..They have made for themselves a golden calf...
Today is the 3rd day of February. It is also a time when our village celebrates yet another saint. As I hear the loud festivities outside my door, people drinking-dressed up, dancing in celebration of a saint, my heart grieves. It really makes all of those stories in the bible come alive during the time of Moses. God constantly reminded the people to not worship idols and yet they continued to reject Him and follow their own desires.
When Chris and I have talked to different people in the village about these fiestas, we often ask how one becomes a saint. Just to give you some background, this is close to what they usually tell us. Step 1: A person's local bishop investigates their life-gathers information from witnesses and if the bishop finds them worthy of being a saint-he submits it to the Vatican's Congregation for the causes of the saints. Step 2: The Congregation can choose or reject the application and begin to investigate the worthiness of the person's life. Step 3: If the person is approved then they can choose to declare that the person lived a virtuous life. Step 4: a miracle has taken place..usually healing which has to be instantaneous, permanent and scientifically unexplainable. Step 5: a second miracle finally declares the person a saint. Again, this is what they tell us...not sure the exact process.
All in all, people come from all over (even California!) to our village to pay homage to these saints. Some feel they will receive blessings for the coming year, protection, a good harvest etc.by celebrating and adoring these saints. Others participate because its tradition and a reason to gather together and drink. Regardless of their reasons, they are still giving glory to someone other that God and it deeply saddens Him.
One of the hardest things about sharing the Good News with others is when they reject it or haven't decided if they believe it. We have a message of hope. A God who left His throne in heaven to redeem us, the vilest, worst of sinners. And yet, while we were sinners Christ died for us. He gave us a second chance at life. When we didn't trust His goodness, when we chose our way in the Garden of Eden, that first decision to reject our Creator..we fully deserved and still do deserve hell and death. Yet, in His mercy, He became sin who knew no sin. He took our punishment and this is how we treat Him. We give His glory to someone else. It grieves me. I am fully aware, that at some point in our lives if not daily..we tend to give glory to other things besides God. I am definitely guilty of it too. Then God gently reminds me of His patience and unconditional love, and I am brought to tears once I realize that my affections have been for something other than Him.
Since living in our village..we have been trying to shine a light to all of the darkness here. We are seeing people desiring to know more about salvation. We are trying to teach them that it is a free gift and not earned by good works. We are trying to build relationships with them so they know that we love them and can be trusted. We are gently trying to teach them that worshiping the saints is idolatry and it makes God jealous because only He deserves adoration and praise. It is very hard to break down walls of tradition especially when the priest is saying over the village intercom..not to believe anything that we say and that Catholicism is the only true religion.
So we are asking that you guys continue to pray for us. Pray that we would be completely spirit led and share the truth that they need to hear. Pray that we would have opportunities to engage more people in the village and that our message would fall on good soil and take root. We are seeing God working here, but know that it is also stirring up Satan and his legion. We ask for prayer for our family and marriage as we continue to spread the word more and more, we expect attacks and know that God will hear our prayers and answer us. We love you guys and can't wait to see what God has in store for the village of Ayaviri!!
When Chris and I have talked to different people in the village about these fiestas, we often ask how one becomes a saint. Just to give you some background, this is close to what they usually tell us. Step 1: A person's local bishop investigates their life-gathers information from witnesses and if the bishop finds them worthy of being a saint-he submits it to the Vatican's Congregation for the causes of the saints. Step 2: The Congregation can choose or reject the application and begin to investigate the worthiness of the person's life. Step 3: If the person is approved then they can choose to declare that the person lived a virtuous life. Step 4: a miracle has taken place..usually healing which has to be instantaneous, permanent and scientifically unexplainable. Step 5: a second miracle finally declares the person a saint. Again, this is what they tell us...not sure the exact process.
All in all, people come from all over (even California!) to our village to pay homage to these saints. Some feel they will receive blessings for the coming year, protection, a good harvest etc.by celebrating and adoring these saints. Others participate because its tradition and a reason to gather together and drink. Regardless of their reasons, they are still giving glory to someone other that God and it deeply saddens Him.
Since living in our village..we have been trying to shine a light to all of the darkness here. We are seeing people desiring to know more about salvation. We are trying to teach them that it is a free gift and not earned by good works. We are trying to build relationships with them so they know that we love them and can be trusted. We are gently trying to teach them that worshiping the saints is idolatry and it makes God jealous because only He deserves adoration and praise. It is very hard to break down walls of tradition especially when the priest is saying over the village intercom..not to believe anything that we say and that Catholicism is the only true religion.
So we are asking that you guys continue to pray for us. Pray that we would be completely spirit led and share the truth that they need to hear. Pray that we would have opportunities to engage more people in the village and that our message would fall on good soil and take root. We are seeing God working here, but know that it is also stirring up Satan and his legion. We ask for prayer for our family and marriage as we continue to spread the word more and more, we expect attacks and know that God will hear our prayers and answer us. We love you guys and can't wait to see what God has in store for the village of Ayaviri!!
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