Oops

Today (the last Sunday in September) is the Day of the Bible in Honduras. I don't know if such a day exists in other countries, but it is a recognized holiday here. Sometimes churches go all out and have parades, etc., but some years the celebration is quieter. This year, John was asked to speak at a little country church, and he was happy to do that. We arrived in time to admire the new building they are in the process of finishing and have some supper (beans, cheese, tortillas and eggs for those of you who might be interested in such things). We were asked to bring along some Bibles and hymn books to sell, and had set them out beside the pulpit. We were kind of early, so I was sitting in the front row, reading and being close to the books in case someone had a question. I got up once or twice to greet some people as they came in, but then I got involved in a conversation with the person sitting next to me and the service began. During the first song, I happened to glance behind me and oops, I realized that I was sitting on the wrong side of the church. I was the only woman on the left (or right, depending on how you look at it) side. A lot of country churches in Honduras still segregate the men and women. I have no problem respecting their tradition, no big deal to me, I just never think about it until it is too late to ask which side I'm supposed to sit on. You would think I'd have a 50/50 chance of being right. I could write about what I think of this particular tradition, but really I am more impressed with the fact even though sit on the "wrong" side of the church and who knows what else I do that isn't the way they do things and at the end of the service, they still hug me and bless me and hope I come back real soon.