So much happened our first day out that I could not possibly try to encapsulate it in one post. Instead, allow me to discuss the practical expression of three mission standards.
First off, our entire itinerary for this week has changed. No joke, every single thing we had planned has been altered in some way. Welcome to mission work. Blessed are the flexible. Some aspects of our work have simply been moved around, others deleted, and still others have increased in priority. In addition, where some doors have closed, other doors have been flung wide!
Bright and early, the first change was to find that Lilliana and her son, Santiago, had come to ride the mountain pass with us. This was our first reunion with our extended family thus far and it was excellent! The next change brought a challenge along with it. After two days of traveling, our hosts surprised us with a ministry opportunity right off the highway. We thought we were headed to a hotel to change, freshen up, and eat lunch. Instead, we found ourselves stepping of the bus and into a school assembly at a place that's similar to a community college. We scrambled, gave some testimonies, Hannah & Caleb did a song with a make shift sound set-up, and Pablo brought the Word.
Oh, and did I mention it was hot? It was.
What happened next was a little fantastic. We engaged in the standard meet and greet kind of thing with a few incredible stories of people who had been touched by God.
The final piece of today's pie consists of the various means God brought joy to our team. It seemed that half of the day was spent basking in the triumphs of seeing the fruit of our labor from years past. The power of what the Holy Spirit has done in a few years is simply unbelievable! Or at least it would be if we hadn't witnessed it ourselves. Then there was the simple joy of seeing our forever family. From a few of them packing our little bus to ride with us after the assembly, to catching up on our lives, to laughing at whatever, to being asked to share in the birthday party of the two-year old daughter of someone we didn't know 7 years ago.
Family is a beautiful gift from God.
With the new schedule, tomorrow we'll be heading to the University for some campus evangelism, then Cal will be leading a lunch on defending the faith. Hannah will be leading a worship workshop on following the Holy Spirit, followed by music training for the church teams, and we'll be meeting with the Pastor of a new plant to encourage him in his work, and show him that he does not labor alone.
No one is alone in Christ. There are no boundaries or barriers for the love of God and it's a wonderful task to put that sentiment into action.
Saludos y abrazos fuertes a todos!
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