Habakkuk 1:5 – “Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
How amazing is our God! So much has happened in these past few days I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s start with the young man I told you about last time: Cristofer.
Cristofer is 16 years old and a wonderful young man full of excitement. Tony’s been working with him for several years now, and when he first started Cristofer was a mess. An attitude as big as any you’ve ever seen, completely selfish, he had a life that most people wouldn’t have thought was worth investing in. Tony saw, just like he saw with Henry, just a young man who needed to experience the love of the Father. Tony came alongside him and has been working relentlessly with Cristofer for two years now. This is what I love about Tony – he never once has forced the boys into anything. He presents the idea, and then a few days later follows up with them. He never phrases the question as a simple yes or no – his favorite question to ask these boys is, “what’s your plan?” Cristofer has for the last several years gotten high on paint thinner. Tony has seen this firsthand countless dozens of times over the last few years – he’s not on thinner to enjoy himself, he gets high to go away. The thinner actually destroys brain cells every time he uses it, and when he’s high he’s not thinking at all. It’s one of the most destructive ways to check out of the life he lives, of poverty and sadness. His mother works at the city dump, his father is just gone, and his aunt who lives right next door doesn’t even bother to visit more than about once a month. He continues to turn to thinner despite the way it has messed him up so much so many times, despite the love Tony’s poured out on him to get him away from the addiction. Recently Tony has presented to him the idea of coming out to the farm for the month we’ll be here for, and Cristofer was interested. One day a week or two ago, Tony was talking to him and Cristofer said he’d like to do that. Tony followed up with him, and the day before we came, Tony went to find Cristofer at his house. He couldn’t find him anywhere, and the local boys told Tony, “he’s out back in the garbage.” In Cristofer’s back yard is a pile of trash two feet deep all over the yard, and Cristofer was laying out under a sheet in the middle of the day, buried in the trash, with dried blood under his nose, completely high. It took Tony 10 minutes to convince Cristofer that he should come inside, and he said that Cristofer had to be clean to come out to the farm the next day. Tony says in two years and countless episodes he’s never seen Cristofer so completely out of his mind – he had hit rock bottom. The next day we arrived at the bus station, and with Tony was a clean Cristofer. He’s been living with us at the farm all week, and for this week he’s been completely off thinner. He was talking to Tony about his plans for the future yesterday, which he’s never done before. If he can get a bicycle he wants to ride into town – a 20 minute drive – to attend some basic computer classes, and Tony says if he can find a sponsor he wants to put Cristofer in a Christian school nearby. The attitude and disrespect he has shown Tony for years is completely gone – Cristofer is a new person entirely out here. He’s friendly and talkative, and is excited to have us in his life.The change is not just in Cristofer’s personality, either. We had on Sunday one of the most amazing experiences of my life. My teammate Sarah had been given the idea to add one more event to Henry’s birthday celebration on Friday: a baptism. Tony has not had one person baptized on the farm since he started living here, but he’s been hoping for this for two years. He presented the idea to Henry, and Henry was very excited about it. The logistics happened on God’s time, so the actual baptism happened on Sunday afternoon. Over the last 5 or so days, the most amazing thing happened. Tony didn’t tell anyone but Henry and us about it, but one by one several more of the boys he has led to Christ over the last few years came to him and asked to take part. He took several of them to the pastor’s house one day and the pastor explained the concept and reasons for baptism very clearly, and they were all excited. One of those boys was Cristofer.
God wasn’t content to just baptize that handful of boys, though – He’s been working in the hearts of several of us World Racers here as well. Sarah, Christi-An, Hope, and William all joined in the event as well. God has been talking to me about baptism since I was in the Dominican, and He instructed me quite clearly that I should be baptized as well. I couldn’t have imagined a more incredible moment, to be part of such a beautiful chapter in the story of this farm in front of so many people that are such an important part of my life. It’s completely indescribable, how much this means to be baptized in that moment, in this place, with these boys, by this incredible man of God.
This month has already been so full of incredible things God has done – I can’t wait to see what else He has in store! Thank you all for your prayers for Cristofer – God has clearly heard them. Please keep praying for Henry, and Cristofer, and all the other boys – Luis, Carlos, Carlitos, Oscar, Jimmy, and so many more. Pray also for Tony, that we will be able to bless him and support his ministry here, as he shows the Father’s love to these boys.
Ephesians 3:16-19 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
