As I look
into the faces of these three boys, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that
the Lord is raising them up to be powerful men of God who will be His warriors
within this community. Though each story is different, the same truth remains:
The Lord has a special and powerful calling on each of their lives.
The
Lord has put a burden for at least one of their three boys on the hearts of
each of my teammates and me. We have been praying for each of them daily and
have been woken up in the middle of the night several times to pray for them.
Each of us have had pictures from the Lord of them being raised up as pastors,
warriors, and men like David- a man after God’s own heart.
All
of them have lives filled with brokenness, but in each situation the Lord is
showing Himself strong.
Anthony
is 13. Before coming to Christ, he had already dropped out of school because of
bad grades. He had
quit believing that he was capable of doing much. He had
quit dreaming for his future. He was working a dangerous and illegal job in the
sugar cane fields to pay his mother’s debt so they didn’t lose their home. He
was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Lord is revealing
Himself to Anthony as the God who hears our hearts’ cries and has big plans for
us. The Lord, through Linda and Tommy, have provided a safe job for Anthony and
he will begin school again in February. He is beginning to believe that the
Lord has a special plan for his life.
Andres
is also 13. He hasn’t known the real love of a family. He 
doesn’t know his
father. His mother left when he was really young and moved to Costa Rica. This
left Andres and his older brother Kerwin to be raised by their aunt. I get the
impression that they are more often overlooked than loved at home. It breaks my
heart! Andres is such a precious kid who is desperate for love and affection.
But the Lord is moving! He is a God who places the lonely in families
(Psalm 68:6) and He has provided a wonderful, loving couple as Andres &
Kerwin’s supportive parents. I have also seen the Lord work this month to pull
Andres from the brink of a crossroads. Andres accepted Christ the week before
we arrived, but over the month was transformed from the kid sitting in the back
of the church goofin’ off to sitting in the front row pouring out prayers to
the Lord, hands lifted in praise. The Lord is steadily changing Andres into a
strong, well-grounded man of God who knows his value in Christ.
Marlyn
just turned 14. He comes from an abusive home (sexually, physically, and
emotionally). He looked for
love and belonging in gang life, but only found
more conditional love. “You are accepted if you do these things…” Now in
Christ he has found unconditional love and the difference radiates from his
new, life-filled smile. Marlyn understands more of the Lord’s grace and
forgiveness than most Christians I know. As Jesus said, “He who has been
forgiven much, loves much” (Luke 7:47).
The
Lord, in His abundant mercy, saw these three friends either at a major
crossroads or already in over their heads. He pursued them and called them into
His grace and abundant life together (all coming to Christ within about a
month). Together they will grow in strength in Christ and learn to walk in His
truth. As I pray for them, I feel the Lord’s calling on their lives. I prayed
Ephesians 6:10-18 over them, and as I prayed, I saw the Lord putting His armor
upon them and I saw them coming together battling for their community. The Lord
is raising up powerful men to lead Candelaria. I can see Him in their faces.
