Gaude

By Jaime B., Volunteer in Uruguay

Rena is a tough woman. She doesn’t talk much, looks troubled, and normally has a serious face. I remember my first interactions with her were quite short. I would say Hello, she would say Hi, and that was the end of it. Sometimes I would dare to ask something, she’d respond yes, no, or something short, and again, the end of it.

One day, after passing out food with the Sisters of Charity, Rena came to receive the food allotted for her. She was the last one, and it was a heavy box, so I offered to take the box to her house, and she accepted. I came into her new home, a one room place with a small restroom, said hi to her two daughters and invited them to our house for Christmas. “I’ll be there,” she said. 

I went home very happy. I prayed during adoration in thanksgiving for that encounter, and I was excited and looking forward to us laughing and rejoicing at our house with Rena and her daughters. At the parish, during Christmas Eve, we took a picture with her daughters and reminded her about the next day. Christmas came, but Rena did not come.

Nonetheless, the Lord has given me so much to rejoice about, for as the prophet announced “The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light…for to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder.” (Isaiah 9:1,6)

As for Rena, I’m not upset. My heart is full of compassion for her still and I’m thankful for the friendship I have with her and her daughters. I’ll wait for her, just as the Lord waited for me to say yes to being a missionary for him.