Guatemalan Kisses (Beauty for Ashes Pt.1)

Beauty for Ashes was about to start and the team was buzzed with excitement. I personally was even more excited to meet the friend my teammate, Ari was bringing. I knew from the moment Ari told us how she and D met at the local park, God was up to something amazing. I was stoked to see it unfold. I sipped my coffee and greeted other women whilst looking expectantly at the door of the church every couple of minutes for my friends to arrive. What I wasn’t expecting was to recognize the friend Ari walked in with and instantly feeling convicted.  

D lost her job at the beginning of the pandemic and with that, she lost everything else. She became homeless and started living at the local park. The community sees her as an outcast due to her excessive drinking and asking for money, so they pass over her. When she walked into the church that evening, I realized I had passed over her too. 

I had seen her a million times, or should I say missed her a million times. I was in such a hurry to get to the next place or check another thing off of my own agenda, I was unable to see this woman that God had placed right in front of me on multiple occasions. I had the title of a missionary, but I wasn’t walking in it.  My heart panged and I had this eye-opening thought. If all of the homeless people I’ve ever come across ended up coming to my church and saw me preaching, would they see the same Jesus I showed them in the street?  

That night I watched as D was bold enough to cry out and lift up her voice in a room full of women. The Holy Spirit was doing a powerful work in her life all because sweet Ari sees through a lens of love. A lens I prayed God would put over my heart and over my eyes as well. 

The following week came and went like a single night’s sleep. Before I knew it, we were getting ready for our final Beauty for Ashes. As the team divided and conquered to get all the errands of the day done, Aaron and I were sent to pick up a cake for the evening. I love sweets so naturally, my heart was on cloud nine as we walked to the bakery. On our way there we passed the local park and saw our friend D who greeted us with warm hugs, a grateful smile and sent us on our way. 

The bakery had an abundance of decadent-looking cakes and pastries. I wondered how often D got to unwind with a sweet treat. So Aaron and I bought her a mini tres leches cake topped with a bright red cherry. As excited as I was to give D her cake, I was nervous she would be angry and turn me away the way I had done to her before. Once we were in view of the park, D didn’t wait for us to approach before she put on her mask and came skipping up towards us. She was so full of joy and thankfulness over her gift, she kissed my cheek. 

I’m not sure why, but I have never felt more honored. I guess that’s what radical love does. It keeps no track of right or wrong, it just gives love extravagantly. Radical love doesn’t stop to consider if you are worthy or not, it pours out no matter what you’ve done or are going to do. How is it that this woman, who had been shown so much hatred, was able to show others such radical love? That’s exactly what Jesus did. He was betrayed, denied, beaten, and crucified. Despite the hatred he was shown, he gladly laid down his life with radical love. D was overflowing with the love of Jesus and she didn’t even realize it. It was that night, at our final Beauty for Ashes service I think this truth hit her. 

Part two of this blog will tell you more about how our Beauty for Ashes service went and how it affected our sweet friend D. Make sure to subscribe to be notified when it is posted!