Not much is known about Elvis’s life except that, at the age of four, his parents left him at the hospital for dead.
He’d been trampled by a horse. No one is completely certain why the parents left him, but the assumption is that it was due to the lack of desire to take care of a crippled child, the inability to and/or the belief that Elvis would not survive anyway. Elvis did survive, though.
Shortly thereafter, he was sent to a home where he should have been educated and introduced to the Gospel. This “home” had a church and a school on its grounds. But, somehow, Elvis was turned into the servant for the home, most likely due to the belief that one who walks with a pronounced limp is worth & capable of nothing more, and never offered the opportunity for anything else.
When Elvis came to Nueva Vida three years ago, he was street smart, but not formally educated. He did not have a last name, didn’t know when his birthday was or even how old he really was. And, he did not know Jesus.
Today, Elvis is a fully functional and capable human being, regardless of any physical limitations he may have. He is in love with Jesus, has a sweet spirit and a warmth of welcome about his countenance. He’s been unofficially “adopted” by Glenn & Lynne, refers to himself as Elvis Schweitzer and, in three days, will celebrate his (estimated) 27th birthday. He chose December 1 as the date of his birth.
We have been privileged to spend time with Elvis these past few weeks at the Center. He’s kind of the caretaker of the living quarters, so we basically live with him. A few weeks ago, his dog was killed. The sadness that consumed Elvis was evident and broke our hearts. We prayed against any residual feelings of abandonment, worthlessness and loneliness – due to his life before Jesus, the Schweitzers and the Center – from overwhelming him. And Father has protected him from such lies.
