Angel

So this is our friend Angel Lazarte. He is the younger brother of one of our guys at the boys' restoration home 'El Camino.'

Raul's in great shape. Angel as you can tell by the photo is not. Angel's 12 years old now, & strongly addicted to a form of smokeable cocaine ('pasta base'). He lives underneath a bridge in the city w/ some other 'friends,' who share the same problem. He's extremely malnourished, a runt for his age & is heading nowhere fast. We want to enlist everyone who reads our blog to pray for Angel, that he'd come off the streets, give his young life to the Lord & develop a repulsion to drugs. There's a group of 7 of these young guys trapped in serious drug use. We've managed to get one of them (Mauricio, posted in a previous blog), off the streets & he's doing well, hasn't looked back - so it is possible. Help us to pray Angel off the streets. We've gotten him as far as the reception house, but he stayed on a day or 2. We've also shown him filmed messages from his brother at the home in great shape, but so far naught. If you have any other creative suggestions drop us a line? We believe God CAN resurrect his life, EVEN after having been buried in the ashes of a crack pipe.

Carlos Andres

Carlos Andres is 17. He was put in an orphanage with his younger brother after his parent's split up at age 8. After having to defend his brother from getting picked on by the older kids, he left the orphanage and wound up on the streets, where he would spend the great majority of the next 9 YEARS. We have known and worked w/ Carlos for nearly 6 years on the streets.

Nevertheless, it was only after, Carlos Andres was hit by a car late one night during one of our recent street visits, that he decided to come off the streets.

He'd hit his head pretty hard & his bottom lip was totally busted. Iris, our volunteer doctor, stitched up his lip & we invited him to come back to the reception house, where if he wanted to he could stay. The following morning he DID INDEED choose to stay and turn his back to the streets. He spent the rest of the week at the reception house, where we were getting him ready to go to El Camino (the boys' home), & embark on his new life free of drugs & crime. The best news of the week is that Carlos Andres accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord & Saviour on Good Friday and will never again fight his battles alone!

Carlos is now at the boys' home, where he's adjusting to an academic routine, 3 square meals, lots of soccer, morning devotionals, household chores, new friends, and a healthy life.

Carlos Andres needs your prayers. It's not easy to change habits that've been ingrained in him for the past 9 years (most of his life). He's shown a great heart, an affinity for soccer, good work ethic & is loads of fun to be around. Pray that the Lord will continue to heal his whole person, that he would plant deep roots at the boys' home, for good influences to help encourage him, & just a total renewal of his mind, heart & soul by the Holy Spirit.

Baptism of Juan

Another one of our college boys got baptized last week. Juan, who's in his 2nd year at University studying electro-mechanical engineering, chose to profess his faith in Jesus Christ publicly on Good Friday. Juan graduated high school at 16, and has taken huge steps in his walk with the Lord since then. He attends the same church as Raul, Humberto and his brother Francisco, where there's a really vibrant group of youth passionate about the Lord. We're praying that God would continue to use Juan as salt & light at his university & beyond.

Juan has a great future ahead, & look forward to keeping you posted.