“At the foot of the cross where grace and suffering meet, you have given me life… yes, you were my heart, and now I can trade these ashes in for beauty and wear forgiveness like a crown. Coming to kiss the feet of mercy I lay everything burden down at the foot of the cross. Where I am made complete, you have given me life through the death you bought for me. You are mine.”
Grace and suffering can take many forms in today’s world but nothing compares to the sight of Emilio. A young 32 year-old Guatemalan walked into the Dr. Paredes office, who is our local national doctor and contact between his office and our clinic in Sumpango. Dr. Nick, our team cardiologist, myself, and Mandy accompanied Dr. Paredes to help look after his patients this week. That Tuesday morning, I’ll never forget when this little 5 ft. hunched over man who literally looks like a youth sits down, Emilio.
As I begin to translate and take down his patient history he begins to explain to me that he is on dialysis, shows me his surgically placed tube, that both his kidneys are failing, and that he just was fired for his job moving back into his parent’s home. Now all his time is occupied by changing his dialysis. When Dr. Nick begins to test on Emilio I said to him, “I admire you!” And I repeated it twice more to him while testing. When the examine comes to an end he starts to open up to me telling me how hard dialysis has been, that he attends a local Catholic church, how he feels hopeless, and how horrible his suffering is wondering why God gave this to him. I told him I could not imagine what he was going through, but I did know TWO things; I knew he didn’t have much time left especially without a kidney transplant, and I wanted to know where his soul was going. God keep repeating to me, “share the gospel with him, share it with him.” So I boldly told him, “Emilio, I don’t know how many days you have left but I want to know where your soul is going. Come this afternoon, get some sunglasses and then I want to share something with you.” He responded with joy and excitement and would not stop expressing his gratitude.
He showed up! He got his eye exam and then I told him I wanted to share something with him. Nick joined us in the room as I began telling Emilio my testimony. I painted Emilio the picture of how Jesus Christ is the fountain of life. But how I used to come to that fountain with a pitcher trying to fill myself up with him asking him to do things for me, to help me with my tests, and sports, but when in turn I could have the entire fountain by just asking Him for himself. Therefore, I could have all of Jesus and all of His grace, love, mercy, forgiveness, etc than just asked him to do things for me. This led me into sharing with him the Four Spiritual Laws. He came to recognize that yes, he is a sinner who is in great need of a savior and that he cannot try to live longer by paying-back works to God for his mistakes/sins. He also realized that the gospel of Jesus Christ is about what He did on the cross and that salvation is Christ + nothing. That means it is not Emilio + his good attitude or kind giving heart that saves him from eternal death, but that it is only by God’s GRACE that we are SAVED as God shows us in Ephesians 2:8,9. He knew in his heart and mind that he had one choice to make in his life that would lead the rest of his life and he made that decision to accept our Lord Jesus Christ as his savior. WOOOO WOOO!!! We prayed and then celebrated in joy, I mean I was flipping out inside filled with this love and joy that has no words to describe it because that is the Love of Christ. I just love how the Bible shares with us that angels in heaven throw a party for each of us as we become children of God, and accept Him. And a party was just thrown for Emilio.
The best part of this whole story is that Emilio is going to be in Heaven, and I will see him again. And funny things is that before he left, he kept telling me, “I will see you again!” I am convinced without a shadow of a doubt that in life there is no greater joy than leading someone to Christ. Praise the Lord for all the people who have influenced his life to receive the Lord on Tuesday January 11th, and it was a day to GLORIFY our Saving Lord Jesus Christ.
Lastly, I would just like to encourage you to leave your everything at the foot of the cross and if you have not yet made that decision to follow the Lord please check out www.everystudent .com and you can see how to do that. The ashes of Emilio’s life, his sickness, body, and situation, have now been exchanged at the foot of the cross and he has been clothed in a crown. Will you too be clothed and see him in heaven? I hear he has got an amazing story!
Love, Erin
On Wednesday, I had the privilege of joining Pastor Brian, Jon, Scott, Becky, Dave and Oscar on a trip to El Yalu so Oscar could show us what Los Olivos was doing in that area. I don’t know how to describe what we saw because I have never seen anything like it before and have absolutely nothing to compare it to. Poverty in the United States doesn’t even begin to compare to the poverty in this village. The good thing is though, that Los Olivos is working with a woman named Maria who runs a feeding center in the village. This feeding center feeds around 300 mothers and children 3 times a week. For most of these people, these are the only healthy and complete meals they get each week. We were given the opportunity to pass out the food to the children and mothers who came to eat that day and the experience was amazing. I have never seen children that excited about something as simple as getting a good meal. As Americans, I think most of us take that for granted and being able to experience that was really good eye-opening experience for me. We were also able to walk around the village and see the projects that Los Olivos is helping to fund and some of the projects they would like to begin. Oscar showed us two plots of land that have been purchased in El Yalu; one is the sight for a church and the other for a playground. Los Olivos is also raising funds to help build latrines and stoves for the people of this village. Both of these items are greatly needed to help decrease disease and keep the people of El Yalu healthy. Please keep the people of El Yalu in your prayers along with Oscar, Los Olivos, Maria and the new missionaries that will be arriving to El Yalu in April. I know God has amazing things planned and will work through the people of Los Olivos and the new missionaries to help the people of El Yalu get what they need.
