Makarios Ministry hosted its first Spanish small group meeting on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 3:45 p.m. The topic was “Relaciones con Proposito” (Relationships with a Purpose). Attendees sang, prayed, met new people and learned about romantic relationships. The discussion was led by a couple: Ignacio Goya and Magaly Torres. After the meeting, people had mixed opinions and reactions.
Alessandro Vega-Valentin (senior, architecture) described the meeting as “a moment of communion.” He said that while he knew almost all the attendees, he was able to meet and speak with new people.
One thing he highlighted from the meeting was the icebreaker where in groups of 3-5, people shared their goals, fears, dreams and gratitudes. “I really like that there was a moment to interact with everyone, we were not just listening to someone speaking,” said Vega-Valentin.
In agreement with Vega-Valentin, Jaanai Rivera (junior, finance and Spanish) also said that she liked the icebreakers because they are “an opening that relaxes everyone.” Something that made her laugh was the beginning of the first icebreaker where everyone wrote their favorite fruit. “It was so funny that almost everyone wrote mango,” she said. (I also wrote mango, apparently Makarios members love mango.)
“I liked that we could make something all together on Sabbath,” Rivera said.
While she enjoyed the meeting, she also got a little bored when the invited couple was talking because one of them was through Zoom. However, she did like the topic and agreed that it was helpful for her to understand some aspects and bases that must be developed in the engagement stage (before marriage) like communication and clear limits, and that there’s no need to rush. In addition, she now has an answer for her family when they ask about why she doesn’t have a boyfriend. She will say, “I’m in school, and I want to focus on my studies. And I have time.”
Josias Limachi (freshman, biology) found the meeting “quite entertaining.” He liked the topic and that the members were able to send their questions to the speakers before the meeting. While he didn’t send any questions, he appreciated that they could participate indirectly. His favorite part was the music; he liked the “corito,” a short song, “Por Tu Gracia y Amor” (“The Power of Your Love”).
Limachi found the theme important because he feels that now modern couples don’t last as long as couples in the past, and that there are new problems for them to face. However, just like Rivera, he didn't like that one of the speakers was online. He would have preferred it if both speakers were in person.
For Esther Sanchez (junior, music education) “It was a really good program.” She liked the theme and the activities and said she “ had a good time.”
“The theme was about relationships with a purpose and I feel that it is good to know about that, even if you are not searching for one, so you can be prepared for the future.”
One activity that stood out for her was the moment of prayer when everyone was “ in a circle and everyone was saying their gratitudes.” She liked the activity because everyone was participating, and because she realized that, “there are many things to be grateful for, small or big, someone even mentions soccer; it was a space to think and remember what God has given to us,” she explained.
Tamara Limachi (freshman, biochemistry) liked that there was a direct connection between the speaker that was in person and her. “She wasn’t talking for the sake of talking, she adapted to the group, she paid attention to our faces,” Limachi explained. Something she really liked was that the relationship of the couple “ wasn't a crazy love, it was a conscious love.” While the couple declared they don’t consider themselves as a model couple to follow, they did share how their relationship started and developed, they also shared what they have learned after more than 15 years of marriage and their whole life.
Limachi also liked that after some time she was able to assist a youth service. “I liked it, I feel a little in South America,” she said. These words resonate with something the organizer of the program said.
“In many Latin American countries, there’s a youth service in the afternoon,” German Vega (junior, international business), the organizer and officer of Makarios said. “We wanted to create something similar here.”
“This idea became concrete last semester,” said Vega. “We realized that there were few or no programs on Sabbath afternoons, and many students stay in their rooms without something meaningful to do.”
Noticing the necessity of a program for Sabbath afternoons, Vega and Yuseli Ochoa, the other pastor of the ministry, decided to create a small group for the members when there were no other activities from the ministry or on campus.
“On a scale from 1-10, the program was an 8,” said Vega. “There were a few smaller issues, but overall, the program flowed well, the attendees participated in the activities and paid attention to the speakers.”
While the small group is in Spanish, everyone is invited. For the first meeting there was an attendee that didn’t speak Spanish, so a member sitting next to him translated the program for him. The next meeting will be about mental health on Sabbath afternoon, March 7. For updates on the time and place look at Makarios's Instagram.
The interviews in this article were conducted in Spanish and translated into English.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.