Personal Profile: Miguel y Moroni

(Left to Right) Miguel, Moroni, me, and Carlos

(Left to Right) Miguel and Moroni's sister, Miguel, Moroni, and me

(Left to Right) Moroni, Miguel, me, Octavio, and older Carlos

Names: Miguel and Moroni

Ages: 10(?) and 6(?)

Grades: Not sure.....

Family: Dad, Mom, older brothers/cousins that I do not know, and a little sister (which I forget her name)

Favorite things: Soccer, playing tag, playing tazos (Mexican version of Pogs)



I met Miguel and Moroni at one of our Saturday programs for the kids. I believe it was the first or second one I was involved with. We were playing this potato sack race, except we had to be in teams of two. Everyone had a partner except for Moroni. I decided to partner up with him. The rules were just like a normal potato sack race, except your team had to completely finish before the other one. If your team won, you stayed and versed another team. Moroni is a lot smaller than the other kids, but he is extremely fast. He's almost faster than me! Moroni and I won about six races in a row before losing, which was amazing considering the amount of older kids we versed. After that Saturday, Miguel and Moroni would come by the church whenever I was outside and would play with me and whoever else happened to be outside at the time. Sometimes, I would just be alone, and Miguel and I would play catch with his little ball, which is about 2/3 the size of a baseball. Moroni would be with him most of the time, too. I would also see them whenever I went to the little store that their parents own and run.

Miguel and Moroni are very nice and respectable kids. Whenever they are at the Saturday program or whenever they are around, they are always kind and polite. They listen very well, too. Miguel answers the questions to the Bible story sometimes. A few days after the kids program one week, Miguel asked me where my lions were. After thinking about it, I realized he was referencing the Bible story we had taught them the Saturday before. Also, whenever they are told to do something, they listen right away, as well.

One thing that surprised me about Miguel and Moroni was the impact I made on them. On the last kids program I did, which happened to be the day before I left, Pastora Berenice had asked the kids if they wanted to say anything to me before I left. Miguel was the first one to say something: "I don't want you to leave because I love you." When I heard him say this, I legit almost burst into tears. Never had any of the kids said that to me before. Carlos called me his best friend and said he was going to cry when I left, and Tuco had told me that he didn't want me to leave, but that was the extent of that. It surprised me that it had came from him, too. I didn't really start being with Miguel and Moroni until the last few weeks I was there, so it wasn't like I had a solid relationship with them. I guess our relationship was a lot stronger than I thought. Moroni also played with me the whole day on Sunday before I left. I had given each of them one of my shirts as something to remember me by (the Mario shirt Miguel is wearing in the first two pics is the one I gave to him).

Unfortunately, by not knowing them too well, I'm not exactly sure how their home life is. By their parents owning a store and from what Carlos had told me about their house, they seem pretty well off. One thing I do know, though, is that they don't go to church. Now, they could possibly go to another church, but I don't think they do. the only time Miguel and Moroni get Jesus is when they come to our Saturday program. I don't believe Jesus or God is talked about much in their home. If He is, then I am unaware. When I go back, I'm definitely going to do my best to find out more about them and their family. Please pray that they do know Jesus or will come to know Him very soon. They are very nice kids, and I would be devastated to know that they don't have Jesus. I'm devastated when I know that any of my kids don't have Jesus. Being without money is bad, but being without Jesus is the worst thing ever, and I never want them to be without Jesus, which is the ONLY thing they need.

Personal Profile: Tuco

Name: Tuco

Age: 5

Grade: Kindergarten (His family doesn't have the money for him to go to school, though)

Family: Señor Carlos (dad), Don't know his mom's name, older Carlos (Brother. Not to be confused with Carlos), Claudia, Gabi (older sisters), Ximena, and Valeria (baby sisters)

Favorite things: Toy cars, cookies, and peanut butter sandwiches.

