The other day we went to the city of San Juan to do street evangelism with a team from Honduras and I experienced firsthand how love fosters understanding and relationship, even in the midst of language and cultural barriers.
We arrived early in the morning and made our way to the city center, eventually stopping in a public square where hundreds of people bought and sold goods in an open air market.
Baskets and baskets full of fruit and vegetables lined the streets and clothes of every color hung from the surrounding colonnades. Woman in bright colors and patterns sat under umbrellas and splashed their produce with cilantro leaves doused in water. As I took it all in, I was startled as my foot skimmed a puddle of stagnant steel colored water in the street. The city was dirty, but incredibly beautiful and rich.
We passed out Spanish gospel tracts and prayed for people as we went. One of the only phrases I knew in Spanish was “Dios le bendiga,” but knowing that the Holy Spirit in me was not worried about language barriers, I blessed as many people as I could and thanked God that He would continue to speak to them far better than I ever could.
It was actually thrilling and my heart started to soar as the realization that God’s Spirit was being released all around us started to sink in. My team and I went into one of the denser areas of the market and I suddenly noticed that people actually sought out what we had. It was easy. I’m not sure if their interest stemmed from how foreign we looked and or if it was a cultural difference, but unlike the States, the people there smiled and even stopped us and asked for what we had.
As we passed by a little stand filled with gorgeous flowers, one of the women called out to us in Spanish. I hesitated, suddenly intimidated, and yelled back “no ablo espagnol, lo siento!” before waving and walking away.
Immediately the Holy Spirit whispered that I should go back.
Stopping in my tracks, I debated a minute, asked the Lord for help, then told the friends I was with that I wanted to go back.
It was such a blessing and I'm so glad I did!
After stumbling through a conversation in broken Spanish with the family who owned the stand, the daughter, a girl about my age, pulled a vibrant blue flower from the display and extended it towards me. Panicking a little I tried to tell her that I had no money. She shook her head and continued to offer me the flower, looking me straight in the eyes.
When I met her gaze I saw genuine compassion and love, and even though we could barely communicate, I knew that it was a gift. After some hesitation, and hoping that I didn’t misunderstand her, I took the flower and she gave Madisson and Rachel flowers as well. Then we parted ways with smiles and waves.
It was a beautiful reminder that connection and relationship are so much bigger than the words we speak. And just as God’s love transcends all barriers and divisions, ours can too when we learn to love without expecting anything in return.
