from Steve

Today we had the first day of our pastor’s conference.  We sang The Revelation Song from Revelation 4:8 “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”  We sang in 3 different languages with another language represented there that we did not have the words for.  With four separate, distinct cultures in the crowd I was reminded that sometime in eternity future, all of us from every tribe and nation will worship the Lamb together.  I look forward to worshipping with these brothers and sisters without any language barriers coming between us.  Jesus is truly a universal language of love that crosses every culture.

The actual conference teaching time was a huge hit.  We broke the pastors into random groups with people they did not know.  At first fear clearly registered on their faces as they realized that they were expected to speak to total strangers from different tribal cultures.  “What are these crazy Americanos asking us to do?”  Within a short time however, we had them discussing in their groups, what is the purpose of the church, how to study the Bible, and what does it mean to disciple the people in their churches.  Sitting in on some of the small group discussions it became clear that they were excited to be grasping the concepts.  Many hugs, handshakes, and Dios le bendiga’s were exchanged as the conference closed for the day.  Partner with us and pray for the power to stay on, for our communication to be clear, and for the continued building of relationships that can change the world.