I met Tuco back on the missions trip in June, but I only got to hang out with him at the soccer ball outreach. I ended up giving him a half-hour piggy-back ride that day. He just wouldn't detach from me (refer to video on the left). Once I finally did detach from him, he didn't really talk to me the rest of the trip, unfortunately. I'm not exactly sure why, but when I tried to play/talk to him, he just wouldn't do much.

Despite that incident, Tuco is definitely one of my favorite kids to be with. He's extremely adorable. At first, he wasn't so adorable. Due to his older sisters, he acted mean and would say things he shouldn't. He hardly acts that way anymore. When he's around his older siblings, he tends to act like them a little, which consists of hitting and cussing. When he's away from them, he's one of the sweetest kids. He's a very funny kid. He'll do things or say things that just make me laugh. He's also pretty affectionate, too. The last week I was there, Tuco would come up to me and hold up his arms for me to pick him up and hold him every single time I saw him. For me, this is one of the most adorable things a kid can do. He also would come up to me and ask me to play "carritos" or "conicas" with him, which I did. He didn't do these things at first, but, after a while, he warmed up to me. He was one of the kids who was really upset about me leaving, besides Carlos, of course.

Due to his older sisters, Tuco sometimes behaves incorrectly, like throwing rocks at people/animals, cussing, and fighting. He wasn't doing those things as much before I left, but that was when I was there. I noticed that he does certain things in fear of his older siblings. He's afraid that if he doesn't do those things, then his brother or sisters will hit him. It's mostly Claudia who does this. I can see that he doesn't want to do those things, but fear of being abused overpowers him. He does do some not-so good things on his own, but who doesn't mess up? He also doesn't have the greatest family life in general. His parents aren't home that much, so he's mostly with his eight year-old sister, Gabi, and that's it. I tend to go over there often during those times when it's just them two to play with them or spend time with them, also making sure that they stay out of trouble. It also seems like he doesn't receive the love or attention from his parents that he should. I am there for him as much as I can be, along with his other siblings, so that they receive the love from their Heavenly Father that they so desperately need.

Please pray for him regarding all of these things, as well as his family as well. His family is one of, possibly THE, poorest family in the area. Their yard isn't very clean, and their house is just a little bit bigger than my bedroom. Also, their family is not Christian, so good morals aren't taught in their home. Please pray that Tuco isn't swayed by his surroundings and that he seeks out the right way to live, and that is with Jesus christ in his life. Pray that I am able to show him that importance. Pray that his family sees the importance of salvation as well.

Personal Profile: Carlos

I thought it would be cool to let everyone know about my kids in Mexico, so I have decided to make personal profiles of some of my kids:

Name: Carlos

Age: 8 (His birthday was today! ¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Carlos!)

Grade: 2nd

Family: Hermano Carlos (dad), Hermana Mary (mom), Blanca, Karla, Estefani (older sisters), and Kevin (baby brother)

Favorite thing: Soccer

Carlos was the first kid that I met in Mexico. I've known him ever since the missions trip in June. He's been one of the kids who has spent every day with me while I was there. I mean, his family did feed me almost every day, but still.

I love all of my kids, but Carlos is definitely one of my favorites to hang out with. He has told me that I am his "mejor amigo" numerous times, and I've told him the same. When you first meet him, he's a shy kid, but he opens up after one day. He does a lot of goofy things, which make me laugh. He's also very curious. For example, he asks me what certain words are in English a lot. He says, "What's your name?" and "cookies" a lot. He knows the most English out of all of my kids because of what I've taught him. He also likes to know what I'm talking about whenever I'm talking to someone, haha. He loves Jesus and does his best to show it, too. Of course, sometimes, he'll mess up, but who doesn't? I'm usually right there to guide him in the right direction and to teach him what Jesus would do.

