It’s amazing how small events can sometime cause extraordinary results. It was a very hot, quiet Sunday afternoon in Guayaramerin in the remote Amazon Basin of northeastern Bolivia. We had time for a siesta before going out for dinner and then to an evening church service.
But Gary, a Friends in Action missionary and the leader of our work team, and I were restless. We decided to walk a couple of blocks to the town plaza. We sat on a bench in the shade. The plaza was nearly deserted. The shimmering afternoon heat discouraged any physical activity.
Suddenly, Gary jumped up and yelled “Ouch!” in a voice that indicated he was really hurting. He had been stung by a bee! I suggested it would be prudent to move to another bench. There was no argument!
Then I noticed a boy, about five years old, all by himself, poking in the dirt with a discarded popsicle stick. The little guy looked hot, dirty and lonely. Feeling sorry for him, I went over and gave him a two Boliviano coin (worth about 25 cents).
To my surprise, the boy jumped up and ran over to a nearby plaza bench. We had not noticed that an elderly man was stretched out on the bench, taking a nap. He woke up suddenly as the little boy handed him the coin and pointed at us.
This opened the door to go over and start a conversation. The old man was friendly. He said his name was Francisco and he thanked us for giving the coin to his little grandson.
I had a Gideon New Testament in Spanish with me and offered it to him. He was profuse in his appreciation. We were able to talk to him about the Testament and show him the Bible verses inside the back cover which present God’s plan of salvation. The few simple verses clearly explain how God “so loved the world” that He sent His Son, Jesus, to live on earth; live a perfect life and die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. And also how He was raised from the dead and went to heaven to “prepare a place for us.”
We asked Francisco if he would like to pray and receive Jesus as his personal Savior He readily agreed to do this and afterwards seemed genuinely joyful about his decision. We were also able to pray with him about some problems that his aging knees were giving him.
It is not very often that something like a bee sting can cause rejoicing. But Gary and I went back to the hotel glad that the angry bee moved us to the place where we could meet Francisco. I still pray for him (Francisco, not the bee!), as the Lord brings this incident to mind.
Perhaps something that really upset you, created a situation which you could (or did) use for God’s glory. It’s something to think about. God can move us to where He wants us in strange and unusual ways.
