Father's Day at Beth-El

Hey, this is Alex Nordt and Olivia Smith! We’re just two of the large group of youth that have traveled here to Beth-El, and we would like to share our day’s experience with you! We woke up bright and early this morning, quickly throwing on our clothes and grabbing breakfast before packing up our belongings and stowing them to the side, making room for the crowd that would soon gather to join in for Beth-El’s Sunday Worship service. While most of us are familiar with the traditional pews, hymns, and George’s sermon told from a towering pulpit, Beth-El’s service was just the opposite. First of all, it was entirely spoken in Spanish, thus presenting a bit of a challenge for those of us who have either only used the language in a classroom setting, or aren’t familiar with it at all. However, with the help of Elizabeth and Ramiro Ros, we were able to piece together the message that Ramiro and others were preaching that morning. The service was incredibly different from our own; everyone joined in to sing loudly and sway to the music, clapping hands and tossing in the occasional ‘Gracias a Dios’ or ‘Amen’ when they felt moved. The energy of the people worshiping here is incredible, and, it’s always amazing to see people praising the Lord and expressing their faith in their own way.

(Photo: The Blessing of the Dads during the worship service) While some youth were experiencing the worship service, several youth went outside with the Sunday school class to meet some of the children that attend the church. While outside with the kids, the youth got to connect with some of the younger members of the community and learn about their lifestyle. The youth interacted with the children by teaching them new games and playing some of the kids favorite games.

(Photo: the youth taught their new friends one of their favorite games) Following the church service and the Sunday school class with the local kids, we all joined in with the community’s Father’s Day Fiesta. It was a celebration filled good food and good friends. As we sat down to eat, we were able to interact with many members of the community, sharing in a moment of their lives and taking the time to interact with a culture that was previously unfamiliar to us. We laughed and exchanged stories, and at the end of the fiesta, a pinata was brought out for the father’s to take a whack at! It was quiet entertaining, seeing the locals having fun and inviting our leader and father himself Phillip to join in!

(Photo: Phillip/Felipe taking a whack at the pinata)

(Photo: Our group enjoys watching the dads taking turns hitting the pinata)

(Photo: Our team dads!) After learning about the community from Romiro Ros, we traveled to Cedarkirk camp where some of the community’s kids would later be visiting to play, work, and have fun with other kids there age outside the community. When we returned to the church we had an in-depth discussion about the community and its members and how the church has helped so many of the people living in the community.

(Photo: Pastor Romiro Ros talks to the group about the Beth-El community) We wrapped up our day with a slight change of agenda, eating dinner at a Pizza Hut instead of our original plan. Dinner went well all the same, and when we returned, we had time to spend showering in the incredibly refreshing plywood-and-hose shower that the people here have so graciously built for us! We closed our evening in a special moment lead by Cathy Shoulders and Mary Beth Robinson, helping us connect to God and Jesus through a careful prayer of thought and meditation.

(Photo: Running in the afternoon rain!)

(Photo: Happy faces after a dash through the rain!) We’re looking forward to an exciting rest of the week! See you when we get back!
 ~Alex and Olivia