Lunch Guests

(I hope to have pictures for this post soon!)

Sunday was great fun! It started off with an unexpected walk with my friends' dog Renta. I had walked to Bill and Annie's since they had offered me a ride to church but they were running late. So Renta and I went for a walk a couple of times around the block (the second time was to return with a bag to pick up the "presents" she'd left for the neighbors!). I've missed her since I've been either been sick with a cold or traveling and haven't been walking or running lately.

Horacio and Silvia were officially commissioned for their work in Baradero at the Libertador Church yesterday. The pastor gave a short sermon and was followed by Silvia's brother-in-law, who works with COMIBAN (Cooperacion Misionera Iberoamericana), who spoke on the call to missions. He said a lot of things that were very encouraging to me: doubt is a normal part of the process, both on the part of the "go-ers" and the "senders". He noted that two verses prior to where we read of Jesus sending the disciples out into the world "some doubted" (Matthew 28:17). However, doubt does not preclude obedience. Silvia gave thanks to people who have been an encouragement to her through the years and we were reminded that they have been wanting and waiting to take this step for thirty years. Horacio told us about a message he had heard recently about seeds: we can look at an orange seed as something to throw away, seeing it as a small thing, or we can see its potential to become an orange tree. He said that their work in Baradero is to see the potential inside everyone for transformation.

After church there was a nice time of fellowship -- there was no adult Sunday School and we all stood around talking for over an hour (this is not difficult to do here, being very much a part of the culture). Marisa and Alejandro and their daughter Nadia had come from Baradero for the weekend and came over to my place for lunch after church. It was really fun to get to know them better.

Fun related cultural fact: in Spanish there is actually a word that means to sit around the table talking after a meal, the sobremesa. To me this implies that a word is needed for this activity, which shows how important it is to the culture.