One of the appointments God had for me this morning was with Marlo. I met him in the park at Main and Mangum, the park where we have our Wednesday Bible meetings. He was sitting alone at one of the picnic tables reading a Spanish newspaper. As I greeted him, he seemed a little surprised, but seemed to welcome the interruption. Marlo is from Brazil. He came to the US about two years ago with several members of his family. They tried unsuccessfully to find work and soon became discouraged and returned to Brazil–that is, everyone but Marlo. He has a dream of making a better life for himself in America and wasn’t willing to give up that dream until now. He has become disheartened and feels on the verge of giving up. He said to me, "La vida es muy difícil para mí ahora [Life is very hard for me now]." He has no job, no friends, and very little hope. I assured Marlo that there is always hope in Christ and that we wanted to be his friends.
As I assured Marlo of God’s love for him and that God has a plan and purpose for his life, it was obvious that the Holy Spirit was speaking to his heart. I offered to pray with him and he was eager for me to do so. He gripped my hand and agreed with me in prayer. I then called my friend, Mainor, and put him on the line with Marlo to encourage him and speak some wisdom into his life as a fellow-immigrant.
I invited Marlo to Meet Me at the Bridge tomorrow and he assured me that he would be there. I will help link him with some Spanish-speaking brothers who can strengthen him in his walk with the Lord. Just after leaving Marlo, I received a call from Antonio, my friends from Mexico, asking if I could meet him in the Market Square and pray with him. I will meet him, pray with him, then hook him up with Marlo. God is good!
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