Months ago, we had discussed with our friend the possibility of doing an outreach on Saturday, December 7, knowing that there was a specific pagan festival celebrated here in Antigua on that day every year. As our friend worked on what that outreach looked like with his team, we prepared prayerfully here. Saturday afternoon we gathered together - our friend's team and all students and staff here on campus - to pray and talk about what the afternoon would look like. The mission team had prepared a powerful drama set to the song Lead Me to the Cross in Spanish. The drama portrays a woman who becomes weighed down and entangled as sin upon sin holds her captive and keeps her in chains- until Jesus comes and takes those chains off of her and one by one puts them on himself, falling to the weight of them. As Jesus falls to the ground, weighed down by the sin he has taken upon himself, the enemy lurks in and begins beating him. After they nail him to the cross, he breathes his last breath, the chains of sin still hang around his neck. But then He rises in victory and sin nor death can him down. He begins to remove the chains one by one and then takes them all off and throws them to the ground. He raises his hands in victory and embraces the woman who he set free from the chains. He took her place and she is fully aware of that, yet there he stands, arms open with love. She found herself at the foot of the cross and there she found love, freedom, peace, mercy, and grace. It is an extremely powerful and moving skit.
The idea was to perform the drama in several different areas around Antigua with the gospel being shared at each location and staff and students being available to talk with those who had questions after the gospel presentation.
What I will share about the festival that is held on that day every year is this- it is a ritual that has deceived a people who have believed in idols and false gods, and worshipped many things apart from the One True God for far too long. The ritual is called 'the burning of the devil' and the people believe that is they clean our their homes, then burn a devil (like a papier-mâché form of a devil) along with the trash they cleaned out of their homes, they will purify themselves and their homes from the sins of the past year and the cleanse themselves from evil. They believe this act saves them from the evil of the devil and purifies them for the coming of Mary. They believe she is holy as Christ is holy. Each town also erects a statue of the devil with the purpose of a publicly burning the statue as well.
The sad truth to this is that in trying to rid themselves of the devil and the evil he brings in this way, they are only glorifying him and giving him a foothold in this country. At the same time as this public burning takes place, people in the crowd wear devil horn headbands, are dressed up as devils, and many are drunk or on drugs. It is really one big party. And also a sad reminder of the fallen, deceived world we live in whose only hope is Jesus Christ.
After praying on Saturday, we made our way into the center of Antigua and stopped right under the arch. That is where the team first performed the drama and the gospel was shared. The drama was very powerful as was the clear gospel presentation. Afterwards, we spread out and began passing out tracts and talking with those who seemed interested in having a conversation. I began talking with two separate couples who I had seen many times before. They sell hand made jewelry. The first couple completely stonewalled any conversation, telling the second couple all I was talking about was 'another religion.' I began explaining how very different than religion Jesus was. The second couple was engaged and interested, but the conversation quickly turned away from Christ to other things. I thanked them for their time but moved on.
As I walked back towards the group, I noticed a guy off by himself, working with metal and wire, forming some jewelry piece. I sat down on the edge of the curb, as he was already sitting back against a wall, right under the arch. I gave him a tract we commonly hand out inviting the receiver to the great wedding feast of Christ. He engaged in conversation and for the next half an hour or maybe more, Matt and I began to share the gospel and much more with our new friend, Emerson. After some time, we needed to move on. We invited Emerson to church and encouraged him to come so that we could continue our conversation. We were so burdened as we walked away, yet hopeful for the intensity with he had asked his questions and his desire to know the answers. He described himself as a world traveler, content to have no family, no home, nothing other than his work and enough to survive.
Our next stop was on the corner of Arch street. We began setting up and were quickly approached by one of the many tourist police officers whose job it is to help keep Antigua's tourists safe. We were informed that without a permit we could not make any type public performance. The officer then leaned over and lowered his voice and told us to go away where he couldn't see us and do our thing. He literally gave us a free pass to do whatever we wanted as long as he didn't see it. Praise God for His favor with local authority!
