My heart broke…
God BROKE my heart for this little boy I had just met…
His name is Cristino. He is 12 years old. He lives in a village called Cativo an hour outside of San Juan. He loves to play with toy cars. He is a beautiful, Dominican boy. His smile is so very precious.
His name is Cristino. His hands are crippled and curled. His mouth is pretty much mute. He walks with weak legs that sometimes give out. He has a deadly disease that cannot be cured.
On Thursday afternoon, we went to visit Cristino. Some of my teammates found him in his backyard with a bloody chin, swollen eye and scabs on his knees. He had fallen earlier that day and no one had cleaned him up.
A couple of my teammates took whatever bandages we had in a small first aid kit and began to clean him up…
I had to leave the room…
I couldn’t look at how HELPLESS he was. How HOPELESS his eyes looked!
We immediately started to pray.
That is when I felt God break my heart for this boy. I saw Cristino as God saw him…
His child…Beautifully created…Overwhelmingly loved…A part of God’s perfect plan
We prayed for healing over Cristino. Quite honestly, I had never done that over someone with such conviction. I want God to show His power through healing this boy, because I know my God is bigger than any diseases or spiritual bondages that are on this boy’s life.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY…
I want Cristino’s HEART to be healed first and foremost. I want Jesus to invade his life and show him where true life, joy and strength comes from. I want him to see what Jesus did for him and why He came…
I’ve always loved this piece of Scripture and multiple people have brought it to my attention this week. (I can’t help but think of Cristino when I was reading it.) It talks about what Jesus came to do for US. What he came to do for Cristino…
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me (Jesus), because the Lord has anointed me to…
PROCLAIM good news to the poor…
BIND up the BROKENHEARTED…
PROCLAIM FREEDOM for the captives and RELEASE FROM DARKNESS for the prisoners…
PROCLAIM the year of the LORD’S FAVOR and the day of vengeance of our God…
COMFORT all who mourn and PROVIDE for those who grieve in Zion…
BESTOW on them a CROWN OF BEAUTY instead of ashes, the OIL OF JOY instead of mourning, and a GARMENT OF PRAISE instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, a PLANTING of the Lord for the DISPLAY of HIS SPLENDOR. “
Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19
This is what Jesus has done in my life and I SO BADLY want it for Cristino too.
Please pray WITH us for this boy…
For a heart transformation
For a physical transformation
And for God to use this boy as a MIGHTY WARRIOR for Him in Cativo
