Mexico Day 4

Day 4

Happy Valentine's Day

Today was the church service out in Chan Chen.  We got there a little bit early and ate some sandwiches for lunch, then set up the chairs.  The women cut tissue paper for a craft we were going to do with the children.  After a few full cargo van deliveries of villagers, it was time for the service to start.  Doug spoke in Spanish and Elliseo, a teenage villager, interpreted in Mayan.  

I was almost immediately brought to tears.  I could understand just enough to know that he was telling them about the love of Jesus and I wondered if they understood at all.  Elliseo was so passionate in his delivery, that I almost wanted to should Amen!  Doug then played them a song and the way Elliseo spoke to them while it was playing, was beautiful!  I wish I knew what he was saying!

 After that, Doug dismissed the children so that Darla could speak to them about el dia del amor y la amistad - the day of love and friendship.  After she spoke to them a little bit, we showed them how to make tissue paper flowers.

 Some of the bigger girls put hearts onto a board so that the children could write the names of family or friends they loved on them.  We also passed out suckers and Valentine's Day stickers to them.

Again, I felt like our time with them was too short.  I would have loved to have spent the rest of the afternoon with them.

As all of the villagers began piling back into the van, Julia, who we had met in the village a couple of days earlier,  gave Vickie, Debbie, Darla and myself, each a different bracelet she had made us.  That was such a sweet gift that I will cherish forever.

I may not know what Doug spoke during the service, but we can only hope and pray that those who came, and continue to come each week, will open their hearts to what they hear.  That they will eventually accept Jesus into their hearts and take that back into the village with them.