As I set off, I thought about how much I'd learned in the past two weeks about life down here. This time I found the street I missed last time, and I started to follow it. It was a long way! I finally found the address I was given- but it was a house, not a church. Contemplating whether or not I should knock, the police came by and asked me what I was up to. I quickly explained that I was looking for a church and that I must have written the wrong address. They told me that there's a Christian church (their term for non Catholic) at the bottom of a steep hill a block away. So I thanked them and went there. I found the place, but it was all locked up and abandoned. There was another officer nearby, so I asked him about it. He said "I don't know, but let's find out because I'm Christian too!" We tried ringing the bell and asking around, but it didn't work. So I thanked him and started back home. On the way back, I saw signs for the church, so I followed them and found it.
La Iglesia Cristiana Desarollo Familiar (The Family Development Christian Church) is a nice looking church. I tried to go in, but the doors were locked. I peeked through the window, and people saw me, so they came out and told me the doors were still closed because the service wasn't until 4 hours from then. But they invited me in anyway, since I was here. They were a bunch of youth, practicing music for an upcoming event. They were very nice. I sat there and listened to them sing and play instruments. I liked the songs they sang.
Eventually, the doors were unlocked and people started coming in. I took a seat near the middle, not wanting to be a back row Baptist, and waited for it to begin. They didn't actually begin until half an hour after the specified time. That's Argentina for you! Things got started with half an hour of worship. The songs were good. I read the screen and sang along. There was a woman in front of the stage dancing with streamers and a tambourine. It reminded me of something I had seen at Samford- a dancer offering her talent to God, but a bit more flamboyant . Then the preacher stood up. He had an eyepatch! He announced that some prophet was coming next week to talk to the congregation. Red flag. He then introduced another preacher, the one who would preach tonight.
That preacher presented his sermon- "How to triumph in times of crisis." He talked about Joy. However, he hardly used the Bible, just cheesy take-aways like "a smile is cheaper than aspirin." and when he did, he would use the passage out of context! Red flag red flag red flag. I will write about this sermon in detail on my other blog. After what felt like forever, he finished and everyone started singing again. I was trying to get back into it when people started laying down on the ground. Nope. I'm out. I quietly slipped out while everyone was laying down and singing. It was interesting to experience worship in another culture, but Pentecostal life isn't for me.
It was really dark now, and I had to walk another half hour to get home. Some streets had no illumination, so everything was so dark and I was terrified! But I finally made it home safely, thank the Lord. I ate dinner--I was starving because I forgot to eat lunch before I left. After talking to my family, I took a shower and started working on this post. I'm going to sleep now.
It was really dark now, and I had to walk another half hour to get home. Some streets had no illumination, so everything was so dark and I was terrified! But I finally made it home safely, thank the Lord. I ate dinner--I was starving because I forgot to eat lunch before I left. After talking to my family, I took a shower and started working on this post. I'm going to sleep now.
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