Two Languages…Two Cultures…One Church

On November 14th the Spanish and English congregations came together for a bilingual service, followed by a “pot luck” luncheon. The message was in our continuing series through Ephesians, with Geiner alternating between the two languages.
We had an interesting morning because we arrived at the church and found that there was no power. They were working in the neighborhood, and power would be off until 4:00 p.m., well after our service and luncheon were over.
This presented an interesting set of circumstances…no projector for worship, no MP3 player for music, and only the battery left on the laptop for Geiner to refer to for the message. So we went into “creative” mode, and would not give ground to the enemy. We always back-up the message on our memory stick, so Geiner and a brother from church found a place that has a generator to print out the bulletins and the message. With that taken care of, the music would have to suffice with the piano player and hymnals…however; we only had one hymnal in Spanish. But God…don’t you just love that phrase “But God”…He is so faithful, and Edwin, who leads the hymns for the English service, just happened to be familiar with a Spanish hymn that everyone would know, and also a song, which he was able to play on the piano, that everyone knew as well. So worship was covered.
Now we just needed a plan to cook the hot dogs….yes hot dogs! We had decided that hot dogs would be the easiest since we could boil a big pot, and have the congregants bring chips, salads, drinks, and desserts. But having an electric range/oven at the church did not help the cooking process! So other members sprung into action, and the restaurant two doors down from the church operates with gas, and was glad to boil the pots of hot dogs for us. So needless to say…the Lord was glorified in the praises and fellowship of His people.
We would like to share some pictures from that day, as we praise our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His never-ending care for His church.

READY FOR WORSHIP

EDWIN LEADING A HYMN

REMEMBERING A SONG AT THE PIANO

THE CONGREGATION FOLLOWS ALONG

GEINER SHARING THE MESSAGE

READY TO EAT

SERVING EACH OTHER

BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER

SWEET FELLOWSHIP

FYI…the laptop battery did run out mid-service, but Geiner was able to refer to his paper notes, and not skip a beat!

Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord...And sing praises to Your name. Psalm 18:49

Prayers for Our Little Country

Imagine that Wednesday was a normal day in your life. You may have gone to work, or dropped off your children at school and returned to your home to do your daily chores. Dinner was simple, yet the family was together and continued to enjoy the evening. You went to sleep with expectations for the following day…and then about 2:00 A.M….

We are experiencing the height of “rainy season” here in Costa Rica. It began around April, and we were told that October and November the amount of rainfall would double that which had already fallen in the previous six months. That was hard to fathom, but yesterday’s news brought the grim reality to light.

The rain continues, and hampers the rescue efforts for the families lost, and those who are awaiting news of their loved ones. Please pray for Costa Rica…for the families whose loved ones were victims of the deluge, for those who have lost what little property they had, for the neighborhoods devastated by these storms, and for the rescuers who are so diligently working to rescue those lost or evacuating.
The president of Costa Rica has declared days of “National Mourning”. Our prayer is that all seek refuge in the only source of peace and comfort that can calm the storm of tragedy and sorrow…our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“…if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14