| It was not easy for a young man
to resist this pressure. He built himself a house out back of
his parents’ house and began a church in the village, becoming
their pastor. The loneliness of the way was eased when he married
and began his own family.
Eventually Gilberto went to work for Food for the Hungry. There
he encountered a community of Christians who share a vision of
the mission of the church “in Christ’s way,”
(to borrow a phrase from Bruce Gannaway), “in which all
the hungers of people’s hearts and minds and stomachs are
fed.” It is evident that he feels a strong sense of dedication
to serving Christ in this new vision for mission. In addition,
his own need to share with other pastors and the hunger of his
mind for knowledge found a solution in this program. In the few
months I have had the privilege to teach him, I have found his
insight remarkable as well as his faithfulness in the pursuit
of ever more profound understanding of Christ’s way.
Unfortunately, the denominational leaders in the church of his
conversion were not prepared to embrace a wholistic vision for
mission. They told him it was “material” (as opposed
to spiritual), and did not look with favor on his efforts to gain
education. They took away from him the privilege of serving as
pastor, though he still participates in the church. Through it
all he has endured the blows with the patient perseverance that
is surely a gift of the Spirit. It is a privilege to teach him
and the rest of the group in which he participates.
Francisco, one of the students in Cobán, comes from a
quite different background. A Cobán ladino, he received
his secular education in a military school. He is a fairly recent
convert from “cultural Catholicism,” which means his
family really didn’t go to church much of anywhere. His
conversion came through a small group in his Nazarene church,
which invites people to dinner and then talks with them about
Christ. His eyes shine when he talks about his now being one of
the group who invites people in their lostness to be found by
Christ.
Already a member of the leadership council of his church, he
finds himself caught up in a conflict between a younger group
that wants to worship in more energetic ways, including the use
of electric guitars and drums, and an older group that wants to
preserve the values of their heritage in the midst of what seem
to them quite drastic changes. Conflict in still-torn-by-war Guatemala
is rarely handled gracefully, and there is a need for brothers
and sisters who have a sense of how conflict can be handled with
Christian grace. How good it is to be able to share some of the
things I have learned along the way (along with acquiring the
gray hairs which crown my head) with somebody who struggles to
be a peacemaker in Christ’s church!
So we are here in Cobán, and we are grateful for the opportunity
to serve the Lord by teaching here. We are also grateful for your
continued prayers and support as we do so.
Shalom,
Harry and Debbie Horne
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
37 |
