Quite a few years ago my family took a mission trip to Guatemala. We visited a Christian operated children’s home where we spent the week working on the property, painting, pouring concrete, cleaning the main eating areas, etc… and was also afforded 2 trips into the local cities.
One trip was to Guatemala City, population 3,000,000. We were told that the crime rate there was very high and we needed to stay on guard as there are people that will rob you, even at intersections.
Well, on this particular day we stopped at a local McDonald's to eat breakfast. As we ate, there was a strange site that caught Brandon’s (my youngest son) and my eye. They had small motorcycles that were used to deliver; you guessed it, Big Macs or other food… They had McD’s logos on them and were painted bright yellow. Well, Brandon and I had to get a closer look and to get a picture of one. So, we ventured out to the parking lot.
As we got close to the motorcycles, I had our camera ready to take a picture when I felt this tap on my shoulder and a man talking in Spanish. As I turned around I was a little startled to see a military man dressed in fatigues, sporting an M-16 pointed in our direction. I wasn’t sure what to do, as I don’t speak Spanish. So, I turned around slowly and put my hands in the air. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Brandon had assumed the position as well. When the man saw my camera hanging around my neck he dropped the barrel of his gun toward the ground, smiled, pointed to the camera and said something that sounded kind of like, "tourist, you may take a picture". Once he realized that we were just going to take a picture and not steal everything, it was OK.
Brandon, in his small voice, asked if that man was going to shoot us. I assured him that he was just a guard and did not know us and that taking pictures was not a crime in Guatemala City. (All the while I was shaking in my boots and thanking the good Lord above for His provisions.)
As I thought of this moment in life I am reminded of how gracious our God is. Even though this moment was a misunderstanding in the mind of a guard, this could have been a tragic moment. I truly believe that our God is always watching over us and is protecting us. When we put our lives in His hands we see Him working in all areas of our lives. God is always listening…
Have you trusted in the One that can save your life?
Matthew 7: 7 “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
