El Compañerismo

¡Dios le bendiga!

Today was a wonderful day of fellowship with our brothers and sisters aquì in Culiacàn. After breakfast in the hotel (yes, Peggy did get her avena) those of us who are with North Haven headed out to Emmanuel for Sunday School and church. {to clarify...there are 20 here who came with North Haven, and 2 from a church in Fosston who are visiting their sister church here, and 4 from a church in Worthington also visiting their sister church...we are all staying in the hotel together and traveling together, though}. Marco, the director of the Baptist Conference in Sinaloa (the state that Culiacàn is in), is in the city from Los Mochis and is staying at the hotel with us and using his 12 passenger van to help transport us.

La Iglesia Emmanuel is working through a series called ¡Encender!, or Power Up! and is centering their teaching around the need to grow community amongst one another and to pray together.  Their Sunday School classes, powerful prayer times, and sermons are all centered around this focus. Today´s passage was Hechos (Acts) 2:42-45, and the theme was el compañerismo, or fellowship.

Compañerismo is more than simply spending time together or watching the Superbowl with someone else (which we did not do, mind you...). The leaders of Emmanuel reminded us that to have compañerismo is to be devoted to each other, to be unified, and to have the presence of God amongst the people. Pastor David doesn´t mince words, nor does he say things without acting on them.

Last week, Pastor David and other church leaders were praying for the church, asking God what they should do and how they should lead the church toward greater compañerismo.  Compañerismo necessitates taking down walls, being united, and working through conflict. So on Wednesday, David and others took down some walls - literally! For those who are familiar with Emmanuel`s building, the outerwalls of the room we usually fellowship in, by the kitchen, were torn down so the room is now open to the concrete slab/parking area al lado, or next to, the church. The church is growing, so its building needed to as well. We had the church service in this space, as we would not have all fit in the Sanctuary.

Emmanuel is challenging themselves to true, devoted faith through this ¡Encender! series. We read in Hechos 2 how the believers were devoted to the teachings of Jesucristo so much that they made his teachings their reality. "This isn´t just hard stuff to be asked to do...this is reality" says David. Truly sharing all possessions. Working through all conflict. Being one in heart. Having compañerismo, sharing one with the other about the things in their life. Compañerismo is a way of life, not something we do for a tax refund or as a social event. If Emmanuel is going to take this seriously, David challenged, the fellowship will go deeper and farther than they think it can, and it will get messy. But this is Jesus' call on his followers.

It is humbling to then follow the leaders of Emmanuel to Progreso, where they are constructing a church building, holding weekly services, giving physical and spiritual food aid, and helping people to find employment or go to school. The believers of Emmanuel are living the reality of Jesus´ teachings, and are passing on these teachings to us while they think they are passing them on to Progreso.

We went out to Progreso for that service after relaxing at the church for several hours, eating comida China, playing with kids and conversing with the adults. We had a similar church service to Emmanuel´s, on the grounds of the Casa de Esperanza church building, with a great reunion for our returners and the people there.

Right now, in between people trying to find out how the Saints won, we are waiting for Dominos pizza to arrive at the hotel - what else would native US Americans be doing on Superbowl Sunday?

Paz, y compañerismo...

Elise Probasco for Team 10