Memorable Moments (pt. 5)

If you haven't yet, check out Memorable Moments (pt. 1).

Oct. 3

I met those Americans today. Carlos wanted to meet them, but at first, his dad said no because they were working, so I didn't go at that time, either. I then remembered that older Carlos tried talking to me earlier, but I was spending time with Jesus at that time, so I couldn't. I went to find him to see what he wanted, and he was with the Americans. I went to where he was, and Tuco, Gabi, Kevin, other Jesús, and some of the other kids were there, too. I met Diane and the other two guys that she was with, and they're from Oregon. Apparently, they're here until the second week of November. They got here on Sunday. They're building a bigger church for Kevin's dad. Kevin's dad is a pastor of a church nearby, but it's pretty small, so they're building him a bigger one. Also, in a week and a half, six more people are coming here, three are leaving, then, in November, six more are coming. None of them speak Spanish. This doesn't surprise me. They're pretty ok people. Apparently, they were here in March, and they already knew Tuco and Kevin. Possibly more, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I talked with them for a bit since they weren't really doing anything, then I got Carlos so he could meet them. He talked to Diane in English, but only for a bit. He was being really shy. Of course, he only knows a few phrases in English, but still. I told Carlos's dad that we'd only talk with them for a bit, so after a few minutes, we left. I'll probably see them again soon. They better not take my kids away from me. Lol, jk. But seriously.

Hermano Carlos has been building a house (I think) for the past several days, so he's been having one of the kids stay home from school to watch Kevin, Carlos's one year-old brother. It's where Carlos's family used to hang up their clothes, which is right next door. I'll refer to Carlos's little brother as little Kevin. Anyway, I guess it was Carlos's turn to watch him, which I don't know why since Carlos is only seven and can't do certain things that little Kevin needs, but Hermano Carlos asked me if I could help watch little Kevin, which I agreed to. I wasn't doing anything today anyway. It was a little more harder than I thought. At first, little Kevin was sleeping, so it was fine, but then something happened, and I started tickling Carlos. To get me to stop, instead of saying stop, he yelled little Kevin's name, which after a bit woke little Kevin up. That made me a little upset. Then I had to really watch little Kevin like a hawk because he was walking around. Carlos kept on doing things to little Kevin, like picking him up when he really can't and giving him things that aren't good for babies to have, so I had to keep on telling Carlos to stop. Pretty annoying.

While I was watching little Kevin, Carlos wanted me to help him make a kite. Like homemade. I did the best I could with what he had, but it came out pretty bad. It was too small, so it wouldn't fly. I told him that we could build another one tomorrow. That is, if he can get the materials again.

I had another episode with Jesús and Carlos today. Apparently, they're mad at each other again because they both claim that whenever we're going to play a game, the other says, "Nah, otra juego, otra juego," which is a ridiculous reason to be mad at someone. I told both of them separately that this was ridiculous and that this needed to stop. Carlos was going to say sorry to Jesús, but Jesús wouldn't listen. I got really sick of it, so I got the pastor to talk to them. He did and said everything was fine with them, but things really weren't. Right when the pastor left, Carlos said he didn't want to play anymore and was going home. He was crying. Jesús didn't really say anything. Then Karla came by and started asking Carlos why he was crying. I told her that this wasn't for her, but she kept on antagonizing him. I told her to stop causing trouble and that I needed to talk with him, but then Caesar came by and said that she wasn't causing trouble and that Hermano Carlos didn't know where Carlos was and was looking for him. Karla didn't say anything about that, and Caesar and Hermano Carlos both saw me walk with Carlos into the church. I didn't think of that at the time, so Carlos went home, Jesús left, and I looked like an idiot. I was so fed up with the whole thing. Here I was, trying to solve an issue that had been going on for a while, almost succeeded on my own, but then asked for help. I really don't know if what Pastor Elvis said to them really made anything better, but I know that Karla and Caesar didn't make things better. I felt that everything I tried to do was pointless and didn't solve anything. I felt that maybe if I knew more Spanish that I would be able to help more. I felt useless. I went behind the church and prayed. Most of the time, I just sat there and listened for God's voice. After a while of just talking at God about how mad I was at the situation and listening for His voice, I broke down. I started crying and asked God to just say something to me. I told Him that I felt alone and really needed someone to talk to that would understand me. He then reminded me that just because He wasn't physically there didn't mean that He wasn't there. He also reminded me how much I had been there for the kids and how hard I've been trying to help them. I asked Him to help me feel like I was doing something, like being here was worth it. I asked Him to give me peace. I asked Him to help me to stop being mad at Karla and Caesar. He did all of those things. God is so amazing. Please pray this doesn't happen again and that God continues to help me in all things.

