I arrived back in Palenque early this morning, just in time for a second breakfast. I had spent the last day away from my team and away from the city. I went up to Arroyo Palenque to help a team do their sunday services. Team 61 is completly isolated from the outside world, living in a quant little village. Most people dont even speak spanish there, as Chol is the predominant language. But Pastor Marcos is our translator from Spanish to Chol, the trick was getting the word from English to Spanish. So leadership sent me packin into the jungle on my first expedition as an official translator. Nestor, the pastor of the church we are staying at, picked me up as the sun was peaking over the hills with the first morning light. As we drove up the curvy mountainous paths, we rose above the morning fog, to see the sun gleaming over the sea of clouds ensnared by the surrounding mountains. Simply beautiful. This land of enchantment has captured my heart indeed!
We arrive as most of the community is beginning to wake up. To my delight, Jimmy Mccarty pops out of his wooden shack that is his home. Roosters continue to announce my entrance to the entire world as Jimmy and I catch up on what has been happening in this community. Team 61 has been living in this community with basically no contact with the outside world, unaware of any happenings with other teams, or even what their plans are for the current week. Isolation and beauty are two of the many words that could describe Arroyo Palenque. Team 61 had been staying with a wonderful family where the church is, or rather that is the church in Arroyo Palenque. Marcos and his family live with a wonderous array of barking dogs, clucking chickens, crowing roosters, and shrieking pigs (while I was there, the momma pig gave birth to 12 piglets! What a surprise!). Our morning breakfast was cooked over a wooden fire as the rest of the team came out of hiding to greet me and we began to prepare for the morning service.
I was a little nervous about being the translator for the church service, but was almost surprised by how freely my spanish came to me as Jimmy preached the Word. I noticed as I overlooked the mostly empty church room, that there were by far more people outside the church looking in than there were people in the plastic chairs inside. Afterwards I went outside to talk to the men. As soon as they saw me approaching, they scattered. Only the unlucky ones had to stay and talk to me. I was a little confused by this, but it happened repeatedly. The people in the community would clearly be interested in what was happening in the church, but would be embarrassed to be caught by any one of the people associated with the church.
As I continued to get to know a few locals, and to talk with Team 61, it was apparent that there was a heavy demonic oppression going on in that community. We all noticed that no one in the entire community, except for the children, would smile. Anyone older than 14 or 15 years old would walk around in a somber, almost asleep state. Our team, now lead by Marcos, went into the community to visit people and to pray for people. At one point, as I was translating between Marcos and the rest of us, I literally fell asleep for a few seconds as he spoke to me. Suddenly Marcos was waiting for a response and I had no idea what had just happened. There is clearly a demonic presence over the community. Marcos described it as the community being spiritually asleep. People walk around numb, unaware of everything happening all around them. Marcos´tiny church is one of the few lights in this land of darkness. I arrived in the community overwhelmed by the natural beauty, and I left burdened by the darkness. But there is hope! Marcos has a wonderful community where there is light! People are beginning to allow the light to shine in their lives. Just last wednesday, the welcomed a new brother into the community, as finally one of the men gave their lives to Christ. It is a sad place to be, but there is hope for a brighter day. I invite my friends and family to lift up Marcos and the Maranatha community in prayer. They are surrounded by hopeless people. Let them be encouraged! Let them be filled with passion for their neighbors in such a difficult ministry. The land is so beautiful. The people are beautiful. If only they would wake up to see the riches that surround them! Come on church wake up! Sleep no more!
