Much of our ministry this month has been building relationships with some street kids from Los Pinos. The Lord has placed one family in particular on Tony’s heart, so we have been spending a lot of time with the boys from that family. God is doing incredible things in the lives of these boys. I feel that the best way for me to share with you what the Lord has been doing this month is through sharing the stories of each member of this family. One of the boys who has had some serious highs and lows this past week is Christopher, the oldest of the four boys. Like many of the children in Los Pinos he has used paint thinner. He hadn’t used it in a while, but the other day 3 of us had to stop by his house to pick up his brother and found him using it. As soon as he saw us he started crying because he was so convicted and ashamed that we caught him using it again. It was an intense moment for the three of us, to actually see him continue to sniff the rag soaked in paint thinner as we sat there with him. I am pretty sure all of our hearts broke for him in that moment. We were at a loss for words, but with my limited Spanish all I managed to say was “te quiero mucho, te quiero mucho….siempre, siempre, siempre….� (I love you a lot, I love you a lot…always, always, always). We just wanted him to know that we loved him and will always love him no matter what he does, with the unconditional love that God has poured out for each of us. Even though it was hard to see our sweet Christo using, we were glad that God is working in his heart to the point that he was so convicted over using . If he wasn’t upset that we caught him, I think it would have been even harder. Tony had an incredible talk with Christo the morning after he used, part of which was about asking for forgiveness from God and from others. Tony asked that throughout the day Christo would ask for forgiveness from a few members of the group. However, to all of our surprise Christo asked for forgiveness from the ENTIRE group during one of our group meetings! Asking for forgiveness from the entire group is a huge step for him since he is so quiet and somewhat shy. “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.� -Psalm 91:11-13
Christopher (Christo) can best be described as a quiet leader. He doesn’t talk much but you can tell he is always watching and thinking. Most of the time his brothers will follow his lead, so he holds an important role in the family. Tony told us that he is not a big physical touch person, so if he initiates any form of touch it is a big deal. I am pretty sure he started hugging us the first day we met and now loves to just hang on us which is SO incredible! Tony has been through some ups and downs with Christo, but God is moving big time in his life. Within the last 2 months Christo has started school again (he is in 3rd grade since he hasn’t been in school for so long) and he has also been attending church with his mother. We actually witnessed him raise his hands in worship for the first time just two weeks ago which is a big step since so many street kids have such a macho attitude and would never think of doing that in public.
Christo and I dancing during a game in Los Pinos
We had a meeting with the family yesterday (10/26) to share a vision and plan for the family that the Lord has given Tony. Tony asked that each of the boys make a commitment to God and Tony that they will go to school 5 days a week, never used paint thinner ever again, and continue to attend church. Tony made it clear just how serious of a commitment this is for each of them. Although all of the boys agreed to it, Christo seemed to put the most thought into it before he agreed. Each of the boys had to actually say yes they agreed out loud, and Christo took a moment to think about it before he said yes. I truly believe that he is serious about never using again, and with our God I know this is possible. I know God has big plans for Christo as a leader in Los Pinos, and we are claiming that he has been forever released form the addiction to paint thinner. Todos es posible con Dios! (Everything is possible with God!) He has an angel army fighting for him whenever the devil throws temptation his way.
