Time has flown by since arriving in Belen. In Honduras there has been a division in the Moravian church as a result of this in many towns in La Moskitia you will find two Moravian churches, one Iglesia Morava Tradicional and one Iglesia Morava Renuvada. This is true for both Belen and Cocobila, the towns that I am working in. It’s easy to stay busy preaching and visiting all the churches.

I couldn’t begin to imagine church in La Moskitia without music. Singing is such a huge part of life here. A missionary friend in Ahuas and I were talking one day about how Miskitu isn’t spoken, it’s sung. Whenever someone is excited about something they don’t talk about, instead it they sing about it. The language has a flow, a beat. Maybe that’s why worship is such an important part of the services here. Every Sunday we sing from La Vida Cristiana, a Spanish hymnal, and the Miskitu Hymnal, which has a lot of the good old Moravian hymns I’m used to hearing. In both Tradicional and Renuvada there are also songs called coros de adoracion, they are these beautiful sung prayers that fill your soul. They are short and simple but the congregations can go on singing for more than an hour. In the Iglesias Renuvadas, worship takes form in not only singing but in dance as well. I was baptized, raised, and confirmed in Southern Province Moravian Churches where dancing doesn’t really take place outside of the annual fall square dance. Although it took some getting used to, I have experienced some of the most liberating and beautiful worship here in La Moskitia.

Even the kids are involved; often they’re the first ones up front dancing. They’re unashamed to get up in front of the church to dance, jump and sing. We could all probably use a bit more of that unashamed attitude in worship. I’ve started teaching a group of young girls in Belen some new songs and dances, it’s basically a small children’s choir. There have been a few times when I’ve been surprised by these girls. When I was their age, I don’t know, I liked to sing and everything but I didn’t really have a clue what worship was. They just seem to have this genuine desire to praise God. We were going over one song, Yo Te Busco, and I told the girls it was ok just to relax and do whatever they felt like while we were singing. When they started singing, I turned to grab a songbook and when I turned back around one little girl in the middle had closed her eyes and raised her hands. It took my breath away this little girl worshipping. Maybe they don’t completely understand the words they’re singing or why they are singing them but that doesn’t bother them, they just come to worship.

Earlier this month, I went with some youth from Belen and Cocobila to a retreat just on the other side of the lagoon. People came from maybe 10 different towns to meet at this small camp called Sinai to fast and pray. We ended up arriving late and were only there for four days, the whole retreat lasted a week. It was economical and easy to pack for since we didn’t have to worry about food. :) We slept on the cement floor of the church and spent most of the day singing and praying and listening to local pastors preach. On the last night the service went until 3 in the morning. I know it sounds a bit crazy but it was a really wonderful time seeking God and praying for everything that's going on here.

The similarities between the youth here and the youth at home continue to amaze me. We’ve grown up in completely different cultures and situations but when it comes to following Christ we still all have the basic desires and struggles. Even though we don’t speak the same language or listen to the same music these common bonds allow us to identify with each other. Without them I would feel pretty lost.

Miraculously, the different churches have their youth services on different nights during the week so I’m able to go to all of them weekly. It’s a little different here than in Ahuas, it is a service for the youth but the adults and children come too. Which is fine but it makes preaching a little more intimidating. That’s right, I find preaching intimidating at times. It’s getting easier but it still feels weird preaching to full congregations and not just youth my age. The youth from both churches in Belen and I should be starting up a new Bible study this week. I’m really excited because the Bible studies are what I miss most from Ahuas. Plus it’s encouraging to have the two churches coming together for something.