Church- October 15, 2006

Last night at church, the Lord truly touched us all with his powerful presence. To start things off, for the second week in a row, the chairs, lights, and sound system were ready to go before 5:30 and there was a group of about 10 people there at 5:30 to join together to prayer for the service that would start at 7. These are both huge victories as they seemed impossible to do only 6 months ago. It had also been raining late that afternoon, which made it all the more amazing that things were ready at that time! As our small group prayed, there was literally a picture of God in the sky. In one half of the sky were endless black clouds with lightning in the distance. The other half was clear and blue, with visual rays of sun beaming from behind a cloud. The dividing horizon between the black and light blue sky was directly overhead of us, as we felt God saying: now is my time, I have pushed away the dark and I will glorify myself. By the time the service started, the sky was clear without a trace of rain.

The musical worship time was great: 4 singers, drum and guitar. The people truly sang the songs to God, and it was awesome. After that, Osvaldo gave his testimony of how God provided him all he needed (a job) only after he came to give his life to God. Pastor Juan Carlos gave a message on the power of worship, using the Bible story of King Jehosaphat and how he and his people did not quiver in fear at the great army headed for them, but rather, he commanded that no one eat any food or work until God answered their prayer. The pastor continued to talk about the power of worship and how when we worship the Lord and wait on him in hope and faith, he answers us. I know that this specific message was a very encouraging time for all as there are many hardships in this life, especially in the community of Herrera.

One of the most awesome parts of the service actually happened right in front of Eric and I. We were seated in the back, and right in front of us was a young man, maybe 25 years old with two young ladies. He was obviously drunk throughout the service, but I remembering thinking “well, if he is going to be anywhere in this state, church is probably the best place for him to be!” As the message was given, it was obvious that he was listening and understanding as he laughed at all the jokes Pastor Juan Carlos told, and (tried) to sing along with the songs during the message. When Juan Carlos finished the message, he invited anyone who wanted to, to come forth to receive Christ. The drunken young man immediately raised his hand in the air, stood up and walked to the front where he proceeded to hand over a small bottle of liquor and a package of cigarettes that he had in his pocket. Another 7 people came forward to receive Christ in addition to this young man. It was so amazing, everyone was praising God and was inspired to continue persevering hoping in God and his faithfulness.