Mountains and Smiles

Today started early - very early if you got up when the roosters started crowing - with biscuits and gravy before heading to worship services at two different churches. One group went to Nawash. The other went to Guitton to worship.  After a bumpy ride in the bed of a truck we arrived at a small church building which sat near rows and rows of plantain trees.

Despite our inability to understand the words of the church member there, their love for the Lord was evident and their worship indescribable. It was hard to resist clapping, dancing and raising hands to the songs they poured out in such a beautiful language. It was amazing to see these kind and gently people become so full of passion and life as they sang and prayed with a fervor that I've rarely seen before. Merci, Senor!

After lunch and quite a few rounds of card games at the compound, our group ventured nearer to the mountain to see the structure which sends water throughout the villages. The children who played in and near the water there clung to our hands and posed for pictures. Their smiles were more beautiful than the mountains.

As this is my first trip out of the country, I have been amazed at how different life here is - in both heartbreaking and beautiful ways. There is poverty yet contentment, worn buildings yet breathtaking mountains, a foreign language yet so much understanding. My prayer is that through us God would touch the hearts of those we meet and also touch our hearts through them.

Victoria