We anticipated another busy and interesting Sunday, and we were not disappointed. The morning was fairly leisurely since we did not have to leave the house until about 9:30 am. I walked to the corner (only three doors down) to the little reposteria and purchased a roll–a cross between a croissant and a cinnamon roll, with a pineapple filling. Jan had her normal oatmeal. We did some Bible reading, sat and visited in the sala, and I had time to read the newspaper.
We arrived at the church building on time and enjoyed greeting the brothers and sisters again. The church has worship from 10 am to noon, with a Bible class and other activities for the children simultaneously. Those who work with the children meet a few minutes early for a devotional and to take the Lord’s Supper. I preached from Ephesians 1, outlining about God’s purpose for the church.
After church, we took a bus to the other side of the town, and then caught another bus on the major highway to a pueblo called San Bartolo. We had an invitation to eat lunch with Erandi, and were joined by two other families, making a total of eight around the dinner table. After we got off the bus in San Bartolo, we had to walk about 1/4 mile along the road to the beginning of a path up the mountainside. From there we walked upward, past several other houses, on steep paths, concrete stairs, and stairs cut out of the hard clay of the mountainside before arriving at Erandi’s house.
Some delicious meat was cooked on the grill outside, with rice, salad, and chimol added. The meal was delicious and the visiting and talking delightful. We topped the meal with watermelon and sat around the table visiting for another couple of hours. In late afternoon there was coffee and sweet corncakes. We sang and prayed before leaving.
After we walked down the hillside, we had to wait for a bus. The first bus that came by was so full that it did not even stop. The second bus stopped, but not because it had any remaining room. When we got on, I was standing barely inside the bus on the bottom step and another brother was hanging mostly on the outside. Remember that we were on the local bus, so soon it stopped again, and after some got off, we were able to get back on before the new riders, thus little by little we were able to move a bit further back in the bus. The other families who had been with us got off at Milpas Altas along with several others, and from there on into Antigua we were able to find a seat.
We got off at the entrance to the city, and walked the 10 blocks or so the house, arriving just about dusk, tired, but having enjoyed a great day of study, worship, fellowship, and sharing. To share time with such hospitable people is refreshing and reminds that with all of our niceties and more leisurely lives in the US, we have a long way to go in the church when it comes to sharing time with others and simply being a family of God.