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| Gathering for Sunday morning worship. |
It's one of the poignant moments of this trip. Before we begin serving the children here, we join with the children here in a worship service to God. Sunday service here is an event of the heart. We stand in a line and applaud as the children arrive to church. I can't help but think that's the way church should be. Greeting each other with applause and excitement, encouragement and a bit of a lift. When was the last time you were applauded on your way in to worship God? Has it ever happened? Well. It happens here.
And then, again, before we have a chance to serve the children here, the mama's and the staff of the City of Children serve us the most awesome and authentic Mexican meal on the planet. It's not just the food or the ambience. It's the people and the place. They're giving to us before we even begin giving to them. And so, there's no meal quite like it. More on the sermon later at the end of the day when we reflect on all that's happened.
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| The theme of the sermon this morning and of our week in Ensenada is identity and our identity in Christ, using the movie Toy Story as our central metaphor. |
HOLA! wow, crazy being on the other side of this trip for the first time in 6 years. Fun fact for ya, while you all were traveling, I was sitting in an 8 hour traffic school class (dont speed, kids.)
ReplyDeleteWhat I would do to be back at the City with you all and to see the love every single one of you can offer in your individual ways.
Newbies, I encourage you to just jump into it. 98% of your fellow team members have no idea what's going on either, so just have fun with it. This is a cool trip where you can drop your masks and just be raw; you are in a new world, unplugged, doing things out of the norms, so take this opportunity to really dig into yourself and let go of expectations or judgements.
Oldies, don't let your "veteran card" get in the way of making relationships. I know the more times i went to the city, the more kids who knew my face/name/character, the more of an ego i got, and the less i connected with the team- i regret that entirely because some of the most BEAUTIFUL moments I have from the City involve real talks with people that just came out of air. Going back to what I said to the newbies, flush out the titles or judgements. God put you here, don't let the enemy fill your mind with selfish motives.
To my girl Payshizz, God has you there for reasons more than we could ever know. While i am jealous you get to eat Salsa Verde chips and rip the mattress off the wood as much as possible, you have such purpose and it will be SO evident throughout this trip. I pray you can use, and be used in GOd's plan to carry out what He has in store.
GOOD LUCK and i will be closely following along!! Adios(:
Hayley Janke