
last friday, enrique (pictured here) began crying during conditioning drills in practice. by the time we got to the bottom of it, we determined that he hadn't eaten all day, and was now being pushed physically and experiencing a migrane headache. after a nutrition bar and some gatorade, he was ready to go.
yesterday after practice, enrique approached us in tears, and explained that he could not continue in the academy. things had gotten tough at home, and his family needs him to take on a job to help out. if he works from every day after school until 6pm, he could earn Q10 per day (just over $1). i will never forget coming around the corner and seeing anthony on his knees bear hugging this sobbing child and praying God's peace over him.
today we went to visit enrique's home. when i walked into the rough, dirty, dark home, i immediately recognized his dad. the only times i had seen him before he was belligerently drunk. in fact, his own mom and sister had apologized to me in the past, saying "don't listen to him, he is always like this."
as we shared with the dad about enrique - how well he is doing, how sharp of a kid he is, and how much potential he has - the dad smiled. he told us how good of a boy enrique is, and how respectful. he assured us he could continue in the program. we need to talk to enrique's mom - it seems clear that the dad is absent and she is the one providing for the family (she works every day from 5am to 7pm).
we (myself, mynor, and anthony) all got the feeling that enrique's dad was simply telling us what we wanted to hear. but at one point he looked at enrique, took a deep swallow, and with tears in his eyes, told him "enrique, the truth is, i don't want you to become like me." it was clearly hard for him to say this.
later that day we were talking with enrique. we reinforced how good of a kid he is, how much we love him, and how much jesus loves him... and that with jesus, he has hope. we agreed to pray for his dad and their family. i also told him that he we are always here to talk to, and he can share anything, anytime... that we are here to help.
thats all it took... with tears in his eyes, this precious boy shared how his dad gets violent when he drinks. "he hits my mom, and he hits all of us."
enrique is an incredibly sweet boy. he is in 6th grade. young enough to be led, shaped, and taught. his heart is very soft.
i believe enrique exemplifies why God created this
boy's academy. without help, without somebody loving enrique towards something different, what ever stops him from becoming his father? the reality is (and odds are) that enrique is just a few years away from being an abusive drunk. this is the case because it is all he knows. it is a vicious cycle.
i pray for enrique, his family, his dad. i commit to be here for him. to tell him (and the others like him) about jesus, love, and hope... for as long as it takes. God, help me love these boys as my own... help all of us who are working with them to be patient with them, and lead them to you.