leigh's mom's GPS and several maps, learning when and when not to take the highways, and enjoying being curious about the many different areas of L.A.  Here are a few snapshots of our experiences with the congregations of New City Parish and partner social service organizations in L.A.

We visited seven of the nine New City Parish ELCA congregations.  Pastor Matt Keadle took us on a walking tour of the neighborhood around the church he serves -- St. Mark's Lutheran Church on the edge of the USC campus downtown L.A.  The mostly African Caribbean congregation has faced the challenge of serving a changing neighborhood with an increase in students in neighborhood housing.

Pastor Matt at St. Mark's Lutheran Church across the street from USC

The cooks for a free lunch program two times a week at St. Mark's -- reminded us of the Community Meals program at Peace.  The big difference is, the people coming to eat are served outside in the courtyard -- ah, the sunny weather of L.A.!

We visited Ascension Lutheran Church under the leadership of Rev. Reggie Hansome, friend of Malcolm from his early years!  Sunday morning we worshiped with the congregation and experienced a good Gospel choir -- reminded us of Peace!  We went to a special healthy cooking class called Kitchen Divas and I (Pastor John) was the only male present for the class!  Never thought of myself as a Kitchen Diva before!

Pastor Reggie Hansome and his wife Cheryl at Ascension Lutheran Church

The Gospel Choir singing in worship at Ascension Lutheran Church

One of five sessions at Kitchen Divas (Pastor John loved this!)

We spent some more time with Pastor Jim Lobdell from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church -- he took us to a great soul food joint and shared reflections from his many years of ministry in L.A.  We also attended a few of his Bible studies and choir practice.  Holy Trinity has a very reputable Lutheran preschool.

At Roscoe's -- chicken and waffles with Pastor Jim from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

We visited Pueblo de Dios Lutheran Church in Compton -- a Spanish-speaking congregation with mostly recent immigrants from Mexico and Central America.  Pastor Samuel Nieva has served there 10 years.  We worshiped with them on Sunday in an all-Spanish worship service!  Leigh was a great help with her fluent Spanish.  Pueblo de Dios has a weekly food distribution program run by congregation members to help the neighborhood.  They started a sewing cooperative, a catering group, and they are working on a florist cooperative -- all to come alongside folks in economic development.

Pastor Samuel Nieva leads Spanish worship at Pueblo de Dios Lutheran Church

Hermano Rudolfo with the food volunteers for their once a week program at Pueblo de Dios Lutheran Church

Martha is a member of Pueblo de Dios and leader of the sewing cooperative.  She's standing by the sewing machines at the church where she teaches women of the neighborhood to sew.  They make garments and sell them to support their families.

After John's question, "Does anyone know where we can buy some tacos?" we find ourselves at Edith's after church for some yummy homemade quesadillas.  She has started her own catering business.

Our host, Pastor Brian Eklund, took us on several special tours and introduced us to some amazing people doing good work on behalf of the vulnerable in L.A.  We spent more time at the Mercado la Paloma, the building that acts as a job incubator for first-time restaurants, and learned a lot about a program to train health promoters to connect with people in the community around health education and resources.  We walked around an urban neighborhood that Esperanza Housing has impacted in a positive way, purchasing blighted apartments and converting them to affordable housing units for families and developing local parks together with neighbors.  Pastor Brian has had a major role with Esperanza Housing since its start.  It is a faith-based organization for community development and advocacy for affordable housing -- he serves on their board.

Lunch at the Mercado with Pastor Brian and Juanita, who works for Esperanza Housing as a health promoter

An apartment complex fixed up and owned by Esperanza Housing

A park initiated by Esperanza Housing across the street from former gang apartments

We visited Homeboy Industries, founded by Father Greg Boyle (Episcopalian) to provide hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and recently incarcerated men and women, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of the community.  We took a tour of their programs and ministries and saw job training, internships, counseling, case workers, a bakery, a cafe, silk screening, an organic garden -- Wow!

Homeboy Industries in gang-neutral area of downtown Los Angeles

The amazing bakers for Homeboy Bakery who sell also at 22 Farmers' Markets

We had fun checking out the city, eating pupusas and tamales and tacos from authentic restaurants, visiting the Tolerance Museum (with an excellent Holocaust section) and the Getty Center, going on a sailing trip on the ocean and a bike ride along the seashore.

Out sailing with Pastor Brian and his wife Ruth!

Looking nervous trying to steer between some buoys and rocks!

Some of the pastors with New City Parish bike the boardwalk on Tuesday mornings together.  We joined them!

What an experience in L.A.!  We've reflected on our own ministry at Peace in Tacoma and give thanks to be rooted ourselves in a vibrant Christian community serving our neighborhood!  We're praying daily for our sisters and brothers at Peace, working through the Lenten spiritual growth group materials, and gathering insights and reflections to share when we return.  We continue to live with the question:  How can we at Peace Lutheran Church come alongside our sisters and brothers in the diverse Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma to work for spiritual growth and community development?

Our First Days in LA with New City Parish

Here's our first experience of LA... gridlock.

 Fun, huh?  Thankfully it got a whole lot better as we learned to avoid the freeways...

Angelica Apartments owned by Angelica Lutheran Church (located to the right) in the Pico-Union District of LA.  (Love those palm trees!)

Saturday morning we arrived at these studio apartments in a Latino part of the heart of LA.  We are less than a mile away from downtown near an area called LA Live which is slated to be the Times Square of LA.  Soon after we moved in, we were greeted by Brian Eklund who is the Director of the New City Parish Metro Ministry and Training Center.  He is a retired pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, one of the New City Parish members of the coalition.  What a welcoming and knowledgeable person! 

