Boys and girls will be boys and girls. Friends, neighbors, classmates, and potentially partners. Thrown together anything could happen. Especially teenagers. Even more so with backgrounds of sexual abuse. In time, things not meant for children will happen amongst children. Their pasts will mix with their desires and they will behave as adults. It’s not right, it’s not pure, it’s not what God intended, but it happens. It’s the result of a fallen world, where children are exposed to adult things and adult behaviors.
God speaks in different ways. The way is not important, the response is. When He speaks, we are wise to not only listen, but to obey, and to do. And that’s exactly what we did. In two weeks time we received many calls for the placement of boys. It was almost daily. The answer was always “no”. We had boys already, but there was no more room. There sat an empty home to put them, but no funds to sustain it. And no parents to raise them.
But God speaks. He revealed a way and an answer to the problem. The next step was to move. Not only to move in response to His call for action, but also to move kids. Because He spoke, a plan was birthed. The boys were to be moved into one home – the same home. Not the new home, there still were not funds for that. It would require one set of the existing parents to give up their girls and take in the boys. The idea was presented, but there was no response. All was quiet. Until He spoke.
Days later, an amazing couple requested a meeting. They understood. They understood that God speaks. But more importantly they understood the importance of the response. They didn’t know how it would go, or it how it would be done. They only knew that their obedience was more important than the unknown. They were unsure, they were nervous, they were scared. But they knew that God doesn’t care about our fears and uncertainties. He cares more about our obedience and what He can do in and through us. If we will listen and do.
Because of their obedience, Casa Pablo is thriving with noise, energy, and at times chaos. Yes, boys are rowdy, rough, and rude. They require an investment of time, energy, and patience. But these parents see beyond the immediate. They see a future of Christian men in this country. Men who share the workload in the home. Men who treat women with respect. Men who love and serve others. Men who respond when God speaks. Just like Papí Hugo.
Their job is difficult. It is frustrating. It is stressful. But it is also rewarding, especially when the changes come. Watching out of control, never before disciplined, young boys change is like watching a carpenter build a table. From crude to polished. From rough to smooth. From raw to complete. Thank you Papí Hugo and Mamí Maritza for your obedience. Thank you for shaping these boys into men. Thank you for listening and then doing.
