A Special Gift For Our Family

During our first week here, we began praying that the Lord would give us opportunities to minister to people here while we are in language school.  He has blessed us already in this area by allowing Daniel to lead worship at chapel, to speak at chapel (very soon) and to teach this Saturday evening at the International Youth Group here in San Jose.  He has also given us a huge opportunity to minister to a lady named Concepcion.  Concepcion is a "Tica" in her late 50's who is our empleada--basically she helps us around the house a few times a week.  The school provides help for the students for a VERY minimal (too minimal) cost with things such as housework, cooking and helping with children at times so that we are really able to focus on studying the language in addition to caring for a family and all of the other responsibilities we have here.  This also provides work for extremely poor single women who are desperate to have a job to provide for their families.  Concepcion has been such a blessing to our family and in return we are able to bless her!  She has been helping us for 2 weeks so far and she is already a part of the family.  Thomas and Jacob love her and when she is here she teaches them Spanish.  She is also like a personal tutor for us as she helps us with homework and teaches us new words all the time.  She also constantly corrects everything we say which is a big help!  She is a Christian (which is rare for older "Ticas") and she truly is a treasure!  

As I said before we have been praying that the Lord would use us to minister to people while we are in school.  Well, last week Concepcion was at our home when we got home from school.  I asked her how she was and she began crying as she told me about her mother in Guatemala who is dying of mouth cancer.  She has not seen her in many years and she got a call the day before from a friend of the family that her mom is about to die.  She wanted so badly to be able to go and visit her mother one last time before she dies but she can't afford to go and she is worried that if she goes she won't have any work when she returns.  Immediately I felt like the Lord told me that we were to send her to Guatemala to visit her mom.  I can't imagine not being able to visit my mom as she is dying...it tore me up inside.  Daniel and I prayed about it and checked bus and air fares and flying was going to be a lot cheaper and quicker.  We told her that the Lord told us to send her to visit her mother (such a minimal expense for us and so worth the sacrifice!!) and she was overwhelmed to the point that she kept trying to get on her knees to thank us.  She didn't know what to say.  She didn't understand how people she had only known for 2 weeks would help her with something that, to her, was such a HUGE and IMPOSSIBLE endeavor.  I was able to share with her how we are all part of the body of Christ and we are called to provide for one another in need.  I think we were more blessed to be able to help her than she was.  She was just praising the Lord in our kitchen and we had the privilege of praying over her before she left.  She is now there with her mother and will be for 2 weeks.  Please join us in praying for Concepcion as she is with her mother during her last days. What a small part we were able to play yet it meant the world to her.  Jesus said, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27  We are so thankful for the honor of being able to serve "the least of these" who are so special to our Lord! He loves us all just the same!!!   Below are a few pictures of Concepcion with the boys...