Something incredible happened to me the other day. I encountered an angel on the side of the road while I was on my way home from the bus stop.
In order for you to fully grasp the nature of this story, you must understand the geography of the neighborhood I am currently living in while in Colombia. I am currently living in a neighborhood in north Bogota called El Codito, meaning “Little Elbow”. This neighborhood is settled right on the side of a mountain looking over the northern region of Bogota, the capital of Colombia. In order to get from where I am staying to the bus stop at the bottom of the mountain, one must trek up and down a series of very long and very steep staircases that have at the very least 100 steps per set. My city back home, Philadelphia, is known for the steps of the art museum that were made famous by the Rocky movies and how it can be a challenge to run up those steps. Well, those Rocky steps have nothing on the ones in El Codito. These steps are long, off centered, chipped and broken, uneven, and very steep. It can be a good workout even for someone in the best of shape.
(El Codito, my place of residence for the month of October)
Why am I telling all of this to you? Because I want to accurately paint the picture for the setting of my encounter. On the way back from the bus stop, I was accompanied by two squadmates and 3 young adults from the church we are living at for the month of October. As we approached one of these staircases we saw a woman pushing a small child in a wheelchair. After taking a glance at this child it was clear that he was disabled and had special needs. Without hesitation, Oscar, one of our friends from church, and I helped the woman carry this child up one of the very long sets of stairs. This proved to be quite the workout but I was more than happy to help.
Once we reached the top, I was told that the child, whos name I had just learned was Guillermo (gee-yair-moh), wanted to see my face. When I knelt down before him his face lit up with joy. The only word I could use to illustrate his smile would be divine. The moment I saw his smile, my heart had been stolen and I felt what I could only describe as unconditional love for him. For just a few brief moments I held his hand and smiled with him. Then as we were about to say our goodbyes, we found out that they still had yet another large flight of stairs to go up before they reached their home. So Oscar and I once again helped this woman carry this incredible child up another large flight of stairs. When we reached the very top I was met by a small house that, to put it nicely, was not all too together. It seemed old and as if it were falling apart. So we hugged and said our goodbyes and then as Oscar and I began making our way down the stairs, I was immediately heartbroken. The thought of this woman somehow getting this child up and down these stairs everyday hurt my soul.
(Some examples of the staircases in El Codito. As you can see in the second picture, the stairs just go on forever.)
That night and the next day I could not get Guillermo off of my mind. Thoughts were racing through my head that I couldn’t escape. Thoughts like, how does she manage to get him up and down the stairs without help, is he receiving the care that he needs, is he being provided for, will he eventually be abandoned and orphaned like most of the other special needs children I worked with last month, and most importantly, is he receiving the amount of love that he truly deserves? That night I listened to a sermen about love and how we are called to expand our capacity to love others, that this is one of the most important things we as children of God are called to do. During the entire 30 minute sermen I wept. I wept because I felt this indescrible love for Guillermo, this love that goes beyond understanding, a love that could only come from God. One of my biggest regrets I had was not taking the time to sit down and tell Guillermo just how much he is truly loved unconditionally by his father in heaven. I wish I could go back to those stairs and tell him these things and let him know how much he means not only to me, but to God.
I don’t know if, who I could only assume was his mother, goes to church or has a relationship with Christ. My prayer for her is that if she doesn’t already, that one day she will so that she can reflect the love and light of God onto that child so that he may one day know the one who created him, so that he may know in his heart how much he is truly loved by God.
There is one thing I do know and that is that God used Oscar and I that day to be a blessing to Guillermo and his mother, and just as we were a blessing to them, they were an incredible blessing to us. Guillermo will forever be in my heart, thoughts, and prayers.
So there is my story, my encounter with an angel on the side of the road and how I helped carry him up the mountain of stairs. I encourage all who read this to be more aware of those around them. To always be on the lookout for those in need. It doesn’t have to be as obvious as a special needs child in a wheelchair, you could bless people in more subtle ways. There are many people out there that could use a hand and will deeply appreciate any blessing you may be able to give.
So keep your eyes open, you may never know the next time you may encounter an angel on the side of the road.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
My journey is not over yet and I still have one more deadline to reach. I have until January 1st to be fully funded! This means I only need a little less than $4,200 to meet that final deadline and be completely funded! Seeing how God provided and allowed me to reach my last deadline gives me all the confidence in the world that I will meet this one and not go home come January. I pray that He puts it in your hearts to partner with me and be apart of this incredible journey He has placed me on. If you would like to make a single contribution or a monthly one, then please click on this link:
