Our last dinner in Tocopilla, Chile, was in the home of a woman named Veronica. We met her earlier in the month when we were traveling door to door praying for the neighborhood people. She invited us into her home, which is just past a set of railroad tracks in a very poor area. From what I could tell, she lived there with her husband, son, daughter and her daughter’s 4 year-old boy. There wasn’t much in this house that our society would desire, but there was a lot of love.
We had a very emotional time talking with Veronica and hearing the heart of this mother. There is a lot of pain that has worked it’s way through the family members, but I can see that Veronica hasn’t given up all hope. She’s a praying mother! She was so touched by our time with her, that she invited us to have dinner with her and her family before we left Chile.
I had no idea how our whole team, hosts, and her family would all fit in this tiny house, but we did. It was the most touching moment of the month. We had been invited to other homes for dinners, and they put out a fabulous spread. Veronica’s wasn’t as lavish, it wasn’t as gigantic, but it was incredible. At my end of the table, we spent a lot of time talking with Veronica’s daughter, Ximena. She was friendly, caring and so inviting. After we had finished eating, she went around the table and braided all the girls’ hair on our team. She looked at family photo albums with us and shared her kitten with Kelsey, who had been dying to hold an animal all month!
When it was time for us to leave, there was a tangible sense of sadness from both our team and the family. We had made such a deep connection through the power of prayer and a good old fashion family dinner. We all gathered around the table, prayed together and said our goodbyes. Some began to cry. It was obvious this would be the last time we would see each other. But, it wasn’t until Ximena ran into her room and came back with 4 pairs of her personal earrings (a pair for each girl on our team) as a gift to show her appreciation of the time we shared together.
This act of generosity unexpectedly brought me to tears. Immediately, I was convicted. How could she give away from what little she has to people she barely knows, and will most likely never see again? Would I give a gift like that if this were my house that strangers came to visit? I knew in my heart that the answer was a resounding “no”. At that moment, I realized that I need a change of heart in the way I steward the possessions that God has blessed me with.
God showed me that I was like the servant in the Bible that was trusted with a single talent and went and buried it (Matthew 25: 14-30). How can He give me any more when I’m too busy holding onto what I already have? Ximena and her family may not have a lot of Earthly riches, but I am convinced that they have a tremendous reward in Heaven that money cannot buy, and that will last eternally.
*We are still in the process of raising funds to keep us out on the mission field! We need to reach a goal of $26,000 by November 30, 2017. We need to be FULLY FUNDED by January 30, 2018. Please consider partnering with us on this journey by pressing the ‘Donate’ button at the top of this page! Blessings!
