As
I laid in my bed thinking about where God had taken me—truly the song, “You
Raised Me Up” was being fulfilled. The next day, after I walked through the
group of young people celebrating New Year’s Day, I decided to find a place
nearby to park my van and camp—I found it just a couple miles from the Lopez’s
home on an ocean bay. It was a very large vacant area with a beach and some
small palm trees. I was the only one camping there under a small tree for some shade.
Across the street was a super market with an ATM machine, and Wal-Mart was just
four miles away. Yet there were also many poor people nearby. This was again a
perfect spot to minister. However, I still felt that I should still spend time
in La Manga too, but the Lopez family offered something I definitely needed—fellowship,
love and communication. Someday, I would like to see Juan and Manuela come to
one of their worship meetings.
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| Living with the poor |
Sunday,
I had another awesome dinner and meeting at the Lopez house. That same evening
their son invited me to his wedding, and Angelieta invited me to go to a church,
the following Sunday, where they were going to lay hands on her brother, and
some other men who were going into ministry. I said, would love to go to both
of them.
Then
that evening, I went back to Juan’s house after being gone a week. But
something had changed. There wasn’t a warm welcome from Juan and only a few
questions about my new friends in Guaymas. Then he said he was tired and was
going to bed. So I went and parked on the bluffs again in my usual spot. It was
nice to hear the waves again, but God didn’t have much to say that night either
as I took our usual walk before going to bed. The next morning when I when back
to Juan’s house, I got the same feeling from Manuela. Neither was I invited to
either of their meals that day, and so it made for a very long and sad day for
me. I went to the little church and told God that things were not going the way
I had wanted or expected. He told me, “You’ve cast your shadow across this land,
now it time to leave them in My hands. You’ve done all that I have asked of you
and more for now. You demonstrated love, kindness and said all that you could—now
I’ve opened another door.”
Finally,
I went back to Juan’s house and found him busying himself with his chicken and
said to him, “I think it’s time for me to leave. You will always be my friend
and hopefully I will see you again. Then I went to Manuela and said goodbye to
her and said I care very much about La Mange and loved everyone there including
them. I thanked her and then shook their hands and Manuel’s also, who was
standing next to her, and then I left. As I drove away I was heartbroken and had
a lump in my throat. I felt I should still stop by where Delia worked and let
her know too, and explained why. I had told her that I would stay as long as I
felt welcomed. Then we gave each other a hug and said goodbye.
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| The resort you see in the distance is where I get my Internet connection |
As
I started to leave I took this picture of La Mangha from where she worked. This
was my calling—to go to the lost and poor, and at times it can have its painful
side too.
However,
the very next afternoon, another miracle happed. Just shortly after I finished
writing this article in my van, a red pick-up truck pulled up. I immediately
recognized it and saw Juan and Manuela inside. I could not understand why they
were driving through Guaymas, but Juan said, Manuela saw my van parked under
the tree a hundred feet away.
They
did not know where I was staying, but they had apparently talked about what had
happed the day before, because Juan got out and greeted me as I got out and
said they wanted me to come back to La Manga, and to eat meals with them again. He
asked why I was staying here. I said there are many poor people here and God loves
them too. Then, I showed him some of the shacks (homes) they lived in, and I
even introduced him to one of the men. Manuela chose to stay in the truck
eating peanuts from the shell—the very same thing I had just been eating.
God’s timing is perfect. And apparently He’s not through with me being in La
Manga either. Juan asked, when would I come back, I said, “I don’t know, there
are many really poor people and new friends. I will come back and spend a few
days, but I will also visit here each week to minister to them also.” He said that
was okay with him.
A
couple days later when I went back to Juan’s house, it was very different this
time. He apologized that night for that happed and wanted me to always feel
welcomed and wanted even if there were bad days, just like when he and Manuela would
have disagreements.
