No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. John 6:44

We have had only random and brief encounters with her. It would be safe to say that we have seen her less than five times throughout our time here. When we first met, she was 14. She had just got out the youth detention center. She was caught for stealing. She did not look like the kind of person who would steal or do anything bad. She has an open face; it is radiant and joyful and full of life. It was hard to imagine that she would be able to engage in any crime. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine why a child like her would be in alone in the streets. Such is life and there is not much benefit lamenting about the states of things. We don’t want to get bogged down with these abstract discussions. This story is about a real person named Camila.

It was easy to talk with Camila. Our first conversation was brief. We hardly spoke about anything of substance. She told us that she was released from the detention center to a shelter. This was the only thing I remember. Her friends came almost immediately and away she went. We did not see her again until about two years later.

This time she had grown a lot. She was taller than me but her face was still childlike. She approached us. Our first meeting was so short that it was impossible for us to recognize her after all this time. This was her first question. She wanted to know if we remembered her. To be honest, we could not recall her name but her face looked familiar. She was not offended. She reminded us and shared that she was doing well in a shelter for teenagers. She just came by the streets to visit some of her friends. She assured us that she was not going back to live the streets again. She did not stay long. There was a curfew at the shelter.

We met in two different occasions after this and they were very recent, perhaps earlier this year. She is 18 now. She is out of the shelter because she was officially an adult. We ran into her as she was getting all her documents together on her own. She told us that she found a place to stay. It was a small artisan community that occupied an abandoned historic house. They sell their art from time to time and do some social projects. We visited the community before. It was a good place for her. She told us that she got all her documents together so that she could go back to school. She was determined to complete her education. She described an incident in her attempt to register in a school. The lady at the counter was rude and disrespectful to her. She told her that she could not register for classes because she lacked certain documents. Camila decided that she wasn’t going to get upset. Instead she addressed the woman in a dignified manner and asked what she was lacking and went on to get these documents. She told us that she was determined to move forward and no one or nothing was going to make her give up. She showed us all the document she got and Mary helped her organize them in an orderly manner. Camila smiled and said that we are always so affectionate towards her. It was strange because we hardly spent any time with her.

The last time we saw her was when my sister was here visiting from Australia. We were on our way to where the children were and ran into Camila. She found a job in a hair salon and she was on her way home to have lunch. She saw us and gave us hug, she even hugged my sister. Everyone that is connected to us is her friend. I introduced my sister to her and Camila told her that we were a tremendous help to her. We tried to correct her and said that we hardly did anything for her. She achieved these things on her own. She disagreed. She insisted that we helped her. It was good for our ego but it is not the truth. At the same time, I understand what Camila is trying to say.

I was talking to another friend about Camila. He was once involved in a team that ministered to sex workers. The owner of a brothel invited them to have a religious service on the premises. It is best not to ponder too much on this complex invitation. It is enough to say that there was a prayer service among sex workers. Almost everyone attended except for one young woman. She was mostly indifferent and sometimes even hostile. My friend and his team thought that she was a lost cause and hardly paid any attention to her. Interestingly, today she is the only one from the brothel that left the lifestyle and now goes to church regularly. She credits the team for her transformation. My friend thinks otherwise. She transformed the way he thought about ministry and God. It is God who draws people to Himself and not our efforts or talents. We have nothing to do with what God does in the streets. Maybe some will find this hard to accept in practice. We want to believe that we can make things happen. However, nothing can be done if God doesn’t do it first.

We are not the Bread of Life. We are not the purveyors of the Truth. We are not the solution to the problems of abandonment and isolation. We don’t have what it takes to change people’s lives. Someone who thinks that all these things are within their power are gravely mistaken and they will reap the fruits of disappointment. Strategies, programs and good preaching do not produce the Bread of Life or life itself for that matter. These are our feeble attempts. Only God can draw people unto Himself. Therefore, the question is what is our role in all of this? Camila and the young lady in the brothel encountered life without any contribution from our part. We might wonder if it is even necessary for any of us to do anything since God is doing such a excellent job by Himself. Well, God definitely doesn’t need us to do anything but He invites us to be present when He acts. Besides, if we have tasted the Bread of Life, it would only make sense that we want to present where Life abounds.

Camila was born into a world that gave her nothing but death. She was rejected by her family. She never mentions her family. They are completely out of the picture. She was sent to a prison cell without any windows when she was only fourteen. Everything she experienced was pointing towards death. However, she encountered life in the valley of the shadow of death. Her ears were attentive to the voice of the Good Shepherd who guides her continuously. She constantly acknowledges God’s guidance upon her life. Camila and the lady that my friend encountered at the brothel are miracles. They reveal to us the power of the gospel. Camila believes that we helped her. We did absolutely nothing but God used us. We don’t know how. Perhaps she could see that it was the Bread of Life that has brought us here. Only God’s grace can do such things.

It is normal for us to wonder if we are doing anything substantial when we try to reach out to people. I am not talking about just us. I am talking about all of us who have partaken in the Bread of Life. The answer to this is that is not relevant. We are not the ones who draw people to Jesus. Everything is done by the Spirit.
The Spirit of God brings us to places and people and more often than not we might find ourselves not knowing what to say or do for them. Maybe we are mistaken in thinking that we are supposed to do something. Maybe the Life that flows in us wants to shine for these people and give them the hope that they are always included in the banquet where the Bread of Life is graciously served. Maybe each person that has tasted the Bread of Life is like an invitation card to those who hunger for eternity in this world. We just need to be present and let the Life that dwells in our soul do the rest.