There’s a little old man who goes to Cristo Pobre. His name is Rafael Torres Rivera. He’s disabled and only has one leg (his other leg was amputated above the knee). Some of the patrons of Cristo Pobre don’t like him very much. Oftentimes homeless people have a strong body odor, and because of his severe disability, I don’t think Rafael is able to take showers very easily — Cristo Pobre does have showers, but Rafael needs two crutches to stay upright, and it’s difficult for him to get around let alone hobble into a slippery shower. He also has geriatric-type accidents from time to time. Our teammate Kayla was very sweet and cleaned up when he had an accident one day after lunch. She has a heart for elderly people, and it was so touching to see her take such good care of Rafael.
Although Rafael is somewhat of an outcast, he still comes to Cristo Pobre almost every day for food and clean clothes. Our first week there, our squad leader Bethany spoke to him about Jesus. He’d never heard the Gospel before, so Bethany took him through the entire story of Jesus: His birth, His life, His crucifixion, and even the Ascension. He didn’t seem too sure about this Jesus person. 🙂 But he listened intently to everything Bethany explained and was engaging in their conversation.
All the girls did a fantastic job at Cristo Pobre. They were great about chatting to all the people who came in, but I noticed them taking turns sitting with Rafael, talking to him and giving him some much-needed attention. The last day, as we were getting ready to leave, I felt Holy Spirit nudge me to ask Rafael if he had decided whether or not he was ready to accept Jesus in his heart. Kayla and I were THRILLED to hear him say YES.
After we prayed with him, I told Rafael that if he ever needed anything — if he ever needed help or was scared or fet lonely — that he could pray and call on Jesus to help him. Then, without any prompting by me whatsoever, Rafael said: “Because Jesus is Lord?”
Kayla and I both smiled. “Yes, that’s right,” I said. “Jesus is Lord.”
NOTE: For those who may not realize it, this is HUGE. We didn’t tell Rafael to say “Jesus is Lord” — he said it all on his own. The Apostle Paul said to the people of Corinth: “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). So for Rafael to say “Jesus is Lord” all on his own, without even having read the Bible, is very encouraging. And although I’ll probably never see him again in this lifetime, I believe that response truly was prompted by Holy Spirit, that it was God’s way of letting us know that we’ll be seeing him on the other side one day — that Rafael Torres Rivera is no longer a new friend but our brother in Christ.
Welcome to the family, Rafael. Jesus loves you. 🙂
Praise God forever and ever. May His name be blessed for His ways are perfect and true. Amen.
I will be your God throughout your lifetime, until your hair is white with age. I made you. I will carry you along and save you. -Isaiah 46:4
