De todo un poco (a little of everything)

I had one of those Ecclesiastes mornings. “Vanity of vanity, all is vanity” went through my head more than once. I was at home wondering whether one of the couples who attends our church was upset because we hadn’t done enough after the death of the gentleman’s father. I’d been on a teaching trip to Bogota (Can you say “cold”? Yikes, when 80 degrees feels cool, sleeping in 45 degree whether is not pleasant), so hadn’t had time to even visit them. As I traveled done the highway to my destination I didn’t even notice that I was the only one on motorcycle. As I pulled up to a stoplight it clicked… “¡Nooo, día sin moto!” (Day without Motorcycle). The fine is only about $300 USD, so I casually jumped off my bike and pushed it to a friend’s house as sweat poured off my brow. “Vanity of vanity,” I muttered. Later I visited the couple and was happy to find they were encouraged.

Did I mention I’m planning to preach on Ecclesiastes? I think it sums up life quite well in Santa Marta. Thankfully I know Jesus; I can see the value of life here, but most people can’t. We’ve seen the damage sin does in many lives. Meditating on Ecclesiastes while living here should bring new insights.

We launched our English service last Sunday afternoon. We started the service at 5:15 p.m. by faith without any new people, and God brought three new people out, two of which were English speakers. We’d already talked that our English service can’t do any harm. If it doesn’t take off, we’ll have at least learned something more about the culture and will be able to see we’ve tried it. The service was wonderful. It made me wish more people would have arrived. At any rate, we’re going to continue inviting to see if God will bless our efforts and allow us to see the service solidify.