Carlos's mom said that she was like my mom and that Hermano Carlos was like my dad. Then Carlos started calling me his brother. Lol.

Oct. 4

This is the third night in a row that I've had a dream about being at the Dallas Metro Dream Center. I really do miss that place a lot, but is this like a sign or something? I would love to go back there, but I don't know. I definitely need to pray about this.

After praying a lot, God told me to just continue doing what I'm doing, and He'll reveal to me in His time what's next. I was so glad to hear from Him.

Mexicans ask awkward questions. In front of all of his kids, Hermano Carlos asked me who's cooking I liked better: his, Hermana Gabi, or Hermana Maida. I really like all of the cooking, but I've only had Hermana Gabi and Hermana Maida's cooking once. I told him all of the cooking, which is true, but Hermana Gabi made porkchops, salad, and really good pasta. Again, I only had her cooking once, but it was really good. I've been eating with Hermano Carlos every day for the past month, and there's only been like two things I haven't liked. What am I supposed to say to the person who provides me with meals everyday? Awkward question.

Older Carlos got in a fight with some other kid today. It really happened out of nowhere. I was playing karate with the other kids, and Tuco and David had these really long sticks. Some other kids were walking home from school, and Tuco was waving his stick at the kids and almost hit one of them. I went over to where Tuco was and took his stick from him and told him that it was only for playing and not for real. He then walked to the side of the road where Leo and Gabi and the other kids were. I walked with him, and as soon as I turned around, older Carlos and this other kid were legit fighting, like full-out fist fighting. At first, I wasn't sure if I should've broken it up or stayed out of it, so I just stood to the side, but once I saw the other kid punch older Carlos in the head hard - and I mean hard - I decided it was time for me to do something. I walked over to them and broke it up. It was a little harder than I thought it was going to be, but I separated them. Luckily, I know a decent amount of Spanish to tell them that that was enough. I asked older Carlos why he was hitting that kid, but he didn't answer. He just stood looking angrily at the other kid. The other kid was doing the same. I then told the other kid that that was enough and that he needed to leave, so he did along with his friends that were watching. Then, older Carlos walked over to where Tuco, Gabi, and the other kids were and then went to his house. Kevin and Claudia were mad at me for stopping the fight, but I didn't care. None of my kids are fighting anybody while I'm around. Also, it's not good for anyone to fight. Except for war, but you know what I mean. I wanted to find out why older Carlos was fighting with that kid, but I decided to wait a bit for him to cool down. I found him a few minutes later and talked with him. First, I asked him why he was fighting that kid. He said it was because the kid stabbed him with a pen in school, and he showed me the mark. I then started to tell him that fighting was bad, but he interrupted me and said, "Ya, ya. Peleando malo. Yo malo." I told him that yes, fighting is bad, but he isn't bad. I did my best to explain to him that sometimes, when someone gets mad, they do things that aren't good. I tried to tell him that it happens, but I didn't know the word for happens, so I switched it up. I told him that the reason why I stopped the fight was because I was trying to protect him. I told him that maybe the kid could've punched him in the head really hard, and he could've fell to the ground, his head bleeding a lot, and he could've went to the hospital. Then I said, "Carlos, te amo, y yo no quiero ver tu recibiendo duele." I then told him that if that kid wanted to fight him again, that he could just tell me, and, even though I don't know much Spanish, I could talk to the kid. At that, he laughed. Not 100% sure why, but I think it was because of the way I demonstrated it. I sometimes act what I'm saying. Anyway, I told him that I was here for him, and he gave me a hug and called me his papa again, haha.
I then realized why I am here: to help these kids. Yeah, it's kind of obvious, but I mean with life situations, like what happened today. If I wasn't there to break up that fight, it could've went on until one of them was on the ground. I'm here not only to play with the kids, but to teach them right from wrong and to show them how to live Godly lives. No one else is showing older Carlos, so I got to. God, fill me with Your love, wisdom, peace, joy, and everything else about You, and help me to continue helping these kids. I can't do it without You.

Oct. 5

Older Carlos fought that kid in school and got in trouble. I think the paper said that he has in-school suspension on Monday. Great. Well, I did Your best, God. Continue to work at his heart, God.

