Week One!

Well, more or less one week down. I know it's only Thursday but this is my day off so it feels like the weekend. Things are off to a great start. On Sunday I went to a party at one of the Church members houses. It started at 10 and didn't end until about 5 or so that evening. It was a fun time. It was this churches 'fiesta de multiplicacion', or multiplication party. The idea is that this is the point when, what has now been one church will now multiply into three now that leaders are ready to lead. The party was fun. We had pollo asado (rotissere chicken) over a fire that was started with charcoal and floor wax! We then had a program time where we had videos of pictures from the past time in the church and had games and all. It was a great time to start to learn the people of the church. After Tom and Susan Stiles (other missionaries in the area) dropped me off at my house, I went for a little walk in the rain. Just trying to learn the area and to look for a place to check my email. I was a little bummed since the next day was my birthday and all but it was good just to walk.

Well the next day (Monday) I met with Patricio (the local pastor of the house churches) and we sort of went over the vision of the church plants and ways that I would be working. I talked about how I loved to work with young people and would love to see how that could fit into the vision and he was very open to that. We then went for a walk to find the Campus Crusade offices here to pick up some copies of the Jesus Video. We got there....and they were closed. So we wandered around for a while and then eventually headed back to our area and I went home. I spend the rest of the day in the apartment more or less until that night when we had a meeting with the new leaders of the various new house churches. Patricio did some teaching on bible studies and leadership qualities then we went around and shared our visions. Then the one couple, whom Patricio said I would be working with the closest, said that their dream was to see a church of jóvenes (youth) and they shared their dreams about this. I was SO happy. After hearing that Patricio asked me to share some of what I had talked about that morning so I did. So now it looks like I will continue to work closely with these two both doing youth ministry here but also training this couple in what youth ministry is and how to do it. So that is really exciting.

Other than that this week I've mostly just shadowed Patricio around. We've done visits in the lingerie store where we had church and discipleship at the 12 de abril produce market. We've had one house church meeting and the past two days we've had 6:30 AM prayer meetings! Talk about early....I actually overslept this morning and only made it on time thanks to a cabbie! Things are really off to a good start. I have upcoming meetings with various people, including a pregnant 16 year old and mayber her boyfriend. Please be in prayer for that. It is so common to have that happen here, but I just hope and pray that that won't be the excuse and that it will be a time of awakening. Also pray that these people here will truly understand what it means to follow Christ. To accept his salvation, this gift of grace, and then to live our life in that light and that truth. Thanks so much for your prayers!