Venturing into the markets and buying produce, fresh eggs and an abundance of grains has quickly become one of my favorite household tasks. The markets are usually bustling with people, a wide variety of smells (from delicatecant pastries to live chickens) and always a beautiful array of colorful fruits and veggies. Carts pulled by donkeys and motos are often scattered throughout the street. In looking at the landscape of the people around the market, you might see on the roadside women selling bread, men vending their product, homeless people, young kids manning their family’s stand.
We were at the market this week picking up some produce. We were standing at the cookies stand, when a homeless woman came up behind us and tapped me on the shoulder. She was holding out her hand for money. She looked at me with longing eyes, a desperation and humility. Her clothes looked old, but she was beautiful. A clean scarf was tightly wrapped around her head, her dress flowing down to the ground.
We simply motioned eating and pointed to a nearby fruit stand. Her face lit up. Someone had seen her, someone had engaged with her. Without a common language, we couldn’t speak much together. But, as I placed a hand on her shoulder and pointed again at the fruit stand her eyes locked with mine and she smiled. As our team began walking with her to the nearby fruit stand, a wide smile continued to spread across her face. After just a few seconds, she grabbed my hand and held it tightly, looking at me with a wide, toothless grin.
When we arrived at the fruit stand, we simply asked her what she wanted. We pointed from fruit to fruit and she would shake her had yes or no. As the vendor handed her a bunch of bananas and a kilogram of grapes, she looked so happy. In total, the fruit only cost about $3 USD.
After she put her fruit in a small bag under her dress, we asked if we could pray for her. We pointed to the sky with our hands clasped, and she excitedly agreed. All five of us ladies were able to lay hands on her in the market and pray over her. As we closed our prayer, she eagerly embraced each of us with with hugs and kisses. Her smile still radiantly exuding a joy coming from within her.
It was so simple. A few minutes and a little intentionality. Though we did not speak the same language, a mutual love was easily communicated. Oh, just to be seen. Just to have a need met. Oh, what a simple act. Oh, what a small act.
But, what a reminder of love. Oh, how He see us in such larger measure. What a reminder that we are seen and loved perfectly by our Father. Fruit is not the point of this account, but in fact the opportunity to simply reflect a sliver of the measure in which we are loved, seen and met by our good God.
