Surely, help would soon be on the way! The young girl’s face portrayed anguish as she tossed a strand of her long dark hair over her shoulder and looked nervously up and down the path. Alicia sat on the small dirt trail near the river cradling her father’s head in her lap. She tried to move into a position which would be more comfortable for him. He was still unconscious. Her tears began to flow freely as the moments ticked by and she watched the blood trickle down his forehead. She mused over the last few months. The image of her mother walking out of the house carrying her baby brother would forever be etched into her memory. At the tender age of 16, Alicia had been forced to make the hardest decision of her life…to choose between father and mother. Although she loved her mother dearly, she had decided to stay with her father. She thought about the deceit and unfaithfulness which had characterized the past months and she made up her mind to never replicate her mother’s example when she grew up, much less, encourage her children to be accomplices of her actions. Alicia’s love for her parents had been torn and she deemed her heartache incurable.
Only days after Alicia’s father had forced her mother to leave the house, he went down to the river where he unexpectedly happened upon his wife’s lover. Such a fury enraged him, he impulsively reached for his gun. When he hesitated, another man who was with the lover quickly grabbed his own gun and shot three times. Two bullets hit Don Demecio in the forehead and the other penetrated his shoulder. If the bullet in his shoulder had gone 2 inches lower, he most surely would have died.
This was the state in which Alicia had found her father. Several men from the village eventually came to assist the injured man. With a makeshift stretcher, they were able to carry Don Demecio to the village. From there he was transported to the nearest city. After many long months of surgeries, rehabilitation, sleepless nights, and much pain, Don Demecio was finally released from the hospital. Although his recovery was remarkable, some of the neurons in his brain had been affected by one of the bullets, (which remains there to this day), and his ability to communicate verbally was very limited. The mobility in his right arm and leg had also been affected, causing him to walk with a limp the rest of his life.
BUT THEN CAME JESUS…
Much of the rehabilitation happened in Mexico City where Alicia and her father stayed for around a year. During her time in Mexico City, Alicia began attending church with her grandmother, who was a Christian. She loved going to church and having someone teach her the Bible. One day she finally came to understand the good news of the gospel which asserts that you are worse than you would ever dare to imagine, but more loved by God than you would ever dare to hope. Alicia realized that Jesus’ death was to pay for her sin, and she prayed to receive Christ as her Savior. But one thing didn’t make sense to her; as she learned more and more about God’s amazing love, she was confused by the selfishness of so many Christians. If they know about this incredible kind of love, she reasoned, how could they be so selfish as to not tell more people about it?
When it was time to return home, Alicia was sad to go. She had found Jesus in this place and was barely beginning to learn more about the Bible. Apart from that, the life that awaited her was far from a happy one.
Back home, living with her uncle was miserable. There was little respect for womanhood, and her future seemed bleak in this small, rural village of Cimientos.
One November day Alicia went to visit her cousin who lived in Arúmbaro, a village one hour away from Cimientos. She took Alicia to see a family down the road from her. This was the first time she met Salomón. She was impressed with this handsome young man. Although she knew the Bible commanded believers not to marry nonbelievers, Alicia was sure this was the answer to her problems. If she could get married and have her own house and begin her own family, she would be far away from the problems of her uncle’s home.
Between November and December, Salomon and Alicia saw each other only three times, and on that third meeting, Salomon urged Alicia to run away with him, (the common village practice of eloping, where the boy “steals” the girl, with her full consent—the new couple is expected to return after three days to “ask forgiveness” of the parents–a mere formality.) Although Alicia argued it was too soon, she also maintained it was her only way of escape. So, going against what her conscience and the Bible told her was right, she consented. The following years were not easy for Alicia. But in the midst of the hard times, she would always trace her trials back to her initial sin of running off with Salomon. She didn’t blame God, but simply accepted that all the suffering she was experiencing was the result of God being angry with her and rejecting her. She concluded that she had lost her salvation.
Salomon was often away working in the States for months at a time, so Alicia dedicated herself to being a good mother for her quickly growing family. She now had three children ages 1, 3 and 5.
One day, she heard someone at the front gate yelling, “Buenas tardes!” She stopped sweeping, brushed away the hair from her face and went to see who was at the gate. A young couple was standing there with CDs and little papers in their hands. They explained that they were Christians and had come to give away tracts with the good news of salvation. A broad smile framed Alicia’s face as she declared how she too was a Christian and would like for someone to come back and teach her more about the Bible. There was only one problem. At the time, Salomon was in the States and his parents had strong feelings about allowing their daughter-in-law to let Christians into her home; so it was decided to wait until Salomon’s return to ask his permission.
Soon after his return, Salomon received some interesting visitors at his house. Ted and Priscilla Clark were missionaries who had lived in Mexico for many years. They worked with the young couple who had knocked on Alicia’s door weeks earlier. They had come to inquire whether Alicia was still interested in studying the Bible. Salomon instantly felt comfortable with Ted’s friendly manner and easy-going spirit. He agreed to allow his wife to study.
Soon the Clarks were going to Arúmbaro every week to study the Bible with Alicia. She confided in Priscilla her feeling that God was no longer close, due to her sin. Surely, she could no longer be a believer after having consciously disobeyed the Bible. Alicia’s perception of God’s justice was very clear, but her understanding of His love and forgiveness had been blurred by the guilt she felt. Priscilla loaned her some messages by Dr. William Thrasher titled “Guilt.” It was this series of messages that God used to free Alicia from the lie that He could surely not still love and accept her into Heaven after the sin she had committed. She never denied her sin but rather experienced freedom when she finally realized that God is a God of forgiveness and mercy. She grasped the truth that once she received Jesus as her Savior and once He saved her, nothing could take her out of His hand. Salvation was a gift, and Alicia realized that she couldn’t lose something she hadn’t earned. Jesus had saved her, and He would keep her.
The Clarks were limited in how much influence they could have with Alicia since they could only go down to her village every week or so. She was unable to attend church most of the time, though she dearly treasured the few Sundays her husband would allow her to go. They encouraged her to read the Bible for herself and to listen to audio messages. In spite of being the only believer in the village for over ten years, Alicia continued to thrive in her faith. She took the Clark’s counsel seriously and grew through the reading of the Word and by listening to countless audio teachings during her long hours making tortillas in the mornings. There was a light and a joy about her which nothing could dissolve. She was a happy person.
She went on to have seven children whom she raised in the fear of the Lord. Her diligence in personal Bible study was passed on to her children as well. She would insist that they read the Bible on their own every day, have prayer times, memorize Scripture, and sing songs. Alicia also would have deep spiritual talks one-on-one with her kids, giving them sound Biblical counsel. Her children are delightful to be around. They have followed the Lord, and the two oldest studied the Bible in a one-year program in 2021. The fifteen-year-old, Samuel, has shown much spiritual maturity, and through his own initiative, will take his Bible to work in the fields and read it there. Alicia and her family are an example to all of us, that no matter where we are or what our situation is, we can still grow through the Word. This family, in spite of their difficult life have been shining for Jesus in their small corner. They continue to pray fervently for Salomon’s salvation.