Lodging: Old Mennonite church building with another pastor and his wife and baby. We sleep in our tents in a big open room. We have electricity…sometimes. We have water…sometimes. We take showers…or bathe together in the river…sometimes. We have to go down the road to an internet cafe for internet…so be patient with me this month.
Ministry: Wait for it…..Door-to-door. Boom. Month 1. Oh gosh. But boy do these homes have gorgeous views (see below.) You will get to hear more about my opinion on that later. Well, I will try to make that happen. Also going to cell groups (basically home or life groups), ministry at the church and possibly helping at the school and health clinic.
Food: Muy delicioso. We have an awesome guy that has been serving as our translator and both his wife and the wife of the home/church we live in have been helping us cook dinner. So good.
People: Speak Spanish (newsflash!) Super friendly and outgoing. You shake everyone’s hand when you enter and leave a room. Everyone knows about God and believes in Him and most know about Jesus and think He is fine and dandy but they don’t have a relationship with Him. It is a polytheistic culture that got overlapped with Catholicism so now people pray to Saint _____ instead of the god of _____ but it doesn’t really have a different meaning. It is similar to living in the bible belt in that so many know “truth” but it in no way connects to their heart or applies to their lives. You can leave America but you can’t leave people going through the religious motions.
Prayer Requests:
- Pray against parasites.
- Pray for rain.
- Pray for healing.
- Pray for each of our faith's in God and his power and his ability to work through each of us.
- Praise Him for sleep and great team relations.
- Pray for increased energy in the heat of the afternoon.
- Pray for the ability to speak Spanish.
- Pray for boldness for each of us.
- Pray that these people come to relationally know God and Jesus and not just know about Him.
