A God-Designed Afternoon

Have you ever wondered what a real life angel looks like?  Have you seen one with your own eyes? 

Well, today I can say I have been in the presence of an angel.  Her name is Fidelina (fee –day-lee-nah), or as some of the kids call her, Hermana Fi (Sister Fee.)  

This woman has a sincere heart for the Lord, and a mission to share His love with the children of her community.  She walks with the joy of the Lord each day and I am so very thankful to call her my friend and my sister in Christ.  

Today was different than other times that I have walked with Fidelina.  Today we only picked up one family of kids.  Well, we actually didn’t pick them up.  The rain changed our plans into a visit.  Actually, I believe God changed our plans to pick-up kids into a visit with their family.  Which was surely His plan all along!  

This family is so precious!  Three of the kids come to the children’s ministry every, I mean EVERY afternoon since they started coming.  Their uncle (who is 15) joins them occasionally and they have a younger brother (1 year and 3 months) old who isn’t quite old enough to join them each afternoon.

These children have stolen my heart.  They are so innocent and so sweet.  I spend a lot of time playing the game Memory with the two boys and a lot of time playing dolls with their younger sister.  She’s a hoot!  And she’s taken a liking to sitting in my lap…I often can’t get her out of it!  Which is just fine with me.

Last Friday, I was chatting with one of the boys.  He was asking me questions about my house and I was asking him questions about his.  He asked me where I lived and then asked if my house had light or electricity.  I told him yes.  He told me that his house didn’t, but it would get it soon.  I asked him if he had candles and he proudly replied “yes.”  

The kids had hamburgers for snack on that day.  Our conversation while while he was eating.  He looked down at his hamburger bun and said, “we never have food like this in my house.”  I said, “you don’t?  Well, what do you eat at your house.”  “We eat tortillas and beans.”  I replied, “Delicious!  I love tortillas and beans!  Do you like them?”  He smiled real big and responded with “yes!”

He described to me where he house is and I knew the exact area of the neighborhood he was describing.  Well, I thought I did until I went there with Fidelina today.  In times past when I’ve walked with Fidalina to pick up the kids (before this family began coming with us) I learned well a particular part of the road that has been completely washed out by the rain.  It looks like a gigantic drainage ditch.  Today when we reached this spot, Fidelina began to turn and walk towards what I viewed as a ditch.  She looked back at me and explained that their house was down that “road” and we would need to walk with care.  It would take time to get there, she explained.  I was already making a plan to stay and wait for her to return with the kids when their grandmother walked up from behind us.  She greeted us and motioned for us to visit her home, ensuring me that she would help me get there.

So these two, sweet ladies, each at least half my size, took each of my hands and guided me down into the “ditch.”  One in front of me and one behind me the whole way, helping me with each step.  It was precious and very humbling all at the same time.  I didn’t think we would, but we made it to the house.  And just as soon as we got settled in some comfy chairs, the bottom fell out of the clouds and rain began pouring.  And the road-ditch that we just traveled down became a roaring river.

The ladies explained to me that we would need to wait for the rain to stop and for the water to clear before heading to the church.  No problem for me!  I got to visit with the sweet family.  The grandmother, the mother, and five kids.  My lap was full with a little girl while we chatted.  

This family has a story that is fairly typical in my experience in El Salvador.  The mother and her children have recently moved in with the children’s grandmother and  15-year-old uncle because their father recently passed away, leaving behind a single mother and four children.  I don’t know the exact illness, but it was described to me as very rare, and very fast, and that towards the end of his life he was unable to move much.  Their whole life was uprooted in order to move in with family that would help them.  The children had to change schools in the last quarter of the school year.  

I imagine it’s a pretty difficult time for this family.  Thanks to God, they have supportive relatives who have welcomed them home.  And the mother has temporary (6 months) work through a government program that provides jobs for women.

The smiles that illuminated from the faces of each family member told me that this family is full of the joy of the Lord.  Joy that illuminates no matter what circumstances are present. 

Well, it turned out that we didn’t go to the church after all.  Norma, the other teacher who helps each day in the children’s ministry called Fidalina to ask if she was coming with children.  When she explained we were waiting out the rain, a decision was made to wait to have class tomorrow.  That’s when the crying began.  The little girl of three years, was very, very disappointed.  She loves going to class at church each day.  She was so disappointed that she really didn’t talk to me anymore.  Hopefully, by tomorrow I will be back in her good graces!!!

On our walk home, I told Fidelina that I was thankful that God allowed me to have that visit and to see that place.  Even though I went with different plans, God’s plans were a beautiful, adventurous surprise!

Afternoons like this are so important to the work I am called here to do.  It would be so easy for me to remain in the comfort and safety of my home writing lessons at my computer.  I could simply go visit churches on Sundays and write lessons Monday through Friday.  But spending afternoons like this helps me understand the context in which many of the children who will receive these lessons live.  God loves them personally and wants to help me speak to their specific situations.  I praise God that He gifted me with this beautiful afternoon!

Wherever you go I will go,
    wherever you lodge I will lodge.
Your people shall be my people
    and your God, my God.

Ruth 1:16