Uriel's Miracle

For the last two years, Lake City Community Church in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho has been sending mission teams to Tegucigalpa to work on the Learning Center for AfE’s church (see previous article). The teams have partnered with Honduran construction workers on AFE’s payroll to labor together and put up the walls, slowly but surely.

One of the construction workers they met and became fond of over the years is Ozman Uriel Medina Lagos. Uriel’s story was not unlike the stories of many other young men in Honduras.

Uriel’s father abandoned his family when Uriel was young. His mother, without skills and education, scraped by making and selling donuts, and tried her best to feed her three children. The youngest brother, William, was sometimes mock

ed in school for wearing Uriel’s old shoes, which looked like clown shoes on his feet. When Uriel was old enough, he dropped out of school so he could work in construction and help put food on his family’s table. Years went by. The Medina Lagos family became strong members of the Amor y Vida church in the Miller, where they live. Pastor Jeony learned of their situation and looked for opportunities to hire Uriel and help this family in any way he could.

Soon Uriel was a regular member of AFE’s construction staff, but he secretly dreamed of continuing his education someday. Then he encountered the members of Lake City. Another they lived in a land far way, the people from Lake City took immediately to Uriel with his cheerful disposition and humble attitude. They noticed how intelligent he was and became curious why he was not furthering his education. When Pastor Jeony relayed Uriel’s story to the team, they decided they would chip in together to provide a scholarship for him.

When Rey Diaz (AFE’s U.S. Liason) told Uriel the team from Lake City wanted to meet with him, Uriel’s first response was: “Oh no, did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble?” Rey drove him to the team’s hotel where they had dinner and Uriel was very nervous.

Pastor Jeony asked Uriel to share his story with the group and asked him if he had a life dream. Uriel replied shy, “I would love to go to a university someday , study engineering, and attain a career to better support my family.”

At this point the team shared with him: “Uriel, God wants to make your dreams come true. We would like to give you a scholarship to study at a university and a stipend to take care of your family’s living expenses while you are studying.”

Uriel did not utter a word. His mouth dropped open. The group waited in joyful expectation. But Uriel did not say anything. He looked around the room, confused, perhaps searching for the signs of a joke in the team’s faces. When he saw nothing but smiles of excitement the truth set in. Then the tears came, flowing down his face in joyful grattitude to God.

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸ He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and cloth” (Deut 10:17-19)

Thank you, Lake City, for serving as the instruments of God to make one young man’s impossible dreams come true.