A brand new you

Sunday worship in Honduras is always fresh. As we sat in our little circle tonight sharing stories of where saw Jesus we kept coming back to worship. Vonda put it well when she said they worship in the way children do. They're uninhibited by music theory, unconcerned with page numbers and powerpoint slides, and totally wrapped up in God's arms of love when they sing.
The church God built through us 9 years ago in Los Pinos has flourished. Many of us sat outside and looked on through the windows as we began our service. Matt led singing. He just can't get a break. At times we sang duets. Our Honduran brethren sang in their language while we sang the same song in ours. Our sermon was delivered in nuggets as sections were spoken in English and then translated into Spanish.
My favorite part of the service was the end. No. Not because it was over, but because Johnny, a young man who has worked with TORCH this summer made the decision to put on Christ in Baptism. Tim Hines explained that he was one of those guys who seemed impossible to reach but that God, in his unexplainable way, had cracked his shell. Johnny's smile was infectious when he broke the water's surface and none of us were immune. The only time he was happier was when we showed him the video of his baptism. He laughed hysterically.
After services we rode to the valley of angels and sorted through necklaces, machetes, and wooden bowls. Don't be surprised if you get one from us when we get home. Each of us were challenged to find one gift priced at under $2 for our dirty santa exchange tomorrow evening. The game is called white elephant. I'm not sure where Edna got the name but, really, when can you ever be sure where Edna gets anything?
The day ended with a meal at Janet Hines house with the Florida group. She is incredibly kind to allow so many of us to bombard her home. We ate cheeseburgers and grilled chicken. So far, contrary to what we were told, none of us have lost weight. It's been another great day.