The Ancient Witnesses

22 • The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots

Bible. Once I knew what the Lord had done for me, I just had to preach. So, they called me Preacher!” “What’s your favorite period of Church history?” I asked. “I wish I’d lived during the Azusa Street revival!” he said. Preacher, who was a pastor-in-training, explained that his denomination—the Church of God in Christ— expected all God’s people to be filled with the Spirit and to exercise spiritual gifts. “What’s your church?” Preacher asked Joseph. “We’re Baptists,” said Joseph. “Southern Baptist?” asked Cesar. “National Baptist Convention of America,” said Joseph, “what else do you want to know?” “Were you named for Joseph in the Bible?” asked Preacher. “I don’t know,” he admitted, “I never asked.” When the bus stopped for refueling, we got off and waited in line for the only bathroom for miles around. Afterwards, I walked around back of the station to look out at the countryside. My friends were there, and Cesar had just begun sharing about his life. Cesar was one of the smartest guys I’d ever met, and he had a wonderful way with words: as he spoke, you could almost see the places he was describing, including the beautiful mountains, rivers, and people of Guatemala. Cesar had grown up in Guatemala City—a hub of drug trafficking and violence in Central America. His father was a medical doctor whose brothers had been recruited into a drug cartel. By the time Cesar was in high school he had to stand up to drug traffickers in his