We woke up on Sunday morning around 6:45, got ready for the day, and headed out to the kitchen to gather and eat breakfast. We also met Gabby that morning - a man who lives nearby that stops in every morning for devotions and breakfast. He was fun to talk to - full of life and wisdom from the things he has encountered during his life. One of the comments he made that morning also stuck with me - he was asked what his son BJ was doing these days, and he answered, "the same as everyone else - nothing."
We left for church around 10am, to Makasan Church - about a 20 minute drive away. We had been asked if we would be willing to share a song during the service, so we decided to do "On Christ Alone," and I played guitar. When we arrived at the church, the kids quickly found a snake on the ground, a little baby one that they carted around and eventually stuck in a water bottle with a hole poked in the lid. I snapped some pictures, and then we went into church. Turns out the thing may have been poisonous, we're still not really sure. :)
The church was beautiful, relatively small, and our group comprised about a third of those in attendance. Most of the attendees for the day were youth - which was interesting to see. I got called forward for the children's message, a play on the message in the Gospel when Jesus asks Peter, "Who do you say that I am?"
It was so interesting watching the way the service played out, watching four people come forward and sing as the church choir, singing hymns acapella, even getting to help with the Sunday School class which was led by the pastor's wife. We filled out a number of worksheets with a group of kids that ranged in age from 3 or 4 to around 14. There was a baptism during the service that I didn't get a chance to see (Sunday School was during the service), and also a point where the pastor asked for prayers from the congregation - and many were offered.
Asa - the pastor - gave a children's message that was something of a mini sermon - and made a pretty good point about how we can't tell what a person does just by simply looking at them (the reason I was called forward), by referencing an old TV show. He had this quiet wisdom about him.
After the service was done, we brought our plate full of sandwiches and joined a potluck hosted by the baptismal family, and got a chance to meet some of the other church members and talk to some of them and their children. We also got a tour of the new fellowship hall, the building that we would be working on over the course of the next few days.
After lunch, we headed back to the Retreat Center and cleaned up and changed, and later headed to a pow wow in Rosebud, around a two hour drive away. We got there in time to have a look around and grab some supper, and then watch the Grand Entry - when all of the dancers came into the grand stand. It was a powerful thing to watch - to see the beautiful costumes, as well as the pride and intensity on the faces of the dancers. It was a treat to learn so much about the culture and get to see something so beautiful.
Another journal entry from that night:
"I think I've discovered that one of my desires for the week is to love and serve the others that are on the trip - to get to know them - to learn from them. I had a great time talking to Dick on the way home tonight - which served the double purpose of keeping him awake - so awesome."
Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, 15-29
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