¡Rey de reyes!

May 2012

¡Rey de reyes!
or, Soothed by the Christ Hymn of Colossians 1


First, here are a few things you should know:

• I just finished an intense, 6 month study of the Colossian letter from the New Testament
• I like to solve problems, my mind is wired this way and a good problem that needs solving makes my pulse quicken.
• Several of the Shelter residents had the phrase "¡Rey de reyes! artistically drawn on their school folders. I saw this many times.
• Rey de reyes in English is King of kings; a term applied in the New Testament to Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6.15, Revelation 17.14, Revelation 19.16)
• This is also a prominent phrase in Handel's Messiah, Hallelujah Chorus (which I've included for your enjoyment at the end of this blog)

The sixteen days at the Shelter was a blessing to me - it expanded my worldview and it was a blessing to serve. The hours were long and the sixteen days straight were a little rough but blessing far outweighed hardship. There were many questions that came to mind during this experience:

• Why have thousands of these boys come up from Central America since October 2011? What would inspire them to endure the difficult journey? What is it that makes their home countries intolerable? 

There are questions that need to be asked and problems that need to be solved:

• How can we (USA, most blessed country in human history) do to help alleviate the severe poverty in these countries? What can we do to stop the gang violence that is destroying these countries? What about the corruption in these governments? Why do US citizens have to consume so many illegal drugs and thus create large illicit enterprises that bring death and destruction to both sides of the border? Why can't we divert some of the billions of dollars that are being used to secure cheap fossil fuel to our hemisphere? Why can't we divert some of the billions of dollars being used to secure Afghani Lithium to our near neighbors? What are we going to do with all of these kids?

There were times when it seems so hopeless, and I suppose we do not have the capacity or desire to solve these difficult problems. But the phrase on the school folders of these boys and the words of the Christ Hymn from Colossians 1 remind of the only real solution:

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for HIM.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the boy, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

There...problem solved...I can't wait for that day.

Grupo Guapo

May 13, 2012

Grupo Guapo
or, Hermanos

Instead of being home on Mother's Day (sorry Brenda & Mom), I spent the day as Leader of Group G. This group was the "brother" group...initially 3 sets of brothers and a couple of other guys added to the mix. The brothers - Jonathan & Erick, Kelvin & Cristian, Juan & Angel, the extras were Oseas and Bryan. The next day Juan & Angel were transferred out and Jose joined the group. These guys were awesome and fun - they acted just like any set of brothers I've been around in my life.

Let me explain the nickname I gave them...

At supper time on this unusual Mother's Day we were in the cafeteria waiting for our turn to go through the food line. One of the brothers, Kelvin, in a quite-brotherly-fashion, calls me over and says:

"David, Cristian (hermano) es muy feo."

I responded in Spanish...

"No, no, no!!!"

"Sí, Dah-veed, Cristian es muy feo!"

Then all of the brothers began calling each other ugly. And brothers turned against unrelated group members, it was ugly. : )

I interjected, "¡Cristian es muy guapo!"

The multiple viewings of the Three Amigos has had a positive socio-cultural impact on me...

And then, "¡Todos ustedes son guapo!"

It was at that moment that Group G became Grupo Guapo; it was at that moment that Grupo Guapo stopped the brotherly bickering and developed swag. Though I didn't work with them exclusively, I saw them many times a day over the next week and we developed a very fun relationship.

And I have to tell this story of ingenuity, or brilliance, as it were...one night in the cafeteria Grupo Guapo called me over their table. Kelvin told me to ask Cristian about his afternoon shower. So I did. The showers have levers that are about 6'6" from the floor, there is a chain hanging down for the occupant, or showerer, to pull on to get water flow. Today, Cristian's chain broke and there was no way this 14 year old boy was going to be able to reach the lever. He didn't complain, file a grievance, forego the shower or anything like that - he simply solved the problem. Cristian took his dirty underwear, twisted them up, lassoed the lever with the underwear and commenced his shower as if it was the most logical thing ever. When he finished telling his story, the rest of Grupo Guapo howled with laughter (as did I). Kelvin said,

"¡Cristian es malo!

I thought for a moment and remembered that I love non-whining, low-maintenance problem solvers like Cristian. I tapped my temple with my index finger and replied,

"¡No, Cristian es brillante!"

I would like to say that our time together ended with this kind of banter and playfulness but it didn't. In fact, I will probably cry as I type this out...

