Agenda April - June 2005

Here's my agenda for the coming months.

April
2 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play workshop for teachers & children's workers.
3 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play class with Sunday School children.
8 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Rainbows of Hope AOG.
9 - Madrid (Aluche Evangelical Church): Godly Play presentation.
16 - Jaén: Godly Play presentation.
17 - Jaén: Preaching at Jaén Baptist church.
18 - Madrid: Association of Christian Educators' board meeting.
23 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play workshop for teachers & children's workers, at Rainbows of Hope community centre.
24 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play children's class.

May
5-8 - France (Le Rimlishof centre): EurECA (European Educators Christian Association) conference and general assembly.
16-18 - Toral de los Guzmanes (León): Godly Play stories at a Christian retreat for elderly citizens.
20, 21 - Las Matas (Madrid): Godly Play workshop for teachers & children's workers, at Mountainview International Church.
22 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play children's class.

June
3-5 - La Moraleja (Madrid): Training weekend for Sunday school teachers and children's workers.
12 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play children's class.

Godly Play... again!

Mountainview International Church is one of the Christian communities in Madrid who are just embarking on the adventure of using Godly Play with their children. I am involved with them in this initial stage by providing practical training in Godly Play techniques, as well as helping them think through the underlying philosophy of the method and advising them about the materials they need to obtain. You can read a short illustrated report of the beginnings of this community's experience of Godly Play in the latest newsletter from two of the leaders at Mountainview.

Godly Play training

For the last ten months or so, David has been involved in leading introductory days and training sessions in the Godly Play method of working with children. Here is a link to a website which shows some of the results of a recent workshop organized for the Mountainview International Church leaders and members in Madrid.



Seppo, one of the participants in the workshop, told the parable of the Good Shepherd to the rest of the group

Here is a comment from one of the leaders of Mountainview Church:

Hi David, I just wanted to say thanks again for your great help in training us in the parables and helping us to create the materials. Everyone is once again very, very excited about implementing Godly Play in our church. I think Seppo has a done a story for the kids (and adults) at every Bible study meeting since that day. We are hoping to start at our services this month. Thanks so much! Keep up the good work. ~April

You can find many more pictures of Godly Play presentations and workshops at the Godly Play Spain blog.

Car crash!

Last Saturday afternoon, my son, John Paul, and his family (Mari Angeles, Andrea, Zaret and Daniel) were travelling by car to Galicia, the north-west region of Spain. They were planning to spend a week redecorating their new house. Near the town of Santiago de Compostela, they were involved in a near-fatal car accident. While overtaking another vehicle on a bend on the motorway at 120 km/hour (70 mph), they suddenly found themselves approaching a third vehicle which had just been abandoned by its driver and passengers... and was lying right across the fast lane! It was impossible to avoid a full frontal collision. John Paul's car is now a complete write-off (cf. photo above). However, thankfully, both he and the rest of the family managed to survive the accident with only minor cuts and bruises. Mari Angeles was the worst affected with blows to her chest and legs, mainly through the impact of the air-bag, and the children also had grazes from the seat-belts. None of the occupants of the other vehicles suffered casualties. Finally, all the witnesses, police officers, hospital staff and garage mechanics, who were either at the accident scene itself or saw the subsequent state of the vehicle, agreed that it had been a sheer "miracle" that the whole family had not been killed outright!

I was able to visit John Paul and his family in Galicia the day after the accident and I spent a few days with them at their new house. Eventually I left my own car with them and returned by air to Madrid, as they are at a loss without transport in that rural setting.



There was also the opportunity to share some Godly Play parables with the children. The one about the Good Shepherd who sometimes leads his sheep through 'dark, dangerous places' seemed particularly relevant. Zaret's drawing above of the wolf pouncing on a very frightened sheep was her way of responding to the parable. "I wonder if that poor sheep got killed?", I asked her. "No", she replied. "The Good Shepherd was able to save her in the nick of time!"

Andrea's drawing was much more explicit of the actual danger ('peligro') they had just experienced as a family: a before ('antes') and after ('después') view of the car crash. The 'dangerous places' in the Godly Play parable are represented by black shapes, while the 'good pastures' are depicted by green felt. Note the black and green lines in Andrea's picture above. Godly Play is such a rich and wonderful way of helping children work through existential issues and important personal experiences.

John Paul and family plan to turn the new property into a rural guest-house. In the photo above, they are standing in front of the main building. There are also stables and grassy land around. It is in a beautiful part of Galicia, between Santiago and Finisterre ('Lands End').

This picture was taken a few days after the accident at an idyllic spot just 5 or 10 minutes away from their new house.

Claudia

I'd like to introduce to you the newest member of the Pritchard clan. Cilla and I are proud to announce the birth of our 9th grandchild. Claudia came into the world this morning, 3rd February 2005, weighing 3kg 200gr. At this rate, we grandparents should be well into double figures (i.e. regarding the number of our grandchildren) by the the time we reach 60!


