Wow. What a week it's been. We started language school this past Monday. Let me tell you, I am awful at grammar. In both languages...But it's been good. Right now I'm just confused when I speak but hopefully towards the end I'll be able to understand why I speak how I speak.
I find it ironic that I am working for a church. Last semester I attended a house church and really developed a different view of church and the one here feels conservative and very much focused on the works aspect of life. While those are not bad, they can be and in my mind, church has been very redefined from that and it's almost as if now I'm redefining what I learned. It feels like the people here know that church is not about the Sunday morning service. It almost feels as if done out of tradition. But then I go to a Bible study or a prayer meeting and I'm reminded that it's the people. The warmth and devotion of the people; that's what church is about. The setting can change but the heart does not change.
Church has been real good. Following Ronald around to Bible studies has been great. Very, very rewarding. I am now in charge of the youth group. That happened Monday night. It'll be interesting for sure but I think it'll be a chance for me to grow. I don't really like to consider myself a "teacher" cause I feel like I need to learn more before I can teach. Today we had our first youth group Bible study with me and Wade leading it. I think it went well. We decided to do a in-depth study at the Sermon on the Mount. Today we only went over the Beatitudes and the Salt and Light of the world section. Wade and I probably talked a grand total of ten minutes. The study lasted from 3:20-4:30. Awesome. I like not having to talk and I think the youth liked being able to talk.
Tonight about two minutes after starting writing this, I suddenly was asked if I (and Wade) wanted to go to a wake for the brother of one of the people in the church. Since Wade and I like the guy and respect him a lot we went to support him. When we got there, they asked Ronald to do a short service. If they would have asked me, I would have probably pooped in my pants from nervousness at speaking to the family of a man I rarely knew, knowing most of the people in the room are either Catholic or don't go to church. But Ronald busted out his Bible, read Philippians 1:21 (For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain) and talked about how we need to take advantage of this life because everyone dies. He probably talked for at least 15 minutes. I mean wow! Wade turned to me is amazement and commented that no one knows the seeds that that short message will have planted and I was in awe that God would use one man's death to potentially bring life to others.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
random info
Well shoot dang. It is freakin awesome here.
On weather: slightly humid but not too bad. Never above the 80's. It usually at least sprinkles in the afternoons and it cools off.
On food: Rice and beans for almost every meal. Today we actually had it at all three. Food is sooo good. There so many kinds of bread and stuff it's ridiculous. I like it alot. Also, fruit is ridiculously cheap here.
On living conditions: My host family is legit. There are two daughters and a son all about my age. The mom is a really good cook. The dad is the pastor who we do stuff with and he is one of the more amazing men I have ever met.
On day to day stuff: Well I usually wake about 9. Mornings are kinda random but we can go for a run, go with Ronald (the pastor) on visits or Bible studies, or just chill. We are yet to actually just chill. We walk alot of places and it's not too bad. Next week we start language school. I'll only go for half the day so it won't be that bad. Sundays are crazy. Church at 9. Come home for lunch around 12:30, nap, go to the church plant in the next suburbal area 15 minutes away at 4, get home around 6 or 6:30, eat, go to sleep...long days. The Bible studies that we've gone to are really cool. He's in different places with people but it's really cool to see how he approaches it. Also, there's church Tuesday night at 7-8:30. Then Wednesday at 7-8 at the church plant. Then a Thursday prayer gathering at 7-8:30. So yikes. Busy days but really good days. Ronald has had at least a Bible study a day, sometimes two so there is a real sense of the Gospel growing and spreading because many of these are not in the church already. In Abilene, some growth seems to happen only from people switching from Highland to SoHills or from University to Beltway. Here people are saying I'm going to begin going to church. I wish I had such a desire as some of them.
