“He Knows!”

Dear Faithful Friends,

Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of our arrival in Spain. For me it has been a moment to stop and reflect and I have attached here my musings. Just a warning, it is long…

Thank you for your continued love and care for us as a family,
Dan Leatherwood

25 years ago, on November 16, 1999, the Leatherwood family of four (Dan-27 years old, Lisa- 26, Anelise 4 ½, and Aida 1 ½), together with 8 duffle bags, 4 carry-ons, 2 car seats, and a stroller, boarded a plane headed for Spain to set up life in a previously unknown northern region of the country. On November 17 at 8:30 p.m., we walked out of the Madrid airport to meet two men who we had previously not met who would become co-workers and friends. They had come down from Pamplona to pick us up and drive us back to the pastor’s house where we would spend the first few nights as our adventure in Spain began. We arrived at his home at about 2:30 a.m. The whole road trip up from Madrid was pitch black and we went to bed without any idea of what northern Spain looked like. Just to clarify, this was in 1999 before the internet was what it is today. We had not seen pictures or images and had no idea what to expect. We woke up and excitedly looked out the window and saw an amazing mountain ridge and for a moment were not sure whether we had made it to Spain or maybe had died and woken up in Heaven, as it was so beautiful! Before we left the US, I remember having conversations about how we hoped that we would be able to live near nature because for us that was a reminder of God’s amazing power and creativity. We had no idea of just how God would respond to that secret comment made within the Leatherwood circle! I came face-to-face with the reality that God is able to do so much more than we can ask or imagine. We found ourselves gazing at the foothills and mountains that come out of the Pyrenees mountains.
During these 25 years, I have learned more lessons that I can discuss here, but through it all, I have experienced the fact that God is faithful and is actively present in our lives. One phrase that I learned early on is that “He knows!” He is never surprised by the events or details that surprise us in this life. In Him, we truly do have our existence. Life has been anything but predictable here. Through each moment, I have been challenged to reflect on how I answer Jesus’ question to His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”. For me this question has been a call to live what we say we believe especially when we walk through moments that we do not understand.
Anyway, back to the early moments… We felt convinced that we would arrive and quickly be able to pick up the language because we had both had a lot of exposure to Spanish before arriving. This, however, proved to not be the case, and instead, we were taught an extra dose of humility since our four-and-a-half-year-old daughter would frequently correct our Spanish when we would try and speak in public or at church. Through it all, God has been faithful in His work in us as we were able to grow in Spanish and participate in the ministry in an established church in Pamplona first. Then, in beginning a Bible study which became a new church plant in Tafalla where there was no prior ministry point. We often lived the reality of when we are weak, He is strong.
In Spain the Leatherwood family grew from four members to seven as the three boys were born. The kids kept us learning and growing since parenting makes it perfectly clear that raising children is not for the faint at heart! We were blessed (and I continue to be) by seeing the world through their eyes and hearing from their hearts and seeing how the Lord teaches, guides, and grows each one. They all participated in different ministries: some in English classes, some in church music, some in theater outreaches, some as wait staff at Valentine’s meals in the church, and at our summer English camp. They are no longer little (ranging from almost 18-29 years old) nor small either (three are taller than I am!).
Through these years, we have experienced joys and sorrows bigger than I ever could have imagined. Steven Curtis Chapman (personal favorite musician of mine) has a song that says, “I had no way of knowing just how hard this journey could be ‘cause the valleys are deeper and the mountains are steeper than I ever would have dreamed…” The song then continues, “But I know we’re gonna make it, and I know we’re going to get there soon…” This security in knowing that we are going to make it is not because of some “personal strength” or determination, but rather because we do not journey alone. Through it all God has consistently reminded us that He is there for us as a perfect loving father. There have been many different types of “deep valleys and steep mountain trails,” but God has always been VERY present. We have said many goodbyes as friends and families have moved away. Then in October of 2009, Lisa (36 years old) was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. This did not fit into any of our expectations or understanding. Before we could ask the questions about how we were going to walk through this, God showed His presence. Friends and English students connected us to key doctors in the oncology and radiology departments in Pamplona. We discovered that the head oncology nurse was a neighbor in our town and she would come and check on us. People we did not even know offered to bring meals (some who continued every week through the following three years!). GOD WAS THERE! Before we were looking, He was there and He knew. Statements that I had heard and taught about God’s personality and goodness were suddenly real to us in a whole new way. The landlords of our church building even cut the rent significantly! Then in January of 2011, God called Lisa home. He continued to show His presence in every detail as we journeyed through that deep valley. We continued to have support and love overflowing us from every side. The bottom line—God was faithful through each step of the journey. I saw Him meet the needs of the kids and my own. Again, I saw how HE KNOWS!
Another lesson I have learned in our time here is that we need to be slow to say that we will “never” do something. I remember being asked if I thought I would remarry. My response was “No, never!” as I thought I could never remarry because I had married my best friend and that I would never be able to enter another relationship. Well, God heard that conversation as well and through circumstances that only He can arrange, he brought Sharon into my life, who once again started as a friend and grew to become so much more. God took my “never” and changed it into an amazing relationship where I have found myself getting to do life with my best friend. Not only did He bless me by bringing her into my life but also by extending my family with the inclusion of her family, who have become special parts of us. I am overwhelmed with just how greatly God has blessed me. I am truly beyond blessed!!!
During these twenty-five years, I have had the privilege to be able to participate in a variety of ministries from working with youth, to organizing drama and children’s ministry outreaches, to 20 years of English summer camps, to family conferences, to English classes in the church building, to apologetic discussions, to spending time where people are, to living out my relationship with our faithful Lord in real daily life. Through each and every activity and stage of life, we have had the privilege of being an extension of a much bigger body that has participated with us as so many have been praying, encouraging, supporting, and visiting. Thank you for your continued journeying with us as we continue to know God more and seek to make Him known more in this region and beyond.