First Sunday

“And only a great God does for His children what they can’t do for themselves” –Max Lucado”

We had our first church service Sunday, which is awesome not only because its church but we are able to sleep till like 8:30 on Sundays because breakfast doesn’t start till nine. But we all sat together in the little auditorium place and were given headsets to wear while a translator spoke into them via a microphone in the back. So I learned more in this church service then I have in a very long time (el oh el). But I really enjoyed the service—I had to dress up in a full suit and tie and sport jacket and fake Rolex and all of that other stuff I never wear to church. I actually like dressing up. It gives me a feeling of legitimacy and significance. I feel as if I am definitely doing the right thing as my clothing lets out a feeling of confidence while my laid back personality balances it out to an agreement between seriousness and casualness. However as I sat in the church with my overpowering, black earphones attached to the bulky device receiving the translation, I was filled with a little more humility; and I am sure the rest of the PBB (Bilingual Bible Program) students had similar experiences as well. But it’s all good, everyone there understood and respected us for trying.

We started off singing songs in a way most young Americans back home wouldn’t appreciate and simply see as boring. It was not straight hymns and organs and opera-like singing—there was a guitar—but we did sing traditional, purely church songs that have been regrettably lessened to a level of unimportance in some places around the world. I am not against contemporary worship, as it is my style of worship; and I am also not against old traditional hymns. I just hate to see churches and organizations judge other styles and worship as wrong or sinful merely because it’s different. First of all it’s not our place. The worship leader at Liberty University nailed it on for me. He said that he doesn’t care how you dress or what style of worship you prefer, as long as your heart is there. True, sincere worship is true, sincere worship—no matter what instruments are used. But anyway… sorry about that ha

But I recognized some of the songs as I am familiar with English traditional worship, and singing them in Spanish was aided by my experience in Camino del Rey back home as I have learned how to pronounce and say many words in Spanish through song (even though I am not always sure what I am singing… well okay most of the time I am not sure). And I did in fact recognize and know some of the songs that we sang, especially in the Sunday night service, which is more casual and contemporary. We sang todo poderoso (of course), te alabare, porque grande eres tu (For you spanish people please excuse the spelling) and some other songs I knew but can’t remember the name to. While all of the PBB students were looking at the screen and attempting to get just one or two phrases out of their English speaking mouths to sing the song, I kept my head forward and sang with pride as I knew the words and the meaning of the songs (J) ha im just kidding… but I did know the songs.

The preaching was great. Joe Jordan, because he is here this weekend, preached and did a magnificent job, like always. He preached on Job, one of my favorite stories, and why bad things happen to good people. He said something that I never really thought of. In Job 3:23 we learn that Job had always feared of losing all that God had blessed him, so he never really 100 percent enjoyed all that God had given him because he was secretly scared of losing it all. The lesson is to thank God for what you have and to fear God, not circumstances. I love that thought. Fear and respect God for who He is and what he has done, it is foolish to fear circumstances and what might happen. God is in control.

But anyways church was great and that Sunday night was a little bit different than usual. Usually they told us that we are going to have our own little Sunday night service in English which we will run ourselves, so hopefully I can help out a lot with the music part. But again I love it here… its getting better everyday. I am still a little eager because I am just so ready to start the Spanish classes and we still have about a week. But all is well. I am meeting a lot of new students down here because I have gotten to the point where I almost love putting myself out there and just speaking, and a few students can speak a little English. Few more things: I met a guy from the DR with the same last name as me—weird—and I met some people from France who are learning Spanish and English and are better than me at both, well not English. I am going to the town Monte tonight to eat at mama Rosa’s—supposedly a legendary pizza place that everyone on campus lives for ha. This kid from PA that is enrolled in the actual BI (Bible Institute) down here is taken us. He is 18 and spent 2 months in Mexico and became fluent in Spanish down there, pretty awesome guy; and he and some other American students, some who went through the PBB program and finishing up in November, have been a tremendous help. But yeah thinks for reading and ill let you know how my night in the town went… if I return…. BUM Bum bummm (HA jk)

Oh and keep reading because I have an awesome story about a student who went here long ago and his testimony coming up…

“As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered…” James 5:11