Worship Service

We rode past the project on Sunday morning to enter into the village called Colonia Williams.  Let me share with each of you reading this Wendy and all people living in her area each week walk to their church which is about three miles. So they truly love their Lord and their church family.  What a beautiful day it was to worship our Lord.  There was an awesome breeze blowing through the open windows of this quant and welcoming church.  Each North American was greeted by the Honduran church family members as they entered the doors.  What a heart warming welcome as each team member greeted everyone and then located their seat for a morning full of praise and worship unto our Lord.   

We started out by being welcomed by Pastor Ramon and then led into singing hymns.  The first hymn was "Victory in Jesus"  which the team members join along singing it in English.  Pastor Ramon and Ginger read scripture from Psalm 100.  We once again continue singing hymns, "Because He Lives". Pastor John was asked to come forward to share his testimony which team leader Joel said, "I do not need to go up there now".  Pastor John spoke with such boldness as he shared his story of following Jesus Christ.  He read from Psalm 16:11 "You made know to me the path of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."  Pastor John shared he would rather have 99 % joy in Christ than a million years on this earth.  What a profound statement this young man shared.  Joy in Jesus Christ does not come from earthly treasures but from the pure joy of a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior. He shared how he saw joy in each of you.  He made a friend in Aaron while playing soccer each day as he spoke out to Aaron in the congregation and said, "Isn't this correct Aaron?"  Aaron replied immediately without hesitation, "Si".  What a testimony for all of us.  Aaron was intensely listening to every word of Pastor John and immediately had the answer.  What a gift from God for Pastor John this Sunday morning. At this time he thanked everyone who served along side the North American team this week for the Kingdom of God.

We sang more hymns and then Joel, team leader came forward to share from God's Word out of Matthew 25:14-30.  This is called "The Parable of the Talents.   Joel first of all brought to all our attention how there were three characters in this parable.  The Master who knew his servants and three servants, two  knowing their Master and the other who did not know his Master.  The Master shared His talents with his servants to take care of them for Him.  The Master in this parable is God and the servants in this parable are us.  Everything we have is God's.  Even the air we breathe and even our children are a gift from God.  Psalm 24:1, "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world and all who live in it." God has given us everything we need and we are to take care of the things God has entrusted to us.  We are to take care of our families and to do His Kingdom work.  Our Master gave each of us what we can handle.  As with the two servants in the parable the Master gave each of them what He knew they could handle.  Two of the servants knew what their Master expected of them caring for His talents.  They took the talents and grew and expanded them for the glory of their Master.  But one did not.  Each one of us has been given something to glorify God.  God knows us all personally.  Out of the book of Jeremiah God's say I created you in your mother's womb.  Brothers and Sisters in Christ there will come a day God will want to know what you did with HIS talents.  As Joel shared earlier not even your children are yours. They belong to God as well.  Two of the servants doubled their talents they were given.  WE all need to treat what is mine as yours and come to share with my children God says.  Glorify God with your talents and God will reward you with abundant life.  Joel shared this is not talking about material wealth but eternal wealth, eternal life with our Heavenly Father.  You all will be rich in JOY which we can only find through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Lastly, the third servant was bold enough to tell his Master it was his fault he did not use his talents well.  This is me as well, says Joel.  How many times have I wasted my time, Joel shared, or did not reach out and build relationships with others, whether family or friends because I was too busy with life.  Stuff can get in our way as we try to serve our Lord and His Kingdom.  If you are here today Joel shared and don't know your Master, Jesus Christ, please talk to Pastor Ramon and do not let another day go by .  The only way to do this is to give up your life and surrender it to Jesus Christ.  Jesus said, "Take heart, ,one day in the house of the Lord is worth more than a thousand years in another house. Amen y amen.

At this time the offerings were collected and the children went off to Sunday School.  Pastor Ramon came to Mike and I to ask us would we like to stay for their Sunday School hour.  We graciously said yes.

Oscar got up to start the lesson called "How Did Jesus Call His Disciples?"   If you were to start a business how would you choose the people to work for you?  What characteristics would you look for in a person?  Oscar used one of the church members as an example.  He has a tire repair business.  He asked this man what characteristics would he look for in a person.  This gentleman replied, "To fear God first".  Wow this was a profound statement we surely cannot use in the states.  But here they can.  So Oscar continue asking for more examples, one person said to be trustworthy, one shared to be hard workers, and others shared come to work on time and to definitely know the trade of the job. Well Jesus ask the same of us.  As brother Joel shared earlier about our talents and gifts this is exactly what Oscar was sharing in his Sunday School lesson.  Joel and Oscar had not planned this out at all.  This was the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Our God is so big.  God must have known we all needed to hear this message twice on this Sunday morning.  Oscar referenced Luke 6:12-16.  It shares Jesus prayed first before making any kind of decisions.  So if Jesus has to pray to His Father in Heaven we most definitely need to cover all our decisions in prayer.  As brother Joel shared earlier we will all have to stand before our Heavenly Father to answer to how we use our gifts and talents.  Oscar closed by asking "Do we give God our very best or do we give Him our leftovers?"  What a glorious day in the house of the Lord today at Colonia Williams.  Thank you God for bringing a profound message to each of us not once this morning but twice.  All God's children said, "Amen!!!!!"