The Day We Lost

I woke and was ready for church on time after Corn Pops and a homemade pear muffin. We made it and greeted everyone (they do that (personally go down the aisle and shake everyone’s hand)). I sat with Miguel and invited him to join me in the class with the adolescents. We sang many songs with familiar tunes but new foreign words; I enjoyed it very much. Class time came and we went with 14 or so kids to the room. We began a study of Peter in the gospel of John following and thinking about his experiences with Jesus. We went through chapters 1-5 and I would stop reminding them that they are Peter and ask them about what just happened in the story and what Peter must have been feeling. Each time I would go back to his calling by Andrew and pass through everything we read, adding the latest episode. We finished the chapters and we talked a bit about what Peter must have been thinking in reaction to Jesus. I gave them a little background on the process of being a disciple and the significance of Jesus calling them. I invited them to come over to the house to watch the US vs. Brazil in the FIFA Confederation Cup Championship match and for lunch. I encouraged them to read the first five chapters of John before next Sunday. Jorge talked to some of the parents after church and many were able to come to the house. We all crammed into the van and picked up a couple of roasted chickens and some beverage. We made it to the house and found the game already 30 minutes in the US was up 2-0 and that’s how the half finished. We enjoyed the meal and watched as Brazil scored 3 (really 4 the refs missed one a shot bounced off the crossbar down and in as the goalie batted it out) unanswered to win the game. It was pretty disappointing. We played some soccer in the back yard, a lenient game of Spanish Scrabble. We made plans for the week including a movie on Thursday, Class on Friday, maybe a baseball game Saturday and then class again Sunday morning. We went and dropped them off. It was a long afternoon but it was really good in helping me with the group as a whole. I’m excited about the events of the upcoming week as well as beginning to plan and anticipate the arrival of a group from Harding July 10th. We closed out the evening with pancakes and the after the kids went to bed us grown-ups stayed up to watch Ice Age 2. Life’s still good.