Moyses

     Last night i was given the opportunity to share one of my most cherished revelations from the Lord, on the subject of marriage, with a small group of young single adults, and Samir and his wife. It was a rarity for me to give what i believe God has given me on this subject. Some years ago i asked God why He had created marriage as the Bible shows that this is not a human idea. He gave me four reasons. The first was companionship- Adam was lonely despite his perfect situation pre sin. The second was God's desire to have more people to love, i.e. godly children. The third was as a legitimate channel for the powerful sexual drive that He gave us for purpose number 2. The fourth, the most important and thus most controversial, is to provide, in the relationship between a godly man and a godly woman, a divinely ordained illustration of the relationship between Christ and the Church. It took well over an hour with translation but was well received. Thank you, Jesus, for the ongoing ministry opportunities.
   This morning i was invited to meet with the elders and deacons in their weekly gathering. We prayed, worshiped, read the book of Colossians out loud one by one, commented on it, and did some administrative work. They asked me to share a little about myself. I gave a little of my testimony, and asked for prayer for the church in the US.
     Afterwards i was introduced to a number of people who were working inside the church building including two young ladies from Michigan. It was pleasant to hear American accents again after a month here. Then Samir took me to the center of the city. We went inside the gas museum, looked at the river, and walked through a famous market with many stalls selling many different local items. We were walking outside in a throng of people when I almost stumbled over a indigenous woman with two little children sitting on the sidewalk  selling  little beadworks. After we passed her i asked Samir if she was into the local witchcraft. He said no so i returned through the crowd and took out a one real coin worth less than fifty cents, and about the size of a quarter. As I leaned down to give it to her the little daughter's tiny hand opened up naturally. The coin covered her palm. This image is engraved in my memory.
     Moyses (spelling?) is a eighty-six year old Christian brother with astonishing energy and fervency. I have interacted with him several times. He speaks some English. It is heart warming to see the respect with which he is treated, and to hear the contributions that he makes. Today he was exhorting the other leaders to insure that Christ is at the center of the house group meetings. Family values are much stronger here and there is a tendency that several brothers have mentioned to make that the highest priority. I look forward to more time with him.
  Earlier this afternoon God blessed me to have a time of prayer with Samir and Nilsson about raising up the gifts of Ephesians 4:11
    As Samir and i walked around the Centro i saw a store name that translates to Green Belly. They sell children's clothes.