The Mayer Family

After working on renewing our residency cards since February, we finally have the documentation in hand to prove that we can continue living in Spain for another two years! (note of explanation: we had written a few weeks ago that the paperwork had been accepted. We were wrong…we received a letter in the mail which made it clear of the need for more documents that needed to be provided.) This process has made my frustrations with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles seem very miniscule in comparison. I ended up going to the Spain Work Department five times and to the Police Station six times for an estimated 35-40 hours total waiting in line, sometimes starting at 5:30 am only to be told to get “another” document. So, needless to say, we had reason for celebration after walking out of the police station for the last time.

Secondly, we moved to another apartment a couple of weeks ago! After living in a 550 sq. foot apartment for the past year and a half, it has been so nice to find something a bit larger. We feel so fortunate and blessed that this apartment opened up for us. We had actually looked at a lot of apartments this spring, but never felt a peace about any of them. About a year ago, our friend Margarita had offered to ask some renters of an apartment she owned just a couple of blocks away to leave so that we could live there. Obviously, we didn’t want her to do that; however, during the last week of May, they informed her they would be moving out, which opened this apartment up to us. Personally, I was feeling so incredibly claustrophobic before and felt as there was nowhere to escape at all (because of the teeny size). So, it has been a real blessing to us to be in this bigger apartment and it even has a nice terraza (patio) which provides some beautiful views of the city, being that we live on the top floor of a six-story building. Of course, it pales in comparison to our house in Ohio, but our house in Ohio pales in comparison to the hope of what is to come, doesn't it!?! In fact, a few weeks back, Evan and I were out walking and talking about something back home. The whole time I thought we were talking about Ohio, and he thought we were talking about our apartment in Granada. Finally when we sorted everything out, I asked Evan if Ohio still was home to him. He stopped and looked at me and said very emphatically..."No, daddy...Ohio's not home...Heaven is home!!!!!!” Hmmm...sometimes he has a better perspective than I do.

The outside of our apartment building...ours is the one at the very top

Sunset from our terraza

Here is a tour of our new apartment

If you enjoy exploring on Google Earth, the coordinates for our new apartment are: 37°10'14.01"N, 3°35'27.02"W. Facing north, we live on the top, back, left corner (there are four apartments per floor). The coordinates for our old apartment are: 37°10'12.43"N, 3°35'30.14"W. The satellite photos for Granada have just recently been updated and are amazingly crisp and clear.

And last but not least, the next major event for us starts at about midnight on Thursday, as my sister Twila and her family arrive for two weeks. Evan is wide-eyed, eagerly counting down the days/hours until their arrival. So are we!
--Kevin

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We were awoken out of a deep sleep at 3:00 am Saturday morning with the ringing of our cell phone. My recollection of it was foggily wondering why Wendy didn’t just turn off the alarm. It wasn’t until the third time the phone rang that the cobwebs cleared enough for us to be able to stumble around in the dark until we found the elusive phone. Of course, once you realize that someone is desperately trying to get a hold of you during the middle of the night, drowsiness quickly turns to wide-eyed alertness in a fright of jumbled-up thoughts and trepidation of who could be calling and why?!?
Ends up that our good friends, Cesar and Cristina, had been out with some friends at a restaurant until late that night. As they were walking home they stopped to sit at a bench in a park that runs between the river and a main traffic thoroughfare in the center of Granada. As they were enjoying the late-night air, a car went whizzing by and someone from this car threw an egg at them. Yes, an egg. Now, obviously getting hit by an egg would be irritating because of the mess it would leave all over you, but in this case, Cristina was hit right smack dab in her left eye. She had very intense pain and had a very difficult time even seeing anything from that eye. They quickly hailed a taxi and rushed to the hospital.
After getting minimal care and some pain relievers from the late-night skeleton crew at the hospital, they decided they wanted to come over and be with us. Hence, the 3:00 am phone call. By the time they arrived at our place, Cristina’s eye was very swollen and looked horrible. She was still having a hard time seeing from her eye and obviously we all had concerns about the long-term effects this could have on her sight. They decided to stay with us for the night, and after they had a chance to clean up a bit, Wendy and I had the opportunity to pray with them and ask for Jesus’ help and healing. The next morning, the swelling had decreased substantially and Cristina was able to see much more clearly. After seeing a doctor later on in the day, he was able to diagnose that while she still had a couple lesions in her eye, her eye should be completely healed within a week or so.
We are so thankful to Jesus that her eye was protected from long-term pain and problems, and even possible blindness. We are also grateful for these dear friends. Please keep Cristina and Cesar in your prayers for complete healing.

