It’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get!

   To me, Sundays are like a box of chocolates; they're sweet, everyone anticipates their arrival, and the variety is thoroughly enjoyed.

   Sunday is the one day where we have a pretty solid routine for preparing for church, although the outcome is never guaranteed! Here’s a little window into our day:

   We wake up at a leisurely pace, have breakfast and spend the morning playing around and relaxing. Then when the clock hits high noon, it’s like something clicks, we shift gears.

   I clean up after lunch and endeavor to put Hannah down for a nap. Afterwards David goes into his office and chisels, polishes, and fine tunes the Bible study for that night.

   Meanwhile I am all over the rest of the house, cleaning and cooking and making sure the laundry basket is either empty or hidden in another room (it’s not that I am at times too lazy to empty the laundry basket, it’s that I am dependent upon the weather to dry my clothes and sometimes on Sundays it likes to rain on my plans ! ).

   While scrubbing the dirty dishes this past Sunday different thoughts started bouncing around inside my head: “I wonder how many will come tonight?”, “Why do I have to clean dishes and have a clean house for people to come over?”, “I wonder if they will enjoy what I have prepared for supper?”, “I hope Hannah has a good nap so she will be more apt to behave for church tonight” and so on and so on.

   We never do really know how many are coming to church on any given night. Sometimes we have a full and crazy house with everyone seated elbow to elbow (about 15+) then sometimes all the neighbor’s who come will be busy doing different things and some of the Deaf will be sick or busy with family affairs and we’ll be left with just 1or 2 passengers in the van. Then we ask ourselves, “Do we cancel? Should we just hang out and play a game?” The few times this has happened with different people, we quickly learn it is for a reason.  There is usually something that needs attention in that person’s life. God has arranged it so that we can minster to this brother or sister and build them up and pray and encourage them. Unfortunately we know of pastors and churches that have shut their doors because only a couple people show up for services. But what about those few people who are left? They have come to seek fellowship and nourishment from the Body of Christ and yet some think that one or two people aren’t enough for keeping the services going? At times in our ministry here in PR we have struggled with our very small groups. Growth is slow and we minister to people who cannot give back in a significant monetary way. We have been discouraged at times because of this and have even been tempted to move where our other ministries are “booming”. But then I am reminded about that 1 person who might show up with a need, can we justify leaving this group of 1 or 2 behind just because they don’t meet our expectations of what our ministry “should look like”?

   The answer is “No”. No matter how large or small our groups are here in Puerto Rico, we won’t be going anywhere until the Lord directs otherwise.

    David normally leaves around 5pm to begin picking up people for church. His expected return is supposed to be at 7pm but that ETA comes with many strings attached. David never knows what to expect when he pull's up to a house. He might have to sit and wait for them to finish getting ready, an unexpected need for counseling a family member may arise, getting gas might take longer than desired, he's even had to hunt down some people because they were not at the predetermined meeting place. But whether David makes it back by 6:45 or 7:30, the expectations of our guests are always the same. Whenever they arrive, there is an exception to be fed not only spiritually but physically too and that is one way I, apart from David, get to minister to my friends.

   There is something about walking into a place and meeting with other believers to study God’s Word; it brings peace and comfort. One thing I have noticed is that when our guests start arriving and they walk in the door, I can tell by the looks on their faces and by their demeanor if they have walked into my home with a burden or if they’re filled with joy and peace. I clean and prepare a meal in order to create an atmosphere that will be the best for learning, fellowshipping, and discipling. Sometimes the sink is full of dishes, the floor isn’t spotless, I forget to put on a new roll of toilet paper in the bathroom or the table doesn’t get cleared off before the services start and it’s those times when I have to remind myself to stop being a “Martha” and be a “Mary”.

   When we do begin the Bible study, we open with prayer, sing a song or two, take up donations and then dive into The Word. David begins sharing with our group what the Lord has taught him and I interpret for the Deaf (ministering to the Deaf is one of my biggest passions!) David and I have become a well oiled machine when it comes to Sunday night services. He senses when we need to pause to take time to further explain something or when we need to take a detour from the outlined message to address something that spontaneously arises out of a concern or difficulty from a member. It's always an adventure juggling teaching in 3 languages! It has never been 1 language over another, it's a time of giving and taking in which all parties not only learn from one another but also enjoy each other's company. When we come to the closing of our services  we have a time of sharing and testimonials at the end where we get to see what each one has taken away from the study. Everyone is excited to share about their own “light bulb” experience.

   David then takes the Deaf home and I am left with our hearing neighbors who enjoy staying behind to hang out and usually ask to play on the internet. Hannah gets to have fun playing with her friends while I try to straighten up the house. Sometimes I get an extra helping hand from 1 or 2 of the teenage boys and we make sure to document it for posting purposes on facebook!

   When everyone leaves and it’s just Hannah and me, which is around 9:30 – 10 pm, I begin putting her to bed. David doesn’t usually come back until 10:30 – 11:30pm. When he does get home we enjoy a little “vegging” out and swap our thoughts about how the service went that night.

   Now, sometimes, when we’re fortunate, this is pretty typical but when it’s not and we get a monkey wrench thrown in, well…..that’s when it becomes like a box of chocolates. And hey, who doesn’t like chocolate?!