Marguerita.

This is Marguerita's corner restaurant

One of the weekly routines that we have developed living here in Ecuador is that we walk to church each Sunday. The other piece of our tradition is that on our walk back home we stop at the same little corner restaurant for lunch. When we started doing this we’d occasionally get the food to go, though we came to realize the value of staying and taking advantage of the opportunity to talk with the people sitting and eating in this small room with us.

Marguerita is the woman who owns this small restaurant and prepares all of the food. She warmly embraced us from the very first week we stopped by to eat there. The interesting thing is how she has been very open with Suzy regarding her questions and worries about faith and Christianity. The second week we walked by her restaurant, she asked us where we were going. When we told her we were on our way to church, she asked very genuinely if we would pray for her. 

A few weeks later she excitedly brought us inside and showed us a Bible she had recently put on display in the restaurant. She told us a friend of hers had had it and she asked if they would give it to her. They did. Each week she proudly puts it on display, surrounding it with flowers and other decorations. 

In September of 2013, Marguerita asked Suzy in conversation why she doesn’t have more faith. She expressed that she desires to have it, but so many days she feels distrust for God. As the conversation progressed, Suzy asked her if she had any interest in getting together to study the God of the Bible. Marguerita excitedly said, “Yes!” For several weeks now, Suzy has been getting together with her and often other members of her family to read the Bible. Together, they are discovering who Jesus is.