Missions Sunday

Alright, I had SOOOO much fun, I couldn't resist doing a post! This was just awesome!

We had, I think, four missionary couples. Yes, it was four! And then a single lady missionary, too. So, our Pastor John, interviewed them a little, and then we had a potluck.

Before the Potluck, though, I went up and got prayer for a friend's church. They were really nice. I was afraid it would look kinda strange, me being so young, to go up and get prayer, but they were really enthused about it, and so was Nathan and Kate and Lizzie.

So then there was the Potluck. I wasn't hungry, so I stayed and talked to my old Youth leader, Katie Fancher (the same Kate from above!), and her 'baby' brother Joe. LOL okay, little clarification, Joe is not a baby! But he IS the youngest in their family! xD anyway, I talked to them, and held Katie's little baby. This time it really is a baby! LOL

Miles is about one and a half, I think. Anyway, he didn't use to like me to hold him, I never did hold him, because he wouldn't let me! :( So today, he was just 'toddler' standing there beside Katie, and I scooped him up. He was so sweet, and just sat there playing with his empty coffee cup! I held him for about seven minutes, and then Katie said that she was going to go home early because she had some things she needed to do, so she was taking Joe and Miles with her. And when she tried to take Miles, he wouldn't leave! I had to put him into her arms because he wouldn't go to her! So anyway, that made me happy, especially when they were standing there to leave and 'Uncle Joe' was holding him while Joe's mom talked to another lady, and Miles just kept looking over Joe's shoulder with these really big blue eyes! It was SOOOO sweet!

ANYWAY! lol After lunch, we all had these separate 'tour guides', I think we called them Operatives because the whole Sunday had been kinda tweaked toward a mock of spy missions! LOL Anyway, they wore all black and black shades which was really funny! Anyhow, we went to five different rooms. One was just about being a Nominal Christian, another was about Islam, how Islamic people get converted to Christianity: Then there was the Animism room which was mostly about how people translate the Bible and all the difficulties they run into. (This one was about translating because most of the people that need the Bible translated are Animists or something, I don't remember exactly now!) Then there was the Northern African Islam room. This was the AWESOMEST ROOM EVER!!!!!! So... in light of this, it deserves its own section!

We enter the room with our Operative, and the first thing we hear, is someone speaking in a foreign language! We saw this little gate type thing, and there was a guy in army pants and combat boots (this was Josh, my Youth leader! LOL he's a RIOT! :D) and so... Me and Lizzie (that's Josh's wife, also one of my Youth leaders, and me and her get along real well! :D) Me and Lizzie waited our turn, everybody was being asked for ID and the guys were being frisked! LOL So we got closer and I could hear that he was speaking German. So Lizzie goes through and he's like, "You're ID, please," in kinda brokenish English! And she gave it, and he asked for her phone etc. and placed it on a shelf and then ushered her through. Then I went through, and he was like, "Oh! You're ID, please?" and I said, "I don't have any." And he goes, "No ID? This way, please," and shoes me into this little pen made of wire fence! LOL A few others didn't have ID either and were sent in. Mr. Harris, one of the parents in our congregation, didn't have ID, but he flashed some cash at the guard and got to go right in! LOL So then, Nathan, our Senior Youth leader, was taking pictures, and the missionary lady, playing the role of an Islamic African lady, came running forward and covering her face with her mantle. She started blithering away to Josh in some kind of foreign tongue! It was so AWESOME. And she was like, "No camera!" to him, so Josh goes, "No camera!" to Nate! HAHA! so he told him not to take pictures. Then the lady saw us girls in the detention pen with, "OH MY GOSH!" NO VEILS! LOL (she didn't say Oh my gosh! She exclaimed in some kind of African language! Maybe it was Berber.) And so she ran to this basket, grabbed some scarves, tossed them over us, and then lead us out. There were three of the other girls sitting up on the little platform with her on cushions, the rest of us sat in chairs and.... of all the funny things! The boys had to sit on the opposite side as the girls! One guy tried sitting, I think with his WIFE, and she made him go to the other side! LOL That's how they do things over there, though. And it is nice that they try to keep things pure :). So then, we had a talk on their traditions and how we would reach out to them etc..  And I found out that Josh was only speaking German cause it was the only foreign language he knew! LOL

So, the rest of the tour consisted of... the Bhuddist room. Which was pretty much about Bhudda's philosophy, and then about the Parable of the Sower. So that was interesting. I'd love to be a missionary someday! Joe and Lizzy and the North African missionary told me maybe someday I would be! :D so maybe... but I don't know what I'd like to do when I get older.... So...

Well, yeah, that was this Sunday! It was fun, I especially liked talking with Kate and Lizzie and Joe! I wish EVERYBODY could have been there! It was SOOO much fun! I hope to have pictures soon, but I'll have to contact Nathan first!

Love,

Ruth

bespokebyruth.weebly.com

God bless you all!