Day 7 - Eduardo and Company

Here we are visiting Pastor Eduardo's Church
(That's him in the white shirt with his wife). In the back is Frank,
the youth pastor, and one of the students who plays
drums on the worship team.

While some of us recovered from sun exposure, the rest of us were able to head to a Spanish-speaking Church Sunday morning where Greg delivered the sermon. It was a fantastic experience to see a church (very much the same size as Butteville) in a completely different culture. The church actually met at the home of the pastor, Eduardo, who had a vision for this specific community. The community is in an economically struggling area. Eduardo bought a lot of land that is more like a compound where they built a home for his family and his wife's family. There is a lot of undeveloped land behind them where their vision is to build a community park for the local youth. There is also another lot adjacent to the church where doors are opening for Eduardo (resources-willing) to purchase and expand his vision for the community recreation center. It was neat to see his vision and dedication for this community that is in dire need.

The church service was a great experience as well. They were quite welcoming, and though the service was entirely in Spanish, they did an English song, "Trading my Sorrows" and had the words in English AND Spanish, so we all could sing in our own language. At times, it was neat to sit back and even though we didn't understand the words being said or sung, you could get a sense that we were all connected and part of a family with a similar purpose.

Greg gave a great sermon on the Hope we have in the resurrection. Fitting, since it was the first Sunday of Holy Week leading into Easter. Greg did an excellent job considering he didn't even know he was preaching until the day before (it pays to be prepared!). I was able to share my testimony as well about my journey discovering hope. It was very encouraging to be able to be with this community of believers, and knowing that at the same time, our community in Butteville was also meeting, and praying. What a great way to end the week!

Here's a welcome video they played for us at the church (Frank, the youth pastor, put it together). It was so thoughtful of them the way they opened their arms to welcome us. It was also encouraging to see that they included Marilyn as part of our team. Even though she wasn't able to make the trip with us due to family illness, she was still very much part of our team, and we coveted her prayers for us while we were there.