Day Eight

Today, we headed back over to the church and spent the morning working on some new dramas.  It's been great to see everyone get so involved, especially in areas that they might not normally volunteer for.  Every member of the team played a part in at least one drama, and several have stepped up to fill many different roles.  Before lunch, we took some time to walk around the neighborhood and pray for the church's impact in the area.  Taking a prayer walk is an awesome opportunity to see things a little differently.  The community that this church is in definitely has a lot of needs, and it is exciting to see the church striving to make a difference in this area.  After we got back, some of the ladies of the church cooked a marvelous meal of "sopes de pollo" for us, which are tortillas with beans and chicken.  Amazing...

After we ate, we headed back out into the city to do some street ministry.  We set up in a couple local parks and performed dramas and puppet songs, all the while inviting people to come and visit the church.  It's amazing how quickly a crowd can gather and how attentive the people were.  After three stops, we headed back to the church for an evening service. 

Tonight's service was excellent.  I'm loving the times of worship.  Often, we will know the songs in English, and it's fun to either try and sing along in Spanish or just simply sing the English words.  Even despite not always knowing, I have felt the presence of God strongly while we worship together.  Tonight our team performed two dramas (that we just learned today), as well as two songs.  Abby, Terri, and Meghan all shared testimonies and did very well.  Nathan preached tonight in Spanish and did an awesome job.  It has been so cool to have someone along who is familiar with the culture and language, not to mention that he's been able to translate for us the entire time.  The church really enjoyed having him speak.  

We were also treated to something extra-extra-special tonight.  Today was Alison's birthday.  But not just any birthday.  It was her 15th birthday.  Not such a biggie in America, but in Mexico, the 15th birthday is on par with a girl's wedding, if not more so. I don't think I can really convey how big a deal it is.  They call it her "quinceanera" and when the people in the church found out it was Allison's, they really wanted to show us how they celebrate.  Here in Mexico, the quinceanera marks a girl's entrance into womanhood.  It was a very interesting cultural experience to learn about their tradition and to see it actually happen.  They normally take a large part of the Sunday service to have a ceremony for the girl.  They found a fancy dress for her to wear and made her up.  They had two guys walk her in to music, and seated her in front of the congregation.  The pastor then speaks directly to her about her life and prays a blessing on her.  Then, the entire church spends time praying for her.  Then, they have a party with some cake.  It was a very special time, not just for Alison, but for all of us.  Another fun tradition they have here is called the "la mordida", in which they push the face of the birthday girl/boy into the cake.  Might not be as fun for the person getting cake in the fact, but it sure is fun to watch.  We were so grateful to the church for being willing to share such a rich cultual experience with us, as well as make the day special for Alison.