The joy of the Lord is all over this team. God’s fingerprints are everywhere, obvious on each person.
(We started the day celebrating Kristen’s birthday and when she came down to breakfast we were all wearing birthday hats and when she walked into the room we sang happy birthday to her)
We started off the day with church; a sermon that only a few of us could understand because of the language barrier. However, we learned that many things are universal and can be conveyed without words. For example, the pastor had an altar call and several members of the congregation went up to the front. As the pastor was praying for these people, emotions filled the whole room. Tears filled their eyes as God reached down and touched their hearts. Many of us took one glance at these people and it was almost as if we could read their minds. No words had to be said; we just knew that God was at work in them as he is at work in each of our lives.
(During the worship service they invited Kristen Jung onstage and sang Happy Birthday to her in Spanish. The Pastor than came on stage and prayed over her. It was a great moment for Kristen)
After church, we went out to lunch (blackberry juice, steak, fries, rice and a type of vegetable soup and a strawberry mouse type thing) and then had very little time to relax because we were off to play soccer with the locals. I think I can speak for all of us when I say this, but everyone was absolutely exhausted and lacking much needed energy. By the time we got on the soccer field though, the tiredness was overtaken by the excitement of the game. Competition, fun in the puddles on the field, and great encouragement was the backbone of our game. (Several of our team members were covered in mud by falling into the puddles. It has rained everyday in Puyo creating some fun soccer obstacles. By the time we finished, we were sweaty and caked in mud, a recipe for a fantastic day.
At dinner, we sang “Happy Birthday” to Kristen for the fourth time. We sang twice in English and twice in Spanish, we are that talented J. (For dinner we had chicken with gravy, rice, broccoli, fries, a vegetable type soup and a chocolate ice cream type of dessert) The restaurant gave her a small chocolate cake, which she shared with us. The rest of the night was followed by Colin giving his testimony during debrief and a powerful time of prayer. The Holy Spirit had definitely descended in the room as we laid hands on Colin. We finished up the day with some absolutely hysterical moments. If I were to explain one of the outrageous times, you parents and friends at home probably wouldn’t understand. Half the stuff we laugh about probably isn’t even funny; it might have to do with our lack of sleep, but the joy of the Lord is our strength.
I’m so grateful for the team and the way God is at work in each of our lives. Can’t wait to see what other surprises he has in store. He is SO good.
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