HOLA HOLA from Spain!!!!
Oh, man. OH, man oh man oh man. Spain.
It’s been a month since I’ve been here and I still can’t really believe it—that I’m in SPAIN again! Ah! I love spain! I love hearing Spanish and (trying) to speak Spanish and going to the markets and buying all the fresh produce (and then eating all the fresh produce), and I love seeing the ocean all the time and having mountains right behind our house to hike in and EVERYTHING!
I’m specifically residing in Mijas, Spain, and it’s wonderful.
G42 is wonderful. If you’re thinking about going, I would just say do it. Because if you’re seriously thinking about it, you should probably just seriously do it.
G42 is still difficult for me to fully explain to people.
It’s a definitely a school (we go to class for most of the day Monday through Thursday), but it’s so much more than that. The people here want this to be the last “program” you ever do. They want to raise up leaders who go out into the world get shiz started. It’s about mentorship. And opportunity. And community. And networking. It’s about life and impartation and love and finding out what you were made to do—what you love to do—and setting you free in that.
It’s feels too good to be true, most of the time. That I get to go to class everyday (and I actually really like sitting in classes #nerdingout) and learn from amazing people that have been tested and tried and come out the other side still loving Jesus. People who are invested in and love us as interns. It’s incredible. I’ve never had people open up their lives to me like that before, and it’s one of my favorite parts of being here. Going out for coffee/wine/bocadilla’s with our “professors” is so great. And fun. And humbling.
There are 25 of us interns in total, but there’s a larger G42 community here too, so there’s always something going on. Yesterday, there was a house warming party. Today, there was a barbecue. Next weekend, we have open mic night, and in between, they’ll be women’s nights and movie nights and pillow fights (j/k, maybe), and there’s just this automatic feeling of acceptance and of having a place. People are valued here, and everything brings something different to the table.
And speaking of table, that’s another thing G42’s all about—the dinner table. I live with 7 other people, and we have dinner together most nights of the week (like the sit-down, set-the-table, drink-the-wine kind of dinner). Hanging out around the table and putting delicious meals upon it and laughing and inviting other into it IS THE BEST. It’s life-giving and hilarious and always a part of the day I look forward to.
The value of the dinner table is really just an extension of the heart of G42 and the staff here. It’s about cultivating a real community, and I love it. I love living with a lot of people. I used to think I was an introvert (because I used to be a huge one), but I guess God changed that because I LOVEEE having people around all the time. Of course, I still like going on adventures solo, but coming home to all the friends in one place is the best. I love having people around to invest in and speak life to and pray for and encourage, and having all those same people want to do the same for me.
I really, really believe in what this school does and is doing and wants to continue to do. I’ve only been here a month and my “concrete” views have already shifted. I’ve seen a different piece of God’s character through all the different interns and staff and professors and it’s humbling to see how small I’ve tried to make God. How, to be honest, depressing and pissed off I’ve sometimes made him. I seriously wish everyone I know could come here. And I don’t say that just to say it, I really mean it. This is a place where people come alive, and what’s more beautiful than that? Then seeing what was once dead have life breathed back into it?
This is a place of freedom, of discovering what that word really means and of getting to see people live it out everyday. It’s a place of inspiration and commitment. A place that asks you to put your, as Andrew likes to say, “big girl (or boy) pants on.” What I’m learning here, I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. Freedom over fear. Mercy over judgment. God over everything. Ha! Yeah Jesus! I’m so thankful to everyone who helped me get here, and I’ll try to keep everyone updated!
(ps if anyone ever has any questions about g42, just holler at me!)
ALL THE LOVE IN THE LAND,
Bree
