Mercedes: Her Story, part 2

Her Story

I want to tell you a little bit about my life and how I came to know and trust my life to God.  I had begun attending church, but for the first two years the changes in me were very small. I was trying to assimilate the life in Christ, but I had not turned my life completely over to Him. Then something terrible happened. My husband disappeared. That was more than seven years ago and we still don’t know what happened to him. It killed me totally. Inside I felt as though I was a coffin. I felt this way for over a year. At one point I almost gave my son up for adoption because I felt as though I couldn’t care for him. But, I saw how much he needed me and slowly I began to live again. During this time I realized I had two choices. I could either walk away from God, blaming Him for all that had happened, or I could hold on to Him even tighter. I chose the latter. Over the next several years I spent hours praying and fasting. Slowly I began to see and to trust in God. He returned life to me. I learned to forgive people, to fear the Lord and to have a real love for Him. In my opinion these are the beginning principles for power and real life with God. I am employed in God’s Kingdom, serving Him in the area of evangelism at the church, Christ is My Rock. While I take charge of His work, He takes charge of my son, my life and my family.

I asked Mercedes if she is ever discouraged. She said, “Yes, sometimes, but not for long. I just begin singing praise songs to Jesus and soon my discouragement passes.” Her peace and contentment is obvious. Her trust is also evident. How so? Let me share this story from her life.

Mercedes is an excellent teacher. Several years ago she worked for the Peace Corp here in HN teaching their volunteers Spanish. (I want to put this in the proper context. Mercedes is a single mother, in Honduras with NO government support available. Steady work here, especially that pays enough to live on, is very difficult to find.) The Peace Corp offered her and several other teachers a permanent contract at a level of pay far above the equivalent Honduran wage scale. I think most of us would have accepted the offer on the spot, seeing it as God’s blessing on our lives. Not Mercedes, she asked for time to pray about it. After 3 weeks she came to them and declined their offer. Shocked I think is the word used to describe their reaction. Why, they wanted to know. This is a permanent contract with a possible visa. These are her words. “After seeking God’s will, I knew that he wanted me to learn to trust Him completely and I know if I take this job my trust will be in the Peace Corp.” Not taking the contract meant losing her job. She went for a year after that with no work whatsoever. And she looked, everyday. During that year, somehow, they always had food on the table. For her it is a miracle. She tells me that it was during this time she truly learned to trust God. She spent many afternoons visiting people in her neighborhood, talking to them about the love of God. Eventually she found work in an orphanage.

Note: One month ago, the Peace Corp pulled out of Honduras leaving those who chose the “permanent” contract, without a contract.

Mercedes continues to live in Comayaqua. She is fortunate to own her own house. It is small, but it is hers. She is very active with her church. She volunteers each Saturday at the church to help children who are having difficulty in school. Three nights a week she and several other people visit in the neighborhood near the church and have lead many people to Christ. Because of this, the church is growing by leaps and bounds. On Sundays there is standing room only.

James (2:17) tells us that faith without works is dead. He then goes on to give examples of people who believed God and lived their lives accordingly. Mercedes is a living example of this.