Introducing the new guys...

As we’ve graduated the last of our older crew (we have only Jose and Mario to go), we’ve been slowly bringing in new guys.  

The first to arrive was David.  He came to us from a tiny village up in the mountains a few hours from Santa Cruz.  He was on his own, as his mom and stepdad and little brother moved to Chile and left him in Bolivia when he was 16.  We could see that he hadn’t eaten very well in a long time.  

It took a couple of tries, but he passed his entrance exam for university, and he hasn’t looked back since.  David has an incredible servant heart and loves to volunteer in church and at the house.  The guys all call him pastor.  It’s good to see him thriving.  David is studying Business Administration.  

Then came Maycol.  We’ve watched Maycol grow up at the same children’s home that a few of our guys came from.  His parents were street kids, and he was born onto the streets.  He was taken away from them and placed in a home when he was two months old.  

Sadly, he had some conflict with a new director and had to leave when he was 16.  We wouldn’t normally take someone that age, but we were worried about what would happen to him.  He had no one and nowhere to go.  

He’s 17 now and almost finished Grade 12.  He eats like there’s no tomorrow (in all fairness, so do most of the guys) and seems to be all arms and legs.  He’s a smart kid and is starting to think about what he wants to do in the future.  His faith is emerging more and more and his relationship with God deepening, which is encouraging to see.

Next came Gabriel!  Gabriel comes from a single parent family.  His parents were street kids as well.  We’re not entirely sure where his dad is now, but his mom has been raising him, his four brothers and little sister.  She works long hours cleaning houses, so the boys mostly take care of themselves.

When Gabriel was little, the children’s ministry he attended had a cooking class for the kids. They even made little chef uniforms for them.  Gabriel loved it.  He never lost the dream of becoming a professional chef.  This year we had the pleasure of watching him try on his new chef’s coat at one of the best culinary institutes in the city.  

Gabriel is a man of few words and when he first moved in, he kept himself separate a bit. Now, however, we see him connecting with the other guys and with Andres and I.  We see him opening up and growing as a person and in his relationship with God.  

Finally, there’s Marito.  His name is actually Mario, but since we already have a Mario (big Mario), we call him Marito, which is like “Little Mario”.  Mario’s family lives in our neigbourhood.  We’ve known him since he was little.  He comes from a Christian family, but they don’t have the financial means to put him through university.  So, when he came to us, to ask if he could study with us, we talked about it and said yes.  

Mario has a great heart!  He always has a smile on his face!  He was on that line of what direction his life was going to go, but with some guidance and encouragement, we see him growing and changing.  Marito is studying to be an Industrial Electrician.

Those are our four newest guys.  It’s been interesting moving from a house of older guys to a house full of teenagers.  It definitely changes the dynamic!  But we’re enjoying this group of guys, and it’s been fun watching them develop friendships and a community amongst themselves.  It’ll be fun to see where God takes our house in the coming years!