Rodrigo´s Passing

      Sonia and Rodrigo were the first ones to get married in our church. We didn´t know they would only have two years together. Now he is the first member of our little church to go home to be with the Lord. He came from a large family from a small town and rural area outside the old city of Cadiz. He moved and bought an apartment here in Arroyo back when they barely cost 10,000 dollars. He had some land outside the city where he cared for donkeys. He also collected and turned in recyclables for some income. As his illness progressed he had to sell the donkeys and give up the collecting. He didn´t talk much but he liked to pray and to sing.  He had been in the hospital only a few days for treatment of pneumonia. Patti and I went to see him on Friday. I read to him Psalm 103...

     He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. Psalm 103:10-14

     Though his eyes were closed he was listening and breathed an amen after just about every verse. The next night around 10:30 he had been asleep for some time. He opened up his eyes and looked at Sonia, shed a few tears and quietly slipped away.

     He was a day and night at the Velatorio, a type of mortuary and cemetary run by our city. The service was held there at the chapel  Sunday afternoon. Eight or ten family members were there and around 40 from the church. Patti led his favorite song, ¨Tu Majestad¨ and I shared from Psalm 31 about how our times are in God´s hands. I took the opportunity to urge everyone there to trust in Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation.

     That evening their apartment was filled with church members wanting to show their love and support. Most of them only heard about Rodrigo´s death that afternoon in church and went directly to the funeral so practically no one brought food though I´m sure they all wanted to. Vicente and Merry had to go get some roast chicken to feed everybody.

      The next morning Rodrigo was cremated at the same facility by a Spanish man with a haircut right out of the 60s. He rebuked the widow for not having her cell phone on earlier in the afternoon. I guess crematoria workers here don´t get sensitivity training. Sonia is quite used to all that and took it in stride. She seems to be doing fine. She has inherited the apartment from her husband and will receive a portion of his social security benefits. She and Jhonathan her son will press on working and serving God.

     Thanks so much for all your prayer and encouragement.

John and Patti