A friend had told me that the Hebron Ministry services are very long so I was prepared. By the end of the two and a half hour service we had kneeled in prayer (on a small mat on a concrete floor), had sung and heard two sermons. The time actually flew by. The congregation was welcoming even though I wasn't well dressed for the occasion.
There was a surprising amount of audience participation. During the picnic that followed the service, the pastor, who was an electrical engineer for a large company in San Salvedor before he was "called" to the ministry, came over to chat. He said that sometimes the audience doesn't participate at all.
"What do you do during the service then?" I asked presumtuously. "Well the congregation listens," he said. I said a quiet prayer of thanks that I'd happened in on a day of participation.
My small boyfriends took me on a tour of the church grounds orchard. The church has substantial acreage and three years ago many of the family started a garden, later adding a well for irigation. Each family that particpates cultivates 7 or 8 rows. They grow specific crops that they share at harvest.
There are only two seasons here -- the wet winter (average 15 degrees) and dry summer (average 30). We're in summer now. I hear it's -8 degrees at home. Brrr.
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| My four young guides among the fruit trees. |
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| papaya |
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| tamarind |
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| lemon |
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| Japonese Jocote (an edible fruit) |
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| mango |
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| palm |
After class tomorrow I'm going to visit a couple of Mayan villages. More stories to follow.
Buenas noches. Hasta manana.
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