I want ya’ll to meet Samuel
Here at La Qinta, there are three young girls ages 8-12, two girls 16 and 18, and then the man of the house, Samuel, who will be 13 next month! He is the most handsome boy I have seen in all three countries. Samuel is only 12 but already speaks with the authority of an adult.
The other night Samuel sat down with my team at the table during dinner and told us his testimony. I wish I could give it to you word for word, but it came to me in an ADD abbreviation form and through a translator… so therefore I only got bits and pieces.
Samuel grew up in the slums of a small town an hour and a half away from the capital of Nicaragua. Houses made out of stone walls and dirt floors, roofs made of random tin, and strong smells surrounding the trashed properties. It is humbling to see the people of the slums sweep their dirt floors and eat only a little beans and rice for every meal. These people work harder than I see most Americans work; using their children, oxen, starved horses, and broken-down equipment to complete a day’s work.
Samuel’s story started out only a year ago, when he was eleven and living at home. Never knowing his father, his mother still made him go to church every Sunday. One Sunday little Samuel learned that one of his fifteen year old friends was in jail, so naturally he bailed him out. Then after that Sam robbed around and smoked. We skip to another Sunday where he does not go into church because everyone inside is well dressed and he is not. He instead stayed outside with his friends, got drunk till late in the night, and then got into some trouble. He put his hand over his heart and said that is when God was entering his heart, that is when he knew he needed God.
This boy has captured every heart on my team, the way he spoke about the Lord at his young age astounds all of us, and we truly do see Christ in him. Samuel is not like any twelve year old boy anywhere, he is the man of the house here, and he steps into that. In his boyish attitude, he protects the girls here, works, takes responsibility, listens, and loves people with Christ’s love. I wish you all could meet this little man.
Time here has been amazing; I cannot imagine leaving this place. The kids here bring all of us so much joy and energy. Most days we go into the slums and go door to door to tell them about youth group, church, and other activities around La Quinta. This Friday we are starting a soccer game for youth. We worked hard this past Friday to get the soccer field ready for the upcoming game! For Christmas our team is buying the kids a new soccer ball, you would not believe what the old one looks like!
Youth group has been quite an experience for my team. We would get to church by a long walk and a bus ride consisting of a 14 passenger van full of over 26 people… all to learn that we are leading church! But my team-mates stepped up to the plate and took up the guitar, mikes, and the drums to lead worship! Last week we had youth group every day, and then today was the young kids Christmas party during church. We had about thirty kids from the slums, some that just wanted to hold your hand or be held, and then ones that would not listen to any authority. In any case it was lots of work, but we successfully played games, broke a piñata, and fed them lunch.
