Arrival in Madrid

We arrived on time in Munich, Germany. It is a beautiful airport, not too big, but modern and utilitarian in design. It seems consistent with some other areas of Europe, not that I’ve seen that many. We were very glad to be off the plane after the trans-Atlantic flight. The only consolation in rushing off to another flight was that it was the final leg of our journey to Spain. We only had about an hour to get to the next gate for departure to Madrid. The connections seemed way too close for international travel. It left no room for tardiness or mistakes. We found our gate easy enough after a brief pit stop, and stood in line for maybe ten minutes for boarding on an A320. It really seemed small after the wide bodies we had been on previously. I would compare it to a 737. I’m more acquainted with the Boeing line of airplanes than the McDonnell-Douglas planes or other manufacturers.

By then we were all a little dazed as we sat and waited for our departure. My wife engaged in conversation with a young girl next to her from the western slope of the Rockies in Colorado. She was with a group of school youths who were coming to Spain for Spring break. While others go to the Rockies to sky for spring break, the natives go to Spain for nice weather, I guess.

The airline was still Lufthansa, but a third language was added to the safety announcements on this flight. After the routine German and English, a female attendant came on with a Spanish translation for the benefit of the Spanish speakers on this flight to Madrid. How many ways do we need to hear where the exit slides are located and how to fasten a seat belt? The diet changed also. I have no idea what I ate but it had a different smell and taste that the choices we had enjoyed earlier. We were quick to discover that Spanish food is different than Mexican food. Food in Spain is more Mediterranean than what we normally identify as food for the Spanish culture. No jalapenos or habaneras here!

We arrived in Madrid two hours later around 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday, local time. It was clear and mostly sunny looking out over the farmlands and clusters of communities across the landscape. The airport was a little older and didn’t have the look of modernity seen in Germany. It was spread out over a lot of territory and we drove for several minutes after touchdown before arriving at the appropriate gate. We made our way down the last gateway and followed the universal and multilingual signs to the baggage claim area.

We clustered around the designated conveyor belt that was expected to present our baggage. We waited as suitcase after suitcase appeared in the doorway and was snatched up by various international travelers and nationals come home. It soon became apparent that none of our group was receiving baggage. Much to our disappointment the doors closed and the conveyor stopped without a sign of our suitcases. We lined up with other disappointed, agitated, and somewhat angry passengers at the “Lost and Found” window representing Lufthansa Airlines. Missionary Gary Sones got permission to come past security and to our rescue. He was able to explain our situation and the agent took notes of our descriptions of each missing suitcase and our claim tags that would match them. They promised to let us know if any word of our baggage was received.

Missionaries Markham (Portugal and Spain) and Wiggins (AIMer to Spain) met us outside the customs doorway. They brought vans to transport us from the airport to our hotel for the first two nights in Madrid. We checked into the hotel and settled in. It doesn’t take long when you have no luggage. Fortunately, we packed some underclothes and a few toiletries in our carryon bags. We took a nap and stretched out our tired and aching bodies after a long 26 hours from leaving Stockton to arriving in Madrid.

We freshened up and prepared to meet the group for an orientation session and dinner with the missionaries. The orientation was held at the local Bible school where they train the national students for ministry. It is a second story rented flat about a 15 minute walk from our hotel. The original church in Madrid was started in this facility until they outgrew it. The church had about 33 members when Missionary Sones arrived to assume the work. It grew quickly and eventually they split into two groups so one could begin in the southern part of this city of 6 million people. Since then both groups have prospered and been responsible for beginning 20 more works from those who were converted and sent out from here. The orientation was presented by D.H. O’Keefe and Missionaries Markham and Sones. The purpose of the trip and the burden for missions was presented by Pastor O’Keefe and Missionary Markham informed us of some changes in service schedule. In all we will be ministering in 10 services during our stay. I was asked to speak in one of the churches in Madrid Sunday evening.

The missionaries also explained our travel schedule and asked us to be prompt when a meeting time was set for our transportation. Missionary Sones is handling all the logistics of moving our group and making arrangements for our meals and services. At the end of the week we will be given a total of the amount of meals we have consumed … eat now, pay later!

We left the Bible school/headquarters building and walked two or three blocks to a restaurant nearby. It was a good meal served in three courses. It was a simple little restaurant you probably would never pick out as a tourist hot spot, but the food was very good and we enjoyed a time of getting acquainted with our traveling partners. We enjoyed a salad (or soup), choice of meat dish (I chose beef) with fried potatoes, and dessert. We walked back to the hotel and retired about 11:00 this evening. Of course, I had to stay up longer to catch up on this blog. It is only 5:00 PM at home … but 1:00 AM here. I’ll have to try to adapt to this time zone and ignore my biological clock!

Hope you enjoy reading along as we experience our mission!