In the last update, I mentioned that Raquel and I had decided I should spend this summer in the United States working. Both of us had an exhausting summer! I averaged about 72 hours of work each week, and Raquel worked at the pharmacy in Irun full-time. And while it is never easy to be away from our ministry for long, I wanted to share a couple blessings that came of my trip that were both encouraging and edifying.
I went back to Panama City, Florida, where I worked doing odds and ends repair work. Some of you will recall Hurricane Michael, which landed on October 10, 2018. It was the 4th-strongest hurricane to hit the contiguous US in recorded history! Not surprisingly, Panama City still looks devastated in many areas. And while I was paid for my work there, it was good to feel that I was making a very tangible difference in the lives of people who have (and sometimes still are) suffered greatly. I had opportunities to share the Gospel with the people living near me, and it was wonderful to be part of a great church while I was there. I’ve learned a lot from believers who have lost many earthly possessions, but are still trusting God and focused on serving Him.
Given the kind of work I was doing, I had lots of time to myself while working, so I decided to make this a summer of book reading. I ended up “reading” a total of 16 books during my time working. I love audiobooks! Added up, those books totaled about 250hrs of listening time, the equivalent of some 7,500 pages! Here in Spain, I often encourage believers to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities the audiobook format provides. In my regular schedule I mostly listen to audiobooks as I drive, but when I find other opportunities, I try to consume books! I simply can’t explain how much I learned and benefited from just the books I read this summer! I encourage you to consider fitting some extra reading into your weekly schedule. You’d be surprised how much you can benefit from good books while doing other things!
Here’s a quick list of the books I was able to learn from this summer:
- Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth — Reza Aslan (written by a sceptic, about the “historical” Jesus
- War and Peace — Leo Tolstoy (a 61-hour, 1,400-page classic!)
- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption — Laura Hillenbrand
- Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone — Martin Dugard
- We Were Soldiers Once… and Young: Ia Drang – The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam — Harold G. Moore
- Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows — Ravi Zacharias (autobiography)
- Don Quijote de la Mancha — Miguel de Cervantes (unabridged, in original Spanish, of course!)
- The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great — Ben Shapiro
- 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos – Jordan B. Peterson
- Trump: The Art of the Deal — Donald J. Trump
- The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream — Barack Obama
- The End of Faith — Sam Harris
- The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists — Ravi Zacharias (a Christian response to The End of Faith)
- Seven Days That Divide the World: The Beginning According to Genesis and Science — John C. Lennox
- The Basque History of the World — Mark Kurlansky
- The History of Spain: Land on a Crossroad — Joyce E. Salisbury
If you’re interested, check out this page where I post my reviews of the books. Obviously, some of those books are written from perspectives with which I disagree, but I find that books I disagree with are often the ones I learn the most from! I encourage you to consider fitting some extra reading into your weekly schedule. You’d be surprised how much you can benefit from good books while doing other things!
Recent books I’ve read:
Now that I’m back in Spain, it’s back to a tightly packed schedule. I’ve started an intensive Basque course that’s 4 hours every weekday morning. and I’ve got more English students this year than ever before, so please keep up your prayers!
God bless, David & Raquel
Ps. 34:3