Pastor John with Pastor Brian who was our guide for Saturday's tour.

Brian took us on a 7-hour tour of the city from the grass-roots perspective--definitely not a tourist tour!  We saw the highrise areas of the business district, a vibrant Chinatown, the Fashion District, the Toy District, Skid Row, the Historic Core, Watts, Compton, Inglewood, and the epicenter of the Civil Unrest of '92.

Watts Towers, created during a 28-year period by Simon Rodia, who finished them in 1954 (steel, concrete mosaic pieces of pottery, glass, shells, found objects) -- an icon for Watts.

The Watts Towers are really beautiful, in contrast to what I thought when I first got out of the car to see them (Leigh).  We saw a video about the man and his work back in the day and wow, for an "unskilled laborer" which is what he was thought to be, what an amazing feat of beauty he created in making these towers out of wire and concrete with a mosaics overlay.  He had no scaffolding, cranes, heavy equipment or welding tools.  Amazing!

With Brian's perspective, knowledge, and passion, we were able to get a good sense of the context in which this coalition of nine Lutheran congregations serve.  The coalition of ELCA congregations called New City Parish formed in the aftermath of the LA Riots of 1992.  These pastors did not envision a rebuilt city like what was just destroyed in the 3,600 fires with 1,100 looted and burned-out buildings.  What was there was not working.  They envisioned a new city of justice and peace and dignity for everybody.  By joining together, they could accomplish much more toward this vision that anything each of these individual congregations could do on their own.  Their main social ministries have four emphases: health and wholeness (food pantries, community meals, parish nursing, and health education), sustainable economic development (micro-loans for small businesses, job training, coops and collectives, and classes in financial responsibility), education (after-school tutoring, summer camps, arts and music programs), and training (leadership development, urban and cultural immersions, Spanish language classes).  They share resources, partner with many non-profits, and are looking to many new endeavors to serve the population of people here in the Metro Los Angeles Area.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Inglewood.

On Sunday we visited Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, part of New City Parish.  It's an African American Lutheran Church with a white pastor, Pastor James Lobdell, who has served there 33 years and counting.  It was Young Adult Sunday, with young adults leading worship and sharing special music, and a young adult preaching.  It was a good experience!  Interesting to note that Holy Trinity uses the Burgundy book This Far By Faith, just like we do at Peace.  We had a great soul food lunch after worship cooked by a church member Ricky who used to cook meals for Hollywood movie shoots.

At Holy Trinity they had Young Adult Sunday.  These two siblings sang a beautiful song in harmony!

Sunday evening we went to the Mercado la Paloma, a multi-faceted organization started by Esperanza Community Housing Corp offering affordable housing, health promoter training, and a first time small business incubator.  It's a converted building that formerly housed a sweatshop clothing factory.  Now it's a happening place with six start-up restaurants with great food.  Sunday there was a special cultural celebration with hot jazz music and a diverse and energetic crowd.

At Mercado with Brian and his wife Ruth and Esperanza Housing Director Nancy and her husband.

It was a great start to our 1 1/2 week stay in Los Angeles with New City Parish.

On the Coast of California Heading for LA

From Holden Village, we traveled back to Tacoma to pack our things for our next leg of the journey, our trip to Los Angeles to spend time with the congregations and ministries of New City Parish.  We drove to Oakland, spent a day with Leigh's parents and brother's family, and then took three days to slowly drive and camp from Oakland down the coast to Los Angeles on Highway 1.  If you haven't taken it, Highway 1 takes you right by the ocean on winding roads on the edge of cliffs.  It was gorgeous but pretty cold until we got to LA.  We walked the beach, did some hiking, and cooked food over our camp stove.

We checked out Monterey, Pebble Beach, Big Sur, and Leigh's favorite college spot Montana de Oro outside San Luis Obispo, the site of her alma mater California Polytechnic State University.  Here's a view of our campsite overlooking the ocean at Montana de Oro State Park.  Beautiful, huh?

Here's Leigh outside the old mission in San Luis Obispo.

Who would have thought you could camp in February!  We are thankful for this sunny weather!

Holden Village Retreat in the Cascades

We just returned from a wonderful time at Holden Village, a retreat center in the Cascade Mountains.  We took the boat up Lake Chelan and a bus up a small winding road to the old mining town-turned-Lutheran-retreat center called Holden Village.  It was a great start to the sabbatical, a chance to totally unplug from all electronics -- no phone, computer, TV -- just lots of snow, good food, beautiful sun, and a chance to worship daily, enjoy God's beautiful creation, read good books, and hang out together and with the Holden year-round staff.  Some of the people at Holden Village were there a year and a half ago when we got engaged, so it was good to see them again!  We met a lot of new people and enjoyed hearing the many stories of people's journeys.  We went hiking up to Copper Basin, snow-shoeing in several feet of snow, and a little cross-country skiing.  Leigh make three cool weavings on the loom and also met some talented artists who were coming in for the 6-week Artist-in-Resident program.

We walked the labyrinth in the snow -- an ancient Christian path that reminds us that our life is a sacred journey.  It was an opportunity to pray and walk -- giving thanks to God for God's blessings, asking God to open our eyes on our sabbatical pilgrimage.

Preparing to Walk the Camino

Leigh and I have been taking several long walks to prepare for our 240 mile trek on the Camino de Santiago. Here we are after walking from Vashon Island town to the Point Robinson lighthouse on Maury Island.