This first 3 months of the race were at home for me, funny fact is that I am probably the only racer ever doing the race on their own country, which was good and weird at the same time. I learned a lot of things from my country that I didn’t know before this time. I saw things like I never saw them before, I got to love people that I never thought I would love and much less in the way I did.
My boys gave me a new perspective of life. For many years I would pass by all those streets, just watching all these different people in the street asking for money, or sleeping on it, but never actually care, or did something about it. In the las 3 months I worked in those same streets. I spent all my mornings with the street boys, they became my family, they showed me what love really means, a love the doesn’t judge and doesn’t make differences.
One of the most emotional moments in the street for me was the last day we spent with the boys, Miguel thanked us for loving them and for our friendship, he thanked us for accept them no matter how they looked or for their lifestyle; I learned that as high (drugged) as they were they knew who their real Father is. I got to know and love the sweetest guys ever, my new little brothers, Kevin, Pablo and Charlie. They stole a huge part of my heart. Doing ministry in my country taught me to love the street people that we never pay attention to, and that we never take time to know.
Living in my home away from home, gave me the big brother that I never had, DJ became an important part of my life in a short period of time, he challenge me spiritually and also in my way of thinking, he push me out of my comfort zone which made me wanted to punch him a couple of times but those were the best moments, those were the moments were I was able to growth the most; DJ teach me to live more and care less, in a good way, I am always worry about how others will feel or what others think but DJ teach me to pay more attention to how I feel and what I think, he teach me to go to the Lord first and then to someone else. I learn more about God and how to hear him thanks to DJ. Thank you DJ for taking care of me and loving me like a real brother.
Thank you Guatemala for all that you gave me, I have been living here for the last 19 years of my life but the biggest treasures that you gave me were during the last 3 months that I live here. For my 46 teammates these were the first 3 months of a new chapte but for me, these were the last 3 months of a chapter of my life that introduced the next big chapter of my life. This was the end of a part of my life that gave a start to the rest of my life.
Love, Mafer.
