"We Are The Town Of God"

I wanted to write a little about our last night in Guatemala... and the blessings that we received! As I mentioned... we went to church with Hugo. 3 1/2 years ago we met Hugo Mancilla when we were adopting the girls. He was a blessing, an angel, and such a comfort to have when we were having so many problems with our "prior" agency and our "prior" attorney. I still don't know if he realizes now just what a blessing he was to our family. When Ali was on her 6th hour of crying uncontrollably and we could not get her to calm down for bed, Hugo appeared at our hotel door... and carried her around, singing a Spanish lullaby to her and holding her until she went to sleep. For a new Momma that was just about inconsolable as well... he was a GOD-SEND. We spoke of him often... and made plans to get in touch with him when we returned to Guatemala City. Fast-forward to 15 months ago. We called Hugo to let him know that we were going to be back in Guatemala City... and could he take care of us once again. When we saw him... it was such a joy! It was funny, though. There was something so different about him... yet so familiar. During our conversation Hugo told us how he had found the Lord... and what a difference God had made in his life. It was stunning how much he had changed... but yet how very much the same he still was. He invited our family, along with the Blanford's, to go to church with him on Sunday. We went - and it was a remarkable experience! The service itself was held in a tiny location - on the outskirts of Zone 5 - down the side of a mountain. We had to drive his tax (with all 7 of us) down switch-back roads that looked more like cracked and broken sidewalks. More than once we could hear the under carriage of his car drag the concrete. The area was sheer poverty. Most of the children had on clothing that didn't fit... in many many layers... and most did not have shoes on - or they were mismatched - or had the front cut away since their feet had grown. But they came to church, walking along the sides of this road, many carrying the younger ones, many helping the older... they came walking to this church for a blessing from God. And what a blessing it was. Hugo told us that the church began with 15 - 20 people. The Sunday that we went 1 1/2 years ago... there were more than 150 adults... and about 40 children. The service lasted about 2 hours... but it seemed to be over before we knew it... and what a blessing we received. It didn't matter that they worshipped in a different language than us... and it didn't matter that they worshipped in a different WAY than us... it was all the same God that we were praying to, the same God that we were reading about, and the same God that was filling our hearts! It was amazing! So this visit, when we saw Hugo, we immediately asked about the church. Their congregation has grown to about 400... and they had a new location. They are saving for a new building... and the blessings continue to flow! Even after being broken into and having all their equipment stolen - God provided a new location, better security and new music equipment! They are still in a very poor area of Zone 5 - but they are now at the top of the mountain instead of being half way down the side. We asked if this kept people from continuing to attend - but he said that no, they walked, just the same as before. He also said that the turn-out was a little low on Wednesday Nights... but he invited us to the service so we could see the new location. (Just a little FYI - here in the states, typically the crowd on Sunday or Wednesday nights is about 10% of the Sunday morning crowd. So we anticipated about 40 people.) The new location is a converted Car Garage - that has a few leaks, and a few other imperfections... but they are dedicated people that have worked very hard to serve their God! What an amazing service! It had been 15 months since we had seen many of these people... but their love of the Lord had not diminished at all. If anything it was stronger now... and the blessings of this service far surpassed anything that we have experienced in the past 15 months! What amazing things God can do when His people are committed to following His Will... and not their own! WHAT A BLESSING... and we only had to travel 3,500 miles to receive it! :)

We asked Hugo the name of his church... and he smiled proudly and said - "We Are The Town of God". How appropriate for these humble people committed to serving their God. And how many people were at this Wednesday Night Service??? We lost count at 170... Praise God!