Working with the dazed and confused...

Working with the dazed and confused...
  What a bizarre team we have - five Evangelicals from SC, four liberals from Massachusetts (quite wacky and lost), three Roman Catholics from Boston, and one precious Pentecostal from the northern part of the Dominican Republic. I knew that medical teams could be like that, and I knew that I was supposed to come - to minister to the Dominicans and to this team.
   Yesterday at the airport, one of the wacky liberals (there's really no other way to describe them, except to sometimes add belligerent) immediately told me about her wonderful church with its gay organist and their gay priest.
I'm thinking, "Seriously? Why is all about twisted sex with you guys." But I simply pray and direct the conversation towards the Gospel.
"You're not one of those Evangelicals (a pejorative) are you."
"Yes, mam, I am." She was old and I am southern.
Later she tells me about some serious infirmities, and again I go to the Gospel and the healing power of God, thinking, "Maybe God might touch her and open her eyes."
"That sounds like that Evangelical stuff, no thanks."
   She would rather be friends with her infirmity than believe the Gospel? Amazing!
To say the least I was doing a lot of praying, and I knew that I was here to model truth and grace, pastorally to everyone, without judgment or compromise.
   Today (Thursday) was frankly amazing on many levels. We spent the day in Angelina, running the clinic out of the church and walking around the village, visiting and praying with folks.
  We had two doctors set up and seeing patients, with me assisting one and our Dominican, Pentecostal sister (Anna Maria) with the other. We also had a dentist set up across the street in Pepe's house and a pharmacy and an optical area.
  After a medical exam Anna Maria and I would anoint and pray for each person. (I can do church Spanish pretty well!) And oh, how we pulled on heaven when we prayed! But let me back up.
  There are two main churches in this village, La Iglesia Anglicana and La Iglesia de Dios de Profesia (The Church of God of Prophesy), and most of our patients went to one or the other. When they told me they went to the other one I would ask (in Spanish) "Is the presence of the Lord strong there." "O yes!" "Are there miracles?" "O yes!" "Is there the language of heaven (tongues)?" "O yes!" "Do you speak in tongues?" And many would answer yes.
But there was this one lady (60ish) who answered, "Not yet, but I desire to do so."
So I prayed with her for healing and for the release of the Spirit, and he fell on her, and she began to speak, and it wasn't Spanish or English.
What a joy! The wacky liberal was in the pharmacy away from us and the presence of God was moving with healing and power and love!
  During one break though I was talking to one of our Catholic team members, and the first thing she declared about her parish, "We have lots of gays in our church, and we're very accepting." Mind you, I had not said anything about sexuality to anyone.
  Why is it always about sex with these folks? Why would you define the glory of your church by celebrating anal sex between to men or whatever two women do?
What a sad and empty Gospel we have accepted in our broken nation, indeed this is no Gospel at all. To confuse love for all sinners with accepting life styles that truly seek to redefine God's design for marriage and the church. "I'm speaking a mystery ( a husband and wife) of Christ and His church." (Apostle Paul)
  Before our day ended, I wandered down to La Iglesia de Dios de Profesia and found 30 ladies in a circle praying, so I joined them - material for another blog.
  Well, we have had dinner, showers and our evening service, and everyone has crashed; I am tired and full, but the Catholic came back to me after our devotions with many questions and a hunger for the truth.
The greatest miracle on this trip may not be the sick villagers in Angelina receiving God's healing touch. It just might be the way he transforms those who have come to serve but don't know the truth about the Great Physician.