Sometimes open doors look more like walls.
Our adventure began almost three weeks ago, with plans to spend two weeks in the neighbouring state of Chihuahua, following up on a number of opportunities that had presented themselves from a previous trip to this area last November. God has been opening doors with new churches and new pastors primarily through alumni from that area and we made the trip, Guillermo, my coworker and I, together with another alumni here from the area who decided to tag along just a couple of days before departure. Our plan was to connect with some of the churches we had visited previously, taking advantage of some conferences and church-alliance meetings to present CEC as well as making new connections.
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| Our "CEC" vehicle as it crosses through a mountain range that borders Sonora and Chihuahua - scenery that is very different from that in San Carlos...a welcome, brief change. |
Our adventures took a turn of their own on the very first day as my coworker, Guillermo, already began to feel off. This led to an emergency room visit that very first night, where he was diagnosed with an infection and given antibiotics to treat it. To make a longer story short, he kept dealing with various symptoms on and off through the days that followed to the point where a pastor couple at one of the pastor's alliance meetings that we attended arranged for him to have a checkup with a specialist that same day, to diagnose more accurately what was going on. In the end, they were a God-send, us being in a foreign city trying to navigate as best we could these health issues. It was at this appointment that the specialist based on what he was seeing, urged immediate hospitalization. As it turned out, the infection that Guillermo had been dealing with was more serious than originally diagnosed and this began a ten-day journey of trying different antibiotics and treatments that finally starting showing favourable results several days in.
Our plans? Well, the first evidence of God's providence came in the fact that Manuel, the alumni who joined us on this trip last minute, had, in fact, joined us on this trip. He became an even more valuable asset as he could accompany me on our previously arranged engagements while Guillermo was either resting or during the time when he was hospitalized (and his wife Carmen, who had come later to assist Guillermo). Manuel shared on a number of occasions about his own experiences at CEC and how it had helped him in the church plant that he has been pastoring now for a number of years. I'm not sure how we would have done it if he had not been along with us to help navigate all that came up during this time.
Our Hospital Stay
I could say, one one hand, that in spite of these unexpected circumstances, we were still able to complete most of our previously made engagements, thanks to someone like Manuel who was able to assist in Guillermo's absence, but this wouldn't capture the full picture. It wasn't just in spite of these circumstances but actually because of them, we were able to make more and to make much more meaningful connections than we would have been able to make otherwise.
The couple I mentioned earlier, Luis and Monica, are pastors of a small and growing church that meets in their Christian book store Bendiciones, or "Blessings." They were in fact a huge blessing in many, many ways, making and paying for that initial appointment, and as well as connecting us with a number of different people in the area (not to mention bringing us food almost daily, offering their home to stay in, blessing us with books and resources as we left, among other things). The hospital we were at was not cheap, to say the least, but it was there that Guillermo was receiving the care that he needed, especially considering how complicated this situation ended up becoming due to his medical condition. Within a couple of days of being there, wondering how the bill was going to be paid, Guillermo and Carmen were receiving donations from people whom they had never met - pastors in the area who had heard about their situation and were not only praying for them but also helping financially to cover the significant hospitalization costs. Our final full day in Chihuahua, this couple, Luis and Monica, even arranged for a 15 minute Christian radio interview for myself regarding CEC - an opportunity to get the word out to a far greater audience that we could have imagined when we first set out.
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| Monica and her husband Luis, one of the many new connections we made in Chihuahua |
We experienced God's faithfulness and His provisions in many, many ways. For Guillermo specifically, as he sat patiently in his hospital room for those ten, at times, long days, he spoke frequently of experiencing God's goodness and faithfulness. And it was a sense that he felt strongly not just because of the amazing love and support that was shown in so many ways or because of the new opportunities that were coming our way through this experience, but just simply because he sensed so vividly and personally God's goodness and faithfulness. He frequently shared how God is always good and faithful - we just don't often realize it and it takes circumstances like this for us to become more intimately aware of it. And it does not have to do with whether we are sick or well, whether we have all that we need or not - God simply is good and faithful at all times, no matter what happens, no matter the outcome. It was because of this, that despite the discouraging lack of advancement that we saw at times, Guillermo was more and more convinced of God's faithfulness throughout this whole process.
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| One of several rainbows out of the hospital window following one of the many days of rain that we enjoyed during our stay in Chihuahua. |
As we look back we can see so many ways in which God shows His love and favour towards us - thank you to the many people who were faithfully praying for Guillermo and his recovery. Thanks also to many who generously helped out to cover the hefty medical costs that have been incurred along the way. But we are also thankful to God and praise Him for how He has used what on the surface might look like a major interruption of our ("good") plans and ideas, to bring about something far better than what we could have (or would have...) planned on our own. "All things work for the good to those who love God" (Rom 8:28) rings so true, and that includes even things such as sickness. What appeared to be a "wall" in the way of our plans turned out to be a doorway far bigger than we could have imagined to bring about more and deeper connections than we could have planned on our own.
It encourages us as we move forward - we know our plans will continue to be "modified" as God sees fit, but we know that He will continue to be faithful and good, no matter how those plans might change. We look forward to an alumni retreat in three weeks - pray for those plans as we prepare for a time of refreshment and encouragement for each one who attends. Once again, thanks for praying for us on this journey and for the support that has come in so many ways. ¡Dios les bendiga a cada uno de ustedes! God bless each one of you!
