Meet Manuel, one of the purest souls I have ever encountered.
We are currently staying in Canoa, Ecuador, a small surf town that you could walk through within ten minutes. Today, we decided to take a 20 minute bus ride to the next town over, San Vicente, so that we could get some groceries and money for the next two weeks.
As we were walking to the store, I saw Manuel begging for money by shaking a small yogurt bottle with loose change in it. He was a homeless man with no legs and no one was paying an ounce of attention to him. My heart immediately broke and I knew it was God. I had seen plenty of people like him before, but this time was different.
After we went to the store, we decided to go grab some food and I nudged my team leader, Melo, to ask her if we could take a moment to pray for him. God had laid him on her heart, as well, and told her to buy him food. We bought a meal for him and walked up to him.
When we saw him, he was laying on the ground with his yogurt bottle. He got up and immediately had a huge smile plastered on his face when he saw us.
Manuel began to tell us that he sits all day and is never noticed. So many people each day walk past him and don’t give it a second thought. He is 63 years old and lost his legs 20 years ago when an electric cord snapped and cut them off, changing his life forever. He was a laborer and a hard worker, beforehand. He is completely alone because everyone in his family has died.
We sat with him for almost two hours and we had the chance to give him some of the paintings that we made to pass our on Valentine’s Day and didn’t get the chance to and those paintings speak of God’s LOVE for him. I saw that though he has walked through many tragedies, he is one of the most joyful people I have ever met, and I truly believe it’s a supernatural joy hat can only come from Holy Spirit. As you can see, he carries such a beautiful smile and doesn’t let life’s circumstances alter that. He was telling us that God was always, always good to him and that he is so blessed, despite everything. He was so thankful that we would stop and let him know that he is SEEN and LOVED. He told us that God had blessed him so much that day because no one has ever stopped to sit with him like we did.
I am so thankful to have encountered Manuel and at the same time, I’m saddened that there are so many people that haven’t had the privilege of knowing his heart because they choose to turn the other cheek at the sight of someone different. Honestly, as I was talking with him, I began to think about how often I’ve probably walked past other people just like Manuel and was convicted at the thought of how many times I’ve made them feel unnoticed or worthless because of this.
Because of that small choice to walk over to Manuel and eat with him, he was able to understand that he was worth stopping for. He was able to be reminded of how special he was! He also gained five new friends that day and whether he knows it or not, his smile alone made a great impact on the hearts of those girls.
Here’s a challenge:
If you get a chance to make someone smile today, run for it. It can be something big or something seemingly insignificant. Don’t hold yourself back on the opportunity to let someone know that they are cherished and in turn, to also grow yourself by stepping away from your walls. You will never regret the choice of choosing love over comfort.
Here’s how you can pray:
Pray for Manuel as he gets around San Vicente. He showed us his knees and how they were hurt when Ecuador’s carnival was going on. I wasn’t able to understand what specifically happened because of the language barrier, but he mentioned another man that hurt them. Manuel uses pads to protect them as he walks, but they’re very beat up and are seeing the last of their days. Pray that he is provided new knee pads and that God protects him as he walks around the city.
Pray for COMMUNITY to enter Manuel’s life. Like I said, he’s all alone and people aren’t necessarily welcoming to him. Pray that he finds family, a home, and a way to make a living with his condition.
Would you prayerfully partner with me in fundraising?
I have raised almost $10,700 and I am so extremely thankful for this and all of you guys that have poured into this journey! I still have $2,300 to raise in 5 days and $7,100 to raise before I’m fully funded by April, in order to continue the Race. This is because all of this money covers the costs of plane tickets, bus rides from country to country, food, and lodging for the year. I’m praying and BELIEVING that God is going to provide this large amount of money in time because He has called me to the World Race. 🙂 However, I need people to partner with me in order for this to happen! If you feel led to donate, you can go to the main page of my blog and click ”Donate!” where you’ll have the option to partner with me one-time, monthly, bi-monthly, yearly, etc.
Thank you so much for taking your time to read this! I love you guys and I can’t wait to continue to update you throughout our time in Canoa!
