Fellowship Across Language Barriers

Sunday, March 1

Hi all! It’s been a busy Sunday. The church we attended was a larger church. It had three services, the early service starting at 7am. We were there for all three services. They began with praise and worship. We were able to join in and sing along in Spanish because they had the words of their songs on a Power Point. We may not have had a clue what we were saying, but it was nice to be singing along, rather than just standing there not knowing the words! There’s also a sense of the communion that takes places between Christians, across cultural, racial, and linguistic barriers, when you can worship God together.

The pastor’s birthday was the next day, and so at every service we sang Happy Birthday for him, in Spanish of course! They were having communion this Sunday, so after that they would introduce the team. Following introductions, Elizabeth, Daniel, Steven and Amy sang a song, and then someone from the team would share a testimony.

Pastor Salazar preached at the first and third services and Mr. Welde (a preacher from the US and a friend of Pastor Salazar’s) at the second service, with Pastor Salazar translating for him. It was wonderful how the testimonies, songs, and sermon all fit together. As Pastor said, “It’s the about the whole service, not just one part.”

During the third service we went to see the children’s rooms where we are going to have the kids’ program next week. That was fun! In each classroom we met the kids who were there for Sunday school and sang “Rey de Reyes” with the kids. We also had a good conversation with the older class (13-14 yrs old) about how each of us received salvation and why we are in Colombia. Several of the kids from this class will be working as assistants for us during the kids’ program.

A long lunch and training for next week’s program filled up the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we walked a mile or two to a mall and had dinner at our favorite Crepes and Waffles.

Amber, for the team

Scene from the streets outside the church.

Something that was served at lunch today. It's a fish, in case you can't tell, head and all. None of us team members actually ordered the fish, but we thought it worthy of a picture so you can see what we COULD have eaten.

Relaxing at Crepes and Waffles with some of our Colombian friends.