Cakes, Coins and Cancer by Johanna

My neighbor needs Christ. For some time I have felt drawn to reach out to her. Not too long ago, I went over to her house and asked her if she would ever be interested in reading the Bible together. Because she grew up on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, she speaks both English and Spanish. She informed me that she actually went to church a lot as a child. I told her to think about the offer. Up to this point, most of our interaction as neighbors had been strained at best. A few days later, she was having her birthday party, so I offered to make her a birthday cake. She was very touched by the gesture and has warmed up to us a lot. She shared with me that her 5-year old son was waking up at night with nightmares and asked for advice. Maybe through the cake she was able to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Just after delivering the cake, I went to the airport to pick up a friend. On the way home, we pulled into McDonalds (the only one in Nicaragua.) Usually, there are several small children who hang out there in the parking lot, waiting for leftovers. It can be pretty hard to enjoy your food, knowing they are out there. I stayed in the car while my friend ran in to grab some dinner to go. On this particular night, a small boy was sitting on the concrete wall with a small container of change. He amused himself by dumping the coins in his hand, looking at them and then returning them to the little tube, firmly closing the lid each time. I amused myself by watching him. I was pretty tired from making the cake and driving through city traffic at dark, so I quietly rolled down my window and stared at this little soul, all alone. After resting a moment, I started to talk with him a little bit, asking his age and name. Before pulling away, I was able to add to his coin collection and tell him that Jesus loves him. I was pleased to see someone that looked like his mother appear with other siblings, as I was leaving. It is always difficult to know what to do with this sort of situation. Do we want to promote children begging in public places? It is a dilemma and we respond differently each time.

Recently, I was in a pharmacy buying some medicine for David. An older lady came in to ask about a medicine she needed for her 5-year old granddaughter who is fighting cancer. She wanted to buy 2 pills for the weekend, but when she found out they were $2 each, she hung her head and began to walk away. I knew that $4 was probably a whole day’s income for that family. I quickly told the pharmacist, “I’ll pay for that.” Then the pharmacist said that she would pay for 2 more pills. It was such a wonderful moment and it helped me remember why I wanted to live in a place like this. Amidst the dust, dirt and heat, I was able to lift the spirits of that hard working grandmother and help with the treatment of her granddaughter. What a privilege! Thank you to all of you who give sacrificially so that we can freely minister in this corner of the world. God is well pleased.