Thank you so much for the prayers and encouraging notes regarding our second Bible Study in Spanish which was on Friday.
In summary it went very well, though not as expected. We had 7 new people and then we were missing 4 of the people that came the previous Friday. I was sensing something like this potential and for whatever reason was uneasy that afternoon. Therefore your prayers were much appreciated and I feel like the Lord guided me through the study.
A man named Toni showed up. He was bilingual Spanish/English. He actually showed up to the English Bible study at 5pm and stayed for the Spanish one at 7. I REALLY enjoyed him! He has a heart to know God and was meek, yet hungry and zealous. His participation in the study showed his hunger and appreciation for God. After the study was over he spoke to me and said, “I’ve been looking for a church to go to and I’ve never felt so much peace at a church as I did tonight.” Toni is sitting to my right.
Two others, of the new people that came, were Osvaldo (Oswald) and his grandmother Laura. Oswald is a 14 year old boy who is sitting to my left in the photos. Laura is sitting next to Oswald.
Several weeks ago, Jorge and I went out for dinner and a visit. While we were deep into our conversation a lad came to our table asking if we wanted to buy candy. In Mexico here, it’s very common for vendors to come into the restaurant and sell their products. Oswald goes to school during the week, but on the weekends he travels from Empalme (25 minutes away) on the bus into San Carlos to sell candies and try to help make a living with his grandmother Laura. Oswald’s father died years ago, and his mother left him, so he and his two brothers live with their grandmother in Empalme. Oswald is a bright young man, very curious about life and is a deep thinking. He wants to become a pilot. A few weeks later, Jorge and I went back to the same restaurant to visit some more. Guess who showed up? The same boy. During these encounters we have built a bit of a friendship with Oswald and invited him to the Bible study. Low and behold he showed up with his grandmother Laura!
Jorge, knew they would be coming and asked the church to bring some food items to help them with. All this to say, that when it came time for the study, it was difficult to know whether to continue on from last week (as I had planned) or to do some review since there were 7 new students and 4 missing from the last study. So, I decided to review and I catered the first part of the meeting to Oswald. I asked him to read the text we were studying, then we unpacked each item that was written there in Hebrews 1:1-3.
It’s always edifying to spend time pondering the truth written on the pages of our Bibles. It’s always edifying to stop and consider each word and the meaning behind each word in search of the thought in the author’s heart who penned the words. Ultimately it’s edifying to consider all these truths and to realize that they come from the heart of God who desires to communicate them with us, because He loves us. Oswald and Laura left with their hearts filled and with bags of groceries. She later expressed her gratitude. I hope they come back next Friday.
Below are photos of Friday’s meeting and also a photo of Jorge and Oswald from one of the nights at the restaurant.
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Thanks again,
t.