Every year the BTBAB operational team come together in February for a weekend of fellowship, training and strategic planning. We have varied the location since its inception in 2019 but it’s usually where the base is located. However after last year’s event and planning ahead for 2025 I felt strongly that we should go to Gibraltar. This decision wasn’t based on its beautiful location (although we did enjoy the sun!) but more about linking in with Colin Hosken, our website coordinator, who was born and raised on the island.
Gibraltar is a fascinating mixture of English and Spanish culture. It is only 3 miles long and 0.75 miles wide, and has a population of 32,000. The locals speak a mixture of both languages, switching seamlessly mid-sentence – known as Yanito (Llanito). And even though it is very small, there is a strong sense of identity.
Before the weekend, Shirley, Tina, Jenny and Cathy spent a few days on holiday in Morocco whilst I opted to arrive early and explore the island first. We were blessed by staying with Colin’s parents, Maggie & Joe who have an incredible gift of hospitality! They treated us to wonderful food, took us to restaurants and on tours and also helped us gain access to some of the local tourist sites at no cost!
Our official programme started on Saturday where we spent the morning in Colin’s church – Church on the Rock. Colin led us in worship and we had times of prayer and discussion. And later in the day we discussed strategy and future plans. On Sunday morning at the same church, Shirley shared about BTBAB at the service and then we chatted to different members of the congregation afterwards.
As a team we have all travelled to different countries together at one point or another so we have built close relationships with each other. It was the first time that we had all been together as a team in a number of years – due to various personal circumstances – and the weekend together continued to cement and build on these established bonds. I look forward to what next year brings!
