Sunday, June 20, 2010

Party on!!

The church service Sunday night at Great Commission Church in La Libertad reminded me that language of the Holy Spirit is universal much like music or a smile. We had a supply of both as we sang songs that we have sung before at Open Door in Spanish. (We have a new appreciation for powerpoint by the way.) The band was rockin´ (I mean tear up the place with total annointed worship and instrumentation) and Pastor Dan delivered a great message out of Acts 1. We prayed over him, blessing him and asking God to slow his preaching down a little to accomodate the interpreter, which he did.´Pastor Ivo was excited to report that the message was well received.

Sunday afternoon we went door to door in very humble neighborhoods asking children and their parents to come to a party. It is hard to describe the conditions in which they live without getting choked up. Simple doesn´t really do it justice. Yet the people are very open to having conversations with gringos like us. We visited a home that was built last year by the church here. We will build something like that home this week. We gave out invitations to the party at GCLA (that´s how Í will refer to the organization we are working with here but it stands for Great Commission Latin America) better for having seen a little of where they live and their culture.

I must admit, I was skeptical as to how many would come. I was pleasantly surprised, no, really, a bit shocked as about 200 people came to party at 2 pm. All of them walked, and their faces lit up to see balloons, hear music and get to play for a couple hours out of the hot sun. What a fiesta!! We partied, played, hugged, loved and interacted with these beautiful people, both parents and children of all ages.

The party included many games and contests between boys and girls as well as swinging at two pinatas. There was a skit describing a version of the Prodigal son story put on by two actors who were very energetic. To see so many children enthralled for two hours was a miracle of sorts. When was the last time you were able to keep the attention of that many children for that long? They are hungry for something that they found here.

God has thrown a party for us, one that will last for eternity, but also starts right here and now. Celebration is an attitude, a matter of the heart. And so today´s word is fiesta. Party because we have a God who loves us, even when we are prodigal children. Party because God loves us so much He planned a celebration forever. We see that God is at work here in La Libertad which goes to show...that party can happen anywhere at anytime. Party on, friends!

1 comment:

  1. Reading your blogs this morning, and preparing for tonights life group. The Holy Spirit is stirring in my soul, and I am filled with so much excitment. I was thinking about how far away the team is and yet we are all working together, and it overwhelmed me with joy at the thought of being apart of something so much bigger than ourselves! We might be in different Countries but we are working side by side!
    Praying for the team!
    Shannon Adkins.

    ReplyDelete