On church: Church has such a different feel here than in the US. For one, the people that come are really, really serious about it. There is a greater sense of brotherhood. The leadership of it is pretty neat too. Before the service Sunday morning, about 8 men go up to a room about 10 minutes before and assign what's to be done. They already know who's preaching, although it's not the same every week. Ronald, the head honcho, assigns some to do the Communion, song leading, managing the parking lot, an opening prayer, the prayer for the sick, and the closing prayer. When I say assigns some to do the Communion, he says "Hermano, will you do the thoughts today?" So someone pretty much has about 20 minutes to come up with a thought for the supper and someone else does it for the offering. There is a deep, deep reverence for communion. The only ones who touch the trays are the ones serving it, no one else does. There also seems to be a view that the service really must go perfectly and that is a way to praise God. The prayers are so different than prayers in the US. They are vibrant! People will amen in the middle of a prayer, or say "glory to God!" and it throws you off for a little but it's affirming at the same time. It's almost as if there's an art to it. The songs are different. They are very short, and usually only have one or two verses saying a same general theme. Here they are sung somewhat slower than other places that I've sung them and I know the pastor wants to change that.
Overall it's been an awesome experience so far. I'm sure things will come up that will be harder to bear but right now, I'm all for it. It's been refreshing to see people's faith so alive. That about sums it up.
On weather: slightly humid but not too bad. Never above the 80's. It usually at least sprinkles in the afternoons and it cools off.
On food: Rice and beans for almost every meal. Today we actually had it at all three. Food is sooo good. There so many kinds of bread and stuff it's ridiculous. I like it alot. Also, fruit is ridiculously cheap here.
On living conditions: My host family is legit. There are two daughters and a son all about my age. The mom is a really good cook. The dad is the pastor who we do stuff with and he is one of the more amazing men I have ever met.
On day to day stuff: Well I usually wake about 9. Mornings are kinda random but we can go for a run, go with Ronald (the pastor) on visits or Bible studies, or just chill. We are yet to actually just chill. We walk alot of places and it's not too bad. Next week we start language school. I'll only go for half the day so it won't be that bad. Sundays are crazy. Church at 9. Come home for lunch around 12:30, nap, go to the church plant in the next suburbal area 15 minutes away at 4, get home around 6 or 6:30, eat, go to sleep...long days. The Bible studies that we've gone to are really cool. He's in different places with people but it's really cool to see how he approaches it. Also, there's church Tuesday night at 7-8:30. Then Wednesday at 7-8 at the church plant. Then a Thursday prayer gathering at 7-8:30. So yikes. Busy days but really good days. Ronald has had at least a Bible study a day, sometimes two so there is a real sense of the Gospel growing and spreading because many of these are not in the church already. In Abilene, some growth seems to happen only from people switching from Highland to SoHills or from University to Beltway. Here people are saying I'm going to begin going to church. I wish I had such a desire as some of them.
On church: Church has such a different feel here than in the US. For one, the people that come are really, really serious about it. There is a greater sense of brotherhood. The leadership of it is pretty neat too. Before the service Sunday morning, about 8 men go up to a room about 10 minutes before and assign what's to be done. They already know who's preaching, although it's not the same every week. Ronald, the head honcho, assigns some to do the Communion, song leading, managing the parking lot, an opening prayer, the prayer for the sick, and the closing prayer. When I say assigns some to do the Communion, he says "Hermano, will you do the thoughts today?" So someone pretty much has about 20 minutes to come up with a thought for the supper and someone else does it for the offering. There is a deep, deep reverence for communion. The only ones who touch the trays are the ones serving it, no one else does. There also seems to be a view that the service really must go perfectly and that is a way to praise God. The prayers are so different than prayers in the US. They are vibrant! People will amen in the middle of a prayer, or say "glory to God!" and it throws you off for a little but it's affirming at the same time. It's almost as if there's an art to it. The songs are different. They are very short, and usually only have one or two verses saying a same general theme. Here they are sung somewhat slower than other places that I've sung them and I know the pastor wants to change that.
