We meet Yadira’s family about two years ago. They were one of the first homes that we placed the Solarbag into, and one of the first people we met who when we asked if she would like us to have a Bible Study with her and her family, she heartily replied, “Si”.
You have heard about Yadira and her family in other blogs, and you have seen pictures of her and her family on Facebook and in our newsletters. She is a woman who will turn 50 in 3 months, but she looks much older due to a hard life and difficult relationships. She and her family have trusted us with very personal stuff, and they have expressed such delight and trust as we talk with them about what it is to live a life of faith in Jesus.
One thing that stands out about them and has touched my heart is that when we talk with them about depending on Jesus in difficult situations, I know that they are really living that. I have so much to learn from them about faith and what it means when there is nowhere else to turn, and when the struggles are still so real, that Jesus is the only answer. Even writing this, I realize that I do not completely get this, and honestly I don’t want to have to get it, but they live this.
They have stayed true to God in broken relationships, in abuse, in alcohol related problems, in poverty, in death, tears, and the fears that come and overwhelm in the middle of the night.
We love this family for all these reasons, which is one of the things that made last Friday difficult. We knew that we would be sharing news with them that would cause separation. To make matters worse, as we sat down in the preschool chairs in their dirt front yard, we watched as the local bus hit and killed their dog. The responses were ambivalence to curiosity; a response that is common in a life that is hard.
We told them the news of our departure from Granada, and they were visibly sad. Then they proceeded to tell us what they have appreciated about our friendship, and how God is helping them in their situations. It is hard to explain how people with so little can be such an encouragement to those of us with so much.
This is one step in this season of goodbyes. It is a time of sadness and blessing!