Stairway to Heaven...(or at least heavenly moments)

Over a year ago we got to know a lady name Sandra, she’s probably 25 and a single mother.  Life has been hard for her.  We went to her house several times, chatted with her outside – she never trusted us enough to let us in.  I guess a while back, some people came through that claimed to be missionaries and kidnapped someone’s child just a few houses down from hers.  We returned several times at an hour that we had chosen together to start discipleship, but she was never around.  We called, but then her cell phone service went out.  We finally stopped going to her house, when the drunken landlord came out and said some choice words to us because we were standing outside her house yelling for her in hopes that she would come out.   We got the picture, not only did she never let us in her house, she was pretty non-committal and then she continued to stand us up, until we finally decided that are time was better used elsewhere.

Well, yesterday she was on bus as we headed out from Zamacola to go to Hunter, minimally a 45 minute ride.  Apparently she sells vegetables out in Rio Seco, farther north than where we live.  We caught up and as it turned out she did want us to come visit her.  Wendy was in the back of the bus, so I made the arrangements to visit her today in the afternoon.  I think that she is less afraid of who we are now that she sees that we’re still up to the same business over a year later…we haven’t run off with anyone’s kids; which is a valid fear.  I don’t exactly look like many folks from around here.

So today, after trudging through lots of rain water, we arrived at the long series of no less than 100 steps that pass by her home.  About halfway up she resides and had been waiting for us.  She came out and was interested in a lesson.  We had the lesson outside on the stairs – Wendy taught and I entertained her daughter Camila so that mom could focus.  She is looking forward to the next lesson and even said that the next time we can enter the house.  Praise God.  I did a split second hesitation to write that, thinking if any of my friends that don’t have faith read that, it will sound so old-fashion and churchy.  But, I decided, no, I will say exactly what should be said.  Praise God.  It’s been a difficult couple of months realizing that we’re not where we were hoping to be and it’s been discouraging.  Although, we’ve come up short on some man-made goals, we find ourselves in the middle of what God wants for us and he continues to show us right where he wants us to be working.  It’s a beautiful thing.