Day 12: The gospel is global

Day 12: Saturday, July 10, 2010

The gospel is global.

The morning came early, but Beth Barnard had pancakes ready in her apartment (with syrup!) so it was worth it. I tried to focus solely on traveling; otherwise I was reminded that I wouldn’t see Lea again. It also took me some time warming up to the new team because I was constantly comparing the two.

The bus ride to Nauta seemed to last forever and once we arrived, Carlos and Julio told us that the boat gas station was out of gas. We lost another hour there. The “Logos” (YWAM boat) was quite laden once all our luggage and persons got on board. The more I observe the new team, the more intrigued I am. Out of 15, all but 2 of them are Romanian. So to begin with their accent is thick but then they throw random Romanian words in mid-sentence. It’s funny. Some of the younger guys seem to be a lot of fun but I miss having younger girls here too. It’s just Sarah, Carolina, and me this trip.

The boat ride up was like something off the Discovery channel. About halfway into our 5 hour journey, a jungle rainstorm comes down, sending everyone into a frenzy trying to keep things dry without blocking the driver’s visibility. The noise was deafening because of the tin roof. The blue tarps which we rolled down the sides gave a dark blue tint to everything and everyone.

Suddenly everything in the boat lurches forward. As I brace myself, I searched the faces of those in charge and find anxiety combined with shock. Rob announces that we’ve hit a sandbar beneath the surface that couldn’t have been seen. I later learned that the level of the river changes everyday because of the ocean tide.

After all the excitement died down and the rain let up, the boat ride got rather boring. I chatted politely with folks then borrowed John Short’s copy of “Les Miserables”. A great first 27 pages!

As soon as we reached the village of Lisboa, I sensed a huge difference from the others I’d visited. The people were eager to help us carry our luggage into the church (a batless church too! Yay!). As I’m walking from the church back to the bank one little girl runs up and slides her tiny hand into mine. It was the most precious and welcoming thing ever. Love isn’t bound by language.

We all quickly assembled our tents and hammocks, racing against the encroaching twilight. I went straight for the back corner to hang my hammock and somehow eventually ended up between all the single guys….mostly because they are the ones who have mosquito nets and hammocks, too. No worries since we’re all in the same large sanctuary.

After our salty chicken and fried plantains, we held an outdoor service. A lot of it was boring; a thanks to this person and let’s recognize all the visitors but the worship and preaching was great! Two kids even received Christ. It was awesome to worship God in the jungle along with people from so many other nations. God is definitely about a global, kingdom work.