22 Hours

It's been a while since I have done one of these really tired posts. Tracy is away in England at the moment with Ellis preparing our house for when we move back in 6 weeks! So I got up at 7am to do the school run with Dan, then tried to get some rest but had to walk the dog, do the dishes and all the other normal household stuff you have to get on with, we then had a team orientation, I spent the afternoon in the centre, had a lovely meeting with charlie and Abby over tea then spent the night on the street, it is now 5am. Birds are singing and if I stayed up I could catch Venus passing in front of the sun in 2 hours time. I think I will give it a miss.

The streets were phenomenal tonight, prays prayed, bibles handed out, drunks taken home all very good. I love my life here and don't mind the occasional 22 hour day, just not sure I can handle it for much longer. Anyway 6 weeks to go, I'll just suck it up.

I love Hebrews it says this in Chapter 12: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.


I consider Him, He is my life blood, my inspiration, my hope.. 22hours is nothing in light of His sacrifice.


Peace to you and good night!

Late Night Messiness

It's 3.03am we got a call from the police at 1.20am to come for a girl who was, in their words, "A little bit drunk" when we got to the hotel it was very clear that this was way more than a little bit drunk. We prayed as we drove to find her that we would have the grace and patience to deal with the situation.

She wasn't actually staying in the hotel where we found her lying, so the name of the game was to get her back to her own hotel. Thankfully the night porter had worked out where she was and printed off some directions for us, which were very helpful.

The girl herself was lying in her own vomit and had lost control of her bowels, this is a very embarrassing state to find yourself in. Emma and Jillian gallantly cleaned the vomit and pooh from her as best as they could. The night porter brought us some towel they were used to clean her up but it just kept coming. She had definitely been eating chinese food.

As we went to stand her up Emma gagged and nearly vomited so I stepped in to help manoeuvre and lift the girl into the van. Unfortunately I didn't have time to put gloves on.

I quickly realised I had pooh on my hands, I drove, whilst Emma who had recovered brilliantly, poured alcohol wipe onto my hands to remove the pooh. It took us a while to find the apartment where the girl was staying the van was the smelliest it has ever been and you couldn't escape it. It gets in your clothes and everything, you have to breath through your mouth as to not let the smell get in any further.

We got her back safely Emma and Jillian took her in to her friends and they got her in the shower, cleaned her up and put her in bed whilst I stayed outside to clean the pooh from the inside of the van. The girls did brilliantly; cleaning a conscious drunk is much harder than cleaning a van.

In the end she was home safe, it wasn't pretty but she is ok, I know you can ask yourself how can people get in such a state? Mostly it's just an under estimation of the strength of the drink and size of the measures here. They don't start the evening off thinking "tonight I want to get so drunk that I vomit and pooh myself " it creeps up on them.

Anyway we got back in the van, I realised my hands still smelt of pooh, because we hadn't cleaned the steering wheel!!!! We got it properly cleansed, and here I am sitting indoors waiting for the next call.

We are not saints, but surely having a faith is about active involvement, my faith isn't passive, it is not just something I adhere to mentally it affects my actions.

So when we help someone we often remember the words of Jesus which were "Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself"

First use

Week 2 of being out on the streets, tonight we saw our first bit of vomit van action. Thankfully the guy vomited before he got in the van, which tends to give you a little window of clarity and you get them home as quickly as possible.

Tonight it was two 18 year old lads who had been at the vodka cocktails.

Will post some more on prayer and mission tomorrow, just a little bit tired right now.

Ancient Places

Old Church buildings great for photo's, picturesque weddings and sombre funerals but not much else!

Where prayer takes you

It's 4.30 just got in from 5 great hours out on the street. Well I say out on the street but you have to remember that we spend as much time in the prayer room as we do on the street. Thats what makes the street work so affective.

A little run down: We go out after 30 minutes of prayer and instantly sit and talk to 3 Irish guys one has taken 10 pills, whilst chatting we get a call from a bar where a couple have just got in a fight, we go to the bar, calm the situation down and take the girl back to her hotel whilst her boyfriend walks home to calm down, Clare prays with her in the back of the van.

On our way back we stop to pick up a girl and her boyfriend who two of our team members have been sitting with, the girls is totally drunk but her boyfriend isn't, we drive them back to their hotel. Whilst driving them back we notice another girl vomiting outside a bar so we fun two more of our team to go and see her, we then turn a corner and notice a guy asleep in the centre reservation of a road we phone two more team members to go and make him safe.

