Day 9 (night 7) lost sheep & orange Wednesdays

 Wednesday is 'orange Wednesday' in the world of Ibiza 24-7 so I worked out where the nearest multiplex was and booked two tickets to see  'guardians of the galaxy' the new marvel film epic. No I didn't really... Orange Wednesday for Ibiza 24-7 is an opportunity to go down to the beach and give out free oranges to the sun bathers and provide an opportunity to talk if they what and collect any prayer requests they may have. Last week one team went to the tourist beach the other went to the workers beach. (Basically the full time workers are a bit more knowledgable about Ibiza and know where the best beaches are). Having visited the tourist beach last week we got to go to the workers beach. Me and wbcs own Michelle teamed up and we had quickly got through our bags of oranges (the workers are also more clued up about orange Wednesday ...). Some good conversations were had and I also told a couple of groups about the workers centre that Ibiza 24-7 run however my directions I described were rubbish (I got my Scottish pubs confused) so gods hand will be needed to ensure that they actually get there.... Michelle did very well talking to the groups and collected 2 prayer cards.

Our time in Ibiza however hasn't all been about working however and before heading on to the street for the 2nd to last time, we went to a gig at 'Ibiza rocks' to see rudimental . They were certainly better as a full live act than their DJ set when I last saw them, and I think a good time was had by the team. I was struck however by a line the frontman of the band said, he yelled "do you want to be set free by rudimental?" which considering how much freedom is needed in Ibiza was pertinent however the Ibiza 24-7 team through Gods help are more likely to achieve this than rudimental me thinks...

My night on the street was predominantly about one individual who was sitting on the step of the 24-7 centre after being brought there by one of the PRs. He had arrived that day in Ibiza, dropped of his bags at his hotel, fallen a sleep on the beach, woken up without his friends, couldn't remember where his hotel was, but had a perfect memory of what the hotel looked like. For the next three hours we tried every hotel we could possibly think of. Walking to the ones that were close, driving to the ones a bit further away (one of these hotels which we were sure matched the description perfectly, when we arrived the sign was falling off, the pool was locked up with a massive pad lock, the reception abandoned & trashed, the hotel shop was empty, windows were boarded up, it was obviously that it had been abandoned for a longtime...) and then doing some more walking. Around 3:30ish in the morning we felt defeated, and we decided to give another team a shot at getting him home, they would provide a fresh set of eyes & they had access to the van, which would be needed as we had covered all the hotels in acceptable walking distance. Through this whole time however I was praying very heavily and I really did get a sense that he was going to get back to his hotel. About 10 to 4 in the morning the other team who had been tasked to return the guy to his hotel returned to the prayer room, yep they had found it and he was back (to his temporary holiday) home... A massively relief and a certain answer to prayer.

With that this is Paul signing off.... One more night to go....

Bible verses 

Luke 15 1-7

The parable of the lost sheep

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering round to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.’

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.

Alex’s personal musings: unconditional

Our last night.

Mixed emotions for me. In some respects I am pleased that we have reached the end – we have survived and given it our best shot. On the other hand, as Michelle said last night, it seems that we are going home just as we are getting half decent at this!

I jumped at the chance of getting out on the West End during the first hour. I had the pleasure of pairing up with Jess – a recently joined long termer from Northern Ireland.She is a beautiful, multi-lingual prayer machine!

We were walking down near Gatecrasher on the beach and noticed a chap sitting on his own who didn't look as he was enjoying himself. We decided to quickly check on him before moving on.

90 minutes later we left him overwhelmed by our God moment with James (not his real name).

James was pretty wasted and not forthcoming with any helpful information! All we got was his name and that was it. He was not going to tell us whether he was here with mates, where his hotel was and was certainly not going to accept help from us to walk him back to his room.

After about 30 minutes, he started to open up a little. We had explained that we were Christians and out here to show God’s love to everyone. He couldn't understand why we would want to help – not just help people in general but help him.

He went on to tell us that he was not worth bothering with, that there were more needy people out there, and that he had done too many awful things to deserve our kindness.

Man alive – we really felt for him. We gently explained to him that Jesus loved him, that he had a place in this life and that God had a plan for him to be whole and fulfilled.

Note to self – never turn down an opportunity to pray for someone.

Right there on the beach in the middle of the crazy West End world, James had a moment with God. As we said a short prayer for him to know God’s unconditional love,  that he could be forgiven, that he was deserving of kindness and that he was accepted just as he was, he stepped back overwhelmed by what he was hearing and was welling up.

