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<\/a><\/p>\nOur days are full here. Mornings consist of either history classes and a tour or volunteering. Evenings are spent with the group. Classes are so interesting. I\u00a0love learning about the rich history of Spain. Again classes are taught in Spanish, so I\u00a0feel like I\u00a0am missing a lot. But our leader translates as much as possible, and we have handouts for each lecture. After lecture we go to different areas of the city and apply what we just heard. We have been to different\u00a0alc\u00e1zars, city ruins, cathedrals and museums.<\/p>\n
Two days a week we volunteer. I\u00a0loved my volunteer placement, Hospital de la Caridad. It is a retirement-like home for elderly men. Built in 1674 by Miguel Ma\u00f1ara, a wealthy man who was going through a difficult time in his life. He lost his wife at a young age and was struggling emotionally, physically, and spiritually. In order to find peace, he sold all of his possessions so he could help others like him. He built a church and a hospital. This hospital was for men who didn\u2019t have a home and needed medical assistance. Both the hospital (now similar to a retirement home in my opinion) and the church are still functioning. It was great to have\u00a0the history of such an amazing place as our foundation before we began serving the residents and staff.<\/p>\n We started the mornings playing memory games and bingo with the residents. Man do those men love bingo! After bingo we would go for a walk. The first day, a nurse \u201cassigned\u201d each of us a chair and showed us the way out. It was overwhelming because none of us knew if the nurse would accompany us, or if we would be flying solo. Thankfully the nurse walked with us, showing us which streets to take and helping us manage the bumpy roads. Just imagine six young, American girls, each pushing a wheelchair down Sevilla\u2019s crowded cobblestone streets. If that doesn\u2019t make you chuckle, it should. Even as we were walking, I\u00a0couldn\u2019t help but smile at the sight our little caravan must have made. I\u00a0wish we would have had more time with the men at Hospital de la Caridad.<\/p>\n Time is something I\u00a0have thought a lot about on this trip. The first couple weeks went by so fast. Now, we are only a week from departing this beautiful country. \u00a0I often long for more time. More time to enjoy all that I\u00a0have been given. Sevilla has been a breath of fresh air for me. Afternoons are free for us as the whole city seems to take a two hour siesta because it is so miserably hot. some days i take advantage of siesta and sleep. But others, the Lord has given me energy to dig into the Word. Something I\u00a0have been so thankful for. There are no distractions. The city sleeps. God has been using this trip to open so many doors. Doors to friendships and great conversations. I\u00a0pray these friendships would continue to grow as we finish our time abroad and as we return to the states. We only have a few days left in Sevilla. And then five quick days together in granada. Where did the time go\u2026<\/p>\n -Rachel Yoder<\/p>\n It\u2019s true. The sun does shine here in Sevilla. A\u00a0lot. It shines until it is 100 degrees (10 second pity party- my house has no AC and no fan. Also, this is my second attempt at this post because I\u00a0somehow messed up after writing for a solid 35 minutes…I’m all smiles right now). The transition … Continue reading Sevilla<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"