How quickly things change sometimes. One minute you're just, you know, living and the next your on your way to Spain. Well, maybe that is exaggerating a little, but indulge me to relay another Cliff story.

In April of 1999 while I was a worship leader at a church in Fort Worth, Texas, I took a trip with the Singing Men of Texas (SMOT) to Spain for a mission trip/tour. It was a very well planned and executed ministry opportunity that I will never forget. In February of 2000, less than a year later, I had begun this saxophone ministry. A few months after that I received an email from a radio personality in Cadiz, Spain asking for some of my music to be aired on his radio station because his listeners enjoyed American music and instrumental music in particular. He had "stumbled" across my website and emailed me. He didn't know that I had been to his city a year or so earlier. Of course, I was happy to send him the Cd's that I had at that time.

I had not heard from him since, until this past February when he emailed me again asking if I had any more music to send him. Of course, I was happy, once again, to send him my other Cd's. A few weeks ago, as I was having Sunday lunch with Bro. and Mrs. Mike Barrera in Laredo, Texas, I was asked if  I had played overseas. I found myself relaying this anecdotal story to them and ended with, "Who knows, maybe someday I'll got back to Spain," to which he replied with, "What if my church sent you." At that time I was eating the best smoked chicken I had ever eaten in my life and I refused to choke on it so I tried to swallow and then asked, "What do you mean?"

It turns out that United Baptist church in Laredo, Texas has a partnership with missionaries in Madrid, Spain, whom I had met when I was there with the Singing Men of Texas. United Baptist sends two or three people from their church every year to help with the work in Spain. They have graciously offered to send me with them.

I cannot begin to tell you the excitement that I feel for an opportunity such as this. We just solidified this last week, and so there are many details to be hammered out, but I will update you with the developments in my Blog under the category "Spain Tour" as it unfolds.

At this time all I can tell you is that it appears that I will be in Spain from November 28th through December 8th this year. Please pray for this entire process and the possibilities that lay ahead.

In His Grip!
Cliff