Sniffing and with wet eyes, Marlon held my hand as we prayed over him.
Two weeks ago, that same hand had stolen material goods from our little home in Candelaria.
We told him we loved him because Christ loved him first; that we forgive him because Christ forgave him first.
—
We came to Candelaria with our feet shod with the gospel of peace. None of us enjoyed pressing charges or sending a thief (the older of two) to jail. But not doing so would have been unwise; it would have sent the message that anyone can get away with robbing the visiting missionaries.
Marlon, known in Candelaria as “Gore” (short for Gorilla), had been hanging around the neighborhood even after word got out that he was wanted by the police and that there would be a reward to those who brought him in. We hadn’t expected to see him and talk to him, face to face, after what he did.
But here he was, sitting in our little living room, telling us that he was going to stop stealing. As I looked at his face, I couldn’t tell if he really meant it. The tears that came during our prayer would seem to indicate that he did. But we don’t know; we only hope and pray that our love and forgiveness meant more to him than a free ticket out of jail. Even more so, Tommy Gable, the missionary we’re working with here in Candelaria, has loved and forgiven Gore–and he has offered to help him change his life.
Pray for Marlon. Pray that this young man will understand that grace and forgiveness that is only found in Christ. Pray that our interactions with him would have shown him just a taste of that grace and forgiveness, that he might come to know the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
