At the Hope of Glory Church, we found a vibrant group of children that they called Peacemakers. They wore black and red uniforms and performed a drill much as we would see with a military service display. A children's minister directed them as they marched in formation and saluted. The minister also put several children up on a table one at a time. They were new members of the Peacemakers and were being introduced to the congregation. They each recited some Scripture or made a statement of conviction about their role. We were thankful that each of them spoke in English, so that we were able to enjoy their testimony.
After the service, we stood on the front steps of the church and shook hands with every person as they left. Very few of the people looked at us, their eyes were downcast. We later learned that their culture believes that it is better to lower your eyes when speaking to someone new. They believe that looking at a person eye-to-eye indicates a dishonesty, you are trying to cover up something.
After shaking hands with each person, the pastor escorted us to his parsonage, on the same grounds as the church. The Peacemakers made two lines facing each other, between the church and the parsonage, and stood at attention, saluting as we passed between them to have lunch with the pastor and his wife.
