St. Thomas parishioner and past Vestry member Strother Murray arrived safely in Madrid on September 6. She and Benjamin worshiped one last time at the noon Eucharist on Wednesday, September 5. Your continued prayers for the ongoing transition (including suerte in dealing with the Spanish telecommunications monopoly!) are appreciated, especially as Benjamin prepares to visit for a long weekend and deliver the cats in early October.

Strother reports she has already found a church home away from home in the growing Anglican Episcopal Church of St. George's. The Parish web site is located at http://www.stgeorgesmadrid.com/. She was invited to attend a lively 10:00 am family service and looks forward to exploring the more widely attended later service and quiet early service when she is back in the capital.

Work will have her on the road for much of her second full week at post. First, she will meet two congressional delegations at the former U.S. military base in Rota and then she will visit Brussels for a workshop at the U.S. Mission to NATO. Since her arrival in Spain, Strother has been hard at work at the U.S. Embassy, where she covers the political-military portfolio including peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan and other military cooperation. She acts as a liaison between the U.S. defense agencies and the rest of the U.S. mission as well as the Spanish government and civilian leadership of the armed forces.

Strother continues to feel blessed by the good wishes and thoughtful farewells of her St. Thomas family and looks forward to keeping in touch from Spain!