Holiday in Spain - Immense

Hola!

I had a great opportunity to go on a holiday to Spain with a Christian tour company called Oak Hall. What an incredible, life-changing experience. To me, the word of the week was Immense. Let me attempt to explain my thoughts...

God's love is immense.

The Bible talk through the week was on parts of Revelations. We talked about the majesty and splendor of the Glory of God.  I was reminded that when we trust Jesus, we have access to the very majestic presence of God - this God who is in control, whose power and love is everything!
I was also amazed at how so many of us came on this trip on our own and yet we connected so well with one another. I never felt alone and am blessed to have made some great friends on this trip - brothers and sisters in Christ. 

God's beauty is immense.

The Sea...
Having the Mediterranean Sea within 100 metres of our hotel was great. I spent lots of time just standing where the sand and the sea meet - standing in awe. The sea was bright blue and clear, and each grain of salt was distinct. At night the sea was dark and almost forbidden, the waves crashing again the shore was a sharp, yet welcoming sound. The sight of the lighthouse on the cliff was breathtaking. The light shining two flashes, three flashes as it swept around... a remarkable symbol of God's love, protection and guidance. At that moment, I so wished dad could have been with me to experience that, to see a real lighthouse. I do desire to be a lighthouse to others and to reflect and shine God's love through me to people I meet.

The Mountains...
On one of our outing days, we went to Monserrat - a mountain range with old monasteries and basilicas. The rocks forming the mountain peaks were smooth stone almost resembling people and faces. They were quite stark and rigid, especially the higher you climbed. Two of my friends and I decided to take the Funicular up the mountain and to climb down. On the way down, we passed a small church which was locked and gated, but you could peek inside. E went to the gate and just started singing. The sound radiated and sounded like a choir of angels with the immense acoustics. We continued on our journey and came to a cliff where the view was again breathtaking. We took some lovely snap shots and sat for a moment to reflect. It's uncomprehendable that we only saw a tiny portion of Monserrat, which in the scheme of the rest of the world and the universe is just a gran of salt. I wonder how glorious heaven will be... it will be beyond description, a place where God will be, where we can see his face. How awesome is that!

A window... the unknown

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121

The Basilica de la Sacrada Familia...
How do I start to describe this cathedral? Let me start by talking about Gaudi, the designer. This building was started over 200 years ago with hopes that it will be finished in the next 10 years. Gaudi designed it knowing that he wouldn't see the end product. When asked how he felt by that, his response, "It's all in God's timing." How true is that! So the building... from the outside, it looked like any ordinary tall building with construction work. But on closer examination, you could see sculptures of Jesus' birth on one side and his death and resurrection on the other. The sculptures were so intricate and lovely. The door at the entrance had the words, "our daily bread..." in several languages. When I entered, my breath was taken away.

I began to look and saw marble. It was simple, yet absolutely beautiful. The light shining through the stain glass was beautiful, the marble structures formed tall trees and what struck me was that it was all focused on Jesus and God's love. My descriptions, nor my pictures do it justice.

 

Awesome... Breathtaking.... Immense

So that's just a brief recap of my holiday in Spain. I am so amazed with just how awesome that holiday was. It was a perfect reminder that I am never alone. That God has things in control and that he is so majestic. 

Blessings to you all. May you believe in God's immense love and beauty. Just a thought... you are each God's beautiful works! 

Kristen