Hunting for a Church

This morning I attended Unidad Cristiana—affiliated with CFN Fellowship of Ministries and Churches.  I heard there was a church across the street from Walmart (about a 10 minute walk from my apartment) from Maribel, the Human Resources gal, but I didn’t get up the nerve to wander over there until this morning.  My friend Valeria sent me an email with information on the church because she knew I was looking for a Christian church.  Because I wanted to sleep in this morning, I decided to go to the 11:30am service over the 8am.  Being the punctual person I am, I showed up 10 minutes before the service started (note to self: TIM so I don’t need to be early anywhere outside of school).  I was immediately greeted at the front entrance by a nice lady who (I think) asked if it was my first time here; I told her I didn’t speak much Spanish, and she said welcome and waved me toward the main room with the stage and chairs.  The main room seats upwards of 800 people (my best guess) including the small balcony above where I sat.  The room was pretty bare, but by 11:50, the place was packed.

I didn’t understand most of what the worship leader said, but I was able to decipher much of the songs that we sang.  One of the songs was “Lord I Give You My Heart” in Spanish, so I was able to sing along in English and then follow along in Spanish.  I truly believe that the Holy Spirit is able to communicate our hearts to God, even if it’s in a language we don’t know.  While I didn’t comprehend all of the words I was singing, I understood that I was singing praise to God, and that’s all that matters.  What a joy to be able to worship my Father in a different language, in a different part of the world.  God is alive in Mexico!

 

The sermon was even more difficult to understand.  All I was able to glean from the hour long message was that our relationship with God can be hindered by our heart and that we need to examine our hearts.  I’m sure there was more than that, but that’s all my limited knowledge of Spanish could pick up today.  I don’t do well sitting for that long either—I wasn’t expecting a 2 hour service.  What helped me get through the service was knowing I had nothing else really important happening today, and that it was a blessing to be with others who love Jesus.

 

I don’t know if this will become my home church while I’m here in Querétaro, but God has led me here for now, and it’s only a 10 minute walk from my apartment.  Dios es bueno todo el tiempo! (That’s the Spanish translation for Carla’s GIGATT!)  And thanks for the recommendation, Val!