Pablo - We rejoice with him

Pablo Ernonde at age 12 is one of the earliest students in the vocational program, not to mention, our youngest student.  We made an exception to our rules when we accepted him into the vocational school.  We said we would try him for a week or two, evaluate him and then make a determination as to whether he would continue.  He showed so much determination that it was unthinkable to turn him away.

He resides at the Remar International - Leon facility due to a gambling addiction.  You read it correctly, our Pablito is a card-shark.  He was an excellent student in public school but dropped out to pursue the gambling.  He left the rehab facility for a few days a couple of months ago, but had to return; his habit was still not under control.

Each day he attends class, is a day of surprises; you never know what you will get from him.  He is whitty, talkative, bright, enthusiastic, determined and very charming.  He's more than capable of taking care of himself, but the other students take on the role of big brother and feel it is their duty to watch over him.

Recently he shared with us that he wanted very much to change his behavior but he always found himself doing what he knew he should not do.  Does that sound familiar?  During the weekly gathering with our Pastor, Pablo was asked to elaborate more about why and how he wanted to change.   In his usual style of honesty and sharing deep from within his heart, he talked about his life and his desire to know more about the Lord.  At that moment, the presence of the Lord was felt in the room; He definitely was in our midst. Pablo accepted Jesus as his Savior and committed to serving Him with his whole heart. He had an intense desire to worship and all of us stood in a circle singing; except that I found myself watching Pablo.  As his eyes were closed, swaying to his own music, he had a smile on his face that could be described in many ways: joy, peace, happiness, contentment.   For a time, I know that he was "not in that room"; he had journeyed somewhere else within himself.  On the drive home, I asked Pablo how he felt in his heart.  He said "it felt empty, not in a bad way, it was free".

Pablo stays in a facility located far outside of town on a farm.  It is very remote, thus it is very dark at night and he gets frightened a lot.  The next day after his encounter with the Lord, he shared with us an experience he had at bedtime the previous evening.  While lying in bed, he was scared and he started praying to Jesus. He said that he saw 2 "Lights" on either side of him and he knew that they were Angels. He started talking to them and singing. One of the other Christian boys in the bunkhouse told him to be quiet or the others would think he was crazy.  

Yes, we are rejoicing with Pablo!  We are happy that he has found more joy than he can contain. This young boy has a very special calling on his life and we get to be a part of watching it unfold.  

Claudio's Birthday

One of the boys who now lives with us has a birthday for the first time.  Today, he is "officially" 18 years of age. How can this be?

One night at dinner, we were having conversation with the boys who live in our home.  We asked them how old they were and when was their birthday.  When it came time for Claudio to share, he said there was no record of his birth (more on this in a later blog).  He said he was 18 but he did not know when he was born.  We told him that we needed to establish a birthday for him.  We asked him to think about when he would like to celebrate his birthday.

During that discussion of birthdays, it was revealed that everyone at the table had a birthday in March, everyone except Claudio.  So, he decided that he wanted his birthday to be in March.  We asked him what day in March would he like to celebrate his birthday and he chose the 10th.  When I asked him why the 10th, he said it was because he liked the number.

For over a month we have been building up to this day - Claudio's celebration of his birthday.  

I asked him this morning, how old was he today.  He again said he was 18.  I want to try to establish how old he really is but for now we will continue to say he is 18.   When he told us previously he was 18 he might have been referring to the number of years that he has been alive.  Claudio may not grasp the concept that with a birthday you add another year to your age.  

Last night after supper, he and I walked to the store to buy mix and frosting so that I can bake him a cake.  He wanted chocolate; is there any other flavor for a teenage boy?  On the way home, we practiced his English.  He is now learning how to count to ten and colors. One number that he really loves is 6.   He was calling a lot of numbers "6".  I tried to get him to slow down and think before he would answer.  

The other "task" I had with Claudio was to read him the book of John in the Bible.  Pastor Jose has assigned the reading lesson to the boys.  Claudio does not know how to read.  His reading ability would be equal to an elementary student in the States, reading "Dick and Jane and see Spot run".  I have a bilingual Bible.   I would read to him in Spanish and if there was a word I could not pronounce, he might correct me if he recognized the word.  Or if neither of us could pronounce the word,  I had my google translator next to us and I would type the word into the computer and we would both listen to it.  Whenever he recognized the sound of a word that I was mispronouncing,  he would correct me.  It brought a lot of pleasure to him.

Yesterday, was a very special day for me. a walk with Claudio and time reading the Bible together.  Also, it was Wednesday and that means Pastor Jose comes for a couple of hours to spend time with the boys.  I so much enjoyed my one-on-one time with Claudio.  He knows now that we will have a "date" each day to read the Bible.   

I have a favor to ask of anyone reading this blog, if you desire.  Would you email a birthday greeting to Claudio?  I would like to show him that there are many people who know who he is and care about him.

Post to us on Facebook at our wall:  Sandra N Preston Barnum

We will share those posts with Claudio.  I'd love to show him that the World says....

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLAUDIO"