Ibiza Trip Report

Hello all! I have returned home from my European adventure. It was to say at the very least - life changing...

Now that I’m at least a little rested here is my official trip report. I’ll apologize in advance because it’s a little long. There are lots of details for those of you who like that (Jenny!). And also loads of pictures... Enjoy!

So before I went to Spain, I flew to California a few days early so that I could go to the Worship Central conference that was being held at my old church Rock Harbor. The conference was fantastic! It was even better than last years. The worship was great, and exactly what I needed. There were several seminars and one that sticks out was taught by a seminary professor named J.D. Walt. It was about the theology of doxology…it was very deep! Here are a few quotes from the class:

“Worship is where we construct a context for revelation from the Holy Spirit.”

“The only way to measure the impact of worship is to watch what happens after. How does it affect people’s lives?”

I got a few new CD’s and a new book. If you’ve never heard of Brenton Brown, I suggest you go out and get his new worship CD. It’s called Because of Your Love. There’s a song on it called “Adoration” that is quickly becoming a favorite. I also heard Francis Chan speak for the first time, and he was very thought provoking. I love it when a speaker makes me reflect, and then apply what they’ve said to my own life. Overall the conference was just what I needed before my trip. While in California I stayed with my friends Amber and Kevin (and Brody!) Their couch was fit for a queen, and much appreciated. I also want to say thanks to Renee for being my conference buddy. It’s amazing how God knows exactly what we need.

The conference was Friday and Saturday and on Sunday morning the WONDERFUL Ms. Linda Chang took me to the airport at 5:00 am! What a trooper! From Los Angeles, I flew to Charlotte, then to Frankfurt Germany, and finally to Barcelona. In Barcelona I met up with most of the team that was headed to Ibiza. Henrike and Sandra from Germany, and Charl, Carla, Jemma, and Tina who are all living in the U.K. doing a year out with 24/7 prayer. Tina is actually from the U.S. so I wasn’t the only American! We met and grabbed a bite to eat before catching our flight to Ibiza.

Once in Ibiza we met up with Tracy Heasley who picked us up from the airport. She dropped us at the hotel where we met our final team member Casey who was also from the UK.

The year round 24/7 Ibiza team consists of Brian and Tracey Heasley (and their two sons), and Bruce and Helen. They live in Ibiza year round. During the busy season, which lasts from May to October, they have others volunteers who come in to help them with the work they do. They also have 2 week long mission’s teams that come in during various weeks over the summer.

The next morning after breakfast we headed to the 24/7 Ibiza center in the West End. The cool thing is that they are actually right there in the middle of all the action.

As you can see from the picture the West End is a street that’s full of bars, and strip clubs. During the summer months this street is crowded with tourists. 24/7 Ibiza basically sends teams out into the streets to talk to, and help people. They may get to pray with a group of young people, or they may intervene to make sure that someone who’s had too much to drink get’s back to their hotel without being robbed or worse. The team I was on is the prayer team. We were there to pray for the upcoming season, and to help them get ready in practical ways. We did several prayer walks, and it was great to listen to Brian tell us all about the history of the island of Ibiza. We walked in pairs and just prayed for the coming season.

That afternoon we went to Es Vedra…

Isn’t it beautiful! First Brian shared more history about the island and then we split up and spent some time alone in reflection and prayer. Back in the day if pirates were trying to come into port there where lookouts that would light a warning beacon to let the people know that trouble was coming. When that happened the people would flee to the churches which were considered places of refuge. I thought that was so cool! I definitely spent some time praying that 24/7 Ibiza would be a refuge for the people that visit Ibiza.

That night we also got to experience an Ibiza sunset. It was breathtaking. During the busy season hundreds of people sit out on the rocks and watch the sunset each night…and then they applaud. It’s like they’re acknowledging the beauty of God’s creation without even knowing it! Here are a few pictures of the sunset…



The next two days we got the chance to spend some quality time on the farm where the team lives. It was beautiful. We got to pray and work and eat, and it was altogether wonderful!




One day we took a hike up to a prayer chapel that is near the house. There were notebooks full of the prayers of people that had made the trek up the trail. People had also posted pictures of loved ones, or written their names on the wall of the chapel.

On our last full day we did another prayer walk through the West End and helped the team actually clean the center which was getting ready for its opening day. The center is a place where they get to connect with a lot of the workers on the Island. They offer them free internet service, and they have a Wii and a pool table. It’s a place for workers to come and hang out and get a chance to chat with someone if they want.

We also got to take a siesta which was great! Any excuse for a nap is okay by me! That night we headed to Pacha. It’s one of the best nightclubs in the world. One of the things that the team does is they go into the clubs and they dance, worship and pray. It was amazing to see how even as we danced and prayed we had people asking us what we were doing. At one point we had a few guys come up to us and ask what we were doing in Ibiza. Imagine their surprise when we told them we had come to pray. It was an interesting conversation starter. Before we headed into the club we actually got to go eat at this wonderful restaurant that was in the hotel across the street. It was a real treat! Of course I took pictures of everything...

The next day was Saturday and it was time to head home. My flight didn’t leave until late so I got to spend the day exploring the city, and doing some last minute souvenir shopping. I read my bible by the water and basically had a really chill day.

Overall I feel like I’m barely scratching the surface of what my trip was really like.

One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:13 -

“ When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." (MSG)

It was so cool to see that in action. Every time we sought God he was there to be found. It was also so powerful to know and trust that my prayers were sowing the seed for what’s going to happen this summer in Ibiza. I was challenged to remember that power is present in my everyday life as well. The same God who spoke to me so powerfully in Ibiza is here with me now. I was so moved by what is happening in Spain that I’m going to try and go back to Ibiza to experience what the summer is like. There’s some space on a team in September, and I believe that if it’s God’s desire for me to go back he will provide the funds for me just like he did for this trip.

And speaking of that, I just want to say a HUGE thank you again and again to everyone who prayed and donated for my trip. I’m praying that God blesses you as much as you have blessed me!

I also challenge you to pray for 24/7 Ibiza. To learn more about what they do, go check out their website HERE Or go check out Brian’s blog HERE

Until next time…

In Unexpected Places...

So I'm standing in line at the 99¢ store today when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to find a cute little old lady standing behind me. She asks me about the t-shirt I'm wearing. Now mind you I'm at the store at 9:00 am because I need eggs for an awesome omelet I'm planning on having for breakfast. I've literally gotten out of bed, changed my top, and put on some flip flops before I ran out of the house. The shirt I'd happened to choose this morning was from a youth event called Teen Break that I used to work when I lived in Lake Havasu City. I explained to the lady that I got the t-shirt from an event I worked at. She asks me if I'm a Christian, and I tell her that yes I am. She then proceeds to tell me about how much Jesus has changed her life. I hear her say that she loves to pray, so I tell her that I'm going on a missions trip this coming week, and I ask her to pray for me. So she reaches out to touch my shoulder as she starts to pray, right there in line while the check out lady is ringing up the eggs that I have now forgetten all about. How COOL is that! I don't think I'll forget that experience anytime soon!

Latest Update

I've got a lot of news to share, so lets just get started! The most important piece of news I have to share is that I got my plane ticket! I ended up finding a pretty good price flying out of LAX, so I booked it. I was going to just drive to and from California, since it's only a 4 hour trip, but then my dad in all of his generosity offered to buy me a ticket from Las Vegas to LAX.

A few days before I leave for Spain there's a great worship conference at the church I use to attend in California. It's called Worship Central. I went last year, and it was really good. This year's conference has actually been expanded so it's two days long. I'm flying into California on Friday the 24th so that I can go. So as of right now I'll be attending the conference on Friday and Saturday, and then on Sunday my flight leaves for Spain. I know I've said it before, but I'm really excited about getting the opportunity to go and be a part of what they do in Ibiza.

I also got my passport in the mail this week. So I guess that makes me an official U.S. citizen. I applied for it before I left California, and it took exactly four weeks for me to get it in the mail. I've had a passport before, but unfortunately I let it expire. The new passports have an electronic chip inside of them, pretty hi-tech!

Until later...

I'm OFFICIAL!

