Singing Men of Texas
Spain Journal
Thursday the 22nd
We met in the assembly room at 10 a.m., and shared reports and praises from yesterday. David Borgan inspired us by telling us about how excited he was that we were able to present the concert last night in a town that "had never seen a Baptist." The Spaniards experienced such joy in worship last night! He challenged us to share our hearts with the people - to let the light of God shine through us - and not to let the language barrier keep us from interacting in a personal way.
The mayor of Montánchez (Antonio Galan), arrived for an official reception at 11 a.m. Again, presentations were made all around in a formal ceremony. This town is known for special "jamones" (hams). They are slow-cured hams, and sell for $200-300 a leg (with the hoof still attached)! The mayor sponsored a tasting party for us, so we could sample this delicacy.
We then had our first free time to rest, to tour the town or the castle, or just to enjoy the beautiful scenery and climate. Since we have been here, the weather has been wonderful, with temperatures in the 50's - 70's. When some of our group walked into town, they found that "Los Cantores de Tejas" had been featured in articles in two regional newspapers; included in the articles were pictures of Bruce Berry, President of the group, presenting "auténticas botas tejanas" (real Texas boots) to the mayor of Cáceres yesterday. Both articles were very complimentary and will help us to be well-received as we travel through the region.
We loaded up the buses at 3 p.m. and headed to the town of Badajoz. We arrived at the López de Ayala Theatre at 5 pm. and set up for the concert. At 6 p.m., we walked down to the city hall for the mayoral reception. The mayor shared facts about the historic city of Badajoz, population of which is 140,000. As in other presentations, the mayor was made an honorary citizen of Texas; today a councilwoman was also made an official "Yellow Rose of Texas." Spanish translation Bibles are also being presented to these mayors on behalf of Spanish Baptists by local pastors. The Singing Men of Texas made the presentation of a cowboy hat, which was a very popular gift! While the singers went back to the theatre to practice, the ladies and dignitaries toured the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. One ornate gold chandelier here weighs about 3 tons. We were served "snack suppers" of a sandwich, two rolls, roasted chicken, boiled egg, an apple, and a chocolate bun. We ate this "al fresco" on the loading dock of the theatre;this was provided for us by the mayor.
Our 9 p.m. concert was attended by about 700 enthusiastic spectators from Portugal and Spain (we are 5 miles from the border of Portugal tonight.). We also met people from Argentina and England. The men did an outstanding job singing and playing; the handbells were also a big success. Many of us are finding that our Spanish communication skills are improving quickly as we try to communicate God's love with the people, and have friendly conversations. We again gave out little gifts to many of the audience members. Dr. Bill Thornton, former Mayor of San Antonio, spoke in Spanish, telling the people about the cultural aspects of his city. The people applauded his efforts to speak in their language. God continues to do marvelous things!
Click on a picture to see the larger version.
Sarah Malpass, Trent Blackley and Grace Borgan enjoying some Black Footed Ham at the retreat center at Montánchez
City Hall at Badajoz
In the concert hall in Badajoz
Brig. Gen. (ret.) Tommy Stone making a presentation to the mayor of Badajoz