as if...

as if the final day of the Summit wasn't enough...

the production team invited me to their service tonight... it was an incredible honor and experience. We had about 45 minutes between the end of the Summit and the beginning of their service in a different location. They have an open air canopy, Saturday night service, seating about 1600...
Let's take a minute out to describe the players here... there are two churches here that I've connected with. Coti and Leo are from one, called PIER and the other is Grand Commision: (in the picture... front row left to right...
Cesar- the worship director- his worship team are young and he's great- learning on the job, talented, well prepared, servant(L)eader.
(me)
(top row- white shirt)Chiki-(nickname) Take Ryan, Tres and Blake, stir them in a blender and you have Chiki. I want to adopt him, but he's 22... he's a kindred spirit and we seemed able to communicate non-verbally since language was a serious issue.
(back down to front row)Oved- Technical Director (like most, he seems tough when you meet him, but in about a day, he's got the sweetest smile and most tender heart)and i love his wife, Dixie and their children.
Jim Mellado- WCA
Dennis- Summit producer and Grand Commision pastor; a PASTOR, you can tell that people love him and he loves them, funny, a quick smile, very warm and I love his wife, Flor.
Hemi- knows everything and can do anything... and is a wife and mother.
Anyway, they invited me to the Gran Commision service. Chiki let me hang out in the booth which was wonderful. The service ended up including a time of saying goodbye to one of their pastors, which was needless to say, a very tender moment, so of course... i kept tearing up.
Then... AS IF that wasn't enough... they lit candles (Christmas Eve style) in honor of this pastor, as a symbol of how his ministry has spread to them and how they must spread it to one another... well, duh, I'm hardly keeping it together at this point then Cesar, Oved and his family, Chiki and other members of the team invited me to be their guest for dinner. I had hoped to get to spend some time with them outside of a "booth" so this was wonderful. At the end of dinner, both Oved and Chiki shared a message of thanks and how serving together had impacted them.
This was the kind of moment you want to bottle and keep with you on the really hard days of ministry.
So here I am in Honduras crying because this experience and these people have been so amazing for me... and as much as I am looking forward to being home... I will dearly miss this new family and the ministry here.