Today we went to a village named La Palma. It took us an hour to get there because the church was at the top of a mountain. We just kept going up. It reminded me of traveling to Estes Park, Colorado, just with more winding and more narrow roads, steeper grades, and far less pavement and it was a dirt road all the way to the top. If it would have been raining we would have never made it! (See the pictures)
Most went out in teams to evangelize door-to-door, all but me anyway. Since we were in steep terrain, I didn’t want to risk injury to the leg. So as the teams were out I stayed back at the church. It was a small building, not much bigger than a large Sunday School class, but the view from the front door was spectacular.
What we found out after the team had returned was this was a pretty rough area (though it didn’t look like it). We never felt unsafe or apprehensive and were greeted with very warm people. But we were told that there had been several brutal murders in the area, one victim of which was a church member’s son who was with us today. The area was also plagued with those practicing witchcraft.
When I was told all of this by one who was concerned as to whether we should stay for the service, especially after being told that one of the area pastors had been shot in the arm for preaching the gospel in this area, I told her what the Bible tells me… “If God is for us, who can be against us.”
So we continued with service… plus I didn’t think it appropriate to cancel service when the message today was on Matthew 6:25-34 which tells us not to worry about our lives, what we will drink, what we will eat, or what we will wear, but to instead seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.
Needless to say, we all made it back safe and sound (Even Susie!) and I don’t think we are heading back there the rest of our trip. But God placed us there for a reason. Pray that he will grow that church, perhaps through the seeds planted today, that it may be reclaimed for the Kingdom!
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