Day Six

Day Six:

Rebirth

Sacred Heart

Daniel: How do you explain the impact of something through words, when it can only be experienced? I must admit from the very start that this post will come up extremely short! None the less, I will give it my best attempt. A red metal door with no handle: this is where I find myself waiting, wondering what lies within, and having no idea what it would actually reveal. The morning started like all the rest. I was tired and very emotionally drained. Yet, this is in no way a bad thing. The lack of strength has been brought on by a constant flow of serving, and the lack of tears from the move of God that I have been experiencing in Honduras thus far. I am now ready and in the car on the way to Rebirth, a detention center for teenage guys. My devotion time has been extremely refreshing, and I am so ready for all that God has in store for the day. We arrive at the center and are told that this place is even rougher than El Carmen (a jail we visited earlier in the week). These guys have committed worse crimes, or perhaps have already caused problems at another detention center. Yet, most of us are not scared. We have an odd peace. Christine leans over, as we walk in, and tells me she feels no fear but rather an excitement for whatever God is about to do. I can only smile and nod in agreement. We begin the tour walking back to the Orphan Helpers module, which is painted white and red, matching the official look. I breath in, attempting to capture the moment and take in all that surounds me. The campus is surprisingly nice. It is in no way perfect, but there is a certain light about this place that I am already experiencing. We view the “barber shop,” and meet the teacher who shows them how to cut their hair and allows them to learn this skill as a trade. He is a paid working from Orphan Helpers and seems extremely impressive. We turn the corner, and Edward, our leader for the week, knocks on a red metal door. I wait in anticipation. Edward pushes in the door and I see four guys sitting at a white table. There is a bookshelf in the corner and a stack of chairs behind me, but other than that there is nothing special about this room. We have entered a discipleship class led by Marvin, another amazing Orphan Helpers employee. (no shock there.) My eyes find their way to a very alluring guy at the end of the table. Something is different about him. I feel drawn to him. Our eyes meet. It is in this moment that time seems to stop, or at least my mind blacks everything out that is taking place around me. God lays on my heart that i am staring into the eyes of a future leader for the gospel, a modern day Paul of shorts. Yet even as I think this, I have no idea how true this statement really is. Over the next 10 minutes we meet the four guys before us, learning their names and a few details about them. We talk back and fourth hearing their needs and struggles. It has now been revealed to us that they are the core believers in Rebirth; The leaders of the few Christian guys in the jail. Though I still can’t stop looking at who i now know to be Caesar, it is quickly being revealed to us that all these guys are extremely anointed by God. We decide to gather around them, laying hands on them, to pray for them. They get u to hold off for a few short moments while they can run grab another Christian guy. They call him “the pastor.” He is a 15 year old boy named Luis, and immediately has the same effect on me as Caesar has had. He radiates Jesus Christ from the moment he turns the corner. Anointed is the only word that comes close to describing these five guys. We join in a sweet time of prayer for them that is very powerful! The unity I feel with them is indescribable.  I long to be a part of their brotherhood. Afterwards they have us sit around the room, and begin to share their stories. What ensues over the next hour or so is unbelievable. There stories are unfathomable; The pain they have experienced is nearly unbearable. 

Our group shares tears with them, at times even having to encourage and support them with human touch in order for them to even be able to continue. (I can’t tell you all that we heard because of my long-windedness in this writing ;) but I would like to give you some short details) Caesar was the leader of three hundred boys as the head of a gang. They killed people for him, sold drugs for him, and followed his every command. He was a born leader, yet used his influence thus far in life for evil. He was saved, by the grace of God, a few months earlier, at Rebirth, in the very room we were now seated. My earlier mental comparison to the apostle Paul is all to real now. Their stories are similar in so many ways. Rob attempts to film him for our documentary, and Marvin lets us know He will have to be filmed from the back to protect his identity and to keep the gang from killing him, Caesars response is simple: I am not worried because God will protect me, and besides, to live is Christ but to die is gain! If you would have been able to look into his eyes like we did, you would have no doubt that Caesar is anointed to be a modern day Paul. I will continue throughout the rest of the day shedding many tears over what all God has brought him through, and what all he will accomplish for the kingdom of God. The only crazy thing is that each and every testimony the five guys shared was equally as powerful! Some had been molested at young ages; They had been in gangs; They had murdered people; They had lost multiple loved ones. There stories were mind blowing and God was so prevalent in all of them! These guys were some of the most incredible believers I have ever met. (for sake of time I’ll share the entirety of their stories with you when I get home) Our time of being with them and encouraging them was one of the neatest moments of my life. We went out on the lawn afterwards and other inmates gathered around as we worshiped. After One Voice sang a few songs they wanted to lead a few worship songs. Their worship blew me away. They worshiped in such genuineness! The way they cried out to the Lord in the openness of the jail had me crying through out the entire time they sang. An off key group of guys will go down as one of the best worship services I’ve ever been a part of! A red metal door with no handle: this is a picture my mind can’t seem to forget. Behind it lies a brotherhood of believers. These five guys are the future of Christianity. This door withholds the truest believers I think have ever met.