Drop vomit girl number one and boyfriend off, go back for vomiting girl number two who is with her sister we drop them back at her hotel, she vomits outside all over one of our team members shoes, our team member gags but bravely gets on with it.

The guys we sent to look after the guy in the centre reservation get him to safety and sit with him for 2 hours whilst he remembers his hotel.

As we park the van up from dropping of vomit girl number two we get a phone call from the girl who had a fight with her boyfriend saying he was getting angry again, we quickly phone the prayer room and get our guys to pray whilst we drive back round the bay to make sure the girl is ok. We arrive at the hotel and she phones to say they have both calmed down and everything is ok. God heard our prayers.

We drive back to town get a phone call from a bar, a guy has fallen asleep out the back we wake him up and walk him to our van and then drive him home, he's a nice guy, just drunk.

We then get back to the prayer room where the rest of the team have had opportunities to pray with people for healing, to read bibles with people, to listen to peoples stories. One of our girls prayed with a drug dealer.... We take someone else home and more prayers and conversations are had then we come home.

This is not an unusual night... this is where prayer takes you.

Lateness

Back from hols out on the streets tonight with team 5, which was loads of fun. It's been very quiet this week but we like that as it means we have many more opportunities to pray with people and talk with people.

We met a girl who was waiting for a guy but he stood her up or maybe he was just late.

Listen if your man and you're meeting a girl there are only two things you can be, early or on time. Late doesn't work.

There is no such thing as fashionably late, you're late, it's rude, end of story.


Lateness is a bug bear of mine, if you are unavoidably late you need to send a text or make a quick phone call to let someone know.

When someone is late without explanation it feels like they are saying "my time is worth more than your time"

There are two different types of meta programmes that people run. One is "through time" this means you are always thinking about what is next, planning ahead and don't really feel at ease until you have a plan and a schedule, the other type is "in time" you get caught in the moment, you are very present, you don't think about what is next. Both are ok and contribute nicely to each other. But neither should allow for lateness, especially the second one. Although it is normally in time people who are late!

Don't be late it's not good.

Ambulance trouble

Tonight the galleno (private medical company) have been following us they took a guy of us last week who didn't want to go with them he slept his stupor off in their centre and then they charged him 480 euros!! this is an injustice. We are not medically trained but if we ever find someone unconscious we call and ambulance. If they have puke on them and just can't get a taxi we take them home. These are the kind of guys we help the most, they are on their own or with a friend, to drunk to make it home in a cab with vomiting but no where near in enough of a state to need a hospital.

Tonight we had a call from a bar to help a girl who was alone and vomiting we took her to the taxi rank but they wouldn't take her. So I rocked up in the van to drop her at her hotel. The Galleno where also there they wanted to take her but she didn't want to go with them, they were very insistent but I refused to let them take a girl, they then blocked me with in the street their ambulance and called the police. I got so angry I tried to reverse out, one of the galleno guys stood in the way, thumped van & accused me of hitting him!

Thankfully the police came, and after assessing the situation told them to move, the Galleno argued but had to go in the end. The Galleno are unjust they prey on the drunk and vulnerable to make money. The police were not impressed with the whole situation, they have better things to do with their time, but they stood up for us.

I am concerned that times are hard and they are getting more ruthless and predatory, they don't like us because we steal business, except we do all we do for free. Which messes with their heads and they don't really believe us.

Handbags at dawn, but it unsettled me. Darkness biting back......

is it early or late?

Just finished a hectic night on the street, got in 5 minutes ago the sun is properly up and I have been awake for 22 hours, it's 7.04 am!

Is this ok as a blog post? I'm too tired for anything else.

Not even a picture.

Drugs are for mugs and mugs are for coffee...

What a great saying, we walked a guy home tonight from Dublin, well not actually from Dublin just from the westend to his hotel and that was his little saying.

Team 2 are here and it is going great guns, the bibles are flying out of our hands and people are not only taking them because they are trendy but also to read, which is reassuring. I will get the team to write some stories and publish them soon.

It was a crazy fun night, good vibes in the air after Spain beat Germany to qualify for the world cup final. I so want them to win. We must have walked about 10 people home. We bandaged and literally washed bloody feet in the west end. One guy prayed with two of our team members by kneeling down in the street. We took a girl to hospital with her ever so sweet friends who really just wanted her to be ok. Dropped some other guys of who also were helping there drunk friend home.

