Church Adventures

Today we were blessed with the opportunity to experience a different aspect of city life. This morning we woke up, got ready, and rushed to the tram stop. On Sunday mornings we have to be at the tram stop before 9:59 or we will not be able to make it to church on time. Being late does not mean we will just walk in a little late. Being late means we will miss the transportation we have to get to church. Being late means we will have to find another tram that will take us to another stop where we will either have to get on another bus or tram to get to our final destination. This morning we were walking fast and hoping that our watches were set ahead so we would not be late. We got to the tram stop and we waited. Stephen said we had three minutes to spare. Three minutes passed and then a few more and still no tram. We started to realize that no one is waiting at the tram stop; they all just kept walking by. This was extremely interesting to us so we decided to see if the times had changed. Then we noticed the sign that let us know no trams were coming by our stop at all this day. At this point we were dumbfounded as to what we were supposed to do. We did not know how to get to the church any other way; we didn’t even know where the church was exactly. We just knew which tram would take us there and which stop we got off at. We walked back home, searched for buses, searched for alternative routes, and then finally realized, as it is time for the service to start, that we are not going to be able to make it to church. Going to church has been different here than in the states. Here we go to church to support the local believers, to meet people, and create relationships. Due to language barriers, church is not a time of growth or even understanding. This morning not being able to go caused mixed feelings. I was sad that we were not leaving the house, confused on how hard we needed to work to get there, and then kind of relieved because I do not have to go for show. We decided to have church on our computer. We watched a great American sermon on Job from Newspring. This was so comfortable and comforting to have church the way I remembered it. We sang songs I knew, I understood everything the pastor said, and it had some similarities to Marathon. I know we will still need to go to church here every chance we get so we can support the believers and build those relationships, but I also know it was great to feel like my hungry soul was being fed. I am so thankful that even across an ocean, in a foreign land; God still speaks to me, cares for me, and feeds me. I just hope I do not grow proud like the people in Hosea I read about today, but remain humble.