Goat Milk and Gratitude

No one ate supper tonight. This evening we went to the service at the church in Shutka. The church there is very proud that God has blessed them with a building of their own. Coming down the narrow streets in Shutka, you see patched up buildings surrounded by trash. Many people sit out on the sidewalks looking like they have been their all day. Just sitting. It is not a very hopeful place. However, we are told that of all the people groups in the world, God has been doing great things among the Roma. The Roma church is very small. There were probably about 40-50 people crammed inside it. I'm not sure what the weather has been like in Texas, but here it feels something like...well maybe the surface of the sun. Seriously. So you can imagine how delightful it was to be smashed into a furnace of sweaty bodies. Still, the people we're so glad to have us. I sat next to my new friend Jessica, who hugged me or held my hand through the whole service. Her little brother grinned at me from across the room like he was up to Np good. Then, the music started. It was something like Baliwood meets mariachi meets worship. I d lidn't know guitars could make those sounds. Despite the tiny space, the choir of 5 had microphones. Clearly this was not enough so the speakers were on full blast while the singers practically shouted into the mics. It was like nothing I have ever seen or heard. Dr Shaw preached mostly in Macedonian. I was able to follow a lot of it. I have been working very hard at language. He spoke about respect. Roma culture places a high value on respect. As Christians, where do we look for respect? The world has lots of ideas, but the truth is that through Christ God has given us honor. We don't need to go searching in worldly things. After the service, we went with the pastor and a few leaders into another room. There, they presented us with a gift. Though they had very little, they had prepared food for us. I knew two things when I saw the milky liquid in cups and strips of bread. 1) I was going to hate that food. 2) I was going to eat that food. You see, some of us have a problem. We find it difficult to give from our heart. Our giving often comes out of our leftovers. The Roma have so little and they were willing to sacrifice for us. For the sole reason that we are brothers and sisters in Christ, they acted. This is a church that takes following God seriously. How do you decline an offer like that. So I ate, and the bread was stuffed (like a lot of the bread here) with goat cheese. The cup was filled with yogurt. Do not be fooled, this is not Yoplait. It is by the grace of God that I and the whole team were able to swallow the indescribable goat milk product that entered our mouths. I am trying not to think about it. As always, so much more happened today. I look forward to getting all my stories down. For now, I have to prepare for a long day tomorrow. There is a lot of work to do. Goodnight.