Emmanuel

I officially had nothing to do. Class was over for the day, it was noon, and I had nothing planned until 6:30 in the evening. I knew that no one was at the house, so I did not want to go back there all alone. So I did the only thing I knew to do: I prayed, asking God to show me what I could do for him. 

That's when I met Emmanuel. I walked right out the door of the classroom where I spent the morning, and there he was in his wheelchair. It was kind of like a wheelchair and kind of like a recumbent bicycle.  Imagine a cross between the two made out of scrappy wood and flat tires. His smile was bigger than the moon's. I wanted an opportunity to practice french, and I had just prayed for the Lord to show me what to do. This must be it. 

He quickly pointed out to me an array of artwork propped up against the wall. I asked him to show me his work and he explained how he hand-painted each piece. He even invited me to put together one of his puzzles, so I sat down and made a conversation out of it, learning where he lives and what his family is like. 

He was proud of his artwork (and a good salesman, too!), but he was equally as proud of his wheelchair. I learned that polio paralyzed him. "Are there any wheelchairs like this in the United States?" he asked me, to which I honestly replied, "No, I have never seen anything quite like it." I hen asked him if I could eat my orange at the table beside him, and when he said yes, I gave him half. Our conversation paused as we enjoyed our fresh orange and let he juice drip off our wrists. 

After such an occasion, I only thought it appropriate to buy a piece of his artwork, and then he gave me something extra as a gift. Before we went our separate ways, I asked him if I could pray with him, and that moon-sized smile of his grew even bigger. I prayed a little in French and a little in English, but he didn't mind. 

I left the courtyard knowing that my meeting with Emmanuel had been a divine appointment. An answer to prayer. A reminder that even while I am learning language, I am still on mission. A reminder that I don't have to know every word to make a friend. A reminder that even though this is hard, it is worth it. A reminder that I am doing the same things here that I used to do in the United States, and these are the same things we are called to wherever we are.  

Let's pay attention to people instead of fear them. Let's love the people that God puts in our paths. Let's listen to them, talk to them. Let's support them, share with them, and pray with them. When I think about it, that's what Jesus did, and that's how we as his disciples follow in his footprints.