Reflections on the Cathedral and God

The Cathedral is massive and on the central plaza of the city. It's actually the largest cathedral in South America. They certainly don’t make buildings like that any more with such ornate decoration and beautiful structure. Even the flooring has gorgeous detail! It’s strange walking around the quiet place in all it’s grandeur and emptiness. (Granted, it could be especially empty because people have been trying to stay in because of the swine flu. As a matter of fact, the La Plata church I've gone to canceled services for two weeks because of the virus.)

For me, God is not some distant being that dwells in stone. He is invisibly and intimately involved in the world. This big building is no more holy and sacred than a forest or a home. It's actually slightly sad to me that it becomes something of a tourist attraction. Certainly God is huge and beautiful, but arches and columns do not contain him. He is interested in life, not tradition. (That's not to say that tradition is bad, but in my experience it tends to lead to routine with little meaning.)

I don't mean to sound like I know a lot about God. Coming to Argentina has taught me that I know very little, scarcely anything at all. It's humbling and frightening. Is it even possible to believe in something you know next to nothing about? I say that I believe in God, but I struggle to really act in faith that he is who he says he is. If I really believed God, I wouldn't doubt his promises to provide for my needs and worry about tomorrow time and time again. If I really knew God, I wouldn't compare myself to other people. I would be drastically different in every aspect of life. So I'm praying for my faith to grow even if it only gets to be as tiny as a seed; because I want to know this God that designed, made, and sustains the universe. The God that was not content to leave humanity to its own devices, but patiently paved the way to a full life.

Sunday

Today I went to the Centro Cristiano de la Union in La Plata. It's a small church consisting of probably 260 friendly people. I went to both of their services, one at 10 am and the other at 7 pm. Even though it is scheduled to start at those times, I arrived later but was still there before they started the music and everything that traditionally comprises a church service. It is essential to socialize first. (Because of this, it reminds me of "Nav time.") The two services have completely different feels to them though. The first was smaller, calmer, and more intimate. They had coffee and cookies in the back. During the message, mate gourds were passed around from person to person as well. Tonight, it was a bigger group with more musicians and people my age. I'm gradually starting to recognize some faces. I meet a couple women who live within a block of where I will be living! It sounds like a great neighborhood. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by so many people willing to help me. I should be moving in this week with Mali.

I'm looking into different opportunities to serve with the church, including one ministry that goes to a poor neighborhood regularly to give essentials to kids and spend time with them, to provide strong role models. I also want to join the Club Estudiantes (athletics) to take some yoga, aerobics, pilates, or dance classes. So far I've had a lot of free time, but it looks like my schedule will fill up fast.

All of the streets are numbered so it makes it fairly easy to get around and figure out the distance between places. My apartment is close to our office downtown, the church I mentioned, and near the fine arts school of the University of La Plata. I've been reading the paper some here and today there was an article about the swine flu that actually mentioned the research that the UW-Madison vet school has been doing on the disease. It's amazing how connected the world is! I did not expect to see the name of my alma mater in the paper here.

Sunday is "pretty dead" here. Most of the shops are closed. It's considered a day to spend with family. Today was a bit different, because of the elections more people were out and about, but I still noticed a difference compared to home, where many businesses are open 7 days a week. The elections here are mandatory I learned. If an Argentine doesn't vote, he/she will be fined. I'm not sure how it all works exactly. We'll see how they turn out. Meanwhile, this afternoon I went out with the Pattersons to Bliss, a cafe in City Bell--one of the few places open it seemed, to watch the US soccer team play Brasil. We enjoyed drinks and medialunas (sweet crescent rolls). Medialuna literally means half moon. :) Those are my thoughts for now.

The Body of Christ

In the last two weeks I've attended three different churches. It's been such a unique experience, I thought I should share it briefly.

Last week I had the privilege of sharing about my mission trip at the Caledonia Presbyterian Church. Even though I had never been there before and only knew one couple that attends regularly, I felt welcomed almost immediately. It is a small congregation which is very different from what I am used to, but nice all the same. We sang songs that members of the congregation selected during the service.

Today I went to Blackhawk Evangelical Free Church in Madison. It is probably 100 times larger than the church I was at last week. Despite the somewhat overwhelming size, I really enjoy going there. They do a great job of making college students feel at home and valued, which is so important in a university community. Every week I am challenged by the sermons and connect with worship. Even though it is bigger than my high school, I am fortunate enough to know enough people at the church that I see a least one person I recognize at whatever service (of the 4 options plus 3 venues) I choose to attend. This week's message brought me to tears. It was on one of my favorite passages in Scripture, Ephesians 3:14-21. I have it memorized, but this gave me a chance to take a fresh look at it.

After lunch, I went to the Spanish service at Bethel Lutheran near the Capitol. I have been meaning to attend a Spanish church service ever since my freshman year at UW. Finally, I set my mind to going without letting anything stop me. There are several options to choose from. Yay for diversity. I hope to visit a couple more in the weeks ahead.

Some people have asked me about my Spanish language skills in light of me going to Argentina. Sure, I majored in it, but what does that mean as far as my proficiency is concerned? Right now I'm rusty, but I was able to understand probably 80% of the sermon. Admittedly, it helped having a bulletin to follow along with. Speaking the language is another story. I definitely need more practice. Knowledge and use are very different things. I have no doubt that I will pick it up quickly in Argentina, if nothing else out of necessity.

Anyway, I was out of my comfort zone being unfamiliar with many of the traditions of that particular denomination, but I am glad I went because it was a great experience. It is fun to see the Body of Christ meeting in different forms. It is refreshing to engage in multiple modes of worship, from classic hymns to modern to music with a Latin beat. I like to think this was just a taste of what is to come.