Changed by Peace

One of our boys has had an incredible transformation in Christ over the past few years. Chenfor moved to our community a few years ago to flee a terrible situation. He stole for a living with his dad until one day when the owner woke up to find them stealing and shot his dad. Chenfor had to run for his life to not be killed as well. He came to our community out of fear, because picture was shown on the news and he was terrified that someone might recognize him and try to kill him.

Jose was spending the night at the school to protect the computers we had, and several of our students were staying with him as well. Chenfor approached Jose to ask him if he could also spend the night, because he was afraid that someone would break into his little house to kill him, and thought the school would be safer. Little did he know how much God would use this fear by drawing him to Jose for safety and into a friendship with him.

After sharing with Jose about his past, he became a part of the discipleship group, but also ask Jose to teach him something since all he knew how to do was steal. Jose began to teach him piano, wood burning, and took him to work with him on our property and on trips to the city. He had also never been to school because he didn’t have a birth certificate. After he got his birth certificate, we worked with him to get caught up to 6^th grade, and this year he received his elementary diploma!

But the most exciting part of Chenfor’s story isn’t about what he has done with his time, but what God has done in his heart. After being in the discipleship group, God has greatly transformed his heart and given him a peace. He used to be very fearful, and always looking over his shoulder from fear that someone was after him, but now he is a new creation in Christ. This past year he was baptized and attends church. He also helps lead worship some days! He has changed from a fearful, macho boy who made jokes of Christians, to a young man of God, who has peace in his Heavenly father.

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Since we see him day to day, I hadn’t really noticed the drastic change that God has brought about in his life, until we were getting ready to go to the states. He was helping pack up the car with Jose and while I was watching them, I noticed Chenfor singing a Christian song. Our driveway is right next to the main road, and it was really neat to see how Chenfor was singing audibly and by choice, a Christian song, in a place where anyone could hear him. He was not ashamed of Christ! This made me reflect back on how he used to be. He came to us a thief, and only listened to pop music. He didn’t even know the words to a Christian song and had no desire for God, and here he is now praising God outside of a church with no care in the world about who can hear him. Praise the Lord for the transforming power of his love!

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God our Father

Most of our boys, and many of our students come from single-mother households, or have a father who doesn’t care about them. It has been neat to see how Jose has come alongside the boys and been a brother/friend/almost father figure to them, and led them to our heavenly father.

The churches in our area teach a lot of legalism and works based faith, and one of those weird ideas that they have is that you can only worship God in a church. The discipleship boys brought this up to Jose once, and Jose had been praying about this complicated situations. This is a hard thing because you can’t prove anything by just talking about worshiping God, it has to be an experience that others must have.

The next time that the boys met, Jose was playing a song on the guitar about the prostitute who came an anointed Jesus’ feet. During this time God gave Jose an image. This was a moment that he was reliving from when he was a boy. One time he broke a bowl and his dad hit him really hard, but in this picture, God showed up in the place of his dad, and said, “It is ok, you are allowed to break things and you will grow”. Jose shared these thought with the boys and they all began to cry. This was the perfect image that the boys needed from God, showing that He is a merciful and loving God, the opposite of what they had been told their whole life. They were really able to understand that he cares for them and they will grow in Him, their heavenly father.
Afterwards, Jose asked them why they were ALL crying. They said, “its because we felt God’s hugs, and we felt His presence, He was here, and we CAN worship Him and be with Him outside of the Church!” Jose was so happy that God had answered his prayers in this way. Not only were the boys able to see more of God’s true character, but they also had the opportunity to experience God’s presence and somewhere outside of the church. Words can only go so far, but when God shows up and people experience His presence and power, hearts are changed.