When one meets people who suffer, a lot of things can awaken in them. God touches each and every one of us in his own way with a special message for each of us.
These are the gifts we can only accept when we are open. Such pearls are often given to us so that we can share them with others.
I wrote about our Brazilian friend Regaine in the previous post, but this time I’ll share her own words with you.
Namely, Regaine has decided to share with us some of the things God uses to speak to her when she’s visiting disadvantaged families in one of the poorest parts of Sao Paulo.
Here’s what she wrote:
I met Silva and Nace for the first time when they were visiting my home. They came along with Giovanni, because I invited them to give a blessing to the apartment where I recently moved with my husband Rodrigo.
A few days later, I joined them and a group of volunteers (including my mother, who has been involved in volunteer work for a long time) as they visited two people with cancer. For me, this was the first such experience.
At that point they invited me to accompany them together with various groups of volunteers on the following visits. I accepted the invitation with an open heart, since I already knew that this would help me in many ways; with new experiences and also spiritually.
The following visits were no different. With each of these visits and with each new experience I grew slightly. At the same time, I recalled at the moments in the past when I was ungrateful to God and complained about my unemployment, even though my problems cannot be compared at all with the difficulties of these people.
One such example was meeting Ina. Before I met her in person, I met her “on paper”, when Silva and Nace asked me to translate a letter she wrote about her life. She wrote about how the illness took away her beloved ones, one by one.
When I met her in person, I flashed back on the things I read in the letter. We were first greeted by Ina and then her old mother who lives with her. And then we met Fabio.
The room stretched of urine. Fabio was lying on the floor, tossing and turning on the mattress.
Ina shared more of her life story with us. It was sad and painful to listen to her experiences on the exact spot where everything has actually been happening.
Imagine how wonderful your life starts to be and then suddenly everything starts to collapse.
Nevertheless, Ina remains strong and grateful, which is for me personally a wonderful example. Although with a heavy heart, I thought that God really never gives us more burdens than we can carry.
Ina explained how much she wants a wheelchair for Fabio to be able to take him on fresh air.
It may seem simple, but without the help of the state and with only a small pension, which is smaller than the minimum wage in Brazil, this is practically impossible. As a Brazilian, I can assure you that.
And Ina still worries. Now also for her grandson. It’s hard to imagine how great this suffering must be.
I can see how her suffering fills me up personally. God paves the path for us on which we walk against all the trials.
Ina’s life example tells me that God never quits and always gives us gifts so we can insist and believe in ourselves.
God has always provided me with what I wanted or needed, but in his own way.
This is becoming even clearer to me now, when I visit families and people who have experienced difficult trials. I can see that what’s little for me is vital for somebody else.
I can see how her suffering fills me up personally. God paves the path for us on which we walk against all the trials.
Ina’s life example tells me that God never quits and always gives us gifts so we can insist and believe in ourselves.
God has always provided me with what I wanted or needed, but in his own way.
In these simple examples, God teaches us the values when we make new friendships, learn new things, or give our time to another person.
Now with even greater faith I can say to God: “Lord, thank you for everything you have given me. May your will be done in my life!”
I would like to share my recognitions with others. God is good – always!
Regaine Santos
