Thursday, May 20, 2010

Hidden Fruit

The rains have finally arrived! It has been pouring lately, which turns everything into a muggy, muddy mess. It also causes frequent power outages, swarms of bugs, and Dengue Fever outbreaks, while erasing certain roads. Only the pigs are happy during this time of the year.

Tuesday was no exception and as I arrived to start the adult Bible Study in Santa Rita, I thought that I would be the only one there. We have been running between 24 and 32 adults and teens per week for the last couple months, but I thought the rain was just too much. Most of the roads in Santa Rita don't even have gravel, so to arrive you have to wade through mud or play hop scotch on the grassy parts.

7 people did brave the elements and came soaking wet. At the end of the Bible Study it was raining so hard that you couldn't hear the person next to you unless you were screaming at them. I prayed and then told everybody to go home, which got me a few laughs. So instead of everybody heading back home in the downpour, I got out some plastic bowling pins and ball that the team left for us. While 72yr. old Bernabé was throwing strikes, I started talking to her sons, Jesús and Rosalino. I asked Jesús if he had ever accepted Christ. He responded that yes he had! This was surprising to me because during one of our very first Bible Studies he had made a point to say that he had never been to a church before and had never read the Bible before. I asked him when he had accepted Christ and he responded, "A long time ago, you know, back before when we were meeting in the other building." ¡Wow!

Every week we talk about salvation and how to accept God's free gift. I also make a point to say that they don't have to pray with me, but can do it on their own at any time. If they want to pray with me, I would love that, but it's not necessary. I don't want anybody to be ready to accept Christ and then have to wait until Tuesday thinking that they have to pray with Jimmy.

I don't know why he never told me. I then turned to his brother who told me that he had not accepted Christ yet, but he assured me that he knows how and may be ready soon. Neither of them miss and they always have their weekly homework done.

We don't talk about it much, but I think both Shelley and I have been waiting for the first person to be saved in Santa Rita and wondering when that would be. We're not big on numbers and don't keep a tally, but it is very special to see somebody who never knew about Christ come to know Him because we came.

Rosalino is on the far right with Jesús between him and me. Their mom is the little old lady on the other side. She has not yet accepted Christ either.

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