Rodolfo Mendoza Rodriguez was the patriarch of his family. A tall, white haired man he commanded presence and authority. His last bout with cancer and the resulting treatment had damaged his leg muscles. But even with leg braces and special canes to assist with walking, he seemed daunting. His face stern, his smiles rare, I wasn’t sure what to make of this Mexican gentleman from another era. I met Señor Rodriguez last May when he accompanied his son Rodolfo, his daughter-in-law Ana and his two grandsons Rody and Pablo to Crossroads. It was Mother’s Day and we had invited Rodolfo to share the message. Rodolfo had asked his father to come and hear him, and he accepted. We were all excited because Señor Rodriguez was not a Christian. He considered himself an agnostic. Well-educated and widely read in both Spanish and English, Señor Rodriguez could not find an intelligent, scientific answer for his questions of God. His wife Hortenica, Rodolfo’s step-mother, is a practicing Catholic. And he rarely attended mass with her either. You might be wondering how a young middle-class Mexican family even stumbled into Crossroads, our ministry to English-speaking people? Rodolfo and Ana moved to La Paz from Mexico City. Rodolfo had wanted to live closer to his father (a native of La Paz), and also to leave the hectic, frantic pace of his life in the 2nd largest city in the world. Bilingual, he and Ana first visited our church simply to have more contacts in the American/Canadian community. But they quickly fell in love with our style of worship and the love expressed in this faith community, and decided to make Crossroads their church home. After Rodolfo shared the Mother’s Day message, I sent his father Señor Rodriguez a note expressing how much we had enjoyed his visit, and that it was evident to see how proud he was of his son. We hoped that he would come again. And he did! Over the next nine months, Señor Rodriguez attended Crossroads at least 2 times a month. And it was through these encounters that I began to see God soften his heart. I saw the regular attendees of Crossroads reach out and embrace him with God’s love. I came to treasure his beautiful smile that suddenly was not so rare. God revealed to me the huge heart he had for his family, friends, and community. Three weeks ago Señor Rodriguez was admitted to the hospital with what everyone thought was the flu or pneumonia. But after draining a large amount of fluid from his lungs, the doctors discovered that his cancer had returned. After learning that it had not spread to his lymph nodes, there was hope that he could receive treatment and beat the odds again. But that was not God’s plan. And on Sunday, February 25, in the wee hours of the morning, God called Señor Rodriguez home. I visited him several times in the hospital. The first time I came, Ana told me that his whole face lit up. That for days he had been despondent and melancholy, but that my visit brightened his soul. That day I shared Psalm 121 with him. And I personalized it for him. Rodolfo lifts up his eyes to the hills— Where does his help come from? Rodolfo’s help comes from the Lord, The Maker of heaven and earth The Lord will not let Rodolfo’s foot slip The Lord who watches over Rodolfo will not slumber Indeed, the Lord who watches over Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you, Rodolfo The Lord is your shade at your right hand The sun will not harm you by day Nor the moon by night The Lord will keep Rodolfo from all harm He will watch over your life, Rodolfo The Lord will watch over your coming and going Both now and forevermore. I read it to him in English since he too was bi-lingual. I trusted God to sort it out in his head if his mind was groggy from medication! But his eyes were alert that afternoon as I shared God’s Word. And then I prayed with him, joined by Ana and two other friends that had stopped by during my visit. Later David and I visited him together. David shared the Gospel with him, and Señor Rodriguez said that his son Rodolfo had brought the same words to him many times. Did he say in that moment, “I believe in Jesus”? No, he did not. But I could sense the Holy Spirit hovering all around him. Rodolfo was with his father when he died last Sunday morning. He said that he died peacefully. None of us know 100% if Señor Rodriguez accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior before he died, but all the clues point us toward that fact: that he did make his peace with God before he exhaled his last physical breath. My dear friend Jenny, also a member of Crossroads, says that when she heard the news of his passing, she pictured Señor Rodriguez walking arm in arm with Jesus, as Jesus pointed out the mysteries of the stars, of the universe to him. Jesus was answering all the questions that had plagued him over the years. And he let God delight his soul with eternal marvels. Her image made my heart laugh “Yes, God!” On Monday morning many of us gathered in the Cathedral for the funeral mass. As the casket was rolled down the aisle by Señor Rodriguez’ two sons and two best friends, our Mexican brothers and sisters sang the first two lines from Psalm 123: A Ti levanto mis ojos A Ti que habitas en el cielo A Ti levanto mis ojos Porque espero tu misericordia The music of the organ, the voices singing in Spanish reverberated around us. The acoustics of the 300-year-old Cathedral created an impact of angelic holiness. And I found myself close to weeping as we began the celebration of Señor Rodriguez’ life on earth. The priest reminded us that none escape death. But Jesus also left us with this promise: I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) I have the hope that Señor Rodriguez did claim that promise in his last days here on earth. Some might scoff at my lack of proof, saying that I am only telling myself what I wish to hear. But I was the one who gazed into his eyes as he let God’s Holy Word go deep inside his soul that afternoon in the hospital. I could sense that he was weary of resisting the mystery. He was hungry for the light to pour in. I heard the locked door unbolt, creak open, and the wind of the Holy Spirit rush in. And once God grabs a hold of your heart, he never lets you go. Joyce Anderson-Reed La Paz, Mexico