Unbroken Are We: September 2018

Prayers and Holy Water it’s all I have

(This is my friends bedroom. What you see is her bed. The clothes are used as a mattress)

I must confess how at times I can feel so inadequate to serve Gods people here. I feel like Moses when, “From out of the burning bush, God called him to speak for him before Pharaoh. And Moses answered, Pardon your servant, Lord I have never been eloquent….. I am slow of speech and tongue…. Please send someone else”

(Exodus 4:10-13).

However God keeps reassuring me that he will equip me with all I will need.

God doesn't call the Qualified; He qualifies the Called
(1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

This past month we have been spending our free time working with Magaly. It has been an experience out if this world. We can only be thankful to God for in trusting this beautiful family to us. For calling us from across the world to serve them.

We are a step closer to getting Magaly’s DNI (ID card) and after that we will be able to take her to the doctor to see if her medical condition is treatable. In the beginning if you can recall; we were wanting just to take her to the doctor because she has seizures and the right side of her body does not function as it should, preventing her to take care of her children.

God most definitely had different plans for us. It was Gods desire for us to journey with this family. See if it was a quick and easy fix to her problem we would have never really gotten to know Magaly her 4 children and the poverty and abuse they must live in day in and day out.

(Inside the kitchen)

I am glad that Magaly and I have become friends. True friends. Because now she knows when her husband is abusing her physically she has a place to come to until he calms down. That when she and her children get kicked out of their home that she has a place to take her 4 children, instead of having to stay outside all day in the heat with no food or water.

I am embarrassed to say I was so reluctant at first to allow her a place of refuge in my home. In my thoughts I allowed the Devil to enter in. I allowed him to tell me that the pueblo will start to say I am interfering between her and her husband. After all my children and I already receive the uneasy stares from the on-lookers as we walk to her house each and every day. Its like they are watching to see what is going to happen to us. They seem to be bewildered why we keep walking to her house, wondering how can we fixed their problems. In my mind I can honestly say I have had the same thoughts. That this problem is way over my head. I have no money to offer them. I do not have the funds to build them a new home or to get plumbing and water into their home. Or to hire someone to put cement floors in their home so they would not have to live in such filth. I also began to believe that I had no right to enter in to the emotional and physical problems between Magaly and her family. That I was not a licensed counselor so how can I help her and her problems. So I was really wanting just to focus on her medical condition that seemed easier to me. Like Moses I feared to speak. I was scared what would happen if I had to talk for real. It is easy to deliver and help with someones physical needs but the emotional and the spiritual needs of someone, that work must be meant for someone else. Not I; I am not qualified.

That one night that I feared the most did come. I was preparing dinner for my children and I after a long day of ministries. We heard a knock on the door and standing there was Magaly crying with her 4 children in tow all carrying each a plastic bag of clothes. We quickly invited them in, and asked her to tell us what was going on. She begin to tell us that her husband kicked her out of the house. That he was upset because she did not clean the bedroom before he came back from working in the rice fields. Which she admitted to me that she did not because she was upset that her children and her were not allowed to eat the food that we had brought to them the day before, and they were hungry. By this time her mother in law was now banging on our door screaming and yelling. I invited her in to talk with us. I just simply wanted to calm her down so I could figure out what was going on.

As I spoke to the mother in law she clearing did not want to speak with me. She would not answer any question that I had nor did she freely want to speak about why Magaly was kicked out of the house. She just kept her head down saying she was tired and just wanted Magaly to follow her back home. Sadly the only question she answered out of the many I had was “DO YOU KNOW WHAT LOVE IS” ? The mother in law quickly and clearly answered “NO” in a loud voice. Showing even more signs of aggravation she also told me that I had no place being Magaly’s friend that I was a Gringa and I have no authority to visit her home; more so that I should be careful interfering in matters not of my own.

With a broken heart, I told her that I loved her and that I love her daughter in law Magaly, and all of them. That it did not matter if I was not welcomed by her or her son that I will not stop visiting Magaly and her children due to her threats. That if they wished my family and I harm than so be it we are here ready to die to bring the love of Christ to them. To bring that love to the darkest corners of the world which was clearly their home.

At that moment I asked Magaly’s mother in law if I could pray over her. I held up a bottle of Holy water and ask her if she knew what I was holding, she quickly responded “yes” it’s “Holy Water”. I asked her if she knew what Holy power the water had. She replied with a hasty “NO”. I told her that this water can make miracles happen that with this water she can be able to experience and feel what love is. I placed some on her forehead and on her neck. We began to pray that God may enter into her heart and allow her to feel peace and love. I begged God to show her how to love and protect her daughter in law and her grandkids from the abuse of her son. I commanded any evil spirits binding this woman to be gone in Christ’s name.

I had no clue what I was doing. To be honest I was not doing anything even though to a person with little faith it seemed that it was I who was talking. But it was Christ who came to defend Magaly and to speak the truth to her mother in law. I know this for a fact. Because I would have been too scared and worried because I am not qualified to preform such works

Over the course of the next few days were nothing but miracles.

As I promised to the mother in law and to Christ I would continue to make a visit every day to her home . The following day came quickly, during my morning prayer I was reminded of the power of the Holy water from the night before. I made sure I was armed and ready for a fight not of the human kind, but for a fight against evil spirits. I went to their house with an entire bottle of Holy water. I had boldly been given the command by our Lord to bravely drive out what ever dark evil spirit that took up residence in their house. So holy water in hand and only the prayer that God gave me at that moment I unloaded the whole bottle of holy water in every square inch of Magaly’s home. Casting out Satan and begging Christ to shine within, for the darkness of evil, lies and fear to be driven out of their home.

Then the next day we were walking to Magaly’s home to make a visit upon returning from are ministry in a near by pueblo. When I turned the corner I saw a lady standing outside. I was shocked , I had never seen anyone ever go to Magaly’s home. No one ever wants to walk to the outskirt of the pueblo to visit this family who's living conditions one could say is worse than an animals. When I finally reached Magaly’s home the lady standing outside introduced herself to me. She said she use to live here in Shimbillo years ago and knew Magaly. The woman told me she was traveling through and felt an urged to stop and drop off some food to Magaly and check on how she was doing. That it had been a year or so since she had been by to check on her. Wow what a miracle. Because little did that lady know that we were wanting to bring food for Magaly that day but we did not have any money to do so until our stipend came in the next day. We could only praise God for His goodness and the gift of her visit.

The next day we were on are way to Magaly's home again but we did not even make it. We were almost there and as we were getting closer Magaly was approaching us with all 4 of her children. To our surprise she had taken a bath and all 4 of her children had as well. Something we had not seen since we began our friendship months ago. I questioned where she was going with a smile they said they were going to the park to play. For once the encounter we had with them seemed light and normal. Their was a certain glow among all of the children and their mom. Since we had just received our stipend of donations we were able to purchase groceries for them which we were on our way to deliver them, so we offered to take them to her house and leave them with her Mother in law. Little did we know that we were about to see another miracle. When we got to the home we were greeted with a smile and invited to sit a while by Magaly’s mother in law. We took the opportunity given to us by God to read the days Gospel with her. Walking away from the visit my children and I were at awe of the work of Christ and the miracle of the HOLY WATER. What ever evil spirit was taking hostage of their home seem to have fled.

We can only praise God for the miracles that he has allowed us to see. As I reflect on the only things I have to offer those whom we serve here as we embrace living in poverty as those whom we live among. My family and I must have faith strong enough to believe that our love of Christ, our prayers and a bottle of Holy water is enough to perform miracles in Christ’s name.

Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, stand up and walk!” (Acts 3:6)