Unidos, a Latino club at Biola, hosted a night of worship for students to pause in the busyness of the semester and gather in community on Wednesday.

TOGETHER IN ADORATION

Twinkle lights and the glow of the fire set the mood for “Noche de Alabanza,” the second of its kind this semester. The club provided Mexican candy, hot chocolate and pan dulce for students to enjoy. The evening began with a prayer in Spanish, delivered one sentence at a time to allow another speaker to translate the words into English.

The worship team led the group of students in several songs, including “Cuan Grande es Dios” and “La Única Razón.”

Freshman nursing major Kazandra Jacobo served as one of the vocalists for the worship night. She reacted positively to the event.

“It was such a blessing,” Jacobo said. “It is just amazing to see the people from up front gathering and singing to God and praising him.”

When selecting the night’s songs, the performers remembered their heritage, according to Jacobo.

“This is very like what our grandparents used to sing. When they were praising [it was like] remembering what it was like to be back home,” Jacobo said.

The singers recognized that students feel stressed at this point of the semester, but junior psychology major Wendy Martinez Perez believes the event helped her remember the freedom found in Christ.

“For a lot of the songs, it helped me reflect back on things that the Lord has brought me through and to remind me of that he will sustain me and he will provide,” Martinez Perez said.

Sophomore cinema and media arts major and Unidos member Sofia Silva believes this event did a good job at showing Hispanic culture. While Biola does not show their culture enough, this event is a great start, according to Silva.

“I think they’re trying and this is one way they’re trying… everyone gets connected through music, so I think it’s a good way to do it,” Silva said.

Jacobo also agrees that worshipping creates a bond between students.

“That unity in the Spirit when we come together, that’s what counts,” Jacobo said.

EMBRACING THE UNKNOWN

While students’ unfamiliarity with the Spanish language might deter them from coming, Jacobo encourages speakers of any language to attend.

“We are working on adding English lyrics along the side of it, and a lot of the songs that are in Spanish are also versions in English. So if they can’t sing in Spanish they can go ahead and sing in any other language,” Jacobo said.

According to Martinez Perez, events like this provide a time to connect as a family, regardless of a student’s ability to speak Spanish.

“We’re so open to anyone to come. Spanish is a beautiful language. This is a beautiful place to be a part of and we try to be a family here, even if we don’t know each other,” Martinez Perez said.