What a privilege to speak directly into someone’s heart and see God move. 

As we parted company, we had a big hug (initiated by James) and left him walking off with a bible in his pocket and details of how he could contact us if he wanted to talk more.

Jess and I headed back to the 24/7 centre praying for James whilst walking on cloud 9.

Please pray that James would have more moments with God in the coming days. Also please continue to pray for the work out here in Ibiza. As the WBC team were decommissioned at 4am the long term team were helping a petrified young woman who had been assaulted. This is a world is serious highs and devastating lows. 

Tonight we have a meal with the whole 24/7 team – an opportunity to reflect on the last few weeks and say our goodbyes.

We will be back in the UK at 0525 tomorrow!

Thanks to all who have been following this blog.

We look forward sharing more stories on our return.

Adios.

Day 8 (night 6) watchtowers and waiting ...

The photo above is a picture of one of the many watchtowers or pirate towers as the locals call them that have been built along the coast between the 16th and 18th centuries which were built to alert the locals of potential pirate attack. When the alert was sounded the locals would run and hide in the local parish churches which were built like small forts. The towers would be armed normally by two watchmen who had at least a small canon as well as such lovely protective measures like boiling oil (how very medieval). The photo was taking during a prayer walk we took in the mid afternoon and if you squint you can see Sant Antonio on the horizon. Like the watchmen who once occupied the towers we took to attempting to protect San Antonio but instead of canons we used prayers asking for gods protection on the town and it's residents. Hearing peoples prayers proved quite difficult as the wind was really up battering the waves on to the cliffs however it just help to remind me of the power of the ocean and the marvel of gods creation.  (Also I have managed to take some rather excellent (in my option obviously) of waves breaking on the cliffs).

The evening was very strange for me in the sense that whilst the rest of the team seemed busy beyond all belief I spend (what felt like) most of my time within the walls of the prayer room, which for someone who is 'doer' should have been really very difficult. However I actually found it a very rewarding time being able to spend time in prayer and reflecting on what has been or was going on. Each hour do prayer actually passes by very quickly and it is great to prayer in a group, at times it did just become me and my partner for the evening but it is good that the team on the streets have that prayer support back at the centre. If worst comes to the worst there is an ample supply of red bull which one of the bars donated...
We did also spend sometime on the streets and had a one very positive conversation with one PR who stopped to tell us about a conversation he had with one of the 24-7 prayer team last week who had provided him some useful life advice and that he had realised that somethings in his life needed to change. We spoke for at least 20 mins, and whilst we were standing in a very rowdy west end we managed to talk to the guy easily almost as if we were with some sort of invisible bubble.This was very positive for me (and the others obviously) as it shows the conversations that the team are having are having some positive impacts even if the results are not instant.
We finished at 4:30ish which at this point it is worth pointing out that the rest of the team (not me as I am a good boy ....) grabbed some BBQ ribs from the local rib place which apparently were wonderful... I may well have missed out there...

Time to get ready for another night on the streets .... Paul out..

Bible verse

Isaiah 62:6 (NIV)

6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,

Alex’s personal musings: Heffalumps and Woozles

Those old enough will remember the rather weird and wonderful Heffalumps and Woozles song from Winnie the Pooh (check it out on youtube). I am pretty sure that many of the people we helped last night were experiencing something rather similar!

You may also recall from my previous blog the choppy and bloody adventure I had with a chap from the North East the night before last. Rather unnervingly we bumped into him at the Rudimental gig at Ibiza Rocks before we were on duty last night. As he approached us, Becky (the long termer who helped out too) and I were not sure what he was going to do. The last time we met he was getting quite aggressive and not at all happy with us.

I was ready for a mouthful.

However, he actually came over to apologise for “being a t1t” (his words). I must say that this phrase sounds brilliant when spoken with a Sunderland accent. He kindly offered to buy us a drink to make amends. We were relieved and also thrilled to be thanked for the time we spent with him just 18 hours before. Apparently this is a rare and treasured encounter. There are not many times in a season when people who have been helped come back and thank us.

Last week, I blogged about the carnage we experienced on the streets on a Wednesday night. One week later it was carnage squared. There were bodies lying everywhere. People had crashed in doorways, on their bar chairs and on the floor. There was so much activity that we had to begin prioritising who we helped. We decided to leave one man who was completely out of it with his mate while we attended to a girl who was asleep on her own. Falling asleep is not a great idea – people are often robbed (and worse). We encouraged her to come to the medical tent but half way up we bumped into her friends who were delighted to find her. We advised her friends to take her to the medical tent and left them with water. Job done.

