A Tapestry is Woven...

Meet Moses and Marissa…an example of God’s tapestry

The week the team from FBC – Cassville/Lone Star – Willard were here, there were some obviously God-ordained encounters. One of those was with a young man named Moses whom several of the team met through a home visit. Linda and Nora made that home visit that morning, with Pastor Manuel, Jim and Hazel (one of the translators). They came back and told us about this man they had met. The ladies said he was married and had a little baby (his wife and baby happened to be at the pastor’s house during this visit). He was out of work and said he desperately needed work in order to take care of his family.

Linda told us a little about Moses…that he had lived in the U.S. for 20+ years and had also spent 3 ½ years in prison for drug charges. He told the ladies that God had changed his life and that he was a believer in Jesus Christ. Linda especially was touched by Moses, his straight-forward manner and how honest he had been in the telling of his failures.

Moses told them that he and his wife had a business in Jinotega (a city up north) but because the economy is so bad here in Nicaragua, they had lost everything. He also felt that he needed to get away from his old environment there. They had moved to Los Cedros in hopes of a new start and had been in their little borrowed house for only a week.

Moses gained a great advocate on his behalf in Linda. She proposed that we hire him to help with the construction of the house. There was no doubt we could use the manpower and muscle and we could help him out at the same time. This was a thread in a tapestry yet to be revealed.

As Linda related their visit with Moses, a light bulb went on in my head. A few weeks earlier, we had been approached by Pastora, the director of the school where we teach and also Pastor Manuel’s wife, and told about a young family who had a baby and needed some milk for her. Pastora said that they had been helping the family by allowing them to stay with them but that they just couldn’t afford to buy more milk. I told her we would meet that need and we brought the milk our next day at the school.

At that time, Pastora told us that there had been some issues with this couple and that she knew that having them in their home wasn’t the best situation. She told us that the young man had a problem with drugs and had been in prison in the U.S. She said he also had a problem with his temper and that she had been told that he had been known to hit his wife when angry. As common as that is here, it still makes my stomach turn every time I hear of it.

Pastora said that she didn’t know what to do but she knew the baby needed milk and shelter and that she was trusting God to provide an answer. She also indicated that the current housing situation was not working for their family and it was causing some strain in her own household. She said he said he wanted work but she wasn’t sure if he meant it or not. Pastora also told us the man was helping Manuel some at the church and some around their house and that his wife was helping to cook at the school in exchange for their room and board at Manuel and Pastora’s.

She continued on for some time about this family and then asked if we would join her in prayer about this. We told her we would. I had remembered she had said his name was Moses and we had seen him a time or two at Pastora’s house – which is right next to the school, but we never actually made contact with him.

When Linda was telling the team about this young man, I realized who she was talking about and where they were living. I did not like the connection…this tapestry thread.

I have to be totally honest here and say my first reaction was that we didn’t need to have him working with the team. All I could think about was what Pastora had shared with us and that it was Jim’s and my responsibility to protect the team. And a large part of that sense of protection came because our grandson was a member of the team. It went against everything in me to put someone who was struggling with a drug habit alongside my twelve year-old grandson. It was going to take a word from God.

Guess Who spoke?

Linda was persistent. I had to get alone to think this through. For as long as I can remember, I have always been someone who stands up for the underdog. And since becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, I am usually very compassionate for those who have made really bad decisions in their lives and want to change. Believe me, that’s not to my credit – that glory goes to God alone who saved this woman who has a litany of her own “really bad decisions”. That’s just one of the things God has given me…a heart for the hurting who are responsible for their own hurt.

But this time, I just wasn’t sure. An argument ensued. Thankfully, it was one in my head to which no one else was privy. I wanted to give Moses an opportunity, I really did. But, I also wanted to protect the team. I wanted to believe this guy’s story the way Linda believed it. But I absolutely wanted to protect my grandson. I wanted to pretend that Jim and I hadn’t had a conversation less than 2 weeks prior with Pastora about this very man. But, some of her words seemed to be on continuous replay. I wanted to extend the grace that had been extended to me. But I wanted to be wise in this decision. I wanted to show Christ with every person I met. But…but…there was no rebuttal to that.

I had a choice to make. Trust in my own ability to protect the team and my grandson or trust God. Believe that God could only make a drastic heart change in me or believe that He is powerful enough to change the heart of any repentant sinner. I hate those kinds of arguments…I always lose. Actually, I suppose I always win…in spite of myself.

