Every Sunday I go to a nearby village with several other Missioners. They help with different catechesis groups for the kids, preparation for First Communion, etc. I meet with a group of mothers from the same village to do faith formation as well. Sometimes I am really not sure who is the missionary. Yes, I come with a theme prepared for the day to teach them the basics about our Catholic faith, but they teach me so much more about life in the process. Their simple faith and trust in God for even the most basic things is astonishing. I think we mutually learn from each other.
That was the case last Sunday when I asked one of the mother's how her week went. She started to tell me how her grown son works as a guard for a Pepsi truck in the North. That's a pretty dangerous job and in a pretty dangerous place. Every morning at 5am before he goes to work, she prays for him, asking that God will protect him from harm throughout the day. One particular morning she prayed as usual and then proceeded in her normal daily routine. But in the middle of the day she felt an overwhelming need to kneel and pray intensely for her son. She didn't know why, but knelt to pray. Later she learned that at the exact same time, six armed robbers had attacked the truck that her son was guarding. He threw himself on the ground to protect himself and a stray bullet caught his leg, though it missed shattering the bone. He was brought to the hospital and is recovering marvelously. The mother attributed his survival and the fact that the bullet didn't hit his bone to the power of prayer.
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