Imagine this. Put yourself in his shoes.
Your mom meets a man online and you end up moving to Guatemala to live with him. Turns out he is one of the top ranked gang leaders. You now become his drug runner and errand boy for anything he needs. And on the side he uses you for sexual relief. There are times where he beats you for reasons you don’t fully understand. No matter how much you try to do right it never seems to be enough…
Then the only father figure you have had in your life gets tired of having you around so he sells you to the dark web. Finally, while in the process of being transported in a shipping container to El Salvador, you see your chance and escape and make your way to safety with the authorities!!
It’s hard to believe this was Max’s reality just 2 years ago. But his life took an incredible turn for the best when he was introduced and immediately welcomed into the family here at Mi Casa.
I first got to know Max on the soccer field. He was one of the first people I connected with at Mi Casa. He is a goofy and loving kid. At the end of the pick-up soccer game he quickly came up to me and asked my name. Now every time I see him I am met with a joyful shout of my name, a smile and a hug (and almost always a question about where my cards are, he loves playing games!)
Max does not live in a victim mindset. Yes he is overcoming some challenges that his past has given him. But because of Mi Casa and the opportunities Max is offered here, he is excelling and getting to be a normal 12 year old boy. Truthfully, you would never know how traumatic his childhood has been if you were to meet him today, I definitely didn’t. His strength and humility is inspiring.
As you can imagine education was not a high priority to his previous family. But since starting school Max has been learning exceptionally well. He is attending a private bilingual school and going into 5th grade this up coming year. WAHOO!
This is where you come in. As I have mentioned before this is just as much your journey as mine, it just looks a bit different. I want to invite you into a way you can make a difference in these kids lives. The public school system in El Salvador is extremely poor. Boys are forced into gangs and girls can be raped at any point in time. So in order to ensure the kids at Mi Casa are getting a good and safe education at private schools they need some financial help. This can look like anything you want. $5, $25 or $100 one time or monthly, truly anything helps!! I challenge you to ask God what He is calling you to. This can change Max’s whole life. I’m not exaggerating, the quality of his education will dictate Max’s future.
Due to his safety I have not used Max’s true name and I am not able to post any pictures of him on the internet. In addition, I am not able to post his link for giving. If you are interested in supporting Max and helping him continue to get a valuable education please please let me know. I will send you an email with pictures of him and his link. Each of these kids have stolen my heart and it would mean the world to me if you would consider supporting them.
More stories to come, I love all of you! Happy New Year’s Eve!!!
Martha Sue
Prayer Warriors:
- Pray this last week here at Mi Casa would the best one yet!
- Pray protection and provision over Mi Casa and Bob McDonald (our amazing host and founder of Mi Casa)
- This is going to be one of the hardest goodbyes I have had in my life. Pray that it would be full of joy and thanksgiving that God brought us together and we got to spend the whole month with each other and build relationships that will last
- Pray that this new year the Lord would reveal himself in new ways to all of us. Ask Him what He wants you to be focusing on in 2019!
