Every single day from the bus to our ministry site, we had about a 5 block walk. There were a lot of people we passed with their little stands selling fruits, snacks, water, and candy. For the first week I didn’t notice a man and his stand. But one day he was standing outside, and I said hi to him for a few minutes. His name is Segundo and I enjoyed his warm and welcoming presence. This quickly became a twice a day thing. On the way there and on the way back I would try my best to talk to him with the Spanish I knew. I looked forward to it and I know he did too. I always felt bad holding my team up from getting to the bus but at the same time I knew my time with him was very limited. I knew I had to tell him a few days ahead of time that our last day was coming closer than we wanted it to.
Friday was the last time we were going to Pan De Vida and we didn’t have to be there until about 12 so my teammate Tabitha and I went together. On the way there we stopped and told him how much we were going to miss him.
(At the beginning of the year we were each given a cross with the intention to give it to someone.) I remember telling Tabitha I wish I had one with me and she had hers!!
I typed this out for him to read in Spanish.
“We want to give this cross to you to not only remember us but to remember that God is with you and your family. He will provide for you. I hope that you continue to seek him through everything. We will miss saying hi to you every day.”
He accepted the cross with tears in his eyes and saying heartfelt things that I couldn’t understand but I know it meant a lot to him. To me, I think it’s amazing how much of an impact you can make on someone’s life in such a short amount of time, he has changed mine! I can’t wait to come back and see him!