Unfortunately, Carlos has a problem with jealousy. A BIG problem. Thankfully, it's not as big as a problem as it once was, but he still struggles with it. If you've read my other blogs, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If not: whenever I am playing with him and then start to play with another kid, he gets very upset and says I'm not his friend anymore, or whenever I let him do something, then let another kid do what he was doing, he does the same thing. It made me upset at first when he did that, but after the fifth or sixth time, I would straight up just tell him that he needs to stop being jealous. He knew exactly what I meant, and he would usually stop. He's definitely been working on it, and I'm very proud of him. He also told me one day, "I want to be just like you." He said that it's because I spin all of the kids around and can play the drums really well. I guess good to him is being able to keep a steady beat, which I can do, but still, that definitely put a tear in my eye. It's really awesome to know that a kid looks up to me as much as he does.

Please pray for his jealousy problem, as he's still working on that. Also, pray for his whole family as well. His family is one of the poorer families in the church, and they could definitely use prayer. Carlos's family has blessed me so much, and I am so grateful for them. I love Carlos and his family so much, and I am so glad that God has put them in my life.

Giving Just to Give

Today, my mom called me into her room to ask me something. While she was talking, there was some guy preaching on TV. He was talking about giving. He was sharing his story on how he started giving. My mom had to leave somewhere, so she left the room, but I couldn't move my eyes off the TV.

He goes around and preaches at different churches. One day, God told him to tell the pastor to not have the pastor give him any money for being there and speaking at the pastor's church. The pastor told him that no other pastor had ever told him that before. That night, the church, which only had 60 people at that time (it was more of a Bible study thing), held an offering for him. That was the only church he was going to speak at for that whole month. The offering that night just so happened to be enough for the whole month. He thanked God for it, but God told him to give all of it to the missionary who had just spoken before him. He obeyed God and gave the whole check to the missionary. That night, as he was out to dinner with some of the families from the church, one of the guys at the table gave him the EXACT amount, cents and all, of what the offering was worth. The guy happened to write the check before church to give to him. Ever since then, the guy gave whenever God told him to. He also talked about how we should give and not expect something back. Yes, God may bless us, but that shouldn't be our motive into giving. He said that God created giving for us, not Him. He created it to get rid of the selfishness and greed from our lives. He also said, "People are always giving because 'God is going to bless them in return.' When are we going to give just to give?" He also said that God doesn't want to bless us with things if we are just going to be selfish with it. He wants to give to those who are going to bless others with it in return.

All of these things hit me. I mean, I've given tithe when I made money, and I've given an offering every now and then, but that's it. Living with no set job means not receiving an income, which means I don't have a lot to give. At all. $2 in my bank account and $5 I got from my mom for cleaning the floor today. The preacher guy asked everyone, if they could, to this Christian college that he was speaking at. The money was going towards scholarships for kids to go there. I didn't know anything about the college, nor have I heard of it before, but I felt that I should give. I randomly started crying. I had no idea why I was crying, but God put in my heart that He was using that to test me. He was trying to get rid of the selfishness and greed in my heart. Being a missionary, not only do I have to trust completely in God to provide, but I also need to listen to Him when He tells me to do something with what He has blessed me with. I can't just hold on to something just because I feel like I need it. I need to obey God in every situation, no matter what. The guy mentioned the lady with two mites from the Bible, and how that was all she had, but she gave it anyway, and that was extravagant. That really hit me, and I called the number and gave my $2 in my bank account. I don't know how $2 is going to get anyone to college, but I pray that God multiplies that somehow.There was two cents, too, but I didn't want to close out my bank account. Setting up a new bank account is annoying. Anyway, so after that, I was planning on going up to the store to buy a calling card so that I could call Carlos in Mexico. My calling card had run out the other day while I was talking to him, so I needed to get a new one. I was going to use the $5 my mom gave me to buy a calling card. I told God that if He wanted me to give that, too, then I will. God told me that there was a black lady at the bus stop on the way to the store and that He wanted me to give it to her. At first, I thought that I just put that scenario in my head because I was so overwhelmed and wanted to hear God tell me to give it to someone. I then got that thought out of my mind and believed that God told me that. I've never really had anything like that happen to me before, so that's why I was so unsure about it. I have always heard stories about God telling people to give to others, and how that exact person was where God said that person would be, but it never happened to me. I believed that this time God was telling this to me and not me putting this thought in my head. As I approached the bus stop, the usual spot where I cross the street to go to the store, there stood a black lady. I knew right then that she was the person God wanted me to bless. I walked up to her and said, "This may sound weird, but God told me to give this to you." She looked at me as if I was pulling a prank or something.
"What's this for?" she said, puzzled.
"Ma'am, I have no idea. God just told me to give it to you."
"Are you riding the bus?"
"No, I just walked from my house."
"Oh, ok. May Jehovah bless you."
"Thanks, God bless you, too. He loves you very much."