May 17th was my last full day at the shelter. At the end of the day I went out to say goodbye to all of my friends and offer them blessing. This was a fairly difficult task. Since Grupo Guapo was my favorite and the most fun, I saved them for last hoping to end on a high note. To their location I go:

"Yo voy a San Antonio de mañana."

Silence...silence broken by Jose,

"¡No se puede ir, Day-bid, no ir!"

"Tengo que"

"¡No se puede ir, no!"

At this point Bryan started sobbing, Jonathan & Erick had tears rolling down their cheeks, Kelvin dropped his head and Jose buried his face in his towel. Cristian is the only one not crying - he stood up and said that he knew he couldn't hug me (government rules) so he gave me a firm, stoic handshake. I was speechless and my eyes were flooded. Bryan stopped crying long enough to tell one of my co-workers that he had never had a friend like me. At this point I could do nothing but mutter a "Dios bendiga" and walked away. These boys are so hungry for love and affirmation and extremely grateful when they receive even a meager amount...I am still processing my emotions from this evening.

p.s. - I saw Grupo Guapo the next morning as I had a little unfinished business at the Shelter, they were passing by, all smiles!

"¡Buenas dias, Dah-veed!"

"Good morning, Day-bid!"

And Cristian, last in line, walks by, taps his index finger on his temple and says,

"¡Brillante!"

Difícil

May 11, 2012

Difícil
or, letting others down

My friend Luis, whom I first met in Clinical Observation and became one of my favorite friends, was always happy, always smiling, and always ready to practice his English. Did I mention that in the face he looks a lot like Tiger Woods? Look at the image on the right, take off the golf hat, imagine Tiger wearing a blue t-shirt and you have Luis.

And when I saw him sitting in phone call room hunched over and sobbing, I knew of nothing else to do but sit with him while he cried. My co-worker Paula encouraged me to stay with him.

When he noticed that I was beside him he straightened up, dabbed his eyes and tried to pretend that he had not been crying.

"¿Está bien, Luis?"

"Lo siento, es difícil."

Luis went on to tell me that he had left his home in Honduras, bound for the United States in order to work and send money back to his dad, mom and family. This family's hope was pinned on this 17 year old boy. Luis felt as though he had failed them - he didn't make it to the "land flowing with milk and honey," instead he was caught and placed in this shelter.

"No, no Luis, lo siento."

I'm sorry that we live in world that allows gang violence to decimate your country. I'm sorry that we live in a world of such abundance that we have heated car seats and macaroni & cheese pizza, yet right at our gates are people that live in unimaginable poverty. I'm sorry that corruption rules the Americas. I'm sorry that you didn't somehow make it to my doorstep because we would have figured something out...

Feliz Cumpleaños Felix...

May 10, 2012

Feliz Cumpleaños Felix
or, What a Difference a Day Makes

On May 9, 2012 Felix was hanging out in this blessed place with his peers. He had been in this place for a few weeks - plenty of food, clean clothes, controlled climate, school, and a large group of people to help take care of him.

On May 10, 2012 Felix turned 18 years old. Happy birthday Felix! And in the eyes of the US government, he turned into an adult offender, a violator of our immigration laws. As such, he had to be separated from the minors (for their safety) and turned over to an adult immigration prison. He had to be isolated from the rest of the group at the Emergency Shelter until his transport arrived. I was called upon to sit with him in isolation. And that's what we did for the next eight hours. We shared a couple of meals, we didn't talk, he fidgeted on his cot, he sat up and prayed often.

Finally, about 5:30pm and thirty minutes from his transport time, his tongue broke loose...he told me about his family in Guatemala - his dad, his mom, his three younger sisters. He told me about the mountains of Guatemala and about the Resplendent Quetzal, the national bird. He told me about the freight train ride from Guatemala to the Texas border. He told about the two guys that died on that trip - one didn't get low enough going through a tunnel and the other fell off the top of the train and was sucked under. He told me about how he was coming to the Estados Unidos to work so he could send money back to his family.

After hearing his story, I told him that he was very brave and very strong and that I was honored to know him. He replied:

"El evangelio es mi confianza."

My Spanish is fairly weak so I had to confirm what I had heard - "Felix, por favor, repita."

"El evangelio es mi confianza."

"Otra vez..."

"El evangelio es mi confianza."

------------------------------------------

At 6:00pm the transport arrives. Felix and I say our goodbyes.

"Dios bendiga, Felix."

"Gracias, adios."

And he was led away in shackles and handcuffs...