I woke up bright and early – 4:00 local time, but 6:00 back home. I lay in bed until just after 5:00, and finally got up and began the day. After my daily dose of “spark” (if you need more information, you just need to ask), I did some exercises and then showered and dressed for church. I went out and “facetimed” Dee, and when I returned back to the room, the guys were out of bed getting ready for church.
We all met together for breakfast at 8:00, and Phil showed
up at about 9. We left for the
Fraternidad church – a building that holds about 12,000 people, but normally it
is about ½ full for church. Today was no
different – probably in the neighborhood of 6,500 people in attendance. The place is huge. The worship is full of expression. The preacher, very animated! The team was able to listen in with
headphones, but I attempted to listen to the Spanish service. It was difficult, but I was able to
understand much of what he was saying.
The message for today was a contrast of the rich and poor,
and the dangers of wealth. I was
expecting him to head to James, and eventually he got there. I am really looking forward to talking about
some of the things he mentioned today again as we get into James 2 in our team
study. This is the second time I have
been to this church where the Sunday message was part of our weekly study – go
figure – what a “coincidence”.
During the service, they had a time of “anointing with oil”
those who needed healing – it was not a “charismatic” style scenario, but it
was unusual for our team. Again, James
was used as a defense for the practice – I think God is trying to tell us
something about this book. We had a good
discussion about this practice later during lunch – if you want to know more,
just ask…
After lunch at Thelma’s, we headed off to Los Esclavos,
arriving there around 3:30 in the afternoon.
We got unpacked and sat down by the pool to wait for dinner.
At the pool, we met Rosa, and her 3 children, Arochelle
(16), Eddie (7), Amy (4). Phil had found
a ball for the kids to play with, so you know it wasn’t long before I was in
the pool (in my bathing suit and blouse [again, just ask]) and I was playing
with Eddie and Amy. They were very cute
kids. I love getting them wound up and
playing with them. I pray that as some
of the team members talked with Rosa that they will understand some of the
things they heard. Pat had the
opportunity to share the gospel with Rosa.
They are supposed to be here at the hotel until Thursday. We will see where God takes this one.
After dinner we had ice cream and talked through rules, the
schedule, and the events of the week. We
also encouraged the team to share any anomalies with their bodies/bodily
functions. Jon is experiencing some
swelling in his feet – I pray it is nothing serious. Tomorrow the work begins – I think these guys
are going to do an excellent job. They
are chomping at the bit to get going.
Thought for the day: As we traveled to Matochos (Los Esclavos
area), we were able to see much of the country south of Guatemala City. From some of the wealthiest houses with
amazing views of Guatemala City from the mountain tops to some of the poorest
shacks, the variance here is baffling.
We saw cars that were very expensive, and then we saw vehicles that you
wondered how they were even running.
In line with what the preacher was sharing today, how much
does any of this matter? If we are rich,
we have been given the responsibility to share with others. It is our role to be generous and
giving. If we are poor, we are to
recognize that the things that really matter are eternal, and our station here
in this world does not determine our situation in the next life. We are to glory in the low estate we have
been given by God. Either way, rich or
poor, it is from God. We ought not glory
in what we have, nor should we long for something we don’t have. We should be content in Him.
The question is, “Am I??”
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