When I lastshared Marlyn’s story, we had the chance to talk to him and offer a picture of
the Lord’s grace. After that day we couldn’t get rid of him. He would be one of
the first faces we saw each morning and one of the last faces
we saw eachnight. It was wonderful to see him accepted in the church, but he made things
more difficult. You never knew moment to moment what you would get from him-
you never knew if we would be friendly, ridiculous, or just angry. Also, we had
a couple of boys who had just accepted Christ, but when Marlyn was around they
didn’t feel the freedom to be new creations. Marlyn made things difficult, but
the Lord gave us a deep love for him.
Our
last week, we were planning a beach day for the kids. One last day to celebrate
together with those we had been discipling. After much deliberation and debate,
we decided not to bring Marlyn. We couldn’t trust him to be safe and to
listen to what he was told. Also we wanted our new Christians to have a safe
place to be themselves and to learn to walk in Christ together. Word got back
to Marlyn and he was furious! He wouldn’t come near us or speak to us. That
night I was so burdened for him. I wanted to see his anger wiped away and to
see him find real life in Christ. I fell asleep that night praying that the
small pictures of grace he had seen this month would lead him to the far
greater grace of God. The next day Marlyn was still angry and refused to speak
to us. It was our last day in Candelaria and we hated to leave things like
that. We asked Linda to talk to Marlyn that night.
Linda
& Marlyn began to talk first about the beach, but then he opened up and
shared more. Our first week in Candelaria, about 3-4 days before the robbery,
Linda was sharing the gospel with Marlyn and asked if he was ready to accept
Christ. “No,” he responded, “I’m not ready.” Then he went home feeling really
bad about that decision and about himself. The next day he returned to talk to
Linda only to discover that she had gone to the States (she was there for 2 ½ weeks
on a family emergency). A couple of days later, he and his friend broke into
the clinic and stole our things. Marlyn told Linda he was afraid to come back
because he knew no one would ever forgive him. He couldn’t believe it when we
not only forgave him, but befriended him and welcomed him with open arms. Linda
then explained that’s what Jesus wants to do for you. He wants to forgive every
sin you’ve ever committed. He is waiting
with open arms to accept and forgive
you. But you need to know that you can’t just have part of God. If you accept
Christ, you have all of God and He takes over every part of your life. Marlyn
looked at her and said, “I am ready now.” Our last night in Candelaria (which
happened to be his birthday), Marlyn accepted the grace of God! The change in
his countenance was drastic. For the first time, he looked at me with hope in
his eyes and not a trace of anger on his face. That night Marlyn stood in front
of 150 youth and told them that he, a notorious thief and one of the most feared
gang members in the community, had surrendered his life to Christ. It was
beautiful to see our kids’ faces light up as they cheered for him. Then they
ran up and embraced him, laid hands on him, and passionately prayed for him. It
was beautiful to see this hurting kid finally find what his heart has been
searching for- love, acceptance, and family.
The
next day Marlyn had his first birthday party and received his first gift with
his new family in Christ. Then Marlyn was baptized right there on the beach.
This is the beautiful and amazing power of grace to transform lives!
