This will be the last writing about our summer experiences in Spain and it is the most difficult to explain because of the mysterious nature of the spiritual world. During the five years before the summer of 2000, God was working in powerful ways in my life, in our family, in my workplace, and in our church. Then, after our family and my closest friend Joe returned from Israel, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. Joe, who is eleven years older than me, was also hospitalized and at the brink of death. Twenty-one years later, we are all still alive and perhaps a little more familiar with the importance of perseverance. As God’s faithfulness proves true, the reality of our enemy’s resistance also becomes clear. I often wonder how the physical and spiritual worlds intersect.
The devil is ruthless… he wants to steal from us, kill us, and destroy all that is good. Followers of Jesus know this because He taught: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” (John 10:10) But when we try to be specific, it can get complicated. So I’m just going to share the things that happened our last few days in Spain and then remind us of God’s words of hope.
Karlyn and I had an incredible week at L’Arcada Camp in Banyoles, Spain. We made wonderful friends and shared beautiful fellowship with thirty believers preparing to show Christ to teenagers through sports. Everything had gone very smooth, but during our Saturday night meal my filling broke in an upper tooth, which meant I would have to limit chewing to the right side of my mouth until reaching a dentist in the States. Though painful, it was no big deal…
Sunday morning after worship, Dave Bintz, the sports camp director, took Karlyn and me to a clinic in town to get a COVID test within 48 hours of our plane’s departure from Barcelona. Thankfully, we tested negative. Arriving back at camp, we learned that the leadership board decided to test all campers arriving Sunday afternoon and all workers who had been with us during the preparation week. A couple of incoming campers tested positive and had to return home with their parents… what a bummer. Then we learned two of our friends who planned to be counselors also tested positive… another bummer. But not only did they have to leave camp, all the counselors who slept in their large teepees also had to quarantine for ten days. Tania from Ecuador was one who had to leave.
Sunday evening, Karlyn and I were given an entire teepee to spend our last night. As the excited teenagers settled in, I was hoping we could get a good night’s rest, as we had a couple of travel days ahead. About midnight, a howling wind woke me. For an hour I thought we were going to blow away. Occasionally, frightful young voices pierced the air as the storm raged. Finally, as the winds subsided, I peeked my head out to survey the damage. Summer nights in northern Spain are chilly with temperatures dropping into the low 40’s, but as I walked through the campground a little after 1:00 am, the air was warm and humid. Thankfully, no great damage was done, although many people were shaken. What a weird night…
The next day, Karlyn and I took a train to Barcelona and found the hotel Susan had reserved for us to spend our last night. We had one afternoon to cover as much ground in Barcelona as we could. We visited Park Guell, La Sagrada Familia, and ended up in Las Rambla, the long boulevard of shops and cafes with interesting foods. We walked nearly ten miles and had a grand time… until Karlyn reached into her pocket and discovered her phone was missing. One of the last things Dave told us as we separated was: “Be careful in Barcelona; pickpockets are everywhere…” Of course Karlyn was upset and her dad was not much help. After sitting by the Mediterranean a while, we decided to go back to our hotel then find a good place to eat our final dinner in Spain. We had a nice evening, made it to the airport on time the next morning, and caught our connecting flight in Paris to return to Atlanta.
When we arrived home, we were troubled to learn that our friend Maggie tested positive and had to quarantine ten days in Spain before she could return to Texas. Then a few days later, Karlyn and I started feeling strange. We were both tested and discovered we had COVID. Having been vaccinated and thinking we were safe because of our negative tests in Banyoles, I unknowingly spread the virus to at least four loved ones. What a bad feeling…
How can such an incredible trip end with so many things going wrong? Was our enemy involved in all the problems? Is God still in control? With all the struggle, I know there fellow believers who have endured far worse. Multitudes have given their lives for the Gospel or faced unjust prison sentences or lost homes, jobs, and possessions for their faith. I should not complain. I don’t know every way the devil resists God’s children… but I do know he hates us. And ‘Yes,’ God is still in control. We can trust Him and know that nothing can separate us from His love.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8: 28-39