Ciudad de Dios…City of God

March 7, 2010

We were all up early by California time – most of us by 6 a.m., which was 4 a.m. in Walnut Creek. With three showers and 18 people, none of us waste any time getting our turn in the queue. Squeaky clean, we boarded the down-sized bus and headed into the city to attend church – at the “Ciudad de Dios”.

Approaching the Ciudad de Dios

Converted from a large warehouse into a church, the building itself is providing a refuge for neighborhood people who need a safe and nurturing place to met God and worship. The neighborhood is a bit dicey, and we were greeted by a security guard with a 357 revolver. Once inside the church, we stayed there.

The 2 ½ hour service was refreshing and unlike anything back home. Think line dancing for young people in time with the worship music. The impression it created was one of jubilation and celebration. Dean Thomas was asked to step into the glass drummer box and play along with the music team on the stage.

What a way to worship...dancing along to the music

And, of course, he played as well there as he does at WC Pres.

Naturally the songs and the sermon were in Spanish, but we were fortunate to have several translators assigned to us who gave us a pretty good understanding of what the pastor preached about. Today’s message was on discernment – being able to tell the true messages and messengers from the fake, self-promoting, greedy ones. At the end of the service there was an altar call, again different from what we have experienced in California. The pastor asked those who had been misled or abused by pastors or the church in general to

Dean inside the glass box doing what he does best...drumming

come forward; he apologized to them for any of these type of experiences that they had encountered and asked them to forgive those who had abused them so that they could begin the healing process. Many were tear-filled on their knees, waiting for a gentle touch from someone who could reach into their painful lives and offer some hope. We were touched, too. We may not have understood all of the intricacies of the message, but the spirit’s presence was so strong, it transcended language. And we participated in communion, too, early on in the service. That was interesting because it really set the tone for the rest of the service. Although lengthy, the service flew by.

Tonight we are getting ready for the start of our work tomorrow morning. Richard Davis, a veteran of Costa Rica mission trips, handed out assignments. We’ll be adding to the demolition work begun by previous teams by taking down the Arco Iris home. Another team will be painting the school. Some of us will be doing crafts with the house mothers, some will do kitchen work, and there will even be cookie detail. To tell you the truth, we are all anxious and ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work. More tomorrow.