I got my official invite from the 24-7 Ibiza team today...so I am now officially a part of the April missions team. YEAH! I was getting a little nervous! Now it's just a matter of getting all the details in order. Most importantly I need to buy a plane ticket, and boy are they pricey. It's looking like I'll be flying into Barcelona, and someone will meet me there and fly with me to Ibiza. I can't tell you how excited I am about getting this opportunity.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...THANKS to everyone who's donated so far! Keep checking back for more updates!

Update...

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for checking up on my progress! As you can see, the fundraising has been going really well. People have been donating online via Paypal, and I've gotten a few checks in the mail in response to a fundraising letter I sent out. I've sent in my application to the 24/7 Ibiza ministry, and I'm just waiting for them to check my references and give me the okay. Once I get that I'll start shopping for my plane ticket! Thanks again and again to everyone who's donated so far. Keep checking back for more updates!

Donations...YEAH!

I've started to get donations, and I'm really excited! Today I mailed out a fundraising letter to some friends and family who don't frequent Myspace or Facebook. Hopefully those donations will start to come in soon. I'm on my way! I've added the names of everyone who has donated to my Wall of Fame. I just want to note that Jake and Stefani Long were my first official contributors. Thanks you two!

I also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who's donated so far. Check out my cool fundraising thermometer to see how much I've raised.

300

I'm looking for 300 Awesome people who will donate $10 each to help send me on my missions trip to Ibiza. Will you be one of my 300? If you donate $10 (or more!) I'll add your name to my wall of fame! Plus I'll do your laundry for a year...okay maybe not that last one!

More Info About the Trip...

Hello to everyone who's checking out my fundraising blog! Thanks so much for stopping by.

I just wanted to get a little more in depth about the trip, and about why I want to go. If you watch the video in the post below this one, you'll get a pretty good idea of what 24-7 Ibiza does. It's an extremely unique ministry for a unique area of the world. I've been following the 24-7 prayer movement for a few years now. It's a ministry that started in Europe and has spread all over the world. It all started in a prayer room when they decided to see what would happen if they prayed for 24 hours a day for one week. The cool thing is that once they started praying they never stopped. And that was 10 years ago!

For those of you who don't know me well prayer is my passion! I love the fact that no matter where I am, or what time of day it is, I can commune with God. I think there's something so powerful about that! The Missions trip I'm trying to raise money for is actually a prayer trip. The ministry in Ibiza has a team come down in April before the busy season to basically saturate the area in prayer. This team will be preparing the ground for the teams that will come in later during the busy season.

When I read about this missions opportunity, I just started to cry. For those of you who know me well, you know that doesn't happen easily! I think I was just overwhelmed because I knew I wanted to go instantly. I think I probably cried because my first thought was "I won't be able to go because I can't afford it." It was like I instantly counted myself out. But then something inside me just encouraged me to fight, and to not give up. So that's what I'm doing. I have to believe that if God wants me to go on this trip that he will provide the funds. It's been a long time since I've had to really trust God for something so tangible. I either raise the money, or I don't get to go.

If you can give, I would appreciate it very much! I figure if I can find 300 people to donate $10 a piece I would be really close to my goal. Believe me when I say I understand if you can't afford to give. Another way you could support me is through prayer. When you're done reading this post, take a moment to pray that God would provide the funds I'll need to go.

However you choose to support me, either financially or through prayer or both...I thank you!

Don't forget to check back! I'll be updating this blog regularly with my progress.

24-7 IBIZA 2008

24-7 Ibiza

For about a year now I’ve been praying for a great ministry in Ibiza. Ibiza is a small Spanish Mediterranean island that is considered the party capital of Europe. The 24-7 Ibiza ministry works in an area that claims to have more bars and clubs per square mile than anywhere else in Europe. During the summer months, the town is full as young people from all over the world come to party hard. In the middle of all the craziness is the 24-7 Ibiza ministry. They work to take care of the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the people they meet. They spend nights walking the streets making sure that intoxicated people get back to their hotel without being robbed or taken advantage of. They build relationships with the seasonal workers. There goal is to build a community of believers on an island where the church is almost non-existent.

I've got an opportunity to take part in a short term missions trip to Ibiza
April 27th - May 2nd. This blog will be a homesite for me to share my story, and a way for me to raise the funds I'll need for the trip. Keep checking back for updates.Thanks for all your help!

If you want to donate click on the link to donate securely through Paypal.