by Scott Moore
NASHVILLE, TN
Have you ever had a dream in which people from various places and times of your life are woven together into a magical story that makes sense to the subconscious but seems impossible when you wake? I have lived this waking dream.
This is my seventh trip to Guatemala. On each trip, I have returned home with countless stories of beauty and need, wealth and poverty, sorrow and joy, brokenness and restoration. I am blessed to be able to continue relationships with people who I met on our first trip to Guatemala back in 2005. These people are like family to me now. I am also blessed to have been able to come to know many people like Shorty and Tita that God is using to restore the broken here in Guatemala. I have had the honor of hearing and sharing their stories. The other day, several stories crossed paths in a way that only an omniscient author could have penned.
We were near the dump looking for Maria – the Doll Lady. She was not home, so we drove around the corner to meet with a family that needed a wheelchair for their son. We knocked on a few doors asking neighbors for the specific address. When we finally found the home and went inside, I noticed a plaque on the wall that said “… build by the Potters House”. I was thrilled to see a family near the dump thriving in a home built by this organization that is an integral part of ‘Reparando’. As Joel discussed the situation with the mother, I realized that both the wheelchair which was in need of repair, and the new wheelchair, which would be coming to this precious family were given by none other than Dick Rutgers – a man who is also a part of the ‘Reparando’ project. Dick lives in Chimaltegango, a long ways away from this quaint home near the dump in Guatemala City. For a moment, I felt like I was in a surreal dream with characters of my life coming together in a way only the subconscious could imagine. But then Joel explained that he heard of the need and connected these two stories together in order to bring restoration and hope to a family in need. I was struck in awe by the purposeful and yet selfless networking that orchestrated the union of characters in this beautiful story of redemption.
As we drove back around the corner and up the street to leave the neighborhood, I noticed Maria – the Doll lady’s grandson walking across the street. We stopped him to try to locate Maria. He took us to her and we were able to personally thank her for the blessing of the metaphor of redemption that her life’s work brings the story of ‘Reparando’. I cannot explain the joy that we all felt except to say we all had the same sparkle in our eyes. We all knew our own stories have been authored by a God who designed each of us for a purpose – a purpose that is greater when woven together into a collaborative narrative as trophies of God’s Grace.
I will no longer be surprised when characters and stories in my life cross paths. In fact, I have come to expect it. I look forward to life’s waking dream that makes no sense to my conscious mind but has a purpose much greater than I will ever know.
Happy Thanksgiving!