9:30am
"Now I want to talk about love! Have y'all ever been in love?" The pastor says before everyone reacts, "Love is a beautiful thing isn't it?"
"Yeah!"
"Love is difficult to define as told in our bible. One of the most sought-after themes in our bible IS the definition of love.." He pastes back and forth on the stage, "You see the bible is one big love story to God and his journey towards our acceptance and forgiveness of self and others. But what exactly is love? I feel that it is more difficult to define it and explain it rather than it being showed. Do you understand? Love is everything. It's like a relationship with your family, your pet, your partner. Your love for a movie or a tv show. Or God. Those all differ which is why it's so hard to actually define this four letter word."
"Preach it Pastor!"
"I forgot how real deal this is.." Pop whispers in my ear making me laugh a little.
"I'm telling you.." I look up at him.
"You got a piece of..hair..in your lash," He says while carefully moving my hair from my lashes.
It felt like the room was dead quiet. After he fixed my lashes we look back up at the pastor who was looking down at us.
"First Corinthians 13: 4-5 says 'love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast; It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resent'. You can say you love someone and even make a vow to do so, but love is what we do more than what we say."
"Yeah!"
"We can physically say 'I love you' but when we neglect the needs of our spouse or partner, are we really loving them more than themselves or do they love themselves more than their spouse? Love is not just speaking words but love is kind, patient, doesn't boast, isn't irritable, resentful, isn't arrogant, rude, and doesn't insist on having "its own way." There is love in those things, but only a love for one self."
Everyone then claps.
A couple minutes later, I was getting up to go up on the stage to sing 'Praise him in advance'.
"Everyone, Ciela Fuentes.." He says before handing the mic as everyone clapped.
"Good morning everyone," I smile before looking down at Pop smiling.
"Good morning!"
"You know i'm not really good at public speaking but I'm going to do my own rendition of 'Praise him in advanced'.. pastors request.. he says my vocals really 'stand out and compliment' in this song," I laugh making everyone laugh before the music starts, "I've had my share of ups and downs times when there was no one around. God came and spoke these words to me praise will confuse the enemy. I've had my share of ups and downs," I start as everyone starts to stand up and the choir behind me joins in, "Times when there was no one around God came and spoke these words to me. Praise will confuse the enemy. So I started singing, oh, oh.. people were laughing. They knew my problems, they knew my pain. But I knew God would take them away, yeah," I crack a smile looking at Pop, "Can we sing that verse one more time? C'mon! Listen.. I've had my share of ups and downs times when there was no one around. God came and spoke these words to me praise will confuse the enemy. So I started singing oh, oh...I started dancing, people were laughing. They knew my problems, and they knew my pain. But I knew God would take them away yeahhhh..." I trail off.
"WOO!"
"SING IT BABY!" My abuela shouts.
I continue to sing seeing everyone swaying and fanning themselves. Pop was bopping his head and swaying back and forth. Fivio was bopping his head. Jasmine and baby Kk were smiling up at me. Everyone was just happy.
"He's given me a second chance come on let's praise Him in advance! That's why I praise Him with a song
When things are right and when they're wrong for he's given me a second chance. Come on let's praise Him in advanceeeeee!" I hit the high note before everybody claps harder and cheers harder, "Praise Him come on in here open your mouth. Bless the Lord praise Him come on praise. Come on and praise Him."
"WOO!" Fivio cuffs his hands together as I free style with the song a little harmonizing with the choir.
"Oh oh praise Him when things are good praise Him.
Trouble on every side and when I'm broke I will praise Him. Praise Him in advance, oh ohhhhhhhhhhhh!" I continue singing my oh's, "Come on and praise Him in advanceeeeeeeeeeee!" I finish before everyone starts clapping and cheering making me laugh.
"YEAH BABY!"
"SING IT BABY!"
"THATS RIGHT!"6
"Crazy," Pop mouths while smiling before I laugh.
12pm
After the service ended everyone was talking nonstop to me about my singing and Pop.
"Thank you, I appreciate it.." I say to one woman before Pop comes up behind me getting my attention.
"You did what you had to do babe," He smiles making me smile, "I aint know ya voice went crazy like that!" He laughs making me blush, "But you really did ya thing up there," He nods to the stage.
"Thank you poppa," I say before we hug and kiss.
"Poppa?" He lowers his tone.
"What I can't call you that? I don't like calling you what everyone else be calling you cause I ain't everybody else," I laugh as he starts blushing.
"Nah my grandma used to call me that since I was a baby. But it's aight you call me that, just haven't heard that name in a minute."
"Okay," I smile.
"You really official ma ma," He throws his arms around me as I do the same, "Sing. Cook. Speak a whole nother language. Like are you even real," He jokes making me laugh.
"You gonna wake up in a bout five seconds after I throw some water on you," I laugh making him roll his eyes.
"Yeah aight!" He laughs.
"I'm just playing with you," I say putting my hand on his cheek.
"Hey love birds," Fivio comes up to us and laugh, "We gon be over at Ci's after we change and everything," He daps up Pop before hugging and kissing my cheek.
"Aight crodie," Pop says as we watch Jasmine come up to us with my abuela and baby KK.
"You sang so beautiful hija!" My abuela hugs me.
"I've been practicing a little."
"Baby a little?" Jasmine laughs.
"Facts a little?" Fivio laughs.
"I'm telling you if you can sing in front of a hundred people at church every sunday, you can go somewhere with this voice of yours!" She says, "You be telling the boys get in the studio and work on their music career when you're the one that really needs to! You could be signed like that if a producer or someone heard you sing," She snaps her fingers.
"I been telling her!" Fivio says, "She could hop on a song with Me or Tjay."
"Yeah well, even if it's for fun. I need you to make a song for me to brag about!" She laughs making us laugh.
"I will wella," I laugh more, "I'm cooking sunday dinner can you come over tonight?" I ask.
"Ohhh of course make it a party. I'll bring your tías and primas!" She offers.
"Ohhhh okay wella invite the whole familia!" Jasmine laughs making her laugh.
"More the better."
"Línda!"
"My que, i'll see you kids later on okay!" She hugs and kisses everyone before walking away.
"Okay so the house at three to start cooking?" I ask before Jasmine and Fivio agree.
We all hug before watching them leave.
"I'm about to meet ya family sooner than soon? Oh naahhhh i'm not prepared!" Pop laughs as I grab my purse off the bench and start walking up the isle, "Which side is this?" He adds.
"My dad's. The dominican and jamaican side. But I promise you it's literally only gonna be my two aunts, and their kids. Which is six of them. All younger than me or Cam's age. And then Tjay's mom and his little sister."
"Ciela you have a voice of an angel god bless you!" A woman says to me as we get outside.
"Thank you," I smile and nod before she walks away.
"Why don't you ever get in the boot and sing something? You do know you come from a family of musicians right? You got connections. You got Tjay, my boy Fivio making his way up soon, Bobby AND Rowdy like shit really blows my mind how we just now meeting!" He laughs making me laugh.
"Now that I think about it.. it really is. Same friend group, same mutuals like.. nobody ain't never told me about you til I heard papi playing 'flexin' a billion times back to back when it dropped."
"God's plan. God's path," He shrugs laughing as we get to the car.