Church dinners here are so different from the potlucks at our home church in Oregon. In the States, a potluck is all about variety. Miss Hazel brings her potato salad and so does Miss Emma, but you should take a spoonful of both, 'cause they're totally different from each other. Miss Julia wows us with her fancy desserts and chocolates, the menfolk get together and make homemade ice cream...you get the picture. Something for everyone!
So what do the folks bring to a potluck in Boca del Rio? Fish.
Pastor Ricardo and Cristina wanted to make sure that we had "everything we needed" for the dinner, so we were recounting who was bringing what...one sister was bringing a couple of onions, I had a bunch of tomatoes, another sister had some chilis (peppers), two brothers were buying tortillas, Braulio and Tito were bringing a few kilos of fish. Yep. We had it all covered. Does that seem funny to anyone else?
After church, we started chopping vegetables for the salsa while Tito fired up the fryer. By the time the salsa was done and the tables were cleaned, the fish were ready and the church sat down to lunch.
As usual, good food and great conversation were the order of the day.
At some point, though, the mood of the afternoon began to change. I first noticed it when Brother Aristeo began giving Caleb a hard time about his Coke.
Then I began to notice other people acting a little...silly...
...or maybe they were acting guilty...
...the guy grabbing the bowl is Braulio. What's he doing with that bowl???
He's going to fill it with water and dump it over his wife's head! Happy birthday, Pily!!!
That was all the encouragement the rest of the yahoos needed. It was a water war...in love, of course!
As soon as the buckets came out and the hose turned on, the people scattered. Even the little old ladies of the church were tossing cups of water at each other. What a hoot!!! I had to laugh at Pastor Ricardo, though. He's been on a very strict diet for the past couple of months. He suffered a serious gall stone episode and was hospitalized for a few days while they were on vacation. Since August, Ricardo has not eaten anything fried or greasy, no chili, no soda pop. Those 3 things eliminate about 90% of the normal diet in Boca. Cristina gave him permission to enjoy this one meal with the church body (with soda, even). When the water started flying, Ricardo still hadn't finished his plate. He wouldn't budge for fear that his plate would be taken! He sat at the table being splashed and hosed until he finally finished his food.
Note: A week ago, Ricardo went in for an ultrasound to check his gallbladder. God has completely healed him!!! Aleluia!!! Not even one little stone -- and he hasn't passed them either! The doctors were amazed, but we serve a big God, right???!!!
1 comment:
cool! Thanks for the update! I recollect the cuisine there in boca once in a while... so good. It's even better to hear about Ricardo and God healing him. Praise the King!
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