Below you will find excerpts from e-mails I have sent to family or friends. This will help to fill the gaps between updates. Actually, in personal e-mails I can use different voice (various different voices for various different relationships in fact) then I do when writing a very diverse and somewhat unknown audience. This will be valuable in sharing a broader perspective of my life here. I’ll try to remember to date this stuff in the future.
…I feel like it has been a long, long time that we have been here. Each day is a full journey in itself. I get impatient thinking I should be able to communicate in Spanish better than I do by now, but then I realize that it has been three weeks plus two days that we have been here. I am doing alright in learning Spanish; but not fast enough…
…For as we establish here there is process I observe: at first everyone is curious and drifting by our place, often now still they joke ad laugh at us in some of our ways (it is interesting to observe as an outsider the very established (and tacit) domestic, communal and social customs), but already there is a change as they begin to be challenged and they begin to give us more room, though they don’t understand… I have made friends with one family in particular here. Lino (pronounced Lee-no) is a 29 year old with whom I have some things in common. What I enjoy in his company is that he is mature, stable, very easy going and friendly, a good guitar player, and he wants to learn English. I enjoy his whole family very much…
…The things I hear around me are roosters (yes, and I kinda like it), music (often quite loud), voices of the neighbors and their children, the occasional pedestrian or car, and of course, the “white noise” of my fan (a welcome noise here). The people here are very community oriented. They store very little food in their houses, but take several trips to one of the small shops during the day for things they need. There are more bikes than cars, and I see several persons a day ride horse-back through the streets with a bundle of reeds or corn hung on each side.
Saturday I am scheduled to preach for my first time. It will be a service geared toward youth and outreach. My Dad will translate for me. I have been thinking about frustrations and disappointments in the lives of Christians and churches and it occurred to me that the word “salvation” could use some exploring and clarifying. I have found the ensuing study to be very encouraging and stabilizing. Please pray that I would have a clear mind, sincere and honest heart for this.
Presently there is a little boy screaming in laughter as the neighbor lady drenches him with water from a garden house…
Oct 13th, 2006
…I have been thinking about the orphanage, and we have been talking about it. I believe this is a time for us to observe and learn and be sensitive to guidance from the Holy Spirit. So please be patient with me for a while.
Not knowing the language has been a good limitation allowing me to observe and reflect more. But I am impatient to participate more fully…
Oct 14, 2006
...TOnight I will be given the preaching time in a three day outreach campaign. What a step for me! Honestly, my heart is swelling with passion, but how to express myself simply is still a question. Please pray with me for this. I am almost accustomed to stepping out of my comfortable, but not quite. Talking is serious business! My prayer is the my tongue would be lossed sufficiently to say what needs to be said and no more.
This three day campaign is in a city called Minatilan (pop. 200-300,000). We are staying in a hotel from which my mom and I were taking a walk this morning. My dad wanted coffee, and I asked for directions at a small fruit juice shop -I heard worship music in the background and it encouraged me. The name of the shop is ´´agua viva´´(living water). The Later on a second trip I hear someone calling my name from above the same shop (in the local accent) ´´Ýon! Yon!´´. We met this man once at a a nearby church, and now we sat with him and his son for a good while of enjoyable fellwoship. Soon a friend of theirs also arrived and we had a great opprotunity to share some stories with him as he was seeking courage for a life change... Simply story, but rather incredible to us this morning.
Praying for you guys! For the church as well. On my heart, still.
I played soccer twice recently, Henry. My knee is still weak but almost better. I played with some kids and later with a group of men. Awesome way to build realtionships, and without language!Many here play soccer every night!
Bring your cleats when you come!
brother john
…I feel like it has been a long, long time that we have been here. Each day is a full journey in itself. I get impatient thinking I should be able to communicate in Spanish better than I do by now, but then I realize that it has been three weeks plus two days that we have been here. I am doing alright in learning Spanish; but not fast enough…
…For as we establish here there is process I observe: at first everyone is curious and drifting by our place, often now still they joke ad laugh at us in some of our ways (it is interesting to observe as an outsider the very established (and tacit) domestic, communal and social customs), but already there is a change as they begin to be challenged and they begin to give us more room, though they don’t understand… I have made friends with one family in particular here. Lino (pronounced Lee-no) is a 29 year old with whom I have some things in common. What I enjoy in his company is that he is mature, stable, very easy going and friendly, a good guitar player, and he wants to learn English. I enjoy his whole family very much…
…The things I hear around me are roosters (yes, and I kinda like it), music (often quite loud), voices of the neighbors and their children, the occasional pedestrian or car, and of course, the “white noise” of my fan (a welcome noise here). The people here are very community oriented. They store very little food in their houses, but take several trips to one of the small shops during the day for things they need. There are more bikes than cars, and I see several persons a day ride horse-back through the streets with a bundle of reeds or corn hung on each side.
Saturday I am scheduled to preach for my first time. It will be a service geared toward youth and outreach. My Dad will translate for me. I have been thinking about frustrations and disappointments in the lives of Christians and churches and it occurred to me that the word “salvation” could use some exploring and clarifying. I have found the ensuing study to be very encouraging and stabilizing. Please pray that I would have a clear mind, sincere and honest heart for this.
Presently there is a little boy screaming in laughter as the neighbor lady drenches him with water from a garden house…
Oct 13th, 2006
…I have been thinking about the orphanage, and we have been talking about it. I believe this is a time for us to observe and learn and be sensitive to guidance from the Holy Spirit. So please be patient with me for a while.
Not knowing the language has been a good limitation allowing me to observe and reflect more. But I am impatient to participate more fully…
Oct 14, 2006
...TOnight I will be given the preaching time in a three day outreach campaign. What a step for me! Honestly, my heart is swelling with passion, but how to express myself simply is still a question. Please pray with me for this. I am almost accustomed to stepping out of my comfortable, but not quite. Talking is serious business! My prayer is the my tongue would be lossed sufficiently to say what needs to be said and no more.
This three day campaign is in a city called Minatilan (pop. 200-300,000). We are staying in a hotel from which my mom and I were taking a walk this morning. My dad wanted coffee, and I asked for directions at a small fruit juice shop -I heard worship music in the background and it encouraged me. The name of the shop is ´´agua viva´´(living water). The Later on a second trip I hear someone calling my name from above the same shop (in the local accent) ´´Ýon! Yon!´´. We met this man once at a a nearby church, and now we sat with him and his son for a good while of enjoyable fellwoship. Soon a friend of theirs also arrived and we had a great opprotunity to share some stories with him as he was seeking courage for a life change... Simply story, but rather incredible to us this morning.
Praying for you guys! For the church as well. On my heart, still.
I played soccer twice recently, Henry. My knee is still weak but almost better. I played with some kids and later with a group of men. Awesome way to build realtionships, and without language!Many here play soccer every night!
Bring your cleats when you come!
brother john
posted by John Wall | 6:05 PM
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2 comments
