What do you do when God pierces your Heart?

Some days God just lets us have a pass...Good day.  Nice dinner. A Little tv. Sleep.

But......Some days HE pierces your Heart. And what comes out of the wound, is really what matters.

Julio giving out gifts

Yesterday I went with one of our workers, Julio Nayra and his family, to the children's cancer hospital on Managua. One awful day, about 2 1/2 years ago, he and his wife received the devastating news that their son, Sebastian, had leukemia. For months they traveled to and lived in this same hospital, praying for a miracle.
And it came. Their son was healed and is a normal happy "almost 4" little boy. The looks of gratitude on their faces is like nothing I could ever describe.

So Julio decided he wanted to give back.To serve in the way he knows how. He remembers the Christmas there and the sadness and the hunger. So each year since he organizes a toy drive at Amigos for Christ. He loads up a bus with all the toys on his day off, and hauls them 3 hours to Managua with his family to the hospital. He also takes oatmeal and giant bags of beans and rice, and little gift bags of basic necessities for the parents who must wait agonizingly long days. The look of raw pain on their faces is like nothing I could ever descibe.

Family watching the play

This year he also took the younger children from Villa Catalina that are part of the theater program as well.  14 Children ranging from 7 to 15 all piled onto the bus along with some of their parents to ride 3 hours to visit children they don't know in a hospital and perform a small play.They were in rapt joy on the ride to Managua pointing out" the lake!"..."Look at that volcano!"..."oooo That volcano!!!" They waited in the sun, laughing and eating popcorn. They loaded back into the bus for another 3 hour ride back....playing thumb wrestling and enjoying the breeze. One little boy said the best part of his day was giving out the gifts. The expressions of unudulterated happiness on their faces is like nothing I can describe.

Joy on the bus

My heart was pierced yesterday. So much gratitude. So much pain. So much joy was packed into 11 hours that it burst open  a bit more. If ever I was to receive a gift on Christmas, this was it. A reset. A fresh perspective. A chance to have my heart pierced like Christ's.

Yesterday was not an ordinary day.

Julio and Sebastian

Thank you Julio Nayra.