I went to a young adult conference. I thought that maybe I could understand some of it, but I didn't. Well, I understood some, but not a lot. The speaker read from Daniel 3 which is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I think he talked about how God is faithful through everything. True that.

Oct. 6

I was supposed to go to the orphanage today with Luis, but after his drama class was over, it was already 3. It takes an hour to get there, and it gets dark at 7, so I'd maybe have three hours there. Maybe. And the conference is continuing today, but now it's for everyone. I know Luis wants to go to it. He said it was no problem for him, but still. Hopefully, things go quicker next week, and maybe I'll have more time at the orphanage.

Matthew 6 is an amazing chapter of the Bible. So much good stuff. Check it out. You'd be glad that you did.

While I was playing with Carlos, older Carlos, and Estefani, I saw this one lady with her little girls carrying these huge bags of clothes. The bags of clothes happened to be the ones that were donated to the church several days ago. I could tell that they were struggling, so I decided to ask them if they wanted help, to which the mom said yes. Carlos and the other kids said that I wasn't allowed to help her and that they were going to tell Hermano Jesse if I did. Carlos then said that I needed to ask Hermano Jesse, but I told Carlos to ask for me, and I left. The lady's house wasn't too far, but it was almost at the top of the hill, and I was at the bottom. I've figured out that Baja California is one giant cluster of hills. You're either going up hill or down hill. Anyway, I helped them carry the bags to their house, and the mom thanked me for helping her.
This brought to my attention another reason why I'm here: to help and serve whenever and wherever I can. I'm here to bring Jesus to these people. Jesus lived a servant's life. He did tons of things that weren't fit for who He actually was. He served when people should've been serving Him. He should've been living as a king, but He chose to serve, and that's the greatest example of servanthood. I want my life to be a living example of what Jesus did: serving whenever and whoever needed it. These people need Jesus, and serving is one way to do it. After all, actions speak louder than words.

It seems as if all the young adults have a boyfriend/girlfriend. Except for me. Well, not all of them, but about 90% of them, and that's a lot since they're aren't many of us. It's kind of awkward for me, but only when they're all together with their significant other. For example, yesterday, we went to the second part of the conference, and all the couples were sitting with each other doing couple things. I was sitting next to one of the couples, and my leg was next to the other guy's leg. In Mexico, it really doesn't matter how many people are in one car, so there was about 12 of us crammed in a 7-seater van like a bad game of Tetris. Well, at least in the area where I was sitting. In other words, I was sitting in a way that my leg was right next to both of the people. The girl reached over to pinch the guy's leg in a flirtatious manner, but she wasn't looking. You probably know the rest. Awkward. So, as you can see, it's a little awkward for me. Luis also jokes around about this one girl liking me. Ever since last weekend, he's been doing this every time she's around. The thing is, though, I kind of like her, so part of me hopes that he's not joking. She enjoys working with kids, is awesome to be around, and she's beautiful. I only say beautiful when I absolutely mean it, too. I need to find out her heart and see what path she feels God is telling her to go with her life, and hopefully it's on the same path as mine. Pray for me?

Oct. 7

So I ended up telling Luis that I liked that girl. I hope things don't turn out bad.

At the end of church, Pastor Elvis had the people come up if they had any problems that they needed to give to God. I'm about 95% sure that's what it was. I was praying in the Spirit over the people who were up there since I wasn't sure exactly why everyone was up there. While doing this, I asked God to show me what they were going through so that I knew exactly what to pray for. I felt Him tell me that someone was struggling with breathing and that I needed to pray for them. I felt like I should go up and announce it on the mic, but I couldn't find a good opportunity, plus I was nervous, so I asked God that if it was truly Him to show me who it was and that I would pray for that person privately, like not in front of the church, but only with them. After church, I went to Mary Cruz's house for lunch, and Hermana Maida came a little after I did. Once she made it, she was breathing pretty heavy and said that she couldn't sit down until she caught her breath. Once I saw this, I realized that it was her that God had asked me to pray for. After she and her daughter finished eating, they got up to leave. As they approached the door, I knew that I needed to pray for her, so I asked God to give me the words to say, and I stopped her before she left. I asked her if she had trouble with breathing, and she said that when she walks, a little, but when she works, it's really hard for her. She said that the doctor told her that her right lung was only working at 30% capacity, but that it was normal or something, and that she has something in her body to help her lung. She said her other lung worked fine. When she told me this, I thought to myself, "This isn't normal. What is she talking about? This isn't from God at all." I then asked her if I could pray for her, and she agreed, so I did. Afterward, she said thank you, but I don't really know if she was better. She left right afterward, so I didn't get the chance to see if she was really better. I'm believing and praying that she is. I'm just praying that she is doing the same. God, continue to be with her, and supernaturally touch her body with Your divine healing power. In Jesus' name, amen.