So we moved into Central Park and performed the skit right there in the center by the fountain! There was quite the crowd. The sense of oppression was much thicker here. Immediately after beginning the music and the drama, a man on a loudspeaker began talking and all but drowned out the music. God was still glorified though and afterwards the Lord put on our daughter Isabelle's heart to go and talk with a young woman in the crowd. We found out her name was also Isabel - hardly a coincidence...and so totally God. I sensed immediately some sort of oppression in her life, chains of some sort weighing her down and begin to ask some pointed, personal questions. She opened up immediately and began to weep as she shared her story with me. I asked her if I could pray for her and right there she confessed that she knew the Lord but had walked so far away from Him. I told her that it was not by chance that she was right there at that exact time. She was only to be in Antigua for a few hours and then on her way elsewhere. She thought that we did that kind of drama and presentation every day and I explained that we did not but that the Lord had laid it on our hearts to be there that specific day and maybe at that exact spot just for her. She prayed with me and I believed her heart was changed and she turned back to the Lord.
We then moved down towards the large indoor market. Matt and I have been burdened for the market place for some time now. About a month ago, we stood in the open air part of the market, the real Guatemalan section where we do not go without a Guatemalan.It was early on a Saturday morning, and the Lord gave us a vision of being there and ministering to the hundreds of Mayans that make their living selling fruits and vegetables. Everywhere you look there are mounds of vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables and behind every mound or produce, sits the Mayan woman, barefoot, hair pulled back off her face, her wipil (typical Guatemala ladies blouse) tucked neatly into her skirt, sitting on her cardboard mat or vegetable leaves covering the ground. The Lord allowed us both to see the great need of the people who sell their wares there, the people who shop there, the children who work or run around, in and out of the stalls. That burden has stayed with us and we had been asking the Lord to show us if we were to take this team and their drama to the market.
We only made it to the very outer, first part of the market on this Saturday, but it was right where we were supposed to be. We've been in and out of this particular spot probably a hundred times since living here. As soon as the music started a large crowd formed. The oppression was thicker there than any other place we'd been that day. As the drama started, I looked over and saw no less than 20 paper maché devils hanging just a hundred feet or so from us. The crowd became rather large as the drama continued. Afterwards several people came to know the Lord! What great joy to see the response from those whose lives have now been eternally changed! The team pulled out the balloons and quickly began making balloon swords and animals as a line of children formed even quicker! One of the most precious sites was when about 7 little boys, with their balloon swords in hand, began chasing after our staff intern RA as he fended them off with an empty water jug that was used as a drum during the songs that were sung before the drama. Pure joy and delight came from their mouths and was evident on all their faces!
We eventually had to stop, despite the line of children still waiting as the sun was going down and the market is no place to be after dark. We made our way down to the bright yellow La Merced church on Arch street which was to be the last place the drama would be performed.
At this point, Matt and I and the kids headed back to the center, long with Karol and her boys. Partly because we wanted to have the children back before the festival began and also because Ethan was feeling very ill.
After the team arrived back at the center and we had eaten dinner, we debriefed the day with the team and our students. They experienced a sweet, intimate time with a small crowd at the last spot where they performed the drama. They also witnessed the ending of the celebration. Their hearts were deeply saddened at what they saw at the festival. But they were also filled with joy and hope and all were encouraged as we shared stories of the day.
The Lord is so good. He is at work here in Antigua. The city is so lost and so in need of Jesus, their Savior. We have been given such a privilege to serve Him here. The need is great as is the responsibility. We know that God is in control and the work of changing a person's heart, the work of bringing this city to His feet, is all His. But the responsibility is great because we see so much more than what most see who are just passing through. We feel the burden and recognize the Lord's call upon our lives. He has called us here- the harvest is plenty. We are so thankful to be here fro such a time as this.
It is with great joy that I can report to you that Emerson, the jewelry maker from under the Arch, came to church tonight! We invited him to stay for dinner and he did. Our students engaged him and one member of the team and one of our students shared their testimonies with him. He was impacted. Please keep praying for him! Also, Antonio, one of the men who gave his life to the Lord at the market, came to church and also brought a friend. Matt and I as well a student from the Bible college spoke with him at length after he accepted the Lord. Matt told him if he came to church, Matt would give him a Bible because he said he did not own one. So, as soon as he came in, I went to get his Bible and gave it to him and also got one for his friend.
We praise the Lord for what He is doing in Antigua. We know we are here by His grace alone and we are so thankful. Please continue to pray for the city of Antigua, the Guatemalan people, and the Lord's work here.
No comments:
Post a Comment