Sowing Seeds
Sometimes, boys at Casa Gabriel chose or need to leave the home either for a time or permanently due to unresolved conflicts or family difficulties. However their stories do not end there. Not even close.
You may remember that about a year ago we had a boy named Daniel living in the house, whose sister Margo attempted suicide, miraculously survived, and ended up living in Casa Adalia for a time along with her four children. Just as the Casa A team has continued to be a part of Margo and her children's lives when she was able to find an apartment and begin a new, more stable chapter, the Casa G team has continued to help and disciple Daniel when he chose to move out of Casa G to help his family. Daniel's decision to leave was based mostly on his father, who is elderly and very frail. When Daniel's other older sister was no longer able to care for their father and her children and younger sister, Daniel found a low-income housing apartment and approached Casa G about helping him afford the deposit. Daniel is barely 19, still in high school (many youth here don't graduate until they are 22 or so because of dropping in and out of school due to poverty), yet for most of his life, he has been the man of his family. His two older brothers were killed in drug/gang related deaths, and his mother died when he was young. When Daniel's father was healthier, he was not a great father to his son. Even so, Daniel has stepped up, saying, "He is still my father. I'm going to take care of him."
Ever since Daniel left Casa Gabriel, Phil has encouraged him to stay in school, to keep moving towards graduation and a better future. They made an agreement that as long as Daniel stayed in school and kept up with his grades, Casa G would pay for his school expenses. Daniel has kept his word and been faithful to his education. Now more than ever he has been coming back to Quito (he lives in Ibarra, about four hours away) to visit everyone at Casa G. Last Sunday he walked into church with his backpack of things, a huge grin lighting his face as he received hugs from Phil, Debbie, and I. Daniel truly has a smile which transforms his face. He can be stoic and serious, with so much weight on his shoulders, yet in his smile you can find the youthful hopefulness and love for life which God has planted inside him. His smile is delightfully infectious.
It's wonderful to dream about taking in these boys and giving them safety, stability, healing, and love. I and the rest of the team want to bring them away from the pain, hunger, abuse, and fear they have known and say, "No more." But sometimes, that is only possible for a bit of time. With Daniel and others, one thing is very clear: their stories are in progress. We may be simply one chapter, or some footnotes here and there, just like the sower from Luke 8 who didn't know where the seeds he scattered would land. Yet I believe whole-heartedly that, incredibly, despite the loss and grief Daniel has known in his life, he is a seed on good soil. He is a disciple who will go out and make disciples. I can see it in his smile.
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