Canary Island Getaway

Hello from Tenerife, Canary Islands. Wow, how do I sum up the last month or more? So much has gone on, we have been so infinitely blessed, not without challenges, but also with many joys. We finished up all the cleaning and packing in the end of November, said all our farewells, and set sail on November 30th. The sail itself was an adventure. Many people hid themselves away in their cabins, trying to lay flat and rest the spinning room away. Some made unfortunate and violent trips to the bathroom where they revisited their recent meals, but most found an incredibly joyful time of rest and relaxation, being encouraged (and rather forced) to enjoy the small things in life like the sunrise, sunset, dolphins off the bow, flying fish emerging from the water, that gentle rocking to sleep at night, and undistracted together time when you never had to wonder if your friend might be "off ship" (although this would cause quite a bit of worry if they indeed were).
We then arrived in the Canary Islands about 6 days later, and were let loose in the lovely city of Las Palmas, Grand Canary. The stark contrast came as a shock, but was also welcome. The Canary Islands are part of Spain, and therefore there is a distinct european feel to the culture and architecture. I might have expected to find myself rather disgusted with the indulgences and exorbitant living of first world, urban life, but instead I found it a refreshing and needed break from all the sorrow and pain that we had been faced with for so many months. Granted, I consider that all those precious people we have been working with do not have this option to arrange a break from life as they have always known it. It it hard to understand where justice is in this world sometimes. Yet God does not turn a deaf ear to the cries of the poor and oppressed. While I do not judge this material world we have entered, I do find myself rather disillusioned by it, coming to understand that joy is not wrapped up in comfort, belongings, etc. but in relationship with God and people. However, certainly joy is wrapped up in a mother being able to provide the most basic of health needs for her children. Anyway, we are here.
We were in dry dock in Grand Canary, where they worked on the ship, painted it, did other repairs, etc. It was quite an amazing and almost inconceivible process lifting something of this great mass up out of the water and stabilizing it, but it was done, as I suppose it is always done. We then sailed to Tenerife, where we celebrated Christmas, and will spend about another month, before returning back to Liberia to begin the 2008 outreach.
Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas, full of joy and peace, living in the light of a Savior come among us in flesh to serve as the hope of the world.