by Trish Krider
October 16, 2011
Most of us slept in until the last minute this morning. Whether it was exhaustion from our long day yesterday, the serenading of the Pentecostals long into the night, or the drumming of the rain on the roof that lulled us into such a deep sleep I do not know. But as the sun rose and peeked timidly through the rain clouds, we rubbed the sleep from our eyes and prepared to attend worship with the local community of Rubén Darío.
Benito chauffeured us in the truck that has for years been dubbed “The Rhino Rally” for its close resemblance to an amusement park ride. God was kind in his timing of the rain this morning as it was minimal during the drive and we arrived completely dry. If we ever doubted our church’s impact on the people of this community, it was certainly confirmed as we stepped off the truck and
Vicki was greeted by Anna, the Sunday school teacher here, with tears in her eyes. She recognized Vicki from our previous visits and thanked her for coming once again.
We have attended this church most of the years we have come here and are always greeted by a gaggle of children so we were a little surprised to find the church empty of all but a few people. They explained to us that the new pastor lives a 30 minute ride away and had to cross a river – which I suppose at this time of year could be a gorge – so they would start when he arrived. And sure enough, shortly after he pulled in beside the church, the congregation came. Most of the people who attend are children along with a dozen women and, for the first time since we have come here, a few men.
We sang joyous hymns accompanied by a keyboard player and a pre-teen drummer who was amazingly talented. Well, the truth is, they sang while we hummed, clapped, and generally participated as best we
could. We may not have known the words, but we knew the sentiment – Praise the Lord! Pastor José thanked us for coming and delivered a message of unity among us. He made a wonderful analogy of how constructing a building requires mixing different ingredients together to form the concrete that is used to hold the bricks together. Similarly, we should be mixing together with Christians everywhere to build the house of our Lord and advance his kingdom. And when Pastor José asked one of us to lead a prayer, Vicki did so beautifully expressing special gratitude for the women of the community who are the backbone of this congregation. After giving the children snacks and being entertained by their demonstration of the “Hokey Pokey”, we loaded back into the truck, promising to return again next year.
After lunch it was time to sort our suitcases of donations. Our planning and organizing on Sunday afternoon always makes the rest of the week run more smoothly so much time was spent dividing school supplies, clothing and shoes. It was a perfect activity for a rainy afternoon.
The number of children who live full-time at El Ayudante over the years has dwindled to just one, Jenny Miranda. The others come during the week but return to their homes each evening at 5. So on weekends, it is a very quiet place for Jenny as she is here alone with her house mother, Marlen, so we took them into town today for ice cream. There is at least one among us for whom that is a favorite activity, but certainly none of us considered it a chore. The remaining afternoon was spent quietly – resting, reading, studying or in deep conversation. For some tt was a time to catch up on not-quite-enough sleep and prepare ourselves mentally for the week ahead.
We discovered a unique use for the kitchen this evening. Although it is normally locked once the staff leaves for the evening, we had asked that it be left open tonight so that we might use the microwave to make some popcorn. After dinner Glenn was sharing some details his daughter had provided about the today’s sermon. So we decided to sit together as a group and enjoy, via the internet, the same sermon that many of you heard this morning. Since the Pentecostals’ singing was louder than the maximum volume of our laptop, we crowded into the semi-darkness of the kitchen to enjoy the service. You just have to love today’s technology when you can be thousands of miles away doing God’s work and still be that connected to your home church.
With such a small group we are limited in the scope of the work we can handle and, as opposed to years past, we will be doing all of our activities this week as group. That means that those who normally always do construction will be assisting in the schools in the mornings and those who normally always just work with the children will be active on the construction sites. But being so small in numbers allows us to really get to get to know each other better as we sit on the rocking chairs at night. Last night provided some deep conversation as well as an opportunity to learn some surprising facts about each other’s lives. This evening will surely be filled with much of the same. But as we spend these evenings in thoughtful conversation or engaging in some lively games, we are forming a stronger union as Pastor José instructed to advance God’s kingdom here in Nicaragua.
(And did I mention it is raining again?)--
I was the first one to call that truck the Rhino Rally! It was the first trip to El Ayudante that the youth took with Dave. I had recently been at Busch Gardens, and the first time I saw the truck, it made me think of the ride. When I called it Rhino Rally, all the kids on the trip immediately began to call it that as well! You know how quickly things catch on and spread with youth! I'm really glad to know that the name has stuck, and that Benito driving the Rhino Rally truck continues to serve the groups! Have a great week, and give Mario a hug from me!
Emily Lopez
Posted by: Emily Lopez | October 18, 2011 at 06:55 PM