We were about to start mopping the floors inside the cafeteria, then I saw her…
She was laying in a hammock with just one of her black flip flops wrapped around her wrinkly fingers. She was using it for two very distinct reasons, one as a leverage to swing herself in the hammock and the other as a paddle to swat the dogs away. Her purple shirt draped over her homemade light blue skirt. She was in her own little world, rocking back and forth.
I was confused as of why this elderly lady was at a mentally handicapped MEN’S home. But as I watched her, she just made me smile.
I wanted to go talk to her, but I discredited myself because I don’t know a whole lot of Spanish. Not enough to pull up a chair and chat for awhile. Then the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Just go listen!”
So I put my shoes on and headed for the hammock. I knelt down beside her and mustered up all the greetings I knew in Spanish.
“Hola!”
“Cómo estás?”
“Cómo te llamas?”
Immediately my new friend, beamed with delight. She was thrilled someone was “talking” with her. Before I knew it, she was chatting away. So I pulled up a green plastic chair and started to listen.
Considering my Spanish was only around the second grade level, I didn’t understand 95% of what she was saying… so I would give her the occasional “si” or “mmhmmn yeah” to show her I was still “tracking” with her. I quickly noticed though that this lady wasn’t looking at me… at all, like not even once. She was starring off in the distance. The thought ran in my mind, “maybe she is blind.” So I reached out and grabbed her hand… she was still going 99 mph chatting away talking about God knows what.
So for the next 30 minutes or so, I just listened and gently pushed her in her hammock while holding her wrinkly soft hand. We would exchange an occasional chuckle here and there. But the Lord was showing me, yet again, the importance of not only listening but how my presence matters.
I eventually found out that she is indeed blind and in fact has only lost her eyesight within the last 3 months. (By this time, 3 of my teammates have come to join the party). She asked us to pray for healing in her eyes. Without hesitation, we said “okay!” and quickly placed our hands on her. We boldly declared healing over her body and asked the Lord to renew her eyesight. Although nothing happened that day (or the days following when we went back) we are choosing to believe God started the healing process within her body.
We went back three or four times after that day. Each time I spent my three hours holding her hand and pushing her in the hammock… just listening.
To give you a small glimpse of what our conversations entailed, here is one of my favorite conversations we had.
Abuelita: “Do you have a boyfriend?”
Me: “No mamasita, I haven’t found one yet!”
Abuelita: “You need a boyfriend but all the boys in the world are bad!”
Me: “Abuelita, I want a good man though.”
Abuelita: “That’s why you’re still single!”
At least she is honest. But even in my broken Spanish and her crazy conversations, we enjoyed each other’s presence.
I find myself missing my Ecuadorian grandma. I miss holding her soft wrinkly hands. I miss pushing her in her hammock. I miss her laugh. I miss yelling “SAM!” as the dog would bark. I miss watching her swat the other dogs away… and miss 99% of the time. I just miss being in her presence.
But every time I think of her, God reminds me of the importance of being present. He reminds me just how much showing up matters. He always points me back to the cross and shows me that He ultimately showed up first for me. He continues to sit on His epic chair and be present in my life… and He did all that first in my life!
Friends, I want to challenge you… and challenge myself… let’s keep showing up and being present in the lives around us. We don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have to have the next steps planned out. We can just show up, and be present. We can sacrifice our time and our preferences because we are the Church, a people who are ambassadors for Christ, called to be a bright light in a dark world by simply showing up. I believe the people around us will take notice, and God will be glorified. I believe showing up and loving souls can flip this world upside down… and isn’t that what His Kingdom looks like anyways. U P S I D E D O W N! So why not give it a shot… I’ll put money on it, that it‘s worth it.
“We love each other because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