So, we decided to bring Moses on for a day and see how he worked out. I talked with Pastor Manuel first to see what he thought. He said if we wanted to give him a chance he knew Moses would appreciate the work and he definitely needed the money. He told Jim and me that we could try him for a day and we could decide whether we wanted to bring him back the next day.

I am so thankful I didn’t let my own false sense of piety and fear get in the way of what God had planned. Moses was a great worker. He loved working with the men on our team. He made a special connection with Chuck, who is very involved in the Jail Ministry in our church. The two of them were meant to work together that week. This is another instance of where Chuck may have thought he came to build a house, but I think he came to build up and encourage a struggling believer. Another thread in the tapestry.

Our last day in Los Cedros, the team had a small gift to give to each of the cooks who had provided us with great lunches all week long. One of those cooks was Marissa, Moses’ wife. She is a sweet, gentle woman with a sense of weariness to her. When we gave her the gift, she burst in to tears. She began to explain how hard life had been for them and how they moved there and had very little. She talked about how hard it was to live in a town where everyone already knew their story.

Marissa thanked us repeatedly for giving Moses work and blessing their family with the Blessing Bucket and Bag that the girls had taken earlier in the week. She asked that God would bless each one of us in great abundance for showing His love to them. I hate how guilt burns. But I love how God is the balm for that burn. My own eyes filled up with tears. It was okay…others had tears also. All I could think about was repenting for my own fears and prejudice. As Marissa continued to thank the team, I silently thanked God for making me address a lack of trust in His provision and protection for the team…for Sam. The beauty of the tapestry was becoming apparent.

Moses obviously touched the team in a very special way. Two people left some money for us to purchase a stove and some supplies for Moses and Marissa so they could begin to cook meals in their own little house. The day the team left, Jim and I added some money to the “pot” and bought a medium sized cook stove which could burn carbon (charcoal) or wood plus two pans (for rice and beans), some plates and silverware, additional food staples and a big can of dried milk for Genesis, the baby.

When we took the items by their house that following Tuesday, no one was home. We happened to run in to Pastor Manuel and asked him if Marissa was at the church and told him why we wanted to know. He told us that she was at his house and that he would go with us to get her and take her to her house.

We went and picked her up and all she knew was we had a surprise for her. When we got to her little house, she hurried in to straighten up while we unloaded the car. She saw Jim bring in the stove and she had the most incredulous look on her face! She couldn’t believe that we had brought a stove. Pastor Manuel and Jim brought the other bags in and when I handed the bag with the big can of milk in it to Marissa, her face crumpled and she sobbed. She kept saying, “Milk for Genesis, milk for Genesis!” Again, she wasn’t the only one crying.

To shorten this story up a little, we hired Moses to continue working until the house was completed. That enabled us to spend some in-depth time with him. We were able to give some Biblical counseling on some struggles he was having with some relationships. He was honest about his feelings of anger and resentment and I believe he was sincere in wanting to handle the situation as God would have him.

Moses’ past haunts him in many respects. He remembers better times and worse times. He understands that it is his choice as to whether he opts to live a hollow, bitter life whether in regretting the past or longing for it or if he chooses to live a life of hope for the future. Moses and I both understand beauty for ashes. And I think we are both profoundly grateful for such a divine transaction.

After our conversation that day, I better understood why Linda felt so strongly about giving this man an opportunity and I was thankful God gave her such insight. It’s good to be humbled in such a way…there is a remarkable sense of blessing in it. We have continued to stay in touch with Moses and I see Marissa at school. We’re not sure what else God has in store for us in regards to this family.

Another thread in the tapestry called Moses and Marissa. In talking with Moses, we found out that when he lived in Jinotega, he had served as a translator for mission teams working in the area. Now here’s a beautifully vivid thread of connection in that tapestry…Moses had translated many times for our friends, Ronnie and Angi, who live and have a camp in Tipitapa!

That may not mean much to you if you’re not familiar with the logistics of these cities. Los Cedros, where Moses and Marissa live now, is about 30-40 minutes west of the west-side of Managua. Jinotega, where Moses and Marissa used to live is a good 4 hours north of Managua. And Tipitapa, where Ronnie and Angi live is about an hour twenty minutes east of where we live.
What an amazing triangle and what a beautiful tapestry God has put together here with all of us…Linda, Nora, Manuel, Geneva, Hazel, Chuck, Jeanna, Jackie, James, Beverly, Allan, Jim, Sam, Miguel, Jonathan, David, Pastora, Norling, Jorge, Juan, Ronnie, Angi, Moses, Marissa, Genesis and me. God used all to add color, texture and depth to this tapestry. Amazing.