Our last team left a few days ago. That makes three since I last posted. All of the groups have come from churches in Tennessee, which almost automatically initiates a bond between us. It's funny because when back in the States, it is never as exciting to meet someone who lives 15 minutes away from you, but when you're in a foreign country, it's like reuniting with that long lost cousin that you grew up hearing all of the stories about. In reality, we know nothing about each other—at all—but we are from the same country, same state, same city even, and that means we are connected, means we have a link that practically no one else for miles around can match.
Each TN church has a partnership with a particular church here in BA, and at least one of the people from each team has been to the city before and is at least somewhat familiar with the neighborhood, the church, and its members. This is one of the things that I appreciate the most: long-term commitment. The last team was even making arrangements with a local pastor about when they could come back and help with a future event.
Since I haven't written in a while (I never promised to be consistent), I will have to backtrack several weeks. Church 1 arrived the end of June. Lindsay and I had been prepping for them for weeks--familiarizing ourselves with the sites, the transportation, the church they would be working with, etc. Now all of our work would be put to the test.
Each team's week began with the same thing: literature distribution in the neighborhood that encompasses the church or activity site. Although every team passed out flyers, I think each team performed differently. With our first team, Lindsay and I were their mouths; so we mainly slid flyers under doors and in mailboxes, spitting out the occasional phrases of information to the people passing by. After a while, two of the team members picked up a few tibdits that they could share quickly and easily, too. Beyond getting them where they needed to go and translating when we could, Lindsay and I were not as involved in their ministry. We had made other arrangements to teach a couple of English classes that conflicted with the team's schedule. The group had planned to teach a few lessons, give their testimonies, and make some crafts with different groups throughout the weekend. From what we gathered, the weekend ran smoothly, and a couple of people from the neighborhood came.
Team 2 consisted of all Spanish speakers (which was very exciting for Lindsay and I). They actually came from the church that my family attends and where I was active throughout high school. It was nice to see familiar faces, even if we had only known each other by name and face. They had prepared a Vacation Bible School and movie night, and everyone was given a responsibility. The VBS consisted of several parts: songs, games, Bible lesson, craft, and snack. Lindsay and I helped with the songs—learning the motions and Spanish lyrics—and games. The first night we were slightly disappointed because the few kids that did come belonged to either a missionary or church family. But we prayed, and the next two nights God brought in more children and their parents. On Sunday morning, one mother came to church, and the team pastor led her to believe in Jesus. God is faithful.
The last team also worked with children in an outdoor fair of sorts. Picture a park with a cement area blocked off for stations of easels and paint, balloon animals (which eventually dwindled to the two options of sword or flower), face paint, and puppet shows. Tons of kids filed through, and both child and parent were excited to discover that everything was free. To close each afternoon, the church put on a puppet show that tied in the Gospel message. The final day, instead of a puppet show, the members performed a play, complete with sound system, hand-painted backdrops, costumes, hair and makeup, and original script. You could tell they put a lot of time and effort into making it special, and the kids seemed to really enjoy it.
Lindsay and I were both a bit intrigued by this last church that we worked with. It contrasted with the others because the first two met in a traditional church building and had mostly older people in attendance. This one is commonly called “church on the streets” because it regularly meets in the upstairs room of a pizzeria to have church on Sunday nights. What really caught our attention was the abundant love each member had, not only for Jesus, but also for one another and their community. During the time for prayer requests one Sunday, every person sitting around the table took out something to write down their neighbor’s needs. You could see the eagerness they had to lift up each other to the Lord in prayer. I think it is the smallest gestures that display the greatest love. And although this church is one of the younger ones around and functions a little differently, it appears to be healthy and growing.
So with our last team gone, we have no one left to prep for. We now only have 11 days more in the Southern Hemisphere. The days have been long, but the weeks pass quickly. I believe in the remaining time I will be doing much reflecting—reflecting on this trip and my life and how they are supposed to tie together. If God gives me any grand revelations, I will be sure to include those in my next post.