As soon as I turned and walked away, the bus came up, and she got on. Almost immediately after I was done talking to her. That was God. As I walked away, I became so overwhelmed and began to cry. This is the first time this has ever happened to me. I thanked God for using me and prayed that I was a witness to that lady.

This was the biggest lesson in giving God had ever given to me. Here I am, a missionary for God, giving up my life, but I won't obey God give up a meesely two dollars to help someone further his/her education? Here I am, proclaiming that I'm a Christian willing to give up "everything", but I won't listen to His instruction and give five dollars to a poor lady at a bus stop? God has blessed me with so much, and yet here I am trying to hold on to it all. I say, "Thanks, God, for the blessing," and hang on to it like it's the last dime I'm going to get. What's wrong with me? God has given His money to me, and it's my job to bless others with it. Of course, I need to eat and buy things to live, but apart from that, I need to be open to bless others, especially when God tells me to. Not just with money, but with everything. For example, before I left Mexico, Carlos asked if he could have my necklace. I told him that I had given him some things already (which I had) and wanted to keep my necklace. He understood. I wanted to keep it because I was planning on doing something with it, but I never did anything with it. How can I teach him about being selfless if I can't give a little necklace with beads on it away? I don't want him to just ask me for all of my things, either, but still. Also, yesterday, I had gotten a little bag of frosted animal crackers from the thing at my church for Halloween. A kid had asked me if he could have them, but I told him that it was my only bag and that I wanted them. I told him that I had other things I could give him, but he didn't want anything else. How can I be an example for that kid when I'm holding on to a dumb bag of animal crackers? I can always get another necklace or bag of animal crackers, but I'll never be able to change what happened. They probably will forget about it, but still. I don't want my life to portray anything but the love of God, and selfishness and greed aren't part of His love. God used today to get that out of me, and it's never coming back.

Did I ever get my calling card so I could call Carlos? No, but I probably will soon. Will God bless me for what I did? Possibly, but I'm not going to sit here and dwell on how much He's going to bless me or even if He's going to at all. I do know that God's Word says that He rewards those who are faithful to Him, and God's Word is true. Jesus says in Matthew that this world may fall away, but His words never will. I praise God for His blessings, but I don't sit and wonder, "What can I do for God to bless me more?" Not any more. Instead, "What can I do so that God can use me to bless others?" No more selfishness. With anything. Blessings may come, but that's not what's most important. I need to give just to give.


***NOTE: Please don't take this like I'm telling you to give to me. NOT AT ALL. If you feel God telling you to give, then do it, but PLEASE don't feel pressured to give to me in any way. I typed this out to share this amazing lesson that God smacked me in the face with today. I pray you learn from this just as I did. What are your intentions when you give? Do you give so that you can get, or are you giving just to give, sacrificing what you have to bless others? Think about it.

*Update: That night, I got invited to go out to get ice cream with some friends. I wasn't sure if I was going to go or not since I didn't have any money, and my mom asked me why I might not be going. I said that I didn't have money to do something like that. She said that she had given me $5. I ended up explaining to her what happened that day. I didn't expect anything back, but she ended up giving me $5 to get my calling card AND $5 for ice cream. I received $3 more than what I gave. I got blessed when that wasn't my intention. Amen.