the grace of God

Yesterday while waiting for friends to pick me up, I went across the street to the corner store for a bag of Hot Cheetos. Instead of enjoying my chips back at Camino, I sat on the white-painted metal benches in front of the store. These benches are always there and I have probably only sat on them once while waiting for a friend to buy something. As I was eating the delicious, taste-bud, satisfying cheetos, the man who was sitting on the other bench woke up from his nap and started talking to me. The first thing he said, of which I understood, was the word "lastima" which means shame. He stated in a question that the sight of him, an old man with a scarred up face sleeping there was shameful. In my limited Spanish I just told him no - as in no it isn't lastima. He started to tell me that his parents had passed and he had no one. He started crying. And when he pointed to the scars on his face, making comment on them, he cried even more. I didn't understand everything that he was saying, nor was it necessary. All I knew was that he was hurting and lonely. I told him, Tiene usted Dios (you have God). But he just stared at me in silence and more tears welled up from his eyes. I don't think those words really soaked in the first time. He spoke more and I listened while looking into his eyes so he knew that he had my attention. I told him again Tiene Dios. Usted es un hijo de Dios (you are a child of God). And then I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to ask him to come with me across the street to Camino. The Alpha team had an event and I knew I would find someone there to minister to him. Well, while he was crying I got up and told him, Ven, ven conmigo. Vamos a la iglesia cruza la calle alla. And he stared at me, confused. First he slightly refused and then said, but "I have been crying." That didn't matter to me. I called him hermano (brother) and told him again come with me, and I reached out my hand to him. He got up and we crossed the street where I found Rhona and explained to her the situation. While she went to get another man who would talk with him and counsel him, I went over to the man, his name is Polito, and told him my name. I stretched out my hand to shake his and he called me hermana. I started crying with him as he said I have a sister now. And I assured him, tiene una hermana, soy su hermana.