A Story to Remember

Written by Michael Burton - one of our beloved volunteers... Shortly after the campers arrived, I met a little boy; I'm going to call him Miguel as I write. Miguel was born deaf and with cerebral palsy. Upon finding this out, his mother abandoned him and wanted nothing to do with this baby boy. Another family member decided to take care of him just enough for him to survive. When Miguel was a little older, the Signs of Love team found him on one of their searches for more deaf. When they found him, he was outside... where he lived. He didn't have a place in the house and he was treated perhaps slightly better than a Honduran dog - which are mostly malnourished scavengers. Miguel didn't have possessions of his own or even a concept of what a family should look like; a life alone and rejected was all he knew. After Signs of Love got involved, they made sure Miguel was taken care of and they brought him in to teach him sign language and the gospel. Now, Miguel smiles all the time. He makes these ridiculously cute noises (he can't hear himself) and is full of joy. It's truly a miracle that someone who has gone through that kind of trauma can have this joy and enjoy people. The team now works with his family to provide a better home and they consistently see Miguel throughout the year during their village programs. During my time at camp, one of the leaders started calling me dad (in reference to Miguel being my son). "Hey dad, your son is..." "Did you see what your son just did?" I love that kid so much and would heavily consider adopting him if it were possible (Alicia approved). Below, you can see a picture of the two of us. I reflected a lot on this story during my flight home. I had to take breaks so that my tear-filled eyes didn't release rivers down my face. Why is this story so beautiful? Why does a redemption story grip our hearts? Because it's the gospel. No other story is meant to grip us more than stories that reflect aspects of the gospel. I chose to use the name Miguel because that's my name in Spanish - I am the Miguel in this story. Every true believer is like Miguel. Once we ourselves were enslaved to sin, not knowing anything else, and unable to enter our Father's house; now we are sons and daughters who can be filled with joy because He has set His mercy upon us through Christ and will take us to be with Him. This story is glorious because it is a picture and partial reflection of the gospel. "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy..." Titus 3:3-5