-by Jane McEwen
The steps are worn, steep, with no handrail. At the bottom they are surrounded with many pairs of flip-flops. Over the years, the porch at the top has been enclosed leaving an airy, cheerful, inviting room for guests. On my first visit I found a room of women and children seated on the floor. On the wall hung a stuffed bear and a plaque with the first verse of Psalm 23. As I meet the lady of the house, Alda,I discovered someone with a love for the Lord. Always willing to welcome others this day would be the beginning of a friendship that will carry us to eternity.
Our lives are very different. Alda is in her 50’s, married, the mother of numerous children, and the grandmother of even more. She is known in the community as a strong, courageous, willful lady. She is loved and respected by her children. They know her words to be meaningful and they honor her requests. I found her to be guarded until we discovered our mutual love and trust of the Lord. She lives in a village on the northern bank of the Solimoes River on the island of Chameleon south of the equator, in the country of Brazil.
Me, I’m 72, a widow, Bible study teacher, mother of 2 sons, grandmother to 15. I live in a house in a neighborhood of Gainesville, Florida. I attend a nearby church for worship, fellowship and encouragement. I love the Lord, and I desire a closer relationship with Him. I have traveled to Brazil 6 times since the summer of 2014. It was on my second trip that I met Alda.
That first February day when I climbed the ladder into her home and looking up saw the stuffed bear hanging on the wall above me, I knew the day would be very special. My Bear had gone home to Jesus just over a year before but this stuffed bear reminded me of his heart’s desire to share Him with the world. I would begin that day to share that love in the way that God had prepared for me.
It was a difficult day. I had been asked to teach a lesson on prayer. What I found was that knowing the Lord and living for Him required a foundation that wasn’t available to all. As I stood to speak I was looking at a group of Ticuna ladies, some of whom did not understand the Portuguese that my translator was speaking. What I thought was rudeness in constant talking, turned out to be friend translating for friend into the Ticuna dialect. First Lesson: Just because someone knows the Lord, doesn’t mean she knows how to draw closer to Him.
I left Alda’s home that day with a broken heart. I had failed. How was I supposed to encourage and love these ladies with whom I couldn’t communicate?
Over the next few months as I pondered returning to the River, I kept coming back to the challenge of sharing with someone who couldn’t understand what I was trying to communicate.
On our next visit I was in a hurry to visit Alda. As always she greeted us with a warm smile. This time it was just me, a fellow team member and our interpreter. We asked about her Bible. Did she read it? She quickly returned from her bedroom with a Bible as pristine as the day we had given it. It had not been opened. In that moment I understood. Alda couldn’t read. God’s Word was a closed gift to her.
I learned that morning that she talked to God all day. Her prayers must have been like a waterfall, a constant flooding of her thoughts into His heart. She spoke with great joy of her love for the Lord and her concern for her family to know Him. We spoke of how to reach out to Him but I was hugely frustrated as I spoke realizing that my way of daily worship wouldn’t work for her. She simply could not open the Word.
For months after that day I searched for answers. As a teacher I knew that there must be a way to meet that need. It wasn’t until a good friend told me about The Messengers from InTouch Ministries Messenger Lab that I began to hope. These little devices, smaller than most cell phones, speak the Scriptures in the person’s native tongue. They are both solar powered and rechargeable like your cell phone.
I wish that I had a video of the day that Renata, my interpreter and I went to visit her shortly after arriving for our week in her village. She was delighted to see us giving us a warm, heartfelt welcome. We sat down to talk, she on the floor with Renata, and me in a nearby chair. We talked about family and daily life. I shared with her some truths from our lessons but finally as I reached into my bag, I said ‘My friend, I have something for you.’ As I pulled the plastic bag holding the Messenger into view, a huge grin spread over her face and her eyes lite up. She knew exactly what it was! A friend from a nearby village had recently visited and had charged his device while visiting. She sat quietly beside Renata as all the buttons were explained, trying each of them out as instructions were given.
On that day, I understood the power and might of God’s Word. When it fills our heart and mind and soul, it gives us joy, unending joy. Over the months before my return this year I prayed for that little machine to work each and every time it was used. I prayed that it wouldn’t get wet, that it would speak into her heart.
In June we returned for just one day to the village of Sao Jose. The entire village was underwater. The only way to move about was by boat. My impatience was coloring my every thought. Finally we piled into the boat and set out to visit those whose lives we had especially touched in the previous three years. We had left thinking that we would never return but circumstances allowed us one day. When we finally arrived at Alda’s her greeting was warm, her hug was genuine and long and the grin on her face filled the room. I shared pictures of the two of us from our past visits. She grinned.
Then our conversation turned to how her life was going. We talked of God and her relationship with Him. Underlying all my questions was a fear that the little Messenger might not still be working. I finally asked her about it and she hurried from the room. When she came back she showed us how when she naps in her hammock in the afternoons she wraps the strap around her wrist and lays back so that she can listen. She even plays it when she’s cleaning her house.
So what lessons have I learned from my friendship with this lovely lady? God’s love saturates the atmosphere. We are filled with it. It bubbles over. Instead of mopping it up, we need to let it flow. We are called to share His love but we are also called to encourage, to teach, to demonstrate it. There is nothing stopping us except our own fears. God is with us. God is in us. God will carry us. Alda basks in God’s love and her love for Him motivates me to conquer my fears and to share.