Most evenings we pray that people would look out for each other and this definitely happened tonight.

It's 5 in the morning I am sitting outside in my back garden as i type this, the birds are starting to sing and a new dawn beckons. I want to see a new dawn beckon for this generation. A dawn of hope, a dawn of helpfulness, a dawn of selflessness, I get glimmers and whispers of a new dawn for this generation I occasionally hear the birds heralding this new dawn, I want it to grow to a crescendo a loud bright transformation of a generation.

Shine on you crazy diamonds

Tinchy Stryder

Just to give you an idea of how varied our evenings can be, we walked into the westend at about 1am this morning. Chatted to few friends, gave a bible away, sat on a wall and talked with a lady who has mental health issues, walked back up the westend, got called to help some young guy who was completely out of it, got a wheel chair passed him on to Neil and Clare who took him to the hospital, chatted with a lap dancer about her friends drug habit walked back up to the prayer room, washed the puke from our arms and prayed for an hour. Then we walked down to Eden and went to see tinchy stryder for a few minutes because he is one of my youngest sons favourite artists. We got real close took a few snaps, then left, I'm not really into urban music even if I am only standing 8 feet from the guy. We walked back up into the westend chatted with a few more guys and then walked a dancer who we know back to her apartment, we do this a lot it's a nice part of our job, walking and talking with someone and getting them home safely.

It doesn't seem like much but as we were praying tonight I really felt that "the little things matter"

Tinchy is actually very small, but the little things matter. Tinchy matters.

Church is the meeting

Busy manic time, married to a little bit of writers block has led to a little slow down on my behalf.....

The last few weeks we have been putting on a little service on a Sunday night. The team have all been working hard at not calling the service church, probably a little on my insistence that for years we have said "church is not the building" but I do think that we have subliminally said "church is the meeting". This can be so easily spotted in statements like "I am going to church" or "How was church this morning" anyway just a thought.

Our little service took on an extra dimension this week when 4 of the prostitutes we work with turned up, I found it deeply moving. It also made me think that I don't really care anymore what you call your service, christians get more hung up on names and stuff than normal people. As long as prostitutes etc keep showing up thats what makes a difference, it's more about who attends than what you call it.

5.15 am I should go to bed.

That time again

Well we have arrived at the time of year were I bore you with stories of our evenings out on the street. We were out tonight and as we walked along by the harbour we were accosted by two prostitutes who were very happy to see us greeting us with lots of hugs and kisses. One had been here last year, we had prayed for her anemia and it was now much better. She told us how she had been reading the bible we gave her. It was so refreshing to get such a warm greeting.

We walked back into the west end and stopped to talk to a new PR who we gave a bible to, whilst we were talking to her we noticed another guy we had been helping out was surrounded by 5 guardia civil, the hard core police. We was in some sort of altercation with them about money owed at a kebab shop. Whilst I chatted with this new PR Claire just watched and prayed for this other guy. The police eventually punched him to the ground kicked him about a bit and then let him go!!! That is wrong, so wrong on so many levels. 5 guys my size beating up some young guy.

We then walked up a bit further and another girl asked us if she could have a bible, but we had just given ours away! I can't wait until we get the new ones. We stood and chatted with her for a bit.

As we walked around tonight we heard that someone had been stabbed to death the previous evening outside one of the pubs. This doesn't happen often but it is always disturbing.

We talked with many other workers it's very quiet here at the moment, but that gives us time to connect. The centre is getting nicely busy now which is also great. Table tennis is proving a real winner. How does this work? About a week ago two guys pop into use the table tennis table and then tonight two of our guys sit and talk with them on the street for an hour about Jesus. Table tennis is the way forward.

It's good to be back in this random world. Scary at times, sad at times, funny at times but definitely the place we are meant to be.

Break

Been a strange week, can't understand how I let last week anonymous comment get under my skin so much, it knocked the wind out of my sails a bit, which is unusual and probably just means I am tired and need a holiday.

On Wednesday I was diagnosed with having two inguinal hernias, pictured above! Got to get them sorted, they are normally brought on by heavy lifting, which I have done a lot more of this year!

Late tomorrow night we fly to Northern Ireland for a two week holiday, so I 'm signing off for two weeks.

Response

Ibiza is no different than the UK. I agree with this on one level but do think there are some areas that add a uniquness to Ibiza, especially the west end.

It's level of intensity is different, it's like 160 UK weekend nights one after another.

