Friday

Friday morning, RA, Martin, Gracie and Sonny headed back to Puyipa and Judy, Wilson, Tom and Arlene stayed in Palenque. Arlene was suffering from an upset stomach and later Brandon Hall also came into town from the village suffering from an upset stomach. After medicine was given, both are feeling somewhat better. We (the 4 mentioned above) arrived in Puyipa with instructional material and immediately began activities with the children along with the team staying in Puyipa which consists of Justin McFarland, Ceil Warden, Cindy Morris and Judy Presley. With the children, we covered the story of Noah’s ark and emphasis was on God’s love for mankind and the rainbow which represents his covenant with man. Once they finished their activity, the children went out back to do their arts and crafts which included coloring a rainbow.

After the children left the church, the instruction began for the adults. The primary instruction was on the first 14 verses of the Gospel of John. RA discussed the foundation for the writing of the book and Gracie Hatten interpreted along with Justin and Rohelio translated portions into Choe. Instructional activities took about 2 ½ hrs and when completed we prepared for the noon church service. Martin Venegas brought the message of First Fruits and the value of trusting God and giving to him the honor and glory. The service included a lengthy amount of music lasting about 2 ½ hrs. Of course once the service was over it was time to eat. The breaking of bread (corn Tortillas) is an important time to them to visit with us. Once the meal was finished, it was time to send the Palenque team back to town to meet with Bro. Jesus about establishing his license and discussing the material that was brought to him by Global University. The Puyipa team had a couple of hours down time as they prepared for the evening service and Justin brought the message and they watched part of one of the DVD’s we brought. At Bro. Jesus’ church the crowd had grown to 80 almost double what we had the first night. Bro. Jesus had spent the day inviting people. The service again was exciting and energetic and Wilson Gaunt had the opportunity to share his testimony along with educational opportunities through Global University. Education is needed (biblical and basic) in this area, something that will continue to be provided on future trips. Sonny read the opening scripture with Gracie interpreting for all. It was a very touching service as many folks came up for prayer. A lot of these folks are struggling financially. After the service we watched more of the DVD before announcing that we would be doing more children’s activities on Saturday. This is the first time to work with children in the town of Palenque. We offered additional incentives by promising pizza which excited the children and some adults. Our estimated number for here in town was 30 children but wouldn’t be surprised to see 50 children. Another long day has passed as we prepare for Saturday with our initial breakfast with Jesus’ family about 10:00 a.m.