Much of the night was a blur. It was a collection of little moments of help, prayer, kindness and encouragement. To be honest and perhaps it was down to a bit of fatigue I was getting a little frustrated inside with those who clearly needed some help but were resistant to it. Ask Jon about the chap that gave him a mouthful for daring to suggest that he needed medical attention. It’s in these moments when I tell myself to put my game face on and focus on the fact that God’s patience is eternally greater than mine!

This was the latest finish to date. After a necessary chocolate bar and packet of crisps I went to bed just after 0530.

My blog posts have only given you a small sample of what’s been happening over here. Please take time to chat with the rest of the team when they get back. We have all had our ups and downs, prayers answered, moments of joy, times of frustration, comfort zones obliterated, personal spaces invaded, faith challenged, and glorious moments of seeing God at work in San Antonio.

Tonight is our last night on the streets. Please pray for the whole 24/7 Ibiza team as we continue to be Jesus’ hands and feet in the West End.

By the way here’s a pic of the breakfast we had this morning……

Alex's personal musings: fish hooks!

Earlier in the day yesterday we met as a WBC team to pray, share our experiences from the night before and focus on the evening ahead. We spent some time looking at the story when Jesus called his first disciples in Luke 5. We used the images from this passage to help us pray for our work here in Ibiza; particularly the idea of being fishers of men and women.

I prayed that as we cast our fishing rods on the streets of San Antonio, God would determine where the line lands and help us to be ready for whatever we found on the end of the hook - whether that be a conversation, a prayer, or physical assistance.

I hit the streets at 1am after spending an hour praying.

Becky and I made it no more than 5 minutes before we came across a chap who was staggering around and making a bit of a scene. On (slightly) closer inspection we saw that he was bleeding from his lip and had blood all down his top. There was a bit of a commotion but we managed to encourage Jim (not his real name) to walk with us to the medical centre. He was pretty drunk, difficult to understand (not least that he was from the North East) and not particularly co-operative. However, he was a little happier when he relieved himself on the street (joy).

Around 45 minutes later after a slow, two steps forward one step back, walk we arrived at the main medical centre. Then began the process of persuading Jim to get some stitches for his top lip which was gaping wide open.

I didn't realise how difficult it would be.

First, he didn't think he needed treatment. Then once we got beyond that he couldn't find his E111 medical card so would have to pay. He had no money. However, his friend offered to pay the 186 Euros to sort his face out. Result! Ah, no. He was not happy with that.

Becky and I used all sorts of tactics to get him in the operating theatre - could someone from home take a photo of the E111 card and email it? What would your sister say to you if she were here? Would she tell you to get the stitches? Mate, if you want to make the rest of your holiday let's just get this done.

On and on it went.

Finally, I took him into theatre and held his hand while he was patched up. Despite his less than cooperative behaviour the doctor did a cracking job!

Done......or so I thought.

Jim decided that he was not going to let his mate pay, blamed us for bringing him here and insisted that we should sort the bill. It was the first time I felt threatened and thought that I might be on the end of a punch!

He was one stubborn chap and to defuse the situation the medical staff decided to let him go without paying.

It was now 3:15am. We walked back to the 24/7 centre and finished the night in prayer for Jim, his friend and others who were helped that night.

On reflection, it didn't surprise me that Jim was so hard. He was a serving soldier recently returned from Afghanistan. I am not making excuses for him but I can see how he thought his injury was not worth bothering with after he had seen his colleague's arm blown off in combat. I can sort of understand his tendency to get into physical confrontations when he is trained to kill.

I wonder how difficult it is to go from the theatre of war to a medical theatre on the holiday island of Ibiza.

One thing did make me smile and confirmed to me that God used me to specifically help Jim. The vivid image of casting my fishing rod and catching people whilst walking around the streets was a helpful picture for me in preparation for the night' work.

It was like God was winking at me when I saw the shape of the needle that stitched up Jim's lip.

God is a genius. 

