Tour of Life

 The beggar, who is crippled of legs.

Prior to leaving for the Philippines last June, God’s Holy Spirit put on my heart, a certain lame beggar,

I have known of since 1987, bringing to my mind several times for no apparent reason, a strong desire to see him and share the Lord. This was a very intense feeling because I sensed the urgency of it to share with him face-to-face.

I knew literally nothing about this man. I did not know his name I did not know his language, literally I knew nothing about him but that he was gentle and easy to approach. In the first week of our being there Jim and I found him. I had brought a tract to give him, and to my joy he started reading it! The tract had the two hearts and he looked up and said aloud, “I have a good heart." I was shocked as I didn’t know he could speak. I took my sunglasses off and bent down low enough for him to look into my eyes and to see if he recognized me. Yes indeed he did and made sounds of delight! However the most important purpose still lay ahead. We had to arrange a meeting with our staff pastor and the beggar, so that the pastor could explain the offer of forgiveness and the gift of salvation!. I wanted to have the assurance that Leonardo would be in heaven at the end of his days.

Everything in Scripture points to the love of God for the individual. God is interested in the individual. He is not impressed with our education, the way we look for the pedigree that we come from, but God is interested in our heart and how we respond to him.

Indeed it says in the Bible when one sinner repents the angels in heaven rejoice. That is the act of one. Jim and I looked for this man every day, first in the morning hours and then later in the afternoon hours up and down the street and could find him nowhere. The following day we did the same, pursuing where we thought he might go to have the most foot traffic.We were very diligent to go out into the town and scour the different blocks looking for him with great intent all to know if we would find him before we had to leave.

I could not know what the days ahead would bring for my friend, Leonardo but August 10th, I heard from our Office Manager in the Philippines that our pastor had found Leonardo! He shared the gospel with him, he listened and then prayed to receive Christ!

It really is the love of God that reaches out to find a lost soul, comforts them with his grace and makes provision for them to Himself. Is this not why we love the Lord? He is all about the individual. Even when that individual is not presentable, has not eaten food in several days and is not eloquent of speech, God is waiting for such, that the man would simply call out to God for help and God hears him! “ This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I John 4:10

“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,

    nor his delight in the legs of the man;

the Lord delights in those who fear him,

    Psalms 147

Me giving Leonardo the tract in June

Leonardo Praying with our PTA Pastor last week! Praise God!