Life is full of special moments. Today, I had the privelage of experiencing one of the most special moments of my life. We went into the ghetto again today after our breakfast with the special mothers. Brenda and I had bought a bed for a widow named Ophelia a few days ago, and today was the day to deliver it. First of all, she had no idea we were coming. When we showed up at the house, she had this look of disbelief on her face. We brought her bed in along with several bags of supplies for her and her son. She was so appreciative! She thanked us over and over, and said that God would bless us richly. She just showed me again how faithful the people are here. Even when they have nothing, they are sure that God will always stand by them and provide for them. It is so good to be reminded that our own faith should always be that strong.
Her house was one of the poorest homes that I had ever seen in the Limonada. I'm so glad that we could bring her some joy in the midst of such poverty. It's awesome, in the true sense of the word, to see how God can use you. I know he sent us their specifically to help that woman. True joy is found when you serve others.
After we spent time with Ophelia, Ashley took us around the ghetto to see some more families. We stopped in at one woman's house that lived near the church. Her husband left her with seven children a few years ago. For a while she went house to house, trying to find a place to sleep for her family. Eventually, her sons joined the gang and turned to violence as an outlet. One son is in prison, one daughter is in prison, and another son shot and killed a man earlier this year. Through all of this tragedy, this woman has never waivered from the Lord. She is profoundly faithful. Last week, the son that killed the other man got saved in Ashley's church. He's in the process of trying to get a job in order to help with the family finances. God loves us all. He loves us regardless of our mistakes. This is a place that constantly reminds me of that. We are not to judge the hearts of others. We all prayed with the woman before we left, and she just wept with thanks. The last thing she said was that God was going to get her children released from prison, even though it's impossible to be released from a Guatemala prison for what they have done.
What an amazing day. Tomorrow we head for home. It will be hard to leave, yet I have future trips to look forward to. Thanks for the continued prayers.
Suzanne