Clapping the SunCharlie and Abby Clayton - 24 Jun 2011

Welcome to our first blog post about our move to Ibiza in early 2012!!

We will be moving out to live on the Island for a number of years to take over the leadership of 24/7 prayer in Ibiza from Brian and Tracy Heasley who will return to the UK after 7 years on the island.

Our blog is called clappingtheson after a tradition on sunset strip in San Antonio bay, where people sit and watch the sun go down, and as it does, they clap the sun for what it had done during the day. Hundreds of people clap and whistle and in that moment remember the day and look forward to the evening.

We want to do the same – but we want to clap The Son, Jesus Christ, for the work that He has done through the day in peoples lives, and look forward to what he will do during the night as we live and breathe in the community.

Ibiza is an incredibly beautiful island, just off the coast of mainland Spain. Surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, with amazing sunsets, gorgeous secluded beaches and flourishing wildlife, the Island draws in tourism and makes a great holiday destination.

We will be living in a south-westerly part of the island called San Antonio (Sant Antoni), which is the most densely populated area of bars and clubs, per square mile, in the whole of Europe. With world-famous DJs taking up residence throughout the summer, in some of the most impressive clubs in the world, Ibiza is the place to come in search of great music and an opportunity to dance through the night!

Herein lies a great need – a few reports from the Summer Season 2010 give us an insight:

• 20 British citizens are among 25 people arrested in Ibiza…Over the weekend investigators searched twelve houses on the island and recovered drugs including 38,000 ecstasy tablets, 4 kgs of cocaine as well as ketamine and other drugs.
• A local policeman estimated that a figure of around 80% of tourists to Ibiza, take drugs.
  There’s been a shift in the popularity of different drugs on the island. While cocaine, ketamine and mephedrone are available, the notable change in the last few years has been the price and strength of ecstasy. According to more than one source I spoke to, an ecstasy pill five years ago would only cost about €2 “but you needed about eight to last you all night”. The pills now available, such as Facebooks and Diamonds, are more like €10 or €15, but are about 10 times the strength. “One will leave you battered all night."
• Nearly a quarter (23%) of people had more than one sexual partner on the island. Considering they are only there for one week or two, that is a fair number. A quarter of all the people who reported having sex with at least one person in Ibiza had done so without a condom, so effectively nearly half of all the people who had sex out there had unprotected sex at least once.
• More than half of the British tourists on the island say they drink to excess when they go to Ibiza – five or more days a week of their holiday.
• Ecstasy and cocaine are frequently consumed by as many as one-fifth of tourists in Ibiza, according to the Balearic ministry of health and consumerism.
• Not only do people need first aid, or a lift home – they also need a listening ear, befriending in their loneliness, a prayer, an encouragement, and ultimately, we believe everyone needs to know the love of Jesus. We want to serve people with our resource, our time, our energy, and our prayers.

Why are we going?

In various ways, we have both been a part of the work of 24-7 Prayer in Ibiza over the past few years, and after prayerful consideration and heeding the counsel of those in 24-7 Ibiza, and friends and family, we feel God is calling us to move out, to pick up the mantle of leading the work out there.

We are passionate about Jesus, and about seeing others come to know Him – we love the work that exists already with 24-7 Ibiza, and we feel honoured to be taking it on…

Jesus says:

You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
(John 13v13-15)

We want to follow His example in San Antonio, Ibiza.

And we also love music and dancing, sunshine and ice cream!

What are our next steps?

Over the coming months, we will be preparing to go! We need to prepare spiritually, emotionally and financially.

Spiritually – Leading the work of 24/7 Prayer in Ibiza is a massive adventure and challenge. We want our relationships with God, both individually and as a couple, to grow and flourish as we prepare to leave. We want to grow teachable spirits, and learn to love and serve Jesus more.

Emotionally – by the time we arrive permanently in Ibiza, we won’t have even reached our first wedding anniversary! The next few months are important for us to settle into married life and to really establish our relationships with friends and family before leaving.

Financially – We have to raise all of our finance to be able to live out in Ibiza and lead the work, which we estimate to be between 1200 and 1500 euros a month. We will shortly be opening a stewardship account, which means anything you give to us can be gift aided by the UK government.

We would love you to partner with us on this journey, whether that is through prayer, finance, support, encouragement or even just following our blog.  Although we will be leading the work, 24/7 Prayer in Ibiza happens because of the teams of people giving up time and money every year to be a part of the work. It includes all those who are praying around the world for the Island, those who have gone before us in preparing the way, and the visionaries who oversee the work. This is a joint effort and adventure that we would love you to walk with us. Ultimately this work belongs to God – that His Kingdom would come in San Antonio.