Riley visits Madrid

Daniel, Virginia, and our granddaughter, Riley, visited Madrid last month. One of the hard things is living so far from family in the US, so it's a special blessing when our family comes to visit us. We enjoyed time together at home, sightseeing in Madrid, and a quick trip to Rome to see the sights there. We're looking forward to having the whole family together for the Christmas holidays in the US.

David Beltran Joins the Madrid Team!

We are thrilled to have David Beltran, a 27 year old Spaniard from Madrid, join us on the Young Life national team. David is pictured here with Kate and Mary before he left Madrid.

He is currently in Knoxville, TN, observing Young Life ministry in the area. David landed in the states last week and has had the opportunity to participate in the Young Life banquet, attend Knoxville leadership training, attend a UT football game (American football), and worship at Cedar Springs Church. We look forward to his return in mid-December and hearing about all his adventures.

We are so thankful for the Reynolds' family, as they host David for these next two months. Also, we appreciate Tim Teague's investment in David and the impact it will have on the students in Madrid.

Joventura

In August Jim participated in the second annual campamento de verano, sponsored by Young Life Catalunya. 47 campers attended the week long camp, twice the number they had in 2008. Days were filled with activities which included biking, hiking, swimming, crafts, and rock climbing.
Each evening students watched a drama about Princess Gisele, who was eventually set free from an evil Cardinal. The last night of the program, volunteer leaders shared what had kept them in bondage and how Jesus had set them free.

Pictured are Jim, David and Israel dressed in their musketeer costumes.

baby wyatt is born!

We welcome to the McNamee / Cornelius family our new grandson, Wyatt James Cornelius. He was born to Katherine and Jeremy on June 18th in Nashville, TN and he is adorable! Barbara was able to arrive on June 20th to help with the transition of mom and baby to life at home.

Wyatt (along with Katherine and Jeremy) had lots of visitors during the following month, including great grandmother GG, great Aunt Mary! Wyatt has recently met his Aunt Mary, as well as Aunt Virginia, Uncle Daniel and cousin Riley.

Our family continues to grow and we feel truly blessed. Thanks to all who prayed during Katherine's pregnancy. All is well.

yl basketball camps

Children from 7 to 18 years of age, Spanish as well as International, had a blast at our 2009 YoungLife basketball camp. The American coaches, Steve and Landon Shipley, Jeremy Johnson, Janet and Mark Cochrum, and Mary and Jim McNamee, spoke English all week. Learning and/or improving their English is the reason many kids come to our camp! Our translators Tomás, Mary, Mitchell, Lauren and Sarah were amazing, as were Kate and Anna who held down the registration and kitchen for the team.

Thanks go to all the volunteers, who helped make this event possible!

An exciting note: we had more teenagers at camp this year. This is very encouraging, especially as we begin national (Spanish speaking) ministry in the coming months. The camps have helped us meet Spanish teens and their families in the Madrid area

younglife spain retreat

May 22-24 was our annual YLSpain retreat. We drove 7 hours to Banyoles and had an amazing time of fellowship with the entire YoungLife team in Spain. Jona organized the weekend of praise, teaching, humor and fellowship with co-workers, who share a common desire for kids in Spain to hear the good news of Jesus' unconditional love.

The Madrid group consisted of 5 staff, a volunteer leader and Drew and Sharalyn who are praying about joining the YL team in Madrid. What a blessing to know like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ in the same country!

wednesday women's Bible study

The Wednesday women's Bible study finished its year May 20th with a silent retreat followed by lunch at "Mi Hermano Y Yo." What encouragement we have experienced in learning how to satisfy our thirsty souls with the Lord. It's a great group of women, who have shared much in the past few months. I am so thankful for an authentic group of women with whom I can share life in Madrid, Spain.

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you, my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1

mission possible

Jim returned from a three-day Christian conference in northern Spain called Mision Posible. He attended workshops for pastors and lay people who have the privilege of working with teenagers in Spain. Along with the opportunity for networking with other Christian youth leaders and learning more about the Spanish teen culture, Jim helped facilitate activites (such as Sumo wrestling) that were offered the over 1000 youth at the conference.

barbara celebrates her birthday with riley in charlotte!

the whitmire family arrives!

On March 1, 2009 Chase and Katie Whitmire landed in Madrid with their four daughters and ten pieces of luggage to join Jim and Barbara and the YoungLife Madrid team. After merely two weeks in Spain, they have located a place to live, a school for their oldest 3 girls and a car. That’s amazing!! Preliminary paperwork on their residential cards and on their container have been completed.

Jim, Barbara, Anna and Kate welcome the Whitmires to the Madrid team, “¡Bienvenidos!“