This
is indeed a time and year to celebrate and to expect miracles. Because the
scripture says, that God is going to reveal Himself to a people who are not
even seeking Him. (Romans 10:20)
The Poor
One
night a few weeks ago, the Lord showed me in a dream how to free the poor. He
also said, “I want them free, it doesn’t matter how they got that way, even if
they spent all their money gambling, drinking or gave it all to a fast tongue
talking preacher. I want them free of poverty.” So I have been doing that as He
leads me.
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| Ricardo, his wife and two daughters live in this small house you saw next to my van |
I have
also given food and money to many poor people here in Guaymas and in La Manga,
but recently I have had some interesting experiences in Guaymas that I would
like to share with you. One day, two young teenage girls asked me to give money
for a charity as they held out an empty can with some Spanish writing on it and
a slit on a clear plastic lid. I was feeling generous so I put in 50 pesos.
They thanked me and walked away, but then they turned around and came back and
asked for more money to buy food. I asked if they would like some tacos, and
they replied yes. So we went over to a taco stand nearby, but it was closed. Then
I offered to go to the super market next to us, thinking I would get them some
fruit instead. But when we got to the fruit stand they were not impressed. So I
said, “What would you like?” “Chicken,” replied the one girl who had been doing
all the talking. “Oh,” I said, “You have expensive taste. But when we got to
the meat department, I realized she was no longer thinking of her self, but for
the whole family. My heart was touched, as she picked out four pounds of frozen
chicken that was on sale and then she wanted some potatoes too. I said, “why not.”
She picked out about two pounds, and then we went to the checkout stand. The
total amount was only 38 pesos; I paid that much for a MacDonald’s breakfast
the day before.
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| Two men live in this shack and one in the house to the right. My van is parked under the tree you see in the middle. |
The
next day I saw two old women collecting something off the ground, but it wasn’t
aluminum cans. So I went over to find out what and to give them some money. I
learned it was a mother and daughter who had no husbands, and they were picking up the aluminum
pull-tabs for money that others don’t bother to pick up. They did this all
morning and it was 45 degrees until noon. When they got to where I was parked,
I had collected about a cup of tabs around my van, and gave it to them along
with some more money and food. I told them my name and showed them my van that was my house. They told me their names, and they were surprised to get
money from a stranger who didn’t even have a real house. I gave them both a hug
and told them God loves them and I watch them happily walk away.
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| These homes have no water or bathrooms and that's my van under the tree |
On January the 15th, I reached for my Bible and it fell open to the
first chapter of Jeremiah—It was my “commissioning,” as well as Jeremiah’s. In the
margin, I had also written something the Lord said to me on the same date, but the
year was 2006—“Do you trust me to trust you.” Our relationship depended on
trust and that’s how it must be. But the verses that stood out the most to me
as I read the chapter again, was verses 7 and 9, 10. “All that I command you,
you shall speak.” On the following Sunday at Angelieta’s church a man that I
had met before and he also spoke English, said, “I believed God has something
for you to say. I can see it in your face.” Wow, I was surprised, but I also
agreed and we talked a little more. Then part of the pastor’s message that morning was about spiritual authority.
A few
days later, I met a poor Mormon lawyer. I told him I was a prophet sent by God
to Mexico. Then I had him read a couple of verses from Jeremiah 1, in my
Spanish/English Bible, that said that I was called to be a prophet to the
nations and that God would put His Words in my mouth to build up and to tare
down. He was amazed, and he also asked me what I thought of Mormons and of Joseph
Smith. I said, they all needed to know God better. Then we spent the whole morning
together, as I drove him to several places to see people. Sometimes he would
even tell them I was a prophet sent to Mexico. We ended our time together, by
me taking him to lunch and then to where he lived with his sister’s family. He
had told me, that he would like to buy my van. But he didn’t even pay for the
single cigarette, that you could by that way, or for the jawbreaker
candy that he also wanted from a little store that we visited. God loves the Mormons,
and this man is about to know God better.
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| Another beautiful sunset that reminds me of God's awesome love for us |
