Darwin and Jayson

I know, I know...its been a few days since my last update.  I've been keeping busy this past week with the crew from Cristo Salva.  In the mornings I've been working at the school and then after school joining with Cristo Salva in whatever ministry they're doing.  

Probably my highlight of the week was just this past Sunday with a routine stop at Cafe Rey...

On Sunday we stopped by Cafe Rey for our usual cup of coffee and snacks.  When we arrived there were two boys selling hammocks, just kind of hanging around the restaurant.  We went up to them and asked if they wanted anything to eat...and of course they did!  :)  So we brought them up to the counter to order and Johnny, the restaurant owner served them up two big plates of food.  Since it's a normal stop for us, I know the normal size of the servings of food...there must have been at least three times the amount of food on each plate.  Their eyes just glimmered when they saw the big plates of food in front of them!  And I'm thankful for Johnny and his generosity as well!  The boys ate their fill and then them wrap up their leftovers to bring home.  We talked with the boys as they enjoyed their yucca and chicharron (fried pig skin) and we enjoyed our coffee.  They told us about their lives, their grandmother makes the hammocks and they go out and sell them for her...they need to sell two a day.  Two people from our group bought hammocks from them, it was a good day at work for them!  :)  Their names were Darwin and Jayson, Darwin is 12 and Jayson 13 and they are cousins.  Jayson is still in school, he's in the 5th grade, Darwin stopped going when he got up to the 4th grade.

Carol had me translate for her and she wanted me to tell them that God sent us to the coffee shop that day so we would meet them.  Darwin smiled big and said he knew that God sent us, they were just about the leave when we asked if they wanted something to eat.  Before we parted ways we asked if we could pray for them and with that same big smile Darwin said he would love that and we gathered around those two boys and prayed for them. 

Darwin had a little red string that he had the hammocks strung together with...after playing with the rope for a while he broke it into a few little pieces.  He tied one of the pieces to my watch...I still have it tied there.  It will serve as a reminder to pray for them, and those around the country who will struggle to sell hammocks, struggle to find food and struggle to live.

Maybe I'll never see them again, but they've made an impact on my life.