From the U.S. to Christo Redentor by Divine Appointment

"We apologize for the inconvenience, but everyone will need to get off the plane. We cannot land in Atlanta because of a low ceiling."

There we were, once again at the gate, realizing that we could not possibly make the connecting flight to Guadalajara from Atlanta. There was not another flight until the next morning. As Larry was standing in line to make all of the changes, he began to speak in Spanish to the man behind him. Larry told him that we live in the southwest part of Guadalajara, and he replied that he lives in the second section of Bugambilias, which is exactly where we live.

Larry helped change his flight for the next day. He seemed to have some interest in Christianity, and Larry invited him to our cell group and church. He spent the night in the airport while we got a simple hotel room, but the next morning we "bumped" into him in the airport as he was about to board his plane to Guadalajara.

I saw this delay as a complete inconvenience and was so stressed about all I would have to do when I got back a day late. However, God had a different plan. Wednesday evening we were cleaning up after the Bible study when the door bell rang. There stood the man from the airport who came by to apologize for not making it to the study. We invited him to informal tea and conversation. The next week he was seated on one of our couches participating in the study, and was one of the last ones to leave.

What I saw as an inconvenience God ordained as a divine appointment. Pray for this man to meet Jesus.

Divine exchange
A few Sundays ago I was struggling to open the nursery door when I turned to see a young lady walking into the church with her Starbucks coffee in hand. I stopped to greet her and then asked her to sit with me on the front row. She agreed and began to share her story with me.

She told me that she had spent one year in the United States as an exchange student. She lived with a Christian family who introduced her to the love of Jesus Christ. She had fully embraced the gospel and was looking for a place to grow and find Christian fellowship. She had been back in Guadalajara since August but had not been able to locate a church.

The family in the States found Cristo Redentor online and had listened to one of Larry's sermons, so they sent her our way. She just "happens" to live in the next community which is about five minutes away from the church. I just "happened" to be in the foyer when she walked into the church. And she just "happened" to be looking for someone who could help her grow in her newfound faith.

We have begun meeting to study the Bible on Tuesday afternoons. Her hunger for spiritual things is amazing as is her freshness in discovering the rich truths of justification, adoption, and sanctification.

What a blessing to be a part of the spiritual journey of this beautiful 17-year-old high school student. Her spiritual mom in the States wrote to express her gratitude for our interest in continuing to disciple this young woman. The reality of God's care has overwhelmed me as I know that this precious woman is just one of His many children who need to be nurtured and loved. What an amazing and loving God we serve! He really cares about all of our needs. We need to be ready to be those vessels through which He can flow.

Be a vessel for God in Guadalajara! Bring a team from your church to Mexico this summer. Visit www.mtw.org/explore to learn more, or email [email protected] for longer-term opportunities.

Larry and Sandy Trotter are MTW missionaries serving in Guadalajara, Mexico.