It has a better geographical mix of people, if you go out in Birmingham you generally tend to have people from that area etc.., with the west end you have a much broader UK mix.

If you drink spirits the measures are much larger in the West End and spain in genral, which can lead to people getting more drunk than they thought they would.

Generally I feel the West End is less agressive than the UK at the weekend, although you should have seen the guy some of our workers talked to tonight after he had his face caved in.

People on holiday are generally more chilled than people on a weekend off in their home town, I know I am.

I think I meet more drug dealers here but am pretty sure the same happens in the UK just a little more covertly.

Nudity levels are high and because of the warm weather, you will see more people having drunken sex in public.

So for me it's the intensity level that is different and the relentlessness of it all.

I do have a nice life here, it is hard work I do as many hours as your average person back home, the timing is different so your body clock gets messed with, which does leave you tired and Tracy and I work different hours so we don't see each other as much as if we had normal jobs.

Like any other father and husband I want to spend quality time with my wife and children, real quality time, so because of that we go on holiday once a year for two weeks. We have five other adults living with us we need some space. So two weeks away from our normal schedules is good.

Anyway I am being defensive, I guess all I can say is that I know I am called by God to be here, it is a joy and I am thankful for the adventure we are on and grateful to the people who support us.

As for school, well I want my children to educated in a language other than catalan, it's restrictive so they go to an international school. How that is funded is for me and the board of 24-7 ibiza to work out.

I hint and I ask on this blog and people respond, which reassures me that I have friends out there who believe in us.

I love what it says on a friend of mines blog

no one is forcing you to read it

Parenting

Little update on the car, it's on it's way just got to get it from Edinburgh to Essex then Essex to Barcelona. I have to wonderful people from N.Ireland Owen and Jud Sweeny are going to drive it from Essex. Jud will be with us for 6 weeks so that is excellent.

Still trying to raise another £500 but think I'm going to stop begging on my blog and start praying a bit more!!!!!

It's 5am I like this little moment before I go to bed, Blogging just gives me a chance to clear my head and off load a little bit. Sorry about the school rant, I'm not sure what I think about it all. Although I definitely fall on the side that a teachers job is impossible if not backed up by parents.

Parenting, how does that work?

The books don't make sense there isn't a one size fits all manual for the complex little humans we call children. A guy called John Wilmot said "Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories." For me as I have said before it's about making sure they know they can talk to you, that you'll always listen and them knowing that you love them un- conditionally. They also need your time, Jesse Jackson said "Your children need your presence more than your presents."

I like being a parent, it's mainly a joy and occasionally a test. Funny but my boys are shy, and people would think that I am not shy. I'll say what has to said and speak in front of people but actually I am quite shy. If I ever go to a party with you please don't leave me on my own.

I like meeting new people, just have to push myself to do it.

Anyway heres to parents everywhere, your job is hard but in the end it must be rewarding.

I see a generation!

I was listening to a christian song the other night and one of the lines was " I see a generation, rising up to takes it place" possibly hoping to prompt visions of the church and young people within the church rising up to take there place.

I'm not to sure I agree with that, I see a generation rising up to takes it's place at the bar...

I see a generation of young people looking for intimacy and closeness in casual sexual encounters

I see a generation numb it senses to a bleak future with excessive drug use

i see a generation rising up to make as much money as possible at the altar of materialism whilst they worship the gods of celebrity.

I'm just trying to be realistic.

I see a church generation that is neutered in it's response to these problems. A largely female grouping who desperately want just to rise up and meet a nice christian man, but as age creeps up on them the options narrow and they slip away either leaving the church or settling for the mediocre. I see a male generation who can give so little because the pressures of life and work squeeze there time out and leave them with dregs to give others......

I see a generation that is failing, both in and outside of the church.

Something needs to change.


It's been a heavy night on the street.......................

And so it begins.....

An overly dramatic title for an underly dramatic day! We opened our centre and had our first evening out on the westend today.

It went really well, we had about 8 people drop into the centre, which considering we started a week later last year and only had one person on our first day, is a massive improvement. People just coming to use the computers and one guy posted a prayer request.

Helen and I then had an evening out on the Westend, it wasn't really busy a lot of the bars are still closed, so we left at about 2am, nice to have an early night. It was cool to talk with old friends from last year, it felt like most people where gearing up slowly and hoping for a busy summer. I am praying that we all have a good one this year, that the euro doesn't put people off and that others still fancy coming to Ibiza.

