I woke up this morning (Tuesday) at 8:30, Elver had already been up for a bit. Either the neigborhood dogs were more agreeable last night, or I very quickly became accustomed to their skirmishes.
At 9, two of the brethren met us here and we walked to the city center for breakfast. Isai (Isaiah) and Alejandro (Alex) are both about 22, and both know a little English. Isai does psychiatric therapy, and Alex is studying to be an elementary school teacher. The four of us walked perhaps a mile to the center of San Cristobal, I changed dollars to pesos, and then we sat down at a café. I ordered the Huevos al gusto, con chorizo. On the side were black beans and a slice of fried plantain. Nothing exceptional, but good. Isai and I talked in particular about the challenges he feels as a therapist and as a Christian. Professionally, he is not to be moralistic. Spiritually, he has convictions. The dissonance he therefore feels has played a part in him deciding not to do even occasional preaching, as he had been previously doing. I think there are other factors also at play.
Leaving the café, we walked partway up a steep, mostly wooded hill in the center of the city, and visited briefly with a sister in the church who lives and works on that hill. In fact her workplace has nice viewing areas to look out over the city, which fills the valley floor, and to view the mountains that surround the city. Then we walked through the streets of the center, some of which are mainly pedestrian streets with interesting shops. This week is the celebration of the city's 484th anniversary, so there was also music on the green behind the largest government building. Nearby was a crafts market with lots of interesting merchandise for sale.
When we finally returned to Elver’s apartment, Isai and Alex said goodbye just as another brother arrived: Gilberto. He appears to be in his 30’s, and he visited with us for a while. He had questions about divorce and remarriage and whether Jesus was preaching the old law or the gospel. His concerns grow out of the situation in a nearby congregation. I really appreciated his desire to have good answers.
After Gilberto left I had just enough time to get a 30 minute nap (I don’t usually take naps, but recall I had missed a night of sleep just prior to arriving here), and then get to an internet café, to upload Monday’s blog entry and the video and pics to go with it.
When I finished that, it was already time for a 7:00 gathering of the men at the church building during which I would speak. We first finalized some speaking plans for Thursday through Sunday, and then I led a discussion about authority and the work of the church; it was a meeting of about 2 hours in all.
They had many questions, especially, but not only, about the contribution and purpose-specific contributions. I really enjoyed talking with them and hearing their concerns. There were 14 of us gathered, and there was only one in addition to me who was over 40. I’ve learned nearly all their names: Elver of course, then Carlos, Leovardo, Jose, Gilberto, Isai, Darinel, Alex, Carlitos, David, Anselmo, Rodolfo, and Iber. Afterward, Isai invited us to his parents’ home, where his mother and sister had prepared supper for him, Elver, and me. More scrambled huevos, with a number of vegetables mixed in, really, really good. A vegetable soup and a rice dish were also good.We left there at 10:30, stopped at Luis’s place to finalize some plans for Wednesday, and then returned to Elver’s place. I’ve now written this all up, and I am ready for some sleep. I’ll get to an internet café as soon as possible to post it. Good night.
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