Ximena

I needed to take just a minute to tell you about Ximena. She´s 10 and sells candy/nuts at one of those portable carts out in front of CCI,,, on my way to Carolina Park. That´s how I met her.

I´ve greeted and visited and prayed with her Mom on occasion as I passed by with the gang of other kids either from the Iñaquito market, or Joaquin´s kids on our way to have some fun. I had the chance to gift them a Bible once,, according to God´s leading.

Ximena was working the cart alone yesterday. Haven´t seen her Mom in quite some time (as I´ve been traveling a fair amount, too). So instead of going to the park to play,, I sat to talk with her about whatever was on her mind, figure out how Psalm 124 last verse (she picked it) had to do with any of it, and pretty much just keep her company. She ended up teaching me about GRACE and PRAISE.

You see, I´m a bit of a clutz on occasion,, and managed to knock over a whole tray of dried lima beans that she was selling. Yep,,, all over the sidewalk. I gave her the $5 I had in my pocket, but I think they were worth at least $8. She told me I shouldn´t worry one bit, that moreover she should be the one so grateful to me for having gifted her that Bible that has just saved her life. And that was GRACE. (A TON of folks stopped at her stand after that, and more than made up the loss on that tray, by the way --- she was grinning at me as she pointed that out.)

And as we talked about her parents going back and forth about wanting to know Christ, and some of her beloved family members maybe leaving the house, and that helpless and worried feeling you get when you think that maybe we´re not all ready just yet for Jesus to come... and as she traveled an hour with a portable cart and all that food and set it up on the sidewalk for sales all on her own, and even though her supposed friend had managed to dump a whole tray, all of a sudden, in the middle of it all she started talking about how wonderful God was, and she didn´t know what she´d do without Him, and she loved to go to Church and hadn´t gone for a while but she was going to try harder again now, and her face softened and she was beautiful inside and out ... that I saw PRAISE.

Did I tell you she´s 10?

Michelle