My mom called me today, and I was able to tell her what was going on with my phone. Hopefully things can get fixed. I haven't been able to call anyone for the past week. Actually, things aren't that bad without my phone. I'm able to focus solely what's going on here, plus I'm not using my minutes. Maybe it's better that I can't call anyone.

Oct. 8

I watched Kevin again today, but alone this time. At one point, Kevin started crying a lot, and Hermano Carlos said to bring Kevin outside where he was working if Kevin started crying, so I did. Another guy was working with Hermano Carlos, and he kept referring to me as "guerdo", which I'm pretty sure is slang for "white person", so it's pretty much like he's calling me "cracker". It bothers me a little bit, especially since I told him my name. I don't call him "beaner", so why should he call me that? I wouldn't anyway, but still. It was also pretty hard to understand what he was saying half the time, too. He would ask me if I understood what he said, like if I knew what the words he said meant, and I wanted to say, "No, porque tú no decir muy bien," but I thought that would be rude, so I didn't. I found out later from Hermano Carlos that the guy isn't a Christian, drinks a lot, and does drugs. That explains his speaking habits. Hermano Carlos also said he's been trying to get him to church, too, but the guy doesn't want to. Yet. Much prayer is needed for him.

When I brought Kevin to Hermano Carlos, Tuco and Gabi saw me and asked me to go where they were. Unfortunately, since I was watching Kevin, I couldn't. I felt really bad because they haven't actually asked me to come to where they were in a while. Now that they were asking me to, I couldn't. Well, Gabi does, but Tuco hasn't for a while, and Tuco is one of my favorite kids. I think it's mostly because he's five, and I like working with that age group. Plus, he's adorable, so how could I ever say no to playing with him? He's also a good kid, too, when he's not around his siblings. There's a lot of reasons. Anyway, hopefully, that will happen again, and, hopefully, I'll be able to play with them.

I want cereal. BAD. I like cereal. A lot. If you feel led, send me some money so I can buy some. Please.

Oct. 9

The same incident happened with Tuco and Gabi today, only, this time, I was able to play with them. Leo and David were there, too. I'm really glad I was able to play with them. I want to make sure that I still have a relationship with them, but, if I don't do anything with them, then they won't talk to me or anything. Also, I really enjoy playing with them. One of the things Tuco asked me to do was race him. I thought it was adorable and kind of funny since I am so much bigger than him, but I raced him anyway. I made sure that we tied, though. Then, Gabi started racing with us. I felt bad for Tuco since Gabi and I are faster than him, so, in the last race, I picked him up and ran with him. We won, haha. Man, I love those kids. God, continue to change their hearts. I also pray that Tuco isn't led astray by his siblings. He's really a good kid, and I want him to stay that way. I'm sure You do, too. En el nombre de Jesús, amen.

God continues to show up with blessings. As I was walking today, Hermana Leo saw me and asked me to sit with her and her husband and some other guy, I think. She then offered me a whole pomegranate, which I said yes to. At first, I didn't realize that she was going to give me a whole one, but she did, and it was pretty big. Unfortunately, I had to leave like right after she gave it to me because Hermano Carlos wanted me to watch Kevin. Later on, Hermana Leo made me a big Tupperware bowl full of Mexican rice. Muy delicioso. God, thank You so much for providing, and thank You so much for Hermana Leo. She blesses me a lot. Please bless her overabundantly. En el nombre de Jesús, amen.

Long story short: Karla went to hit Carlos because Carlos did something, and she had scissors in her hand. I told her, "Uh, not with those." She then hit my leg as a way of telling me to shut up. I then said, "Um, excuse me?" She did it again. I got up and told her, "Excuse me, but you don't hit me." She pretended to ignore me and talked to Carlos. Fed up, I straight up said, "Ok, whatever. I'm talking with your dad." So I did. She and Estefani have been hitting me and lying to me almost all the time, and I'm sick of it. I dislike hitting, and I have a strong pet-peeve against lying. Homie don't play dat.