It was already 7:45 and Juan Carlos was 15 minutes late. The court was reservered for 8:00. If I waited any longer I would miss out on soccer time completely. Sure, the whole point of soccer is to build relationships, but last Monday night I wasn’t thinking about that, I just wanted to play. And now I was late, and unfortunately, slightly irritated. So, I jumped on my bike and headed out without him… as I passed the security guard at the end of my street, who works with my new friend, I decided I should stop and see if they knew where he was.
“¡Ya viene!” was the response, “He’s coming right now!”
Great. Now I’m going to be really late, if he even comes at all.
So, since I was waiting there, Jimmy and Italo, two of the guards that night and their friend Edgar, who lives nearby, started asking me questions. The usual ones at first… “Where are you from?” “What do you do?” “How do you like Peru?” Etc.
But as I explained who I was and what I am doing here, their interest really started to rise. Edgar began asking questions like, “So, are you like the mormons?” The Jehova’s Witness? Seventh Day Adventists?
Then seemingly out of nowhere he says, “Well, I could never be a part of your religion. I have to work. If I don’t work, my family doesn’t eat.”
Of course the whole conversation is in Spanish, so it took me a while to really flesh out what he meant. I didn’t understand why he thought being a part of “my religion” meant he couldn’t work. Eventually, I figured out that he had heard that Mormons have to serve a time as missionaries and I’m a missionary, so it must be like that, and he certainly couldn’t leave his job. As I explained that that’s not how it works… and that becoming a Christian isn’t like joining a Fraternity, there aren’t hoops to jump through or rules to follow all three of my new friends were listening intently.
“So, can you eat pork?” Edgar asked as he began a series of questions to really find out what the requirements are… because surely there’s a catch. “I’ve heard some people can’t eat pork.”
He continued on, “I knew a guy that was sick and needed a blood transfusion but he died because his religion said that he couldn’t have one. Can you get a blood transfusion?”
“Some people say Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ lover, do you believe that?”
Then we finally got to one that was obviously sitting right on a very sore nerve, “But if I joined your religion, I’d have to give ten percent of my money to the religion… and I’m poor. Why does everyone have to give their money to religion when there are so many people poor like me?”
I explained again that there isn’t a rule… that Jesus especially cared for the poor and came so that we don’t have to live under a law with endless rules and requirements. Even as I struggled to find the words in Spanish as I answered their barrage of questions, I could see on their faces and hear in their voices a growing curiousity, an excitment.
It was getting later and later, by now soccer was almost over, but I no longer cared.
As if to say, “What you’re saying sounds too good to be true.” Edgar chimed in with, “Religions are just full of hypocrites…” and cited several examples of hypocritical and judgmental pastors and churches.
I didn’t know what to say. So I just told him he was right. Unfortunately, there are a lot of hypocrites and people do bad things all the time. But, Jesus wasn’t that way… and as I recounted to him the story of the woman caught in adultery and Jesus calling out the religious leaders of his day to “throw the first stone,” I could tell that what I was telling him really and truly sounded like good news.
By this time we’d been talking for an hour and a half… I’d missed all of soccer. But, I really did need to go and at least make an appearance, I told my new friend that I had really enjoyed our conversation, but I had to go.
“Well, when can we talk more about this? I want to know more.” was Edgar’s response.
A little in shock but thoroughly thrilled asked him when he could get together.
So he threw out, “How about tomorrow morning at 8:30?”
Works for me! So, I recruited Mark and the next morning we met right there on the sidewalk again. In front of the orthodontist’s office, Mark and I shared the Gospel with Jimmy and Edgar. We stood in the shade and read from Matthew, Mark, John, Romans and other passages. This time around they didn’t ask any questions. Periodically we’d pause and ask them if they had questions or anything to say… but they insisted that they didn’t, saying, “We’re listening intently… keep going.”
It was an amazing two hours that Tuesday morning. They couldn’t get enough. Finally, Mark and I had to leave for other obligations. But, they asked if we could meet again later in the day to hear more!
Well, in the end, we tried to meet again that night, but Edgar had been called in to work. I don’t know what will come of this, but I do know they are still excited to know more and I can’t wait to tell them. We don’t have anything scheduled. But,thankfully, this week these new friends are joining us for soccer instead of making me miss it.
It’s amazing the way that God can take our most selfish moments and turn them into the most amazing opportunities for His name to be glorified.