Saturday
afternoons we have been visiting different communities.
The
communities we are visiting have problems with women being murdered, thieves
stealing by knife point, 11 and 12 year old girls getting pregnant, teenagers
getting addicted to drugs, and poverty. A lot of
these things are a result of the natural disasters that have taken place. There have been hurricanes, mudslides,
and flooding. Many of the youth
and families have turned from God because of these disasters.
Pastor
Hermando has been working in the communities for some time. His main focus is on the youth. He uses soccer as a means to get the
youth to come together and it provides him the opportunity to share the
gospel. Soccer has such a strong
impact in these communities and many times can prevent children from getting
involved in one of the things listed above.
This
past Saturday we visited a community and actually went into several families’
houses to invite their children out to play soccer. Pastor Hermando, Denise,
and I went to visit one of his long time friends.
This is his story:
Roberto lived in a community that
had 13 gangs. He said it was
almost impossible to escape them. If he tried to move, there would still be a
gang close by. He told us that
many times people are not strong enough to stand up to the gangs. And one day he
did not have that strength. He
ended up being shot in his back. The bullet went through one of his nerves and
paralyzed him from the waist down.
He
was bed ridden for a long time. He told us that at one time he wanted to kill
himself and die, because he felt like there was nothing more to live for. He wondered how he would provide for
his family. His kids would ask him
for money and he would cry because he had nothing to give them. He used to be good at soccer.
Pastor Hermando and Roberto
But
then he started going to church. He began to realize that he could rely on God
to get him through the pain. He then began to use a wheel chair to get around
and sell things during festivals in the community. He also was able to move his
family out of the dangerous community and into a safer one.
However,
after a year or so he developed a growth on his back. The growth most likely grew from constantly having to be in
a bed or a wheel chair. When we
visited him, he had recently gotten out of the hospital from having the growth
removed and was bed ridden. He has
two children, one girl and one boy.
His wife takes care of him and provides for the family. However, despite the pain, he is
full of joy. He told us of how he has been able to
share his story with many others that have lost the ability to use their
legs. He is able to encourage them
through it. He is able to point them to Christ.
They
live in a house about the size of my small room at home. There are two beds and most of their
possessions are on one side of the wall. He has few ways to provide for his family. He is constantly
having to be bed ridden or in a wheel chair.
And
despite all this…He
has Joy.
This gives me a whole
new meaning to….
“The Joy of the Lord is my strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
Let
this story encourage you.
Let this story bring you Joy.
Let this story make you aware of those that are hurting.
Let this story make you want to pray for the nations more.
Let this story make you want to share your testimony.
Let this story
make you thankful.
