Then I heard God saying, “They aren’t here to hear you talk. YOU are here to hear from THEM.”
After a long day of travel in the extremely hot temperatures of the Texas/Mexico border we arrived at Bethel Mission Outreach Center tired and ready to relax. However, God had another plan. We received a call inviting us to come attend a small group meeting near by.
We had no idea how many people would be there or what environment we would be walking into. Oh! And the meeting had started 20 minutes beforehand so there was no time to freshen up. We quickly got in the car and rounded the block to a small apartment complex. We knocked on the apartment door on the lower level and to our surprise we could barely get the door open for the amount of people huddled together in the small livingroom to hear the Word of God. Jonathan, George, and I shared a little about why we were there. Then I heard God saying, “They aren’t here to hear you talk. YOU are here to hear from THEM.” This meeting was not about the guests, but about the hosts. I asked if we could go around the room and introduce ourselves and a little about each of us. Some had lived in Roma, Texas all their lives. Others, came from Mexico. Some were teachers, house wives, and caretakers.
Then there was a little boy, Carlos, in attendance. He sat next to his small frail looking grandma. Carlos had a beautiful big smile and spoke very good English. After acting a little bashful, Carlos introduced himself. He said he was turning 10 years old in a few days and he was going into 5th grade. His favorite thing about school is the food. We all laughed. Then Carlos’ grandmother Carlita introduced herself. She spoke no English, only Spanish. Through a translator she told us that Carlos’ mother had left the house to buy milk and she never came back. Carlos’ mother, father, and grandfather (Carlita’s Husband) were killed by the drug cartel. Carlita became fearful for their lives so her and Carlos found a way to cross the border into Texas. Carlos hid his face as Grandma told their story and how at night this 10 year old boy still cries wanting his Momma. For them living as an immigrant in Texas is safer than living as a citizen in their own country. We may agree or disagree on immigration, but the one thing we have in common is we are all human and we are all children of the one true God. We all desire the basic needs food, water, and a safe place to call home.
