During worship I glance back to see Miguel broad, joyful
smile across his face, one arm lifted in praise, and the other arm wrapped
tightly around his two-year old son Miguelito. Miguelito is watching his father
intently and imitating his worship. He too has eyes closed and one hand lifted
in praise. Their relationship is just a beautiful picture of God the Father and
his relationship with us. “…there you saw how the Lord your God carried you
as a father carries his son…” (Deuteronomy 1:31).
I
had been waiting for an opportunity to hear more of their story because I was
so intrigued by Miguel’s joy in the Lord and deep love for his son. On Tuesday
morning, Miguel comes to Shekinah (our home for the month) to invite all 10
girls working with Iglesia Salim to his house for lunch. We shared coffee with
him and sat listening to his story.
We have discovered that Miguel’s
wife left him and their son around the end of the year. Shortly after that,
Pastor Noe began reaching out to Miguel and Miguelito. Miguel accepted Christ
in January and has continued to grow in the Lord since then. It is beautiful to
see the way he trusts the Lord to reveal Himself to his wife. He continues to
pray for her daily that she will come to know the Lord and that she will
return.
Even in the midst of talking about
his pain, Miguel asks to borrow a guitar so he could sing for us one of his
favorite praise songs. The goodness and faithfulness of the Lord is his
constant topic of conversation. He longs for his family to be reunited, but
until then he trusts that the Lord’s heart is good. He rests in the promises of
the Lord in Psalm 68:6a, “God sets the lonely in families…” Iglesia Salim has become a family for Miguel and
Miguelito as well as many other broken families in the community. This is a magnificent
place of community and healing for many families.
