Convivencia de Verano 2010

“Juntos como hermanos al encuentro del Señor”

(Together as brothers and sister, to meet the Lord)

Summer Gathering 2010

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We gathered at the door of the small wooden chapel to greet the sun as it peaked from the side of Patena Hill. “Ari core Ngöbö ye”, (we give thanks to God) we sang in native Ngöbere to end a night long vigil of music and preaching. It was mostly the kids who were wide awake at this hour, as many adults had slipped out little by little to get some rest in the early morning hours.

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“Together as brothers and sisters, to meet the Lord”, words from a song frequetly used during mass, was the theme picked by the host community – Quebrada de Hacha (Ax Creek). The words reflect the hope we had in gaining a deeper sense of our being Church – one people united in Christ. The night was filled with joyous music, personal testimonies and various themes presented by the Ngöbe community animators from several villages.

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With the sun up we filled ourselves with boiled bananas and coffee and began preparations for the mass under the mango tree that would be the culmination of the gathering. The generator ran out of gas halfway through the mass – silencing the instruments of the group that came from Concepcion to animate the gathering. But the enthusiasm of the community, despite little or no sleep, was evident as the songs went on in great volume.

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“Ari core Ngöbö ye”