Sunday, August 11, 2019

Bonding with our new family

Today we experienced deeper sharing of the love of Jesus as we deepened our relationships as team members and as members of the team growing God's Kingdom in La Paz.  Breakfast time found some team members running around the neighborhood of the city, encountering markets and grazing vacas (cows).  Others found the coffee, eggs, plantains, and avacados refreshing on Sunday morning.  Since our worship at Pastor Junior's church was in the afternoon, our morning devotion with all 12 members centered on John 4, praises lifted on high, and a team photo.

We joined Pastor Junior's family for lunch.  Along the long tables we used for the clinic the day before, we now had plates of chicken, rice, vegetables, and tortillas.  Conversation between the new American family and the Honduran families centered on family, starting with two new babies:  Sofia and Lisa Maria.  Love was translated easily, as the women took turns holding the twins.  The sharing of family history and celebration photos of a recent QuinceaƱera showed that we had common feelings for each other's family joys.  

The two families walked as one unit to the Overlook, a short hike from the church via The Way, with cobblestone streets and the Stations of the Cross leading to a steep incline.  Using each other's encouragement and plenty of water, we reached the summit to find a glorious view of the valley below.  Adorning the summit was a cross and a Catholic church, as well as an overlook deck.  The beauty of God's hand on the mountains, vegetation, and skies made each step of the journey worth the sweat.

We went back to the hotel after our afternoon hike to prepare for afternoon worship.  The Lutheran congregation is a new family in La Paz, seeking followers of Christ.  Pastor Junior included English translators for the liturgy and sermon from Luke 10:28-42.  Like families bonded through Christ, we joined in Holy Communion, with Pastor Junior and Pastor Joel sharing His Body and His Blood using both languages.  Yet the purpose was singular:  to freely receive what Christ died and rose again to give to us: release from sin, strength for day, and eternal life.  

As we separated from our Honduran family for the evening, we enjoyed dinner and devotions about the joys of serving on this mission, through the words found in Colossians 3:12-14.  We talked about encouraging words for both families as we move forward in our week of servanthood.  As we sang and reflected on the day, we certainly had 10,000 reasons for praising Him and seeking to be more like him with His spirit alive in each of us.  Imagine the family of God, across the miles, languages, and history, singing together:

"Quiero service mas...Mas Como Tu"
"Make me brand new...Make me like you"






1 comment:

  1. Your blog posts are so clearly written. Thank you. I can SEE it, almost. Praying for the team, esp Bailey and Cindy.

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