Sunday Morning in Los Esclavos, after a good night’s sleep
(as good as it can be when I am away from home) . we prepared for church and a
visit to Oratorio. We ate breakfast
(eggs again – we had eggs for dinner yesterday), did our devotional time in
Romans, and then headed off for church.
After a 30 minute ride we arrived at the church. The music was already playing and the church
was already singing. How could I
tell? As is the cultural norm, it was
extremely loud – even outside. We found
out that the pastor was away, and they wanted us to share in their
service. Lee and Jody gave their
testimonies (Lee did it in Spanish – very impressive) and Tyler shared from the
word.
There were a few lessons for me in that service.
·
The music was loud, uncomfortable and unpleasant
to my ears. I have a choice to
“criticize” or judge them, or I can choose to worship God regardless. Interesting enough, if they are singing and
worshipping with a heart toward God, He is pleased and receives their worship. It isn’t about me. This is true everywhere – it is not my place
to choose “worship” that appeals to me – but rather worship that pleases God.
· The people were longing for the Spirit to come
and be with them. Their prayers seemed
to be a prayer of calling God to come and be with them. I wanted to say, “As children of God, He is
here. You don’t need to beg or plead for
His presence.” As I sat and thought
about it, they need to know that, but I need to develop a deeper longing for
God. Maybe I am too “content” with the
fact that God is always with me. Maybe I
need to long for Him more. I need to
desire God more.
·
When a person begins to pray – everyone
prays. It can be distracting, it can be
noisy, but everyone is engaged. I have
always wondered about this, but while really thinking about it today, I
realized that often in our churches when someone stands to pray, others check
out. Our thoughts go elsewhere. The people here purpose to pray with the
person praying whether or not they are praying for the same things is
irrelevant. God is not distracted. God is not overwhelmed by the amount of
prayers. And they seem to know
this. I need to make sure that I engage
in the prayers of others who are praying.
After dinner we went back to the hotel for lunch (finally
something else – Spaghetti!) Then we headed to Oratorio. We took a tour of the facility directed by
Gilberto. They showed us the classrooms,
told us some stories, and then we all played on the new soccer/basketball
court. Finally we went downstairs and
had some snacks. Six of the 8 teachers
were there, so I asked that one of them share their testimony. After she shared, Matt shared his story. It
was a great time of connection with our team and their staff. I am confident that we will be able to pray
more wisely for them.
En route back to the hotel we passed a group of
people/police on the road. A man had
been hit by a car and was still lying on the ground. Based on the attention he wasn’t receiving,
it was obvious that he was dead. We had
been driving with the van door open, and so as we slowly passed, he was right
below my feet. It was a sad moment, but
a reminder that the message that we bring is critical – we never know when it
is someone’s last day on earth.
The team is doing well, but Isaac and Joseph (two brothers
on the team) are having some difficulty.
They are rooming together, and seem to be having some difficulties. I pray that they can find this time to grow
together and learn to serve each other as Christ served us.
Tomorrow we start the physical work – I am really looking
forward to that! Enough for today – more
tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment