When God Laughs!

“Hey bo, watch this!” God says that to me, in one form or another, many times during my travels. Each time, even though I remember the time before, it catches me off guard when I hear Him laugh.

It happened again today, when I was leaving the home of the friends that we stayed with in Asuncion, Paraguay. The Guzman family, Cesar, Graciela and their kids, has opened their home to us on three different occasions. Each time, less formal, we become more like family.

My Director, David Andersen, and I always try to take care of people that open their homes to us. This time, because of everything the family did to make sure we were very comfortable and because of the number of days that we were there, we decided to give them some money.

I wrote a short note, from the both of us, on yellow legal pad paper and folded it up with the money inside and put it on my pillow. We also left some money for Rosa, the housekeeper, who makes the best Cappuccino this side of…well… this side of anywhere I can think of.

I went next door to say goodbye and as I sat in the chair to wait for my drive to the airport, Graciela came into the room and quietly said, “Wick, take this money, we won’t be using it any time soon and I want you to have it.” It was Euros, and I was taken completely by surprise. At first I declined and said, “No, you and Cesar keep it and use it when you go to see Tomas,” their son in Italy. She stared at me, then at the money, then back at me, without moving the money away. That’s when I heard the first snicker… from Him.

She said softly, “No, we want you to have it. We won’t be needing it and you can use it as you wait in Brazil for your connection.” She held it out…and I took it and felt my face get warm, and as it turned red, Graciela turned away so as not to embarrass me more.

I did not mention that I had left money for her and Rosa. My ride to the airport pulled up, I kissed Graciela and Rosa on their faces…first one cheek then the other and as I did they returned the favor, a thing you become accustomed to as you travel around South America. My new friend Benny, a pastor, opened the trunk of his worn out car and threw my bags in. “Vamos,” he said in a rush, “Tenemos prisa!” He said, “We’re in a hurry!” I said a quick prayer, waved one last time to my friends and buckled up in the seat of the beat up car that would become my personal rocket to the airport. Benny drives like a man with a bad case of Turret’s…but on speed.

On the way to the airport, while having a rapid-fire discussion with my driver about world missions, his cell phone rang. He dug around in every pocket of his coat with one hand, trying to locate the pest, and kept one hand on the wheel. He found it. “Yes, yes, we are almost there, yes he is hear, hold on.” And Benny glanced quickly at me and held the small phone out, “For you.” As he did, he almost slammed into the truck in front of us, loaded with long metal pipes, because its brake lights did not work. He said something in Guarani, the local dialect, and pulled around them in fast-exaggerated jerky motions. I bumped my head on the side window as he manhandled the poor ole car and I answered the phone, yelling above the horn-blowing going on all around us.

“Hello?” Laughter on the other end, “Wickisito, hemos encontrado el dinero en tu cuarto! Porque estabas haciendo esto? No estabamos esperando esto de ti!” And again laughter. “Wick, we found the money in your room! Why have you done this? We were not waiting on this from you!” “You are crazy!” she said and I was sure that I heard God laughing!

I thought it was so funny that I was leaving some of the last money that I had because we wanted to be a blessing to them and then as I was walking out the door…The Guzman family won again, and became even more of a blessing to us! We laughed and laughed and Rosa got on the phone and cried while thanking me and I laughed some more. We exchanged greetings to each other’s families and said good-bye again.

Then I gave the phone back to Benny, who had just avoided a large pile up as he was laughing. He said, “Dios siempre se hace. El es grande, El es fiel! Gloria a Dios!” God always does stuff like this. He is great. He is faithful. Glory to God. Again, I heard laughter.

God always….always….does crazy things like this.

There is a dear friend, in my hometown, who knows when I am leaving town. Many times he calls me and says two words in his beautiful Southern drawl…”You home?” “I am, I'm packing.” “I’ll be right there.” I know what it means each time. Each time he is coming by to tell me that he is praying and to also sneak some folded money into my hand as if the FBI was watching us. We pray together and he drives off…just like that.

I cannot tell you how many times that money has somehow…miraculously been replaced each time I give it to someone in need as I travel around the globe. My buddy tells me to use it however I see fit…and I do…most times giving it away. The miracle of that is…many times…it is given back to me to do over and over each time I travel.

Each time, if I am listening closely and pay attention, I can hear God say, “Hey bo watch this,” and most time, more times than not, it is followed by His Holy happy laughter.

In the airport in Brazil, on the way home,

Wick

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