I believe God used me as a human vessel to be a witness for one boy, one of the school children, to God’s unending love, mercy and grace.
A boy had hit a wiffle ball so hard, it went flying into a tree. Everyone was looking for it, kids were climbing the tree, adults were shaking the tree, and I just went over to ponder where it went. A boy approached me with a coloring sheet he had done, and I thanked him for it. He hugged me and started sobbing. He then pulled away and took money out of his pocket and tried to give it to me.
I was confused, and so our translator reported that it was him, Oscar, who hit the ball into the tree. Oscar said he had been given a gift and he lost it and felt excruciatingly bad about losing it.
I told him that these things happen, that no one is mad at him, that it’s all going to be OK and that all is forgiven. He cried and hugged me, and then we left.
The very next day, Oscar wrote me a letter in Spanish, later translated, that thanked me for showing him what God’s love looks like. But the gift I had given him was nothing compared to what he reminded me of, which is God is always there to forgive, love and show mercy to us. All we need to do is ask for it.