Overall it's been an awesome experience so far. I'm sure things will come up that will be harder to bear but right now, I'm all for it. It's been refreshing to see people's faith so alive. That about sums it up.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
First Sunday
Wow. Finally in Costa Rica!! Que fino! We arrived here on Friday afternoon and it's been a blast ever since. Saturday we had a youth get together with a couple of the other churches around and after singing (off-key), eating (rice and beans for breakfast, noodles for lunch) we played a ton of ping-pong. Me and Wade came so close to beating the best team out there...Sunday has been awesome so far. Church was so different from back home. (Granted for me church back home is house church and thus still non-traditional, it was still different from many of the services I've been to.) The prayers were different, communion had a solemness to it that was far from the same, the songs focused on different aspects, and boy was it formal! On my first time to this church I served communion and prayed in the adults class. This is going to be an interesting summer since I really don't like being in front of crowds. But it'll be good. At four we are going to a church plant about twenty minutes away where there are only two members who are baptized. I'm pretty excited cause it sounds so new and I don't feel like I've seen a brand new group of Christians in so long. At home, Christianity feels so stale but here it is far from. It's awesome. My host family is about the best ever. Nora is a great cook. Esteban is almost 17 and a real goofy guy. Adrianna and Alejandra are 19 and 22 and real cool too. Ronald is probably the most humble man I have ever met and a great teacher. The way he deals with people is so awesome, he's so personal. It is truly inspiring.
The last couple of days I was thinking about why I had come or was brought here. I can't really think of a particular need I'm filling. I'm not loving on orphans, I'm not ministering to street kids dejected by society, I'm not running a camp, I'm not even in charge of the youth group. I'm not here to teach. So why am I here? I realize that I am very much a person who tries to do things and knows alot about things but not always understands intimately. It slowly (very slowly) came to me that maybe God did not bring me here to do anything in particular. The church is fine when I got here and will be fine when I leave. I'm not going to convert dozens in my time here. While we are here, we will also be going to a language school. Maybe this whole time here is "school". Maybe God is trying to tell me that I need to stop doing and planning but figure out how to live out his message where I am, when I am. Maybe I am just here to learn, to soak, to watch, to listen, to mull things over. I am not here to actively teach, campaign, or correct. I am here to learn how to embody Christ where I am. While I do feel a sense of comfort realizing there is a point to me being in Desamparados, Costa Rica, embodying Christ is a real daunting task especially without the benefits of being distracted by task that I usually fill my life with.
So that is what I want to really practice these next two months. I challenge you to do so with me. Inevitably we will have task and actions to do that have a specific purpose but over all, let's just be. I guess the Beatles did speak words of wisdom, "let it be."
"Be still, and know that I am God" Psalms 46:10
The last couple of days I was thinking about why I had come or was brought here. I can't really think of a particular need I'm filling. I'm not loving on orphans, I'm not ministering to street kids dejected by society, I'm not running a camp, I'm not even in charge of the youth group. I'm not here to teach. So why am I here? I realize that I am very much a person who tries to do things and knows alot about things but not always understands intimately. It slowly (very slowly) came to me that maybe God did not bring me here to do anything in particular. The church is fine when I got here and will be fine when I leave. I'm not going to convert dozens in my time here. While we are here, we will also be going to a language school. Maybe this whole time here is "school". Maybe God is trying to tell me that I need to stop doing and planning but figure out how to live out his message where I am, when I am. Maybe I am just here to learn, to soak, to watch, to listen, to mull things over. I am not here to actively teach, campaign, or correct. I am here to learn how to embody Christ where I am. While I do feel a sense of comfort realizing there is a point to me being in Desamparados, Costa Rica, embodying Christ is a real daunting task especially without the benefits of being distracted by task that I usually fill my life with.
So that is what I want to really practice these next two months. I challenge you to do so with me. Inevitably we will have task and actions to do that have a specific purpose but over all, let's just be. I guess the Beatles did speak words of wisdom, "let it be."
"Be still, and know that I am God" Psalms 46:10
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