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.
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