“For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways...”
Psalm
91:11
One
of the first shantytowns where we introduced our TLCCM children’s program was
in Colonia Cerro Colorado #2, in Tijuana. It sits high on a hill. A single lane dirt road was the only way up
and down the hill. For a few years a local pastor gave us access to his church
to hold our weekly children’s services. His church was at the bottom of the
hill. After our church service we fed the kids sandwiches and juice and gave
them groceries to bring back to their families. Because our weekly service was
on Friday, the kids needed to get to school. The school was at the top of the
hill. As soon as they kids finished eating, Roger would load up the van with as
many as 25 kids inside, not necessarily legal, but effective. The bigger
kids would stand upright one next to the other at the back of the van, and the
smallest ones would sit on the benches. School bags would be stacked under the
little one’s feet. Sometimes he would have to make two trips up the hill to get
them all to school on time. Afterwards, while I got our stuff packed up to go
home, Roger would make another trip up the hill to take the moms home along
with the bags of groceries the kids had received. On one occasion, we had two
ladies from San Diego who came with us. They had come with us on numerous occasions.
They enjoyed the kids singing and they loved to help give out groceries. For
safety reasons, we always left our purses and passports in the van, which was kept
locked. But, one day, one of the ladies forgot to properly close the passenger side
door. Roger locked the van, without noticing that the side door had remained partially
opened. Our purses were in full view of anyone passing by. Meanwhile, we had our worship
time and bible study lesson with the children. About 45 minutes later as I went
outside to retrieve the sandwiches we had for kids, I noticed a clean-cut
older man sitting on the bumper of an old, abandoned car. He was facing the side of our van. He smiled
and lifting his hand he said: “Hermana, did you know that the side door
of your van is open.” Panic immediately filled my heart as I rushed to
the side of the van. To my great surprise our three purses were still sitting
on the floor of the van, just the way we had left them. I stared at this man in
what I would say was a mixture of shock and amazement. He smiled and
said: “I have been sitting here watching your van, making sure nobody
would steal your purses.” I
looked at him in complete disbelief and said, “thank you”. I turned around and
walked back towards the church. I called
Roger, so he could come and meet the man sitting on the bumper. Within a few
seconds, we were back outside, but the man was gone. We looked down the dirt
road to see if he was possibly walking back home, But no. He was just gone. I
had never seen that old man before and I never saw him again. In Tijuana, most
older men are poorly dressed, and they also are not usually clean looking. Because
of the emotions and knowing I had just been in the presence of an angelic
being, I had to lean on Roger’s arm because suddenly, I felt like my knees were
going to buckle under me. Looking at each other we realized the Lord had sent
an angel to keep watch over our van and possessions while we ministered His
Word inside that tiny little church. Robbery is a common occurrence in the
shantytowns. Vehicle doors and windows must be locked otherwise stuff quickly disappears.
The Lord’s hand of mercy for us that day was extremely precious. His
faithfulness is beyond understanding, absolutely beyond understanding! My version of Psalms 91:11 for that day was: “For He commanded His angel concerning Roger & Denise, to guard them
in all of their ways.”
This angelic encounter happened to me, and it can also
happen to you. That is why it is important to remember Hebrews 13:2: “Do
not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have
shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
Denise
