Tired? I wasn't tired. I was exhausted.
I had been sleeping in strange quarters (sometimes with strange people), awake for odd hours, and traveling by foot for 5 days with an injury albeit a mild one. Not to mention the jet lag that comes when entering a drastically different time zone.
It was Saturday. Exactly one week since I landed in Madrid. The train was to leave at 8:10 which meant I was up and in the lobby before 7:10am. Peter met me there and we drove to the downtown station.
I was hoping to be awake for my travels. I had been to Galicia but Valencia was on the other side of the country. New terrain entirely. Ten minutes in, I was out like a light. For all I know I was snoring and I'm pretty sure I drooled. At one point I awakened at the sounds of the gasps of other passengers. I just caught the sight of brilliant blue water surrounded by what I will call little mountains. Not long later I was stepping off the train and searching the crowd for Hermana McW.
Hermana and I met through the dental office. She worked there just over a year ago and we quickly became friends. She was in the process of being given orders for her Mission. When I discovered I would have free time in Spain, I knew I had to make an effort to see her. God is gracious and He granted me that good gift.
We spent the day together. She, I, and Hermana H walked and talked as they showed me their life in the city. Their Piso was adorable. The English class was comical. The city, absolutely lovely. In fact, I'd love to go back and explore. It was such a pleasant time that the hot weather wasn't that intolerable.
At lunch, Hermana H began to introduce me to what they had come to teach in Spain. I was thankful for the conversation even though I heartily disagree with much of their beliefs. It was a good time of challenging one another. They had to think about the questions I asked, some of which they had never encountered, and I was able to rely on the Spirit to bring to mind His Word. My heart wants more conversations with loud rustling of pages as we flip from passage to passage. My prayer is that as they read the Bible that Holy Spirit would overwhelm them with the Truth.
Time got away from us and we ended up sprinting the last stretch to the train station. I made it with a few minutes to spare. After shedding a few more tears and praying over my friends, new and old, I began my journey back to Madrid. I again slept most of the way. Who knows if I snored and I am almost positive on the drool. Before long I was again at the train station getting direction from Peter.
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