Keeping Her Eyes on the Lord

I looked out of the apartment window at the deep green mountain sides, distinctly contrasted by the cottony white clouds fluffily decorating the vivid blue sky above. Between me and this breathtaking scenery stood multiple stories of an unfinished cinder block construction. I could easily focus on this aesthetically displeasing building, still on its way to completion, or could instead choose to set my gaze on the majestic beauty beyond it. My heart filled as the Lord invited me to remember the verse, “Set your minds on things that are above…” (Colossians 3:2). He had led me to this passage before, and again, like a sheep to still waters, He inspired me to sit with His life-giving Word.

A few days later, on the sidewalk after Mass, my teammates and I encountered a woman through a mutual acquaintance. Her loving, gently eager eyes peered forth from her sweet face worn from her roughly 98 years of life. After readily greeting us and introducing herself as Maria Soyla Dolores, she began to share a bit of her beautiful heart. Her words bore witness to her faithfulness to the Lord nearly as vividly as did her joyfully made sacrificial effort to get to Mass. When visiting her the next week, we would discover the uneven path of packed mud through a jungly courtyard, which she, cane in hand, braved each time she ventured from her humble front door to the main street to the church. This was only one of the many challenges of poverty that she faced daily. These did not dampen her faith, however. She quickly followed the mention of her struggles with words of trust in God’s providence and faith in the life that He has for us all in heaven. Her mind was truly set on things above so that, while she navigated the struggles of this life, she could continually journey with her heart set on Jesus. I pray that, like Maria Soyla, we can all move forward with our eyes fixed on Jesus, never wavering but staying the course to eternity, bringing others with us along the way.

The week after our initial encounter with Mrs. Maria on the sidewalk, we were privileged to visit her at her home. She met us at her gate and welcomed us in. Crouching to pass through the covered outdoor area and into her house, we entered a humble bedroom with a ceiling of mismatched cardboard under a presumably less permeable roof. With great hospitality, she invited us to sit down in this front room, and we began to visit. Again, I was swept away by her faith and heartfelt reflections, and prayers. She was moved with excitement when we offered to read the daily Scripture readings with her. She rose to her feet as quickly as I could have imagined possible and retrieved her Bible from a shelf, but she soon shared that she was unable to read it and set it gingerly aside. Faith, my teammate, began to read from the Bible, and Mrs. Maria leaned in so close that they almost touched to ensure that she could catch the words. My heart was moved as I realized our new friend was repeating every word of the sacred Scripture as Faith read.

During our visit, Mrs. Maria told us that she often prayed for people to visit the sick. She then shared with gratitude that day her prayer was answered. I give thanks that we could be the instrument of the Lord to answer Mrs. Maria Soyla’s prayers, so that she, alone in her home and physically struggling, could receive a visit and hear the Word of the Lord.

While meeting Mrs. Maria was a gift from this month that I will continue to treasure, there are several other blessings and experiences I would like to share as well. Spanish school has been going well, and conversations with my teacher have helped me grow both in knowledge of the language and deeper understanding of the Latin American culture.

At the beginning of the month, Faith, Leeann, and I got to visit some other FMC missionaries, Anna and Wellington, in the jungle region of Ecuador. We got to visit Wellington’s family, who run a tourist business called Sinchi Warmi near a town called Misahualli. At Sinchi Warmi, they offer lodgings and run a restaurant, all of which were built by the local people. They also raise fish, farm cacao, and cultivate other types of plants on a smaller scale, as well as provide services such as jungle tours and chocolate facials! Sinchi Warmi means “Strong Woman” in the native language of the Kitchwa tribe, of which Wellington’s family is part of. The name reflects the origin of the business, which was started by Wellington’s mother and other Kitchwa women to help support their families.

In the first weeks in Ecuador, we met a couple of women named Miriam and Magdalena who work at the local market selling fruits and vegetables. We have now gotten to read Scripture with them a couple of times and teach them the English words for the produce they sell. They asked us to help them learn these so that they could be better prepared to sell their goods to tourists. During their English lesson, they helped us with Spanish pronunciation as well! We hope to get to meet with them again before we leave.

Faith, Leeann, and I have met many other people around Banos and will be sad to say goodbye! I have also enjoyed getting to see the nature of Ecuador, both from buses, on hikes, and from a river during a Saturday rafting trip!

Please pray for Maria Soyla Dolores and all the elderly and poor who often go unseen by others. Also, please pray for Faith, Leeann, and me as we move to Mexico on June 6th!

Thank you all for your ongoing prayers and love.