I forgot to tell you about something funny that happened last night. Well, yesterday, we decided we had exhausted our de-chocolatized diet and so boldly set out in search of the creamy, hard delicacy. We were standing outside of a store when a car honked, summoning us to turn our heads. With the window rolled down, a young man held his cell phone up and snapped our photo as he whizzed by!
This morning, we had approximately 2 hours between breakfast and when we loaded up the van to go swimming, during which we perused some stores. I bought Brant a machete, and we visited the Roman Catholic church, where people were burning incense and kneeling in the dark interior, beseeching the spirit of a saint or ancestor. It was a sad sight to behold- people so deceived they thought they had to do this- thoguht they must seek the favor of the deceased souls in order to secure ease in this life or the next. Couldn't they see the statue of the Savior before them? Wasn't the answer in sight?
I stood there, awed by Satan's success in this place. Masquerading as the Lamb, he devours daily those souls as they bend their knees in what they think is Christianity. I had always heard of ancestor worship, but never before had I confronted it firsthand, standing helplessly on the sidelines with a vast language between me and these lost sheep. Suddenly, God opened my eyes to a gaping need- a need to reveal this deception for what it is and the presentation of the Good News.
The van finally picked us up, and we made our way up the mountain to a remotelocation where there was a pool right on the mountainside. A house was right next to it, as was a pavilion with plastic tables, a hammock, and Christmas lights. Laura tried plugging the cord in, but immediately pulled it out when she heard a static sound. However, when she inserted it into another outlset, we found that we heard not static, but a small music player rigged to play Christmas carols when the lights were plugged in!
The water was very frigid, and only a handful of us were brave enough to actually go in. Literally, Kris-Ann could not stop chattering forever and Adriana dove in and was like, "Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!" Eventually, our bodies adjusted to the temperature change and we managed a few games such as Knot and Marco Polo. A couple of us got burned, but it was really fun1
Back at the church in San Miguel, Arvid sat us down at 4:30 and conversed with us about what we'd learned on the trip. Many people brought up great lessons aobut dealing with pride, lesser-possessions, etc. But Rachel really hit the nail on the head for me when she said that depending on God was her biggest lesson. She gave a few examples, like when Abby got dehydrated in Stiquisislaj (sticky-SEE-slah), a village in which some of us stayed.
"I'll admit, I was scared," she says. "I was really scared. I had no idea if she needed serious attention or how we'd get it or anything."
Fortunately, God put it on their hearts to pray and Abby got better soon after that. Also, Rachel related something I totally agree with- trusting God on those twisty, turvy, unpaved roads where there's sometimes not even an inch between you and death.
Also, God has shown me what little others have, and how much I can do without (I went days without a shower because water availability was sporadic). It really shocks me now as I think of our culture- so upscale seems even gas stations and roads and cars. We live in a world where stuff defines success- they live in a world where success defines itself. For many Central American families, this might be as simplistic as putting food on the table. I think plunging from one to the next with only a four hour plane ride in between might be a little difficult. I pray I will soon get over it, but not forget this lesson.
Today, my primary thought is that I would like to be a more faithful Christian. I want God to teach me to depend completely on Him for everything, and to follow His lead for the rest of my life.
In Christ,
Brittany Goodrich
No comments:
Post a Comment