It has been one full week in Cartegena, Colombia! It has been a week of adjusting as we have been adapting to a new culture, getting to know our host and getting to know each other as a team. My team has been assigned to the Alex Rocha Youth Center. Our roles have varied from teaching english and Sunday school, playing with neighborhood children, and even helping build an additional section to the youth center!
I have definately gotten to practice my Spanish. Our first Sunday here, my team was sitting in on a children’s Sunday school class, when the teacher turned to us and asked us to present something to the children (without a translator!!!) I knew this ball was in my court as I’ve had the most experience speaking Spanish and I had also started working on a translation of the story of Jesus walking on water. I was eager to share with the children because I’ve always wanted to teach a lesson in Spanish, but since I hadn’t finished the translation, I was also eager to see how this would end! Wouldn’t it be just like God though, that as I got towards the end, someone walked in who was able to help me finish the story?
I was thankful for this experience as earlier in the week, the Lord gave me a verse that I want to use to set the pace for this upcoming year and beyond-
” and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” – 1 Corinthians 2:4
In that Sunday school class, the temptation was there to say “my Spanish is not good enough”, or “my lesson isn’t complete.” It’s not going to be in me though. God presented an opportunity to step out and trust Him, and I loved watching how He provided!
