Preparation

More preparation for the women's conference this weekend.  I picked up my friend Kathy, who is going to lead worship for the conference.  We went to the church so she could meet Pastora Ruth and check out the instruments she will use to lead worship on Saturday.

We had a time of prayer and then a beautiful, beautiful time of worship.  Although there were only five of us, when our voices united it sounded like a whole church full of people.  The Holy Spirit was present.  I wished that time of worship could go on forever.

In total I received $150 of donations for the women's conference.  That will pay for 15 women to attend!  I am beyond excited to see what God has in store for everyone.  I love the way He has put this together.  He has united the best of the best.  It is going to be just incredible.  My heart is full of hope and joy for what God is going to do through this conference.

Today Ruth told me that a lawyer is going to be at the conference too.  If the women need advice about how to move forward from abusive situations, the attorney will offer legal advice.  It feels like this conference could be two full days of information instead of only a few hours.

I am enjoying the rainy season.  It's raining every day, sometimes all day and sometimes just in the evening throughout the night.  It has been a peaceful rain.  Not the kind of rain that sends homes like Erika's tumbling off the side of the mountains in Los Pinos.  I'm grateful for that.  Lying in my bed at night and listening to the rain on the palm branches of the platano tree is a perfect way to relax.

Today we were supposed to have our intercession meeting at 5 p.m.  I was looking forward to praying for the women's conference together with others.  However, Pastora Ruth called me to say that she was about to leave the city and get her kids out too.  Our time of intercession was cancelled because there was another protest on the street outside the church so we would not be able to get there.

So far all of the protests have been peaceful.  The people are asking for the president to step down, or for a formal investigation into the allegations that the president has been stealing money.  People are hoping that their peaceful protests will be as effective as the protests in Guatemala.  It is interesting to see in the news how much Guatemalans are rooting for us.  Every article I read has encouraging comments from Guatemalans.  I like to see the two countries united in one cause.

Although it has all been peaceful, the number of protests is increasing - even in the rain.  When crowds of people gather, it can attract people who are not there for the right reason.  Organizers of the protests have people in place to encourage peace and discourage any kind of aggression.  I am proud of how things are going so far.  People are voicing their anger or concern in appropriate, productive ways.  But it was still a wise decision to cancel the time of intercession for today.