by Nancy Aguilar
The Lord answered many prayers on our mission trip to Matagalpa, Nicaragua—from stopping a torrential downpour during vacation Bible school to protecting us from scorpions in a remote clinic. But one prayer, offered long before the trip began, stands out in my mind.
It all started at a basketball clinic held in San Ramon where Renee McKenzie, one of our team members, met a 14-year-old boy who had recently lost his parents. Alex was sitting alone in the bleachers when Renee introduced herself and sat with him. “I felt compelled to tell Alex how much God loves him, even in the hard times,” Renee said. Alex listened quietly as she shared a Spanish tract and invited him to church. He said he’d like to come but didn’t have money for bus fare. Renee describes what happened next as “the divine domino effect.”
Wanting to seek counsel about the situation, Renee told Katia Sinclair, who sent her to Brenda Rose (our missionary overseer), who deferred to Filemon Montoya, the pastor of the new Calvary church plant in Matagalpa. Filemon said, “I want to meet him!”
Meanwhile, the basketball clinic ended, and the crowd dispersed to a nearby concert in the park. Filemon met Alex there, and as they talked, Alex confided, “My parents died and I live with my aunt now.”
“What happened to your parents?” Filemon asked.
Alex described how only two months earlier, his 11-year-old brother Raphael had accidentally touched a fallen power line outside, and his parents had rushed over to pull him away from the wire. Raphael miraculously survived, but his parents were electrocuted.
As he listened to Alex’s story, Filemon suddenly realized that he had read about this tragic accident in an online newspaper just before moving to Nicaragua. Filemon’s heart had ached for the five orphaned children, ages 2 months to 14 years. He remembered reading that the youngest child was still nursing when his mother died. Filemon had felt a burning desire to meet these children, and he earnestly prayed, Lord, lead me to this family. And now here he was, talking to Alex.
Filemon asked Alex if he went to school. Alex said no, that he had lost his school supplies during the move to his aunt’s. “Where do you live?” Filemon inquired.
“Two blocks away,” Alex said.
“May I visit your family?” Filemon asked. Alex nodded.
Overcome with emotion, Filemon ran over to Renee. “I’ve found him!” he said. “Come with me—we’re going to his house!” Filemon appeared pale, according to Renee, and his eyes looked red.
Renee and Filemon, along with his wife Marisol, followed Alex down the street to his aunt and uncle’s small home. Alex’s aunt—his mother’s sister—graciously invited them inside. She explained more about the accident, and how the electric company refused to offer compensation for the orphaned children. As the sole breadwinner for his family, the uncle was providing for Alex and his three younger brothers (a sister lives with grandparents), along with his own three children.
Alex’s aunt took down a framed picture from the wall, showing a handsome couple surrounded by their five children. “This was my sister with her family,” she said. The visitors prayed with the family, and Filemon promised to return Saturday with school supplies for Alex. As they were leaving the house, they ran into Raphael, the young boy in the accident. Alex introduced them to his brother, and Raphael showed them the scars on his chest and his arm.
On Saturday afternoon, Filemon and Marisol found Alex waiting for them down the street from his home. Alex smiled ever so slightly when Filemon held out a Spiderman backpack filled with school supplies. He slung the bag over his shoulders and walked alongside Filemon.
After visiting and praying with Alex’s aunt, Filemon and Marisol returned to the gym in San Ramon for a basketball tournament. This time Alex played in a game of 3 on 3, and his team won! The winning team members each received a new basketball, and Alex held onto his proudly. Wayne Taylor shared about Jesus and prayed with the players after the game. “Raise your hand if you invited Jesus into your heart,” Wayne said. Alex raised his hand.
Filemon walked Alex home, stopping at a store along the way to buy milk for the children. Then he gave Alex bus fare for church the next day. Alex arrived early for church Sunday morning. After Sunday school, he lingered at the clinic where church was held, reading the medical posters that hung on the walls.
Seeing that he seemed interested in reading, Marisol gave him a Spanish book, a biography of the missionary Jim Elliot (compliments of YWAM). Alex turned the new book over in his hands, staring at the cover and leafing through the pages.
“Will you be starting back to school this week?” Marisol asked.
“Tomorrow,” he said.
Filemon and Marisol feel humbled and blessed to have met the orphaned children that Filemon prayed for just weeks before his arrival in Nicaragua. As for the future, Marisol says they hope to stay involved with the family. “We’re so excited to see what God does,” she said.
