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And now for the long-awaited continuation… 
 
 This morning, our group went to a beautiful, forest-like area outside of the city that we had not been to before. Many of the people living in this area are even poorer than the ones we’ve encountered thus far in Guatemala. The twelve of us divided into two groups and split ways in order to visit more homes in less time.

We hadn’t taken ten steps up the gravel road before my eyes were drawn to a man on a red bike. Something inside me wouldn’t let my eyes wander from him, and as soon as he passed us, I exclaimed, “Thomas!”

It was the man at the market, placed once again and not by accident in our paths!
 

 

It didn’t take long for Thomas to recognize our white skin and blue eyes. Ian, Marisa and I were overjoyed that the Lord had brought him to us so unexpectedly, assured that it was nothing short of a divine appointment. As we made small talk with Thomas in our semi-broken Spanish, we assured him that God was continuing his search for his one lost sheep.

Thomas had a sack on the back of his bike filled with “cocos” (coconuts) and explained that he was on his way to the market. He motioned up the road and explained that his house was not far. My understanding was that he would be back before long and wanted us to visit.

An hour or so later with sweat pouring over our bodies from the long walk in the hot sun, we heard a man calling to us from a grove of trees. Thomas had returned home and was inviting us over for coconuts! We turned around and found the gravel pathway leading to his home.

The house wasn’t nearly as small as I expected it to be, especially for one only resident. Thomas had built his home with his own two hands about ten years ago, gathering the wood from neighboring trees. He seemed so excited to get to share this moment with us, perhaps being the first that a “gringo” (foreigner) had ever visited.

Thomas gathered two coconuts and started chopping away at them with his machete. It was obvious that he had done this many times before. I gladly accepted this precious gift as all sorts of thoughts began to rummage through my brain.

I began to think of Thomas’s simple life and how different it is from the one I have known. We didn’t ask him why he was living here alone nor how long it had been that way. But it broke my heart to think that he was here every day by himself with not even a dog to keep him company on dark nights. It is possible that Thomas preferred to live this way, but I couldn’t help but think of how I would feel in a similar situation.

Every day, Thomas wakes up to the same four walls of his home. He most likely has morning chores to do, such as gathering water for the day from the local stream. He collects as many cocos as he can carry on his bike and heads to the market where he will sell them for Q5 a piece. (That’s approximately 60 American cents.) He later returns home and hopefully has made enough from the day to eat a decent meal. Perhaps he has ran into a friend along the way, just someone to talk to. Night comes quickly, and then he is up again to the same daily routine.
 
I don’t say all of these things out of a place of pity. I have seen the joy in Thomas’s heart and know that he is content just as he is. Rather I speak from a place of recognition that I have been blessed. If you are reading this now, chances are you have been incredibly blessed as well. The past ten months of my life speak of the incredibly humbling recognition of all that I have been given, and I pray that some of that revelation has come to you as well through my blogs and stories.

We left Thomas’s home knowing that God has a special place in his heart for this man. Although we will never know the depths of Thomas’s heart, God sees the ache there for a love that surpasses all understanding. He cares so much about Thomas that he sent us all the way across the globe to love him. No matter what happens, I am confident that the Lord will continue the work he has begun.