Picnic Day
It was a holiday weekend again here in Colombia. There are many holidays here. We asked some of our friends what was being celebrated this weekend and none of them were sure what it was. But what they did know is there was no work…AND there was a “Colombian” style all day picnic for the church at a farm outside of town.
We had a wonderful time of fellowship and sampled some interesting new Colombian foods. As our own special culinary surprise, we brought enough “gringo” food for most of our friends to sample. Christine made a pasta salad and Kevin made a pot of mild chili. Colombians generally don’t like spicy foods. As a matter of fact, it is very rare to find a restaurant that has ground pepper at the table. Some don’t have it at all. If you ask for some, they bring a small pot of green salsa. There’s plenty of salt though!
After lunch came time for recreation. There really is only one sport in Colombia, fútbol (soccer). The men all changed into their soccer uniforms (there’s a uniform for everyting) and the game began. Kevin was sitting along the sideline watching and they all urged him to play. He tried to explain to them that he had never (in 48 years) played soccer or ever even kicked a soccer ball. They could not believe there was someone in the world that never played soccer. As a youth in the seventies Kevin was a fairly good athlete playing four sports in high school; football, basketball, baseball and the high jump on the track team.
Kevin told our friend Monica, Christine’s interpreter when ministering, that where he grew up only girls played soccer. (Gringo/masculine pride?) They persisted. He played and a “miracle” happened…he was pretty good. Kevin discovered he had a functional left foot and he even scored a goal. The men where amazed and after a while his own cheering section had gathered on the sidelines.
Another miracle happened. Afterwards many of the men Kevin had not met before came over to tell him how much they enjoyed watching him play. These were the husbands of faithful women who attend the church week after week…alone. Out of Kevin’s weakness God opened a door to minister in a new way. Kevin never dreamed he would touch the lives of tough men playing soccer!!
Paul said this in 1st Corinthians 9:22-23:
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
We like the way the Message translates verse 23: I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
One more short story about Kevin’s athletic prowess and God’s way of keeping him humble. Several years ago we bowled in a church league in Ohio. Kevin’s average score was 182. Sunday some of our friends took us bowling. Kevin’s score, 53! He lost to everyone including those who had never been inside a bowling alley in their lives. They asked if he let them win, Christine quickly assured them that he would never “let” anyone win.
We want to be all things to all men so that by all means some are saved. We praise God that we are seeing lives changed as men, women and children enter the Kingdom of God here in Colombia.
We are all…