Barbeque on our terraza last week…starting on the left you can see Pablo, Cristina, Evan, Wendy and Judi

Kevin and Cesar

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We were excited to have my sister Starla and her husband Nathan come to visit! They arrived on Evan’s birthday, June 27 and stayed for 10 days. We had a great time with them here, and they were even lucky enough to be here to help us move:) We were thankful for their help!

Happy hugs

Ellie and Starla

Nathan giving Evan a rare shoulder ride…he’s getting about too big for that!

Happy 7th birthday Evan!

It was fun to have our friends from the States Dion, Naty, Gabriela and Marcus here for the party too, who were visiting Granada at the time.

Evan really enjoyed playing with Gabriela.

Moving time…since we weren’t moving too far we just carried most things over. Nathan did so much hauling that we started calling him our burro:)

Here are Evan & Ellie that first night in the new place, all snuggled into their new beds. Ellie was so excited that night about sleeping in her “big, big new bed”.

Ellie quickly figured out that the tub could double as a stool.

The guys went on an early morning hike one morning.

The gang

Sisters

We enjoyed a few hours with my aunt & uncle, Dan & Emma Beachy, who stopped by for a quick visit.

Nathan & Starla (mostly Nathan) enjoyed trying some new foods. Ellie surprised us by her continued requests for “more Snails, more Snails!”

Waiting at the bus stop to begin their return trip to Delaware.

Thanks for coming Starla & Nathan. We had a great time having you here, and appreciated you helping us move!

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(from June 29)

Spain is the winner of the Europe Cup! What a fun ride winning every game along the way. After Spain won the championship game, my brother-in-law Nathan Bechtel and I had the opportunity to observe the huge celebration in Granada. Wow, I thought we could get passionate about Ohio State/Michigan games…

We only made it until about 2:00 am…the celebration lasted until morning. While observing this multitude of people celebrating, I found myself thinking what kind of incredible celebration we are going to have when Jesus returns as King. However, it saddens me to think how few of these people celebrating together have embraced Jesus as their Savior and King, and how their reaction would be much different if He returned today. While I long for the day for His return as King, until then there is a lot of work to be done.
--Kevin

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(from June 26)
I was able to do another all-day hike with my two friends Miguel and Luis. Whew, it was an excruciating day hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains close to their summit. Even though temperatures were reaching nearly 100 degrees just a 45 minute drive down in Granada, we had pleasant, cool temperatures and even hiked at times through some snow.
Miguel (left) and Luis

Looking back from where we started our hike. Notice the shrine to Mother Mary in the center and an old observatory to the right.

Most times we stayed on top of the snow. Other times, we fell through…at times up to our waists…not exactly the most pleasant feeling in short pants.

Miguel and I

--Kevin

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We’ve moved to a new apartment in the same neighborhood! It is owned by our friend Margarita, and we are thankful to have a bigger place to live. It’s just starting to feel cozy and like home. For now, here is our new contact info, and there will be more later on all the events of the last few weeks.

Calle Moncayo Nº 3
5º A
18009 Granada
España (Spain)

Home: 958 223 772
Cell: 678 880 301

(Calling from the US, dial 011 34 before the number)

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