Was just saying to one of the guys tonight, this will be our fifth summer in Ibiza, for me that is amazing. I don't know why it should be but really my expectations of what we could achieve here have been more than met, I love the streets in many ways I feel born to be out on them, although this year, to preserve our sanity and relationship, Tracy and I will only be out 3 nights a week between us instead of the usual 4! We'll still do two nights each but we will do one of those two nights together, which will be fun.

The farm has obviously changed things, but not to drastically. A few people told us we looked healthy!!! probably because we have been working outside and naturally caught a bit of the winter sun, which is all good.

Well I have been up since 7am which is actually only 19 hours ago and I don't feel too bad, although I think it's time to hit the sack.

Goodnight and please stay with me on this journey.....

Are you tired? Worn out?

I read this last night and found it very life giving:

The words of Jesus from Matthew 11

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

and the same passage in The Message version of the bible

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Crisis management

so Helen and I where out on the street tonight, it was very quiet and we started to think about going home. First we thought we would go say hi to some friends who work at one of the bars we know. Whilst standing outside they had to eject a guy who had to much to drink and was starting to wind people up inside. Then out came his girlfriend they had an argument in the street. It transpired he had been so drunk he had started touching other girls in the bar inappropriately.

We just watched this unfold.

Then the girls who he had touched came out and ran up to him and just started to beat him up, it was a pretty drunk fight most punches missed. Then some guys started to steam in as well so we ran over and got him out of the fight, thankfully we had a friend who used to be a doorman who helped us. I walked the guy up the road towards his hotel away from his attackers when the group of girls and lads came charging after him for more, punches and kicks flew all over the place none really landed. The guy I was helping just ran off.

I then got to the girls who where beating him up and they told me they had just finished a 6 month tour of Iraq and had come away to unwind. He had definitely picked the wrong girls to fondle!

Anyway they all dispersed and then the guys poor girlfriend came looking for him, she was in such a state wandering crying on her own, so we helped her look for her man who was obviously out of breath and slightly bruised when we eventually found him. Whilst we were talking with them trying to get them back to their hotel, their over friends came out of the bar with one girl who was completely wasted. We left our doorman friend with the beaten up guy and his distressed girlfriend and bunged their friends and the wasted girl into the van and quickly got her home to her hotel.

We then got a call from our doorman friend, the soldier girls had come back with their friends and beaten this guy for a third time, he had run off again abandoning his girlfriend again. They had even started to try and beat her up. So we went looking for him I drove around all the back streets to no avail, although he eventually showed up and we managed to get them both back to their hotel slightly bruised and upset but safe. The beaten up guy is going to have to do some explaining in the morning!

I don't think I have adequately described how wild it all was, never did we feel unsafe just concerned. You have one vulnerable girl wandering around on her own looking for her boyfriend, you have some rightfully distressed soldier girls seeking vengeance, one beaten up drunk guy and a wasted girl who can't walk to get home. Sometimes it feels more like crisis management than anything else.

Anyway I am home now and have a parents meeting at a nice coffee shop near the school in 4 hours, never could two worlds be so different.

I'm going to bed......

Proximity

Have you ever been so tired you felt sick? For some reason this is how I felt tonight by about 4am this morning I was pacing around our prayer room just trying to stay awake and not vomit probably the fact I only had 5 hours sleep last night contributed greatly.

I got a second wind, but it's at times like these when you're fighting off a pounding headache and covered in a sticky film of sweat, that you have little moments of wanting to be comfortable.

The reality is I'm tired and sweaty but alive, what I do continues to give me life. I wouldn't have it any other way and I wouldn't want to be in any other place.

We talked with many people tonight, some we just listened to, others we gave advice to, we prayed with some, took simple prayer requests from others, helped others and generally had a great evening.

I'm surprised we haven't become hard to what we see, obviously you do kind of get used to it but never hard to it. I guess that's a God thing.

The other night Tracy came out of the prayer room and walked by to guys 3 doors up just standing in a doorway grinning at each other whilst two prostitutes performed oral sex on them. I wasn't there but i find it disturbing on so many levels but not a judgmental one. I like what Michael Frost has to say about the word "Proximity" we need to be close to places we work in or the places we work out from. We're right slap bang in the middle of it and hopefully we are here to stay. Our proximity gives us access to disturbing sites but also wonderful opportunities, the good out weighs the bad.

It's good to be close to the people who need you.