Central America Revisited – Day Three

Today was what I would like for every Sunday to be -- a true blessing and demonstration of God’s hand at work! I wasn’t really sure how the day would turn out, given the concerns I had at the beginning. After rising early, I got up at 5:30, I was able to get a shower and have devotions before any of the family woke up. Breakfast was served at 7:30 – eggs, refried beans, and bread (am I detecting a pattern here?). I left for the school immediately after breakfast because I wasn’t sure how long the walk would take. Since I arrived at the school a little early, I went on to Pollo Campero and ordered a cup of coffee and was able to connect with their WiFi on my phone. When I got back to the school, several others had arrived and we went to the bus stop to catch a bus to the church. Unfortunately, none of the buses went that far, so Olga and her daughter provided a shuttle for us. I was able to talk with Olga about the concerns one of the team members had regarding his family and she agreed to move him to another home. When we arrived at church, iglesia evangelica nacional metodista peniel, they were starting their Sunday School. Several people welcomed us and I was surprised by the welcome I received from one woman seated behind me. Her name is Doris and she informed me that she had communicated with me through email. She is the Director of the Volunteer in Mission for the Methodist Church in Guatemala. Then the pastor of the church, Pastor Juan Pablo Ajanel, told everyone that this was like Pentecost, because there were people of many different languages, English, Spanish, and Xiche. He then asked that Doris come forward to translate the service so that everyone could hear the Gospel in their own language. They immediately asked if we wanted to share anything and naturally, the group elected me to speak. Sunday School was from 9:00 till 10:00. We took a 5 minute break and then worship began. The message was delivered by Rene De Leon who is the representative for Habitat for Humanity in Guatemala. He told me after the service that he had worked very closely with the Universities in Virginia. The benediction for the service was given by Pastor German Ramirez Lopez, from the Nacional church office. It was as though we had come upon a bonanza of contacts with the Methodist Church in Guatemala. As we were leaving, I asked Doris for directions to the bus stop. At the same time, Marie came out of the church with a gentleman who said he was the driver for mission groups and if we could wait a few minutes, he would go home and bring his bus to take us back to the school. God is truly good and amazing!

The children did a presentation at the conclusion of the worship service and were truly adorable. The adult leaders had the children process up the aisle and then they gave their presentation. To close the service, the pastor changed the last two hymns, which he changed so that we could hear the historical hymns of the Methodist church in Guatemala. Que Bella Historia and Cantare La Bella Historia were the two hymns. I was really pleased with those hymns and asked if it would be possible for me to purchase one of their hymnals. Doris and another woman informed me that the hymnals were no longer available, but they wanted me to have one as a gift. I will truly cherish that hymnal!

After we got back to the school, the team members went to their homes for lunch, with the exception of one that needed the change of homestay and me. We went to get his luggage and Olga had the new family meet him at the school to take him to their house. Later after lunch I was informed that the new setting seems much more conducive to the experience needed and so I think the problem is solved! The team met up in Central Park and then dispersed again. A few of us went over to Pollo Campero to get connected once again. I left around 5:00 and returned home to rest for a little bit before dinner. It is 7:00 now and I think dinner will be a little later. It is a little difficult changing your internal clock since there is a two hour time difference here (they do not observe daylight savings time).

I need to add a little additional note. I was really impressed with the way the church immediately welcomed us into their midst. I shared with the group that couldn’t help but wonder what we would do if the situation was reversed. If we had a group from another country that showed up at our worship service and we had someone in the congregation that could translate, would we alter our service immediately to accommodate the visitors? Maybe we have a lot to learn from the church in Central America, especially when it comes to hospitality.

Tomorrow the classes begin! I am looking forward to what God will do with another day. I don’t know how God can do better than this one!

Ok, now God is piling on! When I went down for dinner at 8:00, another student from Sakribal arrived to live with this family for the next five weeks. When I asked where he was from, he said he was a student at Duke Divinity School. His name is Robert Flowers and he is from Georgia. There are several students from Duke that are here for an internship. They will be spending 5 weeks studying at Sakribal and then going to El Salvador to work with Juan de Dios Peña for five weeks. What a blessing to be joined by other Methodists that are here for the same purpose! When you see how God is at work in so many places, it is a reminder that we are a part of something that is much greater than anything we can imagine and that God’s hand stretches across the world. How do you say it – God is good, all the time!!