No matter the time of day, it always seemed like rush hour on the road to San Cristobal, Guatemala. This day was no different. Missionary Tom, John, and I were on our way to the US Embassy to meet with the Ambassador of the United States and the Deputy of Missions. It was an honor to be invited to share our story and we were excited. We knew in advance we would have this meeting, through a confirmation from the Lord. We’d only been in the country two weeks as new missionaries, but God had already done so much in our hearts.
Then the unexpected happened! We saw a young girl fall down, while standing in the median between two lanes of heavy traffic. We quickly circled around and pulled off the road to see if we could be of any assistance. An old woman stood beside her, holding the hand of a small confused boy, appearing to be her grandson. The old woman was frantic, yelling words we could not understand. I knelt down beside the young girl on the ground, only to discover she was in labour. The baby had crowned and was coming!
Tom and John quickly grabbed the necessary supplies from the van needed for the delivery, then set off in search of the father, who’d gone for help. They returned shortly and stood at a distance. The father was troubled. Tom and John continued to reassure him.
The young mother clung to me tightly. She was wrapped in a colorful, indigenous, tipica skirt. I wondered which village she called home. She and her family had tried to reach the hospital on foot when she’d gone into labour. Now it was too late. My heart was desperate to help her in any way I could. Even though she did not speak a word to me, there seemed to be an understanding between us. I was grateful for the experience I’d had earlier that year as a coaching partner for a friend’s home birth; but this time we were in the middle of rush hour traffic and no one seemed to care.
Then suddenly, a car pulled up behind our van and out jumped a gentleman. In broken english, he introduced himself as a doctor. He explained, he’d stopped because he’d seen our US plates.
Seconds later, the baby was born! I wrapped her in an old sweater covered with grass and handed her to her new mom. As men gathered around to help her into the doctor’s vehicle, it was hard to say goodbye. I didn’t even know her name, but that day our hearts were bound together through what started in fear and ended in deep joy!
The doctor had been afraid of hepatitis and, therefore, had been hesitant to help. He would have never stopped to assist, if he had not noticed our US plates. We were relieved to have his assistance, but the arrival of a new baby was not what he expected.
As we drove the rest of the way to the US Embassy, John shared about the father. They had prayed with him. While his daughter was being born on a dirty highway, in the middle of a median, he’d given his life to Christ, accepting him as Saviour. A newborn daughter and a born-again father!
In John 3:3-7, Jesus explains to Nicodemus what it means to be born again.
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born-again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born-again.’”
During this global pandemic, we are not able to do things in our usual way, but with God all things are possible. He can bring unexpected opportunities, like using the birth of a baby, to bring a father the opportunity to know and accept Christ as his Saviour.
Building HOPE takes a TEAM,
Deborah Sims
September 23rd through the 27th, we at Builders International are hosting live a Virtual Mission Trip to the country of Uruguay!
This is a FREE opportunity for you and me to experience the journey of a mission trip and the impact you can have! I’d like to invite you to join John and I in this unconventional way of going to the mission field. If you’re interested, visit builduruguay.org and join the team! That way you won’t miss out on updates and details about the trip!
johnanddeborahsims.com 