“Take
delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 37:4
After being in ministry for almost thirty years, there are
still many occasions when a specific situation takes me by surprise. And indeed,
this case qualifies as one of those emotional, pleasant and unexpected
situations.
TLCCM has the privilege to sponsor a children’s bible house
group in a shantytown which is at least fifty minutes from the local church. On
Saturdays, in Tijuana, it is common to see street markets everywhere in the
various shantytowns. It is a time where the local people can do some shopping
for various items including fresh fruits and vegetables. These markets on held
on the side of the streets or sometimes on the streets, making it difficult for
traffic to circulate in a timely fashion. Because the children’s bible study is
on Saturday, getting to this specific location is challenging. It often takes us over
one hour to reach that destination. Many of the children that attend come from
single parent households and would not be able to attend a regular church.
Each time I am in Tijuana, I go for a visit. In January 2020 was no exception. I
absolutely enjoy my time with this group of children. I always do something
special with them and I also bring blessings for them.
In
January, I woke up early on the Saturday morning and I decided to bake a slab cake for the children of the house group that we planned to visit later that afternoon. I often surprise the kids
with homemade cakes or cup cakes that I cover with a thick layer of icing and
lots of candied sparkles. I never had a child tell me they did not want a piece of cake.
Upon
arriving at the location, I got out of the pick-up and pastor Jorge handed me
the cake to take to the ladies in the kitchen. I barely made a few steps
towards the kitchen when I heard a little girl say: “Hermana is this cake
for me?”. I turned around and noticed that I did not know this little
girl, but she was obliviously talking to me. Apparently, this was only her
second time attending our weekly bible study. I
smile and said: “Well sweetheart the cake is for everyone.” But my
answer was not to her satisfaction. She replied: “But, this cake is for
me, it was my birthday this week and I did not get a cake, so, this one is for
me, right?” Looking at this pretty
little girl that was believing with all of her heart that this cake was “her cake” made my eyes
filled with tears. My
answer to her was: “Precious, absolutely this cake is for you, but we
will have to share it with the other children. Is that good with you?” “Oh! yes” she said, and she ran
into the classroom happy as a little bird on a nice spring day.
With
my heart still full of emotions, I brought the cake in the kitchen. I explained
to the ladies and to pastor Rosa what had just happened outside. Immediately, love
and compassion fell on everyone and without saying a word, we all knew what to
do. I went into the classroom to spend time with the kids. Once in the classroom, I
learned that my birthday girl’s name was Lesly. Meanwhile, pastor Rosa went to
the little store next door to buy some candles. Usually, the ladies would have
cut the cake and placed them on little paper plates, to then serve to the kids
after they finished their meal, but not today. The cake stayed on the
counter. Like
every other Saturday, after the bible lesson, the kids ate a good meal. Lesly,
ate her meal and did not ask again about “her cake”. In her mind, it was already
settled, the cake I brought was her birthday cake.
The simple faith of a
child is always a reminder to us adults that the Lord loves this type of simple
faith. In
Matthew 18:3-4, Jesus said: “Truly I tell
you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven. !Amen!
While
some of the older kids picked up the empty plates and glasses, in the kitchen
the ladies were putting candles on the cake. Then, pastora Rosa came in with “Lesly's cake” and all the kids started to sing Happy Birthday. I stood at the
back of the room and took pictures with tears coming down my cheeks. Lesly’s
face radiated with joy. It was easy to see this little girl was feeling loved.
The other children instantly turned the occasion into a birthday celebration.
Afterwards,
talking with her I learned that she did not go to school. Her single mom has to
work and cannot afford a babysitter, so Lesly stays home to watch her younger
brother and sister. She enjoys coming to the bible study because this is the
only time during the week that she gets to spend time with other children her
own age. It is really the only time during the week that she gets to be a
little girl.
Before
the kids went home, we gave them their monthly bag of groceries. Lesly was so
happy to get her supplies. Again, this was a blessing
she had never experienced.
This
little girl needed a special touch from heaven and the Lord in His mercy made
that happened. When I baked “her” cake earlier that day, I did not realize how
much of a blessing it would bring to this precious child.
Over
the last 29 years, I have made hundreds of cakes for the kids in our TLCCM
program. The kids are always happy to see me arrive with a cake or cup cakes
for all of them. But, I must admit that Lesly’s and “her” birthday cake have a
special place in my heart.
Sometimes
we do things that seems insignificant to us, but nothing is insignificant to
the Lord. He often turns our insignificant things into a blessing for someone
else, for someone that really needs a special blessing. Once
more, this situation showed me that the Lord takes all of what we do for others
and He turns them into special blessings for those who need it the most. Nothing
we do for others is insignificant in His eyes.
Later
on that day, as I sat enjoying a cup of tea, I was grateful for the opportunity
to have been part of God’s plan to bless Lesly. I am told by my leaders that she never misses Saturday bible study.
Denise
All scriptures taken from the New International Version
unless otherwise specified.
