This is Francisca. She lives in Amatitlan directly across from the outdoor concrete basketball court where we provide our children and adults ministry programs every Thursday. I met her last fall as she helped lead the recreation activities at vacation Bible school. She always greets me with a huge hug and genuinely warm smile. I've loved her from day 1.
Almost every day we pack some bread and peanut butter to make sandwiches for lunch. Nearly every Thursday morning we park at Francisca's house and greet her, and later we return to her house to eat lunch where we're out of the wind and blowing dust. Each time, she has food ready for us. And each time we show her that we already have lunch and we nicely try to keep her from giving away the little bit of food she has. She's a widow that has 2 young adult daughters (in their 20s?). One is named Ingrid, and I'm quite fond of her and her 2 yr old Otoniel, especially since her husband committed suicide last Nov.
On Thur Feb 12th, Francisca offered us beans, rice and tortillas to go along with our PB sandwiches. She stubbornly declares that we are her family and it is a blessing for her to share her food with us. A day or two later she finally has an appointment to have a painful tooth removed. The dentist gave her a prescription for an antibiotic 3 times a day. She only has enough $ for 5 pills (which would cover less than 2 days). 4 days after her last dose of antibiotics, we arrive for our weekly Thursday gathering. She slowly answered the door, her face was somber and swollen. She was obviously in agony from what appeared to be a bad dental infection. If she had not of fed us last week, she may have had the money to buy the required antibiotics. Our hearts broke for her. We prayed for her and then advised her to lie down. We told her we would do all that we could to find medicine to help her. A few calls were made to the US to determine what medicine would be best (since none of us knew anything about dental stuff). Ultimately my mom contacted her dentist and he gave me 3 options. 4 pharmacies later, I found one that had one of the antibiotics that was suggested. I knew I had put a 100Q bill in my pocket that morning...more than I would usually carry. When I pulled it out, I found there was a 2nd 100Q bill folded inside my first 100Q bill. I have no recollection of doing this, but I'm sure God had this planned out all along.
We happily and quickly returned around lunch time to give Francisca the antibiotics and some Advil that we had in our backpack. As we sat inside her house and began to make PB sandwiches, she bought out a dozen boiled eggs, some beans, and Ingrid came in with some fresh hot tortillas that she had just purchased. A dozen eggs would last her family for several days, yet once again she insisted on serving us, even though she was in obvious agony. No doubt if it had been me, I'd have been in bed. But not Francisca....not this precious woman who serves with all she has.
By the way, just 2 hr later, she was obviously feeling better. One week later, she was her jolly, loving, smiling self and couldn't stop thanking us and the Lord for His unending provision and blessings. What a woman! What a God we serve!
Almost every day we pack some bread and peanut butter to make sandwiches for lunch. Nearly every Thursday morning we park at Francisca's house and greet her, and later we return to her house to eat lunch where we're out of the wind and blowing dust. Each time, she has food ready for us. And each time we show her that we already have lunch and we nicely try to keep her from giving away the little bit of food she has. She's a widow that has 2 young adult daughters (in their 20s?). One is named Ingrid, and I'm quite fond of her and her 2 yr old Otoniel, especially since her husband committed suicide last Nov.
On Thur Feb 12th, Francisca offered us beans, rice and tortillas to go along with our PB sandwiches. She stubbornly declares that we are her family and it is a blessing for her to share her food with us. A day or two later she finally has an appointment to have a painful tooth removed. The dentist gave her a prescription for an antibiotic 3 times a day. She only has enough $ for 5 pills (which would cover less than 2 days). 4 days after her last dose of antibiotics, we arrive for our weekly Thursday gathering. She slowly answered the door, her face was somber and swollen. She was obviously in agony from what appeared to be a bad dental infection. If she had not of fed us last week, she may have had the money to buy the required antibiotics. Our hearts broke for her. We prayed for her and then advised her to lie down. We told her we would do all that we could to find medicine to help her. A few calls were made to the US to determine what medicine would be best (since none of us knew anything about dental stuff). Ultimately my mom contacted her dentist and he gave me 3 options. 4 pharmacies later, I found one that had one of the antibiotics that was suggested. I knew I had put a 100Q bill in my pocket that morning...more than I would usually carry. When I pulled it out, I found there was a 2nd 100Q bill folded inside my first 100Q bill. I have no recollection of doing this, but I'm sure God had this planned out all along.
We happily and quickly returned around lunch time to give Francisca the antibiotics and some Advil that we had in our backpack. As we sat inside her house and began to make PB sandwiches, she bought out a dozen boiled eggs, some beans, and Ingrid came in with some fresh hot tortillas that she had just purchased. A dozen eggs would last her family for several days, yet once again she insisted on serving us, even though she was in obvious agony. No doubt if it had been me, I'd have been in bed. But not Francisca....not this precious woman who serves with all she has.
By the way, just 2 hr later, she was obviously feeling better. One week later, she was her jolly, loving, smiling self and couldn't stop thanking us and the Lord for His unending provision and blessings. What a woman! What a God we serve!
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