Who's Jesus?

An angel told me I would return to Paraguay sometime in the next few years.

I have learned never to argue with an angel.

Especially when it is Angel Hernandez, who along with wife Malia and kids (pictured here) are missionaries with our network in Paraguay.

Since that word is already a few years old now;since Angel H. is no small caliber of angel, and since a trip is inevitable, I have begun thinking and praying that way.

In the process, what a joy to find online this photo of a church/school in Paraguay that I had a

small small small




part in constructing. In 1998, a team from the church I was pastoring at the time was commissioned to help with this project, in the Lambare barrio; Zulma area outside of Asuncion. It has been called one of the poorest neighborhoods in Latin America; 70% extreme poverty. Most of the houses that Carl and I visited had no water; some had no walls.


I have always been cautious about the "pride" (or uh, let me baptize it as "contentment") in realizing that you had "accomplished something" on a short term mission trip (see Tim's excellent article on that topic here, and my response here.)..but it is gratifying to see this photo and read all about what God has done in the years since then.


Jamie (who befriended the Bread Nazis) and Harry (who became a dentist on that trip, steadfast and straightfaced even when finding maggots among the kids


teeth) are are laughing at this point, remembering that my part in actual "construction" was small indeed (though I did paint some of those
tiles on the roof you see there). I mostly played with the neighborhood kids ..


like the one who ruined me for life;


the Julio of the toothless grin who broke my heart, and taught me how to pray.




He (photo, on left) had latched on to me, as I spoke Spanish to him...and was a big
kid myself .





"What are you building here?," he asked.




"A church."




"What's a church?"




"A place where people can worship Jesus."


Of course, I know now...well, knew then (but didn't take time for theological distinctions)... that is decidedly the wrong answer: church as a place, edifice complex, etc...)





I gulped. I was guessing, dreading/hoping what his next question would be.


It's one thing to hear that billions around the world have never even heard of Jesus, but I had just met my first.




Yep, he said it:




"Who's Jesus?"




I am not sure what I said, but I am sure it was evangelically correct (I might have even "prayed the prayer" with him).

And I have since heard that answer from kids in the first world;

                                      even here in the US.




It's the only question any of us has.


Even "after" we have given our lives to Jesus
(As my hero Pastor Ellis put it...so liturgically correct..."Who the hell are you, Jesus?")




The church( Fuente de Vida" )and school ("Nuevo Horizonte" )complex down there is now called seems to be thriving.

Check it out here  and here   and here (Hi Mark and Jo) and here if you read Spanish , and thank God it is still helping folks ask that question.

Google map it

https://www.facebook.com/c.e.metodista.py/photos/pcb.858416550932461/858416367599146/?type=3&theater