John 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
El Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America, with a population of almost 7 million people. We are told that as of 2015 there were 700,000 Salvadorians living in the United States without documentation. They are the second largest group of immigrants living here at this time.
The largest export of this country is coffee, but Juan was not a coffee farmer. When I met him he was a fugitive, a hit man for a drug cartel in his country. He had discovered Jesus Christ and his life had changed so drastically that when he escaped to the U.S. he immediately began a ministry in South Dallas. Juan had come from a life where he took lives, to a life where he offered life. Eternal Life.
Our friendship only lasted a few days; he was working at a print shop in east Dallas, and I was part of the support group that kept the equipment operating. Fixing computer systems requires an hours worth of work, then a several hours worth of rigorous testing to be sure the problem is gone for good. That gave Juan and I a few fellowship packed days to share Jesus. And they were great days, each of us growing from the life stories of the other.
I have not seen Juan since those days so many years ago. He is still here somewhere, I am sure, leading a Bible study and mentoring young men, but I have no idea where to find him. After so many years I have even forgotten his name. But God has not.
Juan and I will meet again one day, in a land new to both of us, and we will share forever the stories of the lives behind us. I don’t know his name, or where he is, but we share Jesus, and we will clearly recognize one another the next time we meet, there before the throne of grace, where color and coffee, and kingpins and computers no longer matter.
Hasta luego, mi hermano, hasta luego”.. see you soon, my brother, see you soon.
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