Charlas and the like

What’s kept me busy lately has been the preparation of a few charlas (talks) to 2 completely different audiences but essentially the same message - that only in Christ will we find true contentment and peace with God that will last an eternity rather than just for the passing of this life.

The first talk was for a friend who works at a local primary school. It was their overnight camp out at school and I spoke after they had been hanging out at school since the previous morning. I was pretty stoked to see different kids listening at different times. Even one of the kids that was doing head stands was listening at different points!

I spoke about how it was impossible for rich people to enter into God’s kingdom, even more so than a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Somewhere along the way, someone had given us a little toy camel. It came in handy! 

I made up a big key and talked about how Jesus was the only key that existed that could open the door into heaven. 

In God’s grace, I trust that some seeds where planted, and that God will use many more people in these kids lives so that some might enter into his kingdom. 

Rocio, my friend, who organised the overnight camp for the kids

The other talks were for the women’s retreat for the church plants and bible study groups in the Loja province that fellow SIM-ers, Chandra and Amanda, look after. Nancy and myself both shared over the weekend and the hard work was worth it! So thankful for my very patient spanish teacher who helped me correct all my grammar mistakes prior to the event. 

I had such a nice time hanging out for a weekend with these women and it was good to be thinking through what true contentment looks like for those in Christ. 

Fun times out at Gonzanamá

I felt like I had a holiday on the Monday afterwards, not having to think about preparation for talks at all! 

NO ESTACIONAR

Language learning can be a daunting process for anyone. I think that the persistence needed to learn a language as an adult is terrifying and at the same time exciting. You feel the need to crawl up into a ball and hide when you talk and everyone around you says, 'What did you say!' Yet at other times you communicate some truth about God's word and you have it repeated back to you and as far as you can tell you communicated the truth correctly.

Today, after six years of life in Loja I realise that language learning doesn't always give you everything you need. For example, I stopped on the side of the road while Karine got out to buy some ice cream and saw the sign, 'NO ESTACIONAR' (NO PARKING) and thought to myself, I really do not understand what they are trying to say here, because for me, no parking means that I can park here for two minutes whilst remaining within three meters of the car (see RTA for more info), however on the other hand there is also the 'NO STOPPING' signs that means don't stop under any circumstance.

So while I understand this in Australia, or perhaps even within NSW, there is no difference between the two here in Loja. So while I read 'no parking' I feel I need to treat it as 'no stopping'. You may have guessed that I have been booked for this as I picked up three passengers who came to visit me one day, yet I see many people since that day get out of their car and buy bread or milk, or stop to say hi to someone they have come across in their daily drive and what people do depends on where the ranger who is wearing a bright yellow jersey is in relation to the offender.

So this is my confusion, in what way should I interpret the sign? Do I culturally obey the sign, meaning that I ignore it while their are no rangers around? Or do I obey in my own mind's eye that the sign reads no parking, but treat it as no stopping. A hard decision, but I guess I will have to obey what I think is right, yet in those desperate moments of dropping things off in a no parking area I will ahead to keep my eye pealed for those bright yellow shirts.

Saved by Grace Alone

A while ago Oswaldo asked me to share at his church on the topic of Salvation by Grace. Wow, what a theme to teach, there is so much to say and he said I had forty minutes to do it in. By the end of the night, an hour and a half later, we were done and they were a little bit more aware of what their friends here in Loja and what people in times past believed about Grace and we finished off with what salvation by grace is from a reformed perspective. What a great night.

I started off thinking that I would spend ten minutes explaining other positions and then presenting what their church believed. I wasn't ready for all their questions regarding other positions, but they were great questions, and thankfully my Bruce Demarest purchase (The Cross and Salvation)  many years ago helped me to get a good grasp on this area and provided the much needed background for the many questions.

I love these opportunities to teach and I think nowadays it is much easier than we first started here. Mainly because my spanish is much better and I am able to clearly understand the questions, or I'm able to say that I don't understand the question. I find that the more you understand a language the more you are able to say that you don't understand, you can understand all the words, but the idea or what they are actually trying to say is beyond you.

Thankfully this didn't happen too much during the night, and with the use of a T-shirt I managed to explain all these different positions of grace and they understood and were encouraged.

Let me know if you work out how the T-shirt was used for my explanations.