Another Sunday, Another Church

Just a short (well, kind of...) blog before I head off to Pinalito.

I’m back in Guatemala City, after a great week of immersion in Spanish and with much improved (but still more improvement to go) Spanish skills. I’ve had some good conversations with people about subjects such as places, science, and Faith.

Today being Sunday, I went to church. I had asked one of the hostel employees where a good church was and he referred me to ‘Casa de Dios’, a mega-church in Guatemala City. 'Ok, sounds good' I said. When I arrived, I entered into the very large sanctuary and found a seat, and the worship then started. The congregation (several thousand strong) was definitely into worship, and I was too when I recognized some of the songs that I knew in English, such as ‘Open the eyes of my heart LORD’, ‘Alleluia’, and ‘How Great Thou Art’. Sometimes I sang in English, and other times I sang in Spanish, when the words were displayed on the large screens. After some good worship the sermon started, and I was even given a little headset through which I could listen in English (I know, I know, that’s cheating…).

It was nice, but the first half was incorrect, in my opinion, and in studying the scriptures we can figure out why. The pastor was speaking of blessings received from God, and the 2 main texts he used were Genesis 14:18 and Matthew 10:41. In Genesis Abram received blessing from God through Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High, but the word that the pastor used was ‘association’, that Abram received the blessing by association: he knew Melchizedek and Melchizedek knew God, and so Abram was blessed. Not so. Abram was blessed because God chose to bless him, and because: ‘Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ (Gen 15:6 NIV). God was able to bless Abram whether Melchizedek was there or not.

In Matthew 10:41 Jesus says ‘Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and any one who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.’ (NIV). The pastor unfortunately interpreted this as that the congregation received blessing through him (the pastor) by association (as in Gen 14:18 misinterpreted), and that by receiving him the congregation received the same reward as him. We need to keep in mind that we receive Christ, and all the blessings that result from receiving him, through the Holy Spirit and God himself. There are no ‘middle-men’ in our relationship with God. 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 is a good illustration.

The second portion of the sermon was better, the main text being Mark 11:12-14, 20-21, the ‘Withered Fig Tree’. Jesus had cursed the tree for not bearing any fruit, even though it was not the fruiting season for figs at the time (verse 13). What this means for us is that whatever the season of our life, High or Low, we need to bear fruit for God. Also tied in to this is the parable/illustration Jesus used of the weed, the evil we need to cut out of our lives so that we may grow and bear fruits that can benefit others, as that is what fruit trees do-benefit others.

All in all it was a good service. The worship was great, it was a good chance to practice being Berean (Acts 17:11), and I learned from it 2 important lessons: 1. We need to remember to be humble- it is God who works in this world through us, we are only vessels for his Word, and 2. That we must bear fruit whatever the season of our lives and cut out the weeds that try to infest our fruitful lives.

Dios con Nosotros
Koos

¡Hola! Guatemala is fantastic. For several reasons: It’s beautiful, the people are extremely friendly, God is present, and God is truly teaching me a lot here, if not something new, emphasizing things I already knew.

My travel to Guatemala was smooth and painless, and I got situated at the hostel I was staying at my first night pretty easily. The language shock was tempered a bit by the fact that one of my hosts knew English fairly well (the one who picked me up from the airport), and the owners of the Hostel (Luis and Loly de Sosa) were very patient with my rough Spanish and we were able to have a conversation of sorts.

Guatemala City is not very pretty (just your regular city sprawl), but it was definitely an example of how friendly Guatemalans are. The day after my arrival I travelled to Nebaj, a small town in the Northern portion of Guatemala where I am taking a week of Spanish classes. The De Sosa’s were very kind to go out of their way to help me find a bus to Nebaj, even driving me to the appropriate spot to hop on the bus and go…something I as a Gringo would have had a bit more trouble with.

The bus ride was something quite different. I took the local form of travel, a chicken bus. Take an old school bus, paint it in bright colors, pack it as full as it can get (6 to a row), and drive it at top speed over twisting mountain roads, swerving around whatever gets in your way and you have yourself a chicken bus. The ride took 4 or 5 hours and was slightly dangerous, but it taught me that prayer is powerful. As I rode the bus, I prayed for safe travel for all of us on the bus that day. And it worked. In Quiché, a connecting city for me, I found the proper bus and got on, but after I found out from the only other Americano getting on the bus that the driver seemed unfit to drive and was possibly drunk, we decided to get off and find another bus. After I grabbed my bag off of the roof rack and found a microbus (12 passenger minivan) that went to Nebaj, I felt a lot better about my own safety, but said a prayer for the folks on the bus I had gotten off of. I also ‘lost’ my fellow traveller somewhere in between getting off the bus and grabbing my bag, and I said a prayer for her too. But as I said, my prayers proved fruitful, because as I arrived in Nebaj (after a sane and gorgeous ride through the mountains) I saw that the bus I had gotten off of had arrived safely after all.

