And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. Luke 17:6

It was quite unexpected. We haven’t seen him for a long time. Perhaps the occasional “hello” and “hugs” as he passed through the area where we work. We haven’t any quality time with him for almost a year. In our ministry, we pray and wait for special encounters with the children that become etched into our souls. Nothing sensational or spectacular needs to happen. It occurs through the grace of God where suddenly we sense our souls being united through God’s love. We become eternally connected with each other. Even though these instances are a rarity with him these days, we had many with him in the past. It has secured a profound and (God willing) permanent bond between us.

He was in the streets since he was eight. Some traumatic incident brought him to the streets and drove a wedge between him and his mother. He always loved her. He waited for her every Christmas to invite him to her home. Some years she never came. He did not hold any grudges against her. Nevertheless, he needed her to come and invite him. This was, perhaps, the only way he knew that she still wanted him to be part of her life. Something happened that changed his family life forever. He never talked about it. The only thing we know is that his father was sent to prison about the time he ran away to the streets. He came with nothing but his faith of a little child.

He was deeply religious. His understanding about God and Jesus were very basic. He believed that Jesus was God and the source of all goodness. He did not know much about the Bible even though he always carried one in his bag. He loved to read the Psalms. He was just religious but he tried to live out his faith. He was the kindest and most considerate young man among the homeless children and teens. The drug culture is very much part of the homeless life. He was no exception to this rule. He used a lot of drugs. He was constantly sniffing paint thinner and sometimes other things worse. However, he never allowed his addictions to stand in the way of doing something good and loving. We would say that he was the conscience of the children and teens. He kept them from doing wrong things. He protected mentally-challenged homeless adults from being bullied and taken advantage of. The girls trusted him completely. He protected them from being sexually exploited and he demanded that the other boys treated them with respect. He never harbored hatred or bitterness and always was ready to forgive those who offended him. He always made time for us and even apologized when he was too “high”. He considered us and all those who are in the streets to help these children and teens as people sent by God. His childlike faith had a lot of fuel, much more than those who have spent their whole lives in the church.

In the beginning of last year, he got involved with a young woman. She, just like him, was homeless since she was a very young girl. She had three children of her own when they started dating. She is a squatter in an abandoned building. This is quite common in the center and especially among those who are trying to overcome their homelessness. Some of these squatter communities are made up of poor working class people who can’t afford decent housing. They are drug and crime free. Unfortunately, there are a few that are dominated by criminal elements. She lives in one that is mainly made up of families.

He became a family when he started a relationship with her. He took his role as a stepfather seriously. Initially, he was a little unsure about spending all his time with the children. Slowly they conquered his heart. He started changing. He stopped using drugs. He stopped hanging out with the other teens. He eventually moved in with her. He hardly comes to the streets nowadays. However, today was different. He had something special to share with everyone. He held a tiny baby in his arms. It was his son. He came up to us and asked Mary if she wanted to hold his son. When he said this, his face was radiant. He told us that he has stopped using all drugs. Now he is a family man and he wants to do his best for them.

Mary held the sweet baby in her arms. I asked him if I could say a prayer for the child. He agreed smiling and then, he hugged us. They were getting some supplies for the baby. I took out some money and gave it to him. He refused it at first. For him, our relationship wasn’t based on money or personal gain. It was just pure love. I had to tell him that it was a custom to help families with newborn children with their expenses. Everyone does it. Only then, he accepted it. He was excited about the new and wonderful things that were happening in his life. He was not one to be involved in crime and survived all his years in the streets through begging. However, now he wants to set an example for his children. He wants to get a job. He asked us if we could help him with the necessary documentation. He is going to go and find a job no matter what it takes. He finally found the one thing that was missing to help him embrace life. It was the chance to love and care for another person. Now he has a family.

Later in the evening, I received a message on my phone. He discovered a way to connect with me through the social media. He wanted us to visit his home. He also wanted to know that if we would still accompany him in his new journey. I ensured him that we will continue to walk with him. This is all he needed to hear. Everything was new to him. He wanted to make sure that he did not lose the good things from his past. We are grateful that we still have an active place in his life. His story might be familiar to some. You have heard me speak about him. He has always been dear to us. His name is Felipe.