After a mildly later start we hopped on the boat, of yahtish flavor, and set out on a 3 hour tour, a 3 hour tour. Wait, that didn’t end well for them. (This was a joking reference to all of those who do not remember Gilligan’s island reruns.) Anyway, San Cristobel has around 4000 people living on the island and we are going to strengthen a church that was started two years ago.
Sunday in the main town on San Cristobal can look a little deserted. We found that most people like to head up to the only other town that is located in the mountains to hang out and play soccer. So after the morning sports session, where we only meet six kids, we headed up the mountain to find the people. There was a local soccer tournament taking place so we just set up shop right there. We invited kids to come play and before you know it we had about 20 kids playing. After a time of sports we shared the Good News with them and they were excited to hear the whole story of Jesus Christ. Afterwards we played another game on the big field and used that time to disciple the older kids in good sportsmanship.
The ride back down the hill was interesting to say the least. Our team of 12 was unable to find any taxi’s because the town folks had taken them, so we were left standing there. Finally a farmer came driving by and we stopped him and told him we would pay him if he took us down the hill. He agreed. So the 12 of us hopped in the truck which was personally given to this man by Henry Ford (it was very old) and we shared a team bonding experience.
One of the favorite memories on this island was the opportunity to disciple four of the teenage boys we had met the day before. I invited them to join me for a Coke in the afternoon time. Since they had only accepted Christ the day before I led them through step one in our discipleship program which guides them through what it means to be saved. Having seen a Bible but never reading one, we had a good time explaining how to get around in the Bible and find books, chapters and verses. They were very eager to please in rapidly finding the verses we were discussing. They had many good questions and enjoyed answering the questions about the verses. In closing, I prayed for them and challenged them to get involved in the young church there and learn everything they can from the pastor as they continue to grow in Christ.
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