Nebaj is a fantastic little town situated in a high valley nestled between some awesome mountains. It’s very welcoming to tourists, but at the same time it is not dressed up or fancified to our tastes…rather, the entire city is in an honest ‘as is’ state. I’ve experienced the fantastic friendliness of the local population, from the people in the market to the people at the language school and most obviously the family with whom I have a ‘homestay’ who have invited me into their home to live as if I was one of their own. I’ve also been able to experience the glory of God’s creation through a few runs and a hike this morning to some fantastic waterfalls.

In Guatemala, and especially in Nebaj, you see a lot of evidence of people’s faith. Most of the bus drivers have some sort of Christian motto emblazoned on their vehicles, some examples: ‘Dios el Rey’ or ‘Dios es Amor’ or ‘Dios es mi Guia’. God the King; God is Love; God is my Guide. Despite my poor Spanish skills, I can still understand the important stuff. That’s reassuring. Most people are either catholic or evangelical, and you see a lot of churches scattered through the town and I constantly hear Christian music, either blaring from a car or off in the distance from a church gathering. On Sunday, when I arrived, I got a chance to go to church. I had some time to kill before I could get a room in the hostel, and as I stepped out of the office I heard some music, a guitar, keyboard, drums etc. 'Let's check this out.' I thought, and it turned out to be coming from a church. The music was lively and the people worshiping were lively as well, so I decided 'Ok, let's go to church.' Even though I understood very little of the service, I enjoyed it thoroughly. In the music, I picked up some of the words: Dios, El SEÑOR, Jesus, Espiritu Sanctus, hosanna, alleluja, amor...all the important words in praising God. Amen. Then came the sermon...most of which I did not understand...but I did get 2 statements that the pastor made: 1. Dios es la Dios de todo y todos- God is the God of everything and everything; and 2. La Biblia es la Biblia y hay es nada mas- The Bible is the Bible and there is nothing more. Amen. Can't argue with those points.

As I mentioned before, I really love the Guatemalans for their warm and open hearts and their immediate friendliness. What I love even more is that the kids are even more so. In the church, and throughout the town, most of the kids greet me with a bright beaming smile and again, immediate friendship.

My Spanish is improving rapidly and gets a little easier each day. Speaking about religion or science in Spanish is definitely a challenge, but is satisfying at the same time. Spanish isn’t so bad after all.

I read some of Luke this morning (chapter 10) where Jesus sends out 72 disciples to spread his word to every town and place he was about to go. I take comfort in this, because it does not say that Jesus sent out the 72 best folks in town, or the 72 richest people he knew, or the 72 best athletes. All Luke tells us is that ‘…the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them…’ (Luke 10:1). Jesus sent out whom he chose, and to us this means that any of us can be out spreading the gospel in some manner, whether we’re rich or poor, average Joe or ‘well off’. With that, I know I’m on the right track.

Luke 10:21-23 is very reassuring at this point, as in verse 21, Jesus praises God for revealing his word to the simple (myself included), in verse 22 Jesus tells us that He is in control and through him we have access to God, so that we may be saved, and in verse 23 tells his disciples that they are blessed for having been witnesses to Jesus, and we are even more blessed because we too are witnesses, able to read of God’s works in the Bible.

I praise God for watching over and keeping me safe, guiding me to this amazing chapter of my life, and for all of his creation. I pray that as I prepare for and begin my works for God, that my work can be fruitful and guided by God.

Dios es asombroso,

Koos

Here I go!!!!

Tomorrow I fly out, and I'll be getting up very early. But that's ok, it's for something fun. I haven't had too many problems spring up during this packing/preparation stage, so that's good. I don't think I've forgotten anything, but one usually finds those things out after it's too late.
Time to start an adventure!

Almost time to go...

OK, the last week has been pretty good. My plans have finally come together and most of the details are worked out. I received the passport I had been waiting for (kind of needed that...), bought a plane ticket (can't get very far without one) and arranged lodging and that kind of thing for my arrival.
I leave on Saturday, Feb 10th, which is quite soon. When I arrive in Guatemala, I'll travel up to a small town called Nebaj, where I'll take a week of intense Spanish classes and learn about the way that town has been improved over the last decade. Nebaj has been 'worked on' with the help of the Peace Corps and a organization CE Solutions with the goal or focus being that the local community help itself rather than be helped. This is important to keep in mind as I work in Pinalito.
I'm not terribly nervous about my trip, but my one concern is my Spanish skills. In the last few weeks there have been a lot of distractions that kept me from studying/practicing, so the first few weeks will be a bit rough. I guess I'll just dive head first and see if I sink or swim. I take comfort in the fact that I am not alone, God is with us, and helps us in our doing of his works, just like he did with Moses, Jonah, Paul...actually, any of God's workers we read of in the Bible.
Psalm 48:14 "For this God is Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end."

I'll keep that in mind. God will be my guide, and I'll be just fine.