Great things happening!

Hey Ms. Peggy!

First of all, I need to let you know that since I figured most of this email is stuff others might like to know about, I'm posting it on my blog as well.  Although, I'd never publicly display you're writings back to me unless you asked.  ;-)

Anyway, so this weekend was amazing.  Actually, it was Sunday that was the best.  I went to church on Saturday night becuase that's when we have a translator so we can understand.  But because we (my roomates and I) had invited our gaurd to church with us, we decided to go on Sunday morning as well.  Well, we showed up and never did find him (we figured he had forgotton or something), and the other guys left after the service had been going for a little while.  All the services are the same, one on Sat. and three on Sun.  I stayed simply because I was on the first row and because I was enjoying it.  But the strange thing was that I was getting a lot more out of it this second time around.  Although I didn't have the earbud translator, I did have someone sitting next to me helping me get the general jist of the sermon... and I had heard the same one the night before anyway.

Well, our gaurd did show up, and what's more is that he went forward at the altar call to give his heart to Jesus.  Once I made sure what the call was about (I didn't just want to assume that it was a call to salvation), and that it would be ok for me to go up and pray for him (some churches in the states have specific people for that and don't like their teritory encroached upon), I did.  It was so great to know that he had come and that something had happened in his life.

We'll God had been sort of moving me during the sermon to pray for the music club that will be starting tomorrow here.  I'm really feeling that this (the music club thing) is what I was called here for.  I felt like it would be good for me to go to the room where it would be and pray for a little while.  Now, praying outloud, by myself is something that I'm not real good at.  I especially don't feel the proper grasp of any language (especially english) enough to think of things to pray about.  But God gave me plenty of things to pray about!  I really felt both that my prayers were being heard and that it was specifically God (the Holy Spirit) praying through me.

But before I went to prayer, I tongue-in-cheek asked Carolyn (the Missionary Assistant here) if she wanted to join me.  I fully expected an answer that was both encouraging and politely excused herself, such as, "Good idea! you go ahead, but I've got a meeting though," or, "I've got something I need to to here".  I mean really, who ever says, "Sure, I would love to!" to an invitation to a prayer meeting?  Ha... such an oxymoron as a Christian...

Well, although she ended up getting tied up in something else, just the fact that she was willing and wanted to was extremely encourageing; encouraging in such a way that I didn't even know I needed.  I ended up praying by myself, which was very good, productive and fruitful (if only for me :-), and then afterwords, I joined her (and my roomates) in praying for a friend of hers that needed some help on a difficult issue.  It was so wonderful.

At around 4, Carolyn Veith, Dave Turner and I went to a small church up in a little town on a hill right at the edge of Tegus.  It was a very encouraging, albeit athletic service.  ;-)  They had every type of music you could imagine, although it was all canned.  I was surprized that they played the canned stuff seeing as how their praise team was all dressed up in ther uniform(!) and ready to go.  This church was in the middle of one of the poorest neighborhoods in Tegus, but yet had such an amazing sound system with many mics and even a cordless.  Hugh JBL speakers... all kinds of stuff.  I couldn't help but notice the difference of the inside of this church from it's neighboring homade shacks and homes and the dirt roads around it.

Well, God really worked through the church and ministered to me.  Of course I felt like everyone was looking at the North Americans in the front, but it didn't really matter.  At one point they played the song "You are good, All the time".  If you don't know it, it's a very high energy song out of texas somewhere.  Well, it was in Spanish of course, but then the second verse was in English!  It was amazing, because it's really been one of my favorite songs and I was singing it in English anyway because they didn't have an overhead for me to look at or anything.  My favorite part is when it says, "People from every nation and Tongue, from generation to generation..."  It's just so awesome because it reminds us that we are in the same group of people and spiritual "linage" as the apostles and Paul and such, but it was doubly powerful to me because it was both in Spanish and English... it was just amazing.

Well... I just wanted to let you know what's been happening.  I hope you haven't been turned off by my incesant use of the word, "Well".

Well... ;-)

(just kidding)

If you and the youth group would pray for this club, I would so greatly appreciate it!  It has so much potential and stuff, and it's so hard to guess how it might end up going, but I'm ever so excited nonetheless.

My English is getting worse and worse.  I need more coffee.

;-)

Yours in Christ,

Jason Scott Vawter