i took the boys and marcos to roca de salvacion, where candelario is the pastor. it was awesome. the worship is always great, and we sang a song that i had put on a cd i burned for the boys. they were so excited when they heard it and kept telling me that they have that song on one of their cds! (me - yes, i know, i made that cd for you. them - yeah, but we have this song in our house! me - awesome.)
alex stayed in the service but everyone else - teddy, jose, tonio, sergio, and marcos - went to the sunday school class, taught by abraham, the drummer and bryan's dad. it was great for them to be there, and they had a lot of fun!
there was a guest preacher this week, but i was in and out of the service checking on the kids in the class and taking them to the bathroom so i didn't hear that much of her message. we ended the service praying, and she brought all the boys up front and prayed for them one by one, just like she did with most of the congregation. lots of people came up to lay hands on the boys and pray for and with them. it was so cool to see the boys that had just been in their sunday school class laying hands on the gh boys and praying for them. the guest preacher spent a long time praying for healing for all of them - for them to be able to walk and talk. she talked about how God didn't create them to be like this, and that if we believe, if we truly believe, God will heal them.
i don't know how i feel about this. well, i guess i do. i don't think i really agree with her. and maybe it's just a matter of opinion, maybe i'm not biblically based in what i'm saying, but i believe that God created the boys to be exactly the way they are. he has a specific and unique purpose for each of us, and i think that the way they are is part of that purpose. and i'm not sure that i believe that if i believe more, the boys would stand up and walk in that very moment that my belief jumped to the next level. i feel like it lets the boys down every time this happens, because there's such a big build up to 'if you only believe enough, it will happen!' well then that just makes us feel like we're inadequate (which we are, but we will always be) and i wonder if it makes the boys doubt their God. like, if he really loved them, he would heal them. i wonder if they think that. i wonder if they know that their God doesn't love them any less because they're in wheelchairs and sign. i certainly hope they know this...and this week i'll make sure they do.
of course, i would love to see them walk and talk. but is the time for that to happen here on this earth, or are there even greater treasures waiting in heaven? they'll know someday :)
thoughts?
pastor cande invited us to stay for lunch, which was awesome! we got to hang out with everyone for awhile after the service, and then headed home. we were going to go to the flag to see the boats and seals, but had a family meeting in the car and decided it was better to wait until next week when we would have more time. it's funny - the very second i sat down in the van to drive home, i felt like i could fall asleep right then and there. i was so exhausted...but it was like instantanteous. crazy. off to bed!
some of the boys in their sunday school class. marcos = class clown. always.
marcos with bryan's pet turtle! (bryan is the 2 year old son of abraham and kristal. abraham teaches this sunday school class and plays drums in the worship band...)
dulce and sergio. best friends, as of today :)
he would NOT leave her side. i've never seen him like that with anyone! he kept wanting to play hide and seek and making her count with him.
pedro with teddy. the sweetest boy...tears streaming down his face as he laid hands on each of my 5 boys and prayed for them.
HIl- I find myself agreeing with you as well. I ahve a friend Carlos, who washes dishes at STINT. he is blind since birth. He goes to healing services all the time. One time a famous Latino preacher( like our Billy Graham) came to Jarabacoa and our team was asked to help. I got to help Carlos and when they called the sick up for ehaling, i took Carlos up-at his reuest.
ReplyDeleteI remember the hope he had...and then the dissapointment- but i also remember him saying that it wasnt his time to be healed and that it was ok. Its such a difficult thing to undederstand..however I do beleive God can heal.
Your dad was great on the DR trip! we had a great and awesome time, ending with a very powerful family time/worship/washing of feet and communion...just like old skool youth missions trips! I have wanted to do that for years and none of the leaders ever took me up on it...than God for your dad! lets SKYPE..hmmmm...tonight? maybe? TIME? i work till 8:00pm.
you are a great theologian Hil.
ReplyDeleteHil ~ it warmed my heart to see you say that you would talk to the boys about that whole healing issue. I hope you will be able to find the right words to let them know that God loves them as they are. How extremely frustrated I would have been to have to listen to that preacher make their wholeness of body depended on the level of their belief. Sorry but "Bleh!!!!!"
ReplyDeleteLove to you, Gma BE p.s. Paul agrees!!!!!
Brian was in a prayer group one time and someone wanted to pray for healing from his CP. He said it was very strange. Everyone agreed to pray for the healing but he doesn't think everyone agreed with that person. He said at the time (and now too) that he doesn't feel like he needs to be healed, he doesn't feel broken or made as a mistake. He believes that if he didn't have CP he would be a very different person, maybe not close to God or used as much by God. Please tell the boys they are perfect in God's eyes and in ours too:) Also, if you need help explaining things this week both Martin and Angelica have talked to them about it before, so they can help. We will talk more. I agree with with Gma BE Bleh!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you live with the boys, because your words will stay with them longer. I love what Jan said about her friend Brian...not feeling like he was made as a mistake. The boys really are perfect in God's eyes...well, as perfect as any of us are! But I'm glad they trust you and they know that they can believe you when you tell them that.
ReplyDeleteI know I am a few days late,but your dad passed this on to me. As I go into over drive caring for one of "your boys" in my house, I thank you for your words. More people need to stand and speak on behalf of God's children. I have always said that God has laid a special spirit upon children and adults with obvious needs (we all have them, their's are just on the outside!) Odyssey continues to teach me that if people really want healing and want to understand the perfect love and grace of Jesus Christ, they need to spend more time with people we label as "special." Special they are in God's eyes.
ReplyDeleteThank you for speaking up for my children!
Mark Mast