Every day at 4PM we are supposed to meet at the church, but some of us arrive in Spanish time. We've been working on what Matt (the missionary at Parque Victoria) calls the "Rebirth Project." Basically, it means we hack down at least 3/4 of each of the trees that grace the campus. There is much less shade, and to us it looks a little barren, but they say it will all have regrown in two years, and will be much healthier than now. Other tasks include weed whacking and removing debris (rocks, trash, gasoline cans, McDonald's refuse, hoses growing from the ground, etc. etc. etc.). Today, we also started on cleaning a very dirty, greasy, unkempt church kitchen. Mark spent four hours scrubbing about ten feet of a wall. Rachel and Suzanne cleaned out the cupboards, while Elizabeth scrubbed out a fridge. We all got along well, and spent the time talking about complete randomness, and also singing rounds! Daniel and Morgan were banished to the outdoors, whacking down weeds on an endless hillside.
Even though sometimes it seems like just work, we are constantly reminded of its value as a mission tool. First, it puts us in contact with people from the church, and gives them a tangible, evident view of what we're trying to accomplish. Many of them use it as a conversation starter, too! Secondly, Matt keeps reminding us that it's a real boost for the church people to see such positive dramatic changes.
Spain is referred to as "los cementerios de los misionarios" (the graveyard of the missionaries) because it is so resilient to any religious change or missionary approaches. Missionaries and local believers quickly become burned out. In our missions class (taught by Phil Barr), we learned that burn-out and exhaustion are top causes of nominality (spiritual uninvolvement) and of people leaving the church. So, when we come in and act as servants, helping this church's physical appearance, the body of believers here are encouraged. It's exciting to feel appreciated and needed in such a way.
- Elizabeth and Mark
3 comments:
So does Spanish time + mennonite time = elimination of anything recognizeable as on time?
Keep serving. Christ served, continually. His mission was to show the love of the father, yours is the same not matter how mundane.
Hey guys! I'm so glad that you all have a blog now! It will be fun to hear directly from you guys about what you're up to. That's really cool that you're getting to help out in such a practical way - and that you realize what an encouragement it can be to the people there. :) Keep it up! I'm learning to look for the spiritual opportunities in everything around me - it makes life so much more exciting. I'm praying for you guys and missing you! I'm also at RMM... Have been for almost 3 hours now. Getting ready to start the Camel! Have an amazing day!
Thanks for the encouraging words about our fate here...ha ha:) I've heard the statistics, but I also know God is powerful. It sounds like they are keeping you busy down there. It's so great that you're able to give the church a boost with your work! We'll see you all in a few weeks...we're planning to come Feb. 10!
Abrazos y besos, Wendy
Post a Comment