Claudia... welcome to the world!

Baby and Mum (our daughter, Miriam) are doing just fine!

Agenda January - March 2005

Here's my agenda for the coming months.

January
10 - Madrid: Association of Christian Educators' New Year's dinner.
14 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Meeting with the team and volunteers of the Christian charity 'Rainbows of Hope': evaluation & planning of Godly Play classes.
15 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play workshop for teachers & children's workers.
16 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play class with Sunday School children.
17 - Madrid: Association of Christian Educators' board meeting.
20 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play children's class
21-22 - Las Matas (Madrid): Godly Play workshop for teachers & children's workers, at Mountainview International Community Church.
27 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play children's class.
29 -Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play workshop for teachers & children's workers, at Rainbows of Hope community centre.
30 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play children's class.

February
3 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play children's class.
6 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play children's class.
10 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play children's class.
11-12 - Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona): National Committee & Council meetings of Unión Bíblica (Scripture Union in Spain).
17 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play children's class.
18-20 - Valencia: Training weekend for children's workers.
24 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play children's class.
25-27 - La Moraleja (Madrid): Training weekend for children's workers.
27 - La Moraleja (Madrid): Association of Christian Educators' AGM.

March
3 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play children's class.
5 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play workshop for teachers & children's workers, at the Rainbows of Hope community centre.
6 - Toral de los Guzmanes (León): Training for camp leaders.
10 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play children's class.
13 - Madrid ('El Shaddai' Evangelical Church): Godly Play children's class.
17 - Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play children's class.

Raul

Our 8th grandchild was born early on Thursday morning in London. Raul weighed in at 3 kg 600 gm, and measured 56 cm. With his Real Madrid shirt, he is an obvious candidate to substitute the current Madrid and Spanish international football star, Raúl.

Parents, Lorna & Simon, and sisters, Nadine & Savannah, are thrilled to bits with this special Christmas present. So, too, his grandmother, Cilla, who was able to be with the family in London immediately before and after Raul's birth.

Another photo of Raul. 

Moira & Gary

It is always a joy to receive guests. Especially a cousin whom one has not seen for years, except for (sadly) at family funerals. Last week, Moira and her husband, Gary, made a short trip to Spain to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary, and they were able to stay with us for a few days before making their way to Barcelona. Gary is the vicar of St Peter with St Margaret C. of E. church, in Rochester, UK. Before that he had served in pastoral ministry in Bermuda. It was great to get to know them better!

Moira and Gary at Toledo

Godly Play training

Since last April, David has been leading Godly Play introduction days in various parts of Spain. A full chronicle of these activities, with a good number of photos, is available on the Godly Play Spain blog. Here's a further link to a photographic report of a recent event organized by Mountainview International Church in Madrid, with more pictures of David in action, participants and Godly Play materials.

Besides the introductory days, this coming Saturday David will start leading practical training workshops on Godly Play techniques and methods, the first of which will take place near Madrid.

Agenda for November-December 2004

NOVEMBER
4 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play class – Rainbows of Hope
7 Madrid: Godly Play class – 'El Shaddai' Evangelical Church
11 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play class – Rainbows of Hope
15 Madrid: board meeting – Madrid Evangelical Educators Association
18 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play class – Rainbows of Hope
20 Ferrol (A Coruña): Godly Play introductory day
21 Ferrol (A Coruña): Preaching - Ferrol Evangelical Church
25 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play class – Rainbows of Hope
27 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play workshop sessions (Parables) – Rainbows of Hope

DECEMBER
2 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play class – Rainbows of Hope
9 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play class – Rainbows of Hope
12 Madrid: Godly Play class – 'El Shaddai' Evangelical Church
16 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid): Godly Play class – Rainbows of Hope
19 Madrid: Godly Play class - 'El Shaddai' Evangelical Church

35th wedding anniversary in the Pyrenees

Cilla and David celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on 11th October. They took advantage of David's speaking engagement at the church retreat in Girona (see below), to spend a couple of extra days near La Seu d'Urgell (Lerida province), taking in the gorgeous views and also visiting Andorra for some cut-price shopping. Here's Cilla in the photo - also looking gorgeous!

David in the Pyrenees. 

Parenting course in Girona

David was invited by Sant Feliu Evangelical Church (Barcelona) to speak to parents from the congregation at their church retreat in Roses (Girona) from 8th to 10th October. David took the theme of building 'emotional security' (self-esteem) in children, basing his talks on the material published by the Madrid Evangelical Educators Association, of which he is a founder member.

Profile on Spain

spain_map
Originally uploaded by djp54.

Here's a general profile on Spain, by courtesy of the BBC: Spain Profile