hueso means bone. hueso is the nickname of a street kid i’ve fallen in love with.
his story isn’t pretty, but he’s sitting next to me at the internet cafe writing this and telling me details as i type.
his mother died when he was four months old. he was left to an abusive father who basically never tried or wanted to take care of him. the name bone comes from the beatings that revealed the bones under his skin. at about age four, his father sent him to live with his mothers mother…and she took in the family. when hueso was eight, his grandma told him that he was a man, and that she could no longer look after him. so at age eight, he was sent to the streets. he doesn’t know how old he is. he’s either 13 or 14.
but this month, he’s held a special place in our hearts. he is the boy who prayed in the midst of our team after he warned us of some danger around the corner from our house. he’s got a tender heart and maybe is recieving genuine love for the first time. i’ve often wondered if love was enough. this month has answered that, if it is pure and from the Father, yes, love is enough.
a girl on our squad named Kristen McKee befriended him first. she started doing devotions and bible studies with him. he received them thoroughly. he started spending more time with us and even spent the past two nights at our team debrief worship times. he knows the song ‘mighty to save’ in spanish, and we ended last night with that song.
after the worship he came up to me. i was packing up my guitar and he stood looking at me until a tear formed full enough in his left eye to roll down his cheek. i gave him a hug, and he sobbed in my chest for 20 minutes. the black and white picture was taken then. it’s not cultural for men to cry, but he did. for the first time, he knew love.
last night, hueso spent the night with the guys. we prayed together. we listened to music together. we laughed and told stories. he got my phone number, and entered it as family. he’s my hermano, my brother.
i’m going to let him type some things in spanish below. i don’t know what he’ll write, but i trust his heart, and am excited for him to share with you all…
david esmier mano ytanvien esmimejor amigo ylokieromucho
(basically, this says, david is my brother, and he’s also my best friend. i love him a lot.) i guess that sums up how i feel about him too. as tears drip on the keys…pray for him. pray that this brotherhood doesn’t end. pray that he stays firm in the Lord. pray that he gets connected with other men of God, and if i’m supposed to reconnect with him, that i can!
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we leave for Haiti in the morning. we’re excited, and going without fear. our team will be in Jacmel, but we’ll be busy. i don’t know if we’ll have internet. i’ve copied your emails, and i’ll write blogs, but may not be able to post them until the 20th or 22nd of February. but continue praying none the less.