Day 7 (night 5) communion communication & (relative) calm

One of the daily traditions on the island of Ibiza as mentioned in other posts is the 'clapping of the sun' which happens during sunset, where people staying on the island alongside a many local residents from Ibiza meet to listen to 'chilled beats' from the famous cafe mambo and cafe del mar and clap the setting of the sun to signal the end of the day & the start of the night. Whilst it is said that this is an ancient tradition, it was certainly revived (if not started by) the hippies who moved to the island in search of a more peaceful existent or to escape the Vietnam draft for whom sun worship was important*. However we decided that instead of clapping the sun we'd hold our own form of worship by having communion as the sun set on the rocks next to the sunset strip (the name of the promenade next to the sea where you get the best view of the sunset).I found this personally a very powerful reflective tool and a perfect way of focusing on the night ahead, however within this time I did receive my first insect bite of the trip which was a little annoying but this couldn't distract from overall significance.

The nights in Ibiza have been muggy at the best of times and with the first cloud cover we'd seen whilst we had been here this very much continued. I was personally worried that the muggyness would effect the atmosphere of the west end. However I needed not to have worried as the night itself was reasonably quiet affair from a helping perspective, (I was once again out with Becky, who is calmness personified & we did end up helping one couple to the taxi rank who we had found right at the end of the night (morning ??)from a supermarket in the west end), this however left loads of space for conversation, which I have enjoyed equally to actually helping people. Conversations range from the very simple of how are you, how are you enjoying you trip here, to deep discussion covering all sorts of issues which I don't think it is fair to the people involved that I go into too much about here. The Ibiza team also have prayer cards and encourage people they meet whilst about in the west end to fill these in to take back to the 24-7 Ibiza centre to pray for. I love how the team refer to these filled in prayer cards as 'treasure', and it certainly has moved me some of the things people have written while we have been out, showing that people really do have healthy understanding of the world in which we live. 

Until tomorrow Paul signing off

Bible verse 

James 1:19Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Hearing and Obeying

19 My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry.

*for more information regarding the history of Ibiza I'd recommend the book The White Island by Stephen Armstrong. It is available from amazon and other good books stores (as well as some bad ones as well I imagine).

Alex's personal musings: prayer IS the work

After a wonderful, relaxing weekend we were ready to get back into the street work. Last night (and for the rest of the week) we were given the choice of who we pair up with. So instead of relying on the experience and guidance of a long term-er we were encouraged to fly on our own!



During the day I was praying and preparing for the evening ahead and wanted to have to hand some verses I could share with people we met. One of the more obvious and well known verses came to mind:

“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.” Mtt 11:28-30 (Msg)

I prayed for an opportunity to share these with someone who needed to hear those words.

When we met up with Danny last Friday in Ibiza Town (see Jon's previous blog for more details) I was struck by the fact that prayer is his work and not something that supports the work. Much of last night was focused on prayer - not just in the prayer room but also on our lips out and about on the strip. 

And I am fine with that!

For me there was no vomit, no pushing wheelchairs, no sitting with a drugged up person for an hour until they came down - just conversations with people about their lives and God. Wonderful.

To be honest though, there is always a niggling doubt that unless I am being sprayed by stomach contents I am not doing my job properly. It was great to realise that these conversations were just as, and maybe more, important than the messy stuff. 

Michelle and I went out between 2 and 3am. We came across two girls from Leeds who were working out here for the first time. It was lovely to chat and share something of what we are doing out here. They were really keen for us to pray for them and we encouraged them to write their prayers down so we could stick them on the prayer wall. Michelle gave one of them a bible and I shared my story of how God helped me through my parent's divorce and gave me hope. This hope, I said, was there for them too.

We left them hoping that we had shown some of God's love to them and I pray that believers would be put around them back in their UK lives so that the seeds we sowed that night would grow.

Not long before our hour was up we took a call from Abby who asked us to go to Gatecrasher and help a young woman. My heart rate rose a bit. What do we do? What do we say? This was the first call out on our own!

The bouncer pointed us in the direction of a very tired girl. She was at the end of a shift working at the club and had drunk something that left her really lethargic and drawn. Once we started to talk to her, she perked up a bit and we offered to walk her home. Slightly reluctantly, she agreed.

We walked for 20 minutes back to one of the workers' apartments and again were able to share about our work and listen to how she is getting on. We got the impression that home life was not good and life out here was not as straight forward as she had hoped.

When we parted I gave her a bible and, in my scribbles on the first page, encouraged her to read the highlighted text to page 26. Guess what it said?

I hit the sack at 5am and knew nothing until Midday!

Today we go prayer walking around Cala Conta (see below) and then back on the streets tonight.