Jesus took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure,[a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. (Luke 9:28-32)
The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.
(Luke 9: 38-39)

Felipe was already waiting for us when we arrived. It was 7 am. About a year ago, we would have never thought that any of our youth could keep an appointment at this time of the day. Most of them would be sleeping at this time. Survival demands that they stay awake when it is dark and sleep when it is light. Felipe’s life has changed drastically over the past year. The change was gradual. I already wrote about it once but it is worth telling the story again. Some things need to be told several times in several different ways to be fully appreciated.

A year ago, Felipe was using paint thinner and, on occasions, cocaine. Something that he has done since the age of 10. He used to be very shy and insecure. Sometimes he isolated himself from everyone. He once told us that he did not understand why he did this. We suspected depression. Initially, we thought that he would be one of the young people that would spend their whole life in the streets. He always was a very considerate and caring young man but he never showed any desire to seek a different life. The homeless life was the only reality he knew.

A couple of days ago, he called me and asked if he could borrow a small amount of money from me. He only had rice in his tiny room in an abandoned building which was occupied by other squatters like himself. The place is infested with scorpions and his room is dark and noisy. He also has four children to feed from the ages of 3 months to twelve. Three belong to his wife and the youngest is his. However, he is a father to all of them. He will get his first paycheck in a week’s time. He used to beg in the streets to get money for food but now he decided that he needs to change and stop doing this. He repeated several times in the message that he will pay me back right away. For many, this situation would be considered a nightmare. For Felipe, it represented a positive change for him. He has a job. He has a family. He has a responsibility to find a way to feed his girlfriend’s children and his infant son. All this has given new meaning for his existence. It has brought harmony to his once chaotic life.

We brought the money to him and he apologized profusely. He thought that it was a shameful thing to ask for money from us. This was strange because he used to beg for money all the time. However, today he was a different man. In reality, his salary is not going to be enough for him to live on. He is going to need help for a while. We told him that we were glad that he called us. We wanted him to know that God has placed us here to give the support that he needs to find significance in his life. He smiled and said that we were going to make him cry. We did not lend him the money. It was our gift to him which he refused initially. He wanted it to be a loan. Mary explained that we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the kind and generous gifts we receive from people. Therefore, we are merely passing on what we received. He hugged us. Before he left, we made plans to meet him at 7 a.m. in two days time to go the military office. In Brazil, every young man has to register to serve in the army. However, only a few are chosen to serve and the rest have to participate in a special ceremony to swear allegiance to the flag. Only then, they will get the final document allowing them to work. Felipe was lacking this final piece of the bureaucratic puzzle. The company that he was working for cannot officially employ him until he gets this final document. He wanted us to accompany him this ceremony.

The ceremony lasted for a few minutes. We went for breakfast together. Felipe was glowing with hope. He was talking about how he was getting in touch with his father after ten years. His father was in prison for many years. It was the impetus that drove him and his brother to the streets. We never met his brother. He got lost in the judicial system. However, now his father is in a different place. Felipe got in touch with him. It seems like he is getting reconciled with his family. He showed some pictures of his mother and siblings. A older woman sat at the next table and eavesdropped on our conversation. When she heard Felipe talking about his infant child, she finally said that Felipe was too young to be father. He smiled and showed her the picture of his infant child. The old Felipe would have never done this. He would have recoiled from any human contact. We spent the whole morning with him and it was such a spiritually enriching time. It was our moment of the transfiguration where we saw God’s face in the life of Felipe. However, the story doesn’t end here. We have to come down from the mountain.

We saw another young man whom we haven’t seen for years. It was Igor. I wrote about him about five years ago. He was making some progress in his life then. He was beginning to hope for something better. However, we eventually lost contact with him. There was almost a year of complete silence. Today, he surprised us in the streets.

We playing games with the children and he came up to us and asked if he recognized him. It was a joy to see him. He gave the biggest and longest hug we ever received from anyone in the streets. He told us almost immediately that all is not well with him. He has always been honest with us. He told us that his life was complicated now and he was not in a good spiritual place. Obviously he was doing well financially. He was well-dressed and looked very healthy. He asked us if we had lunch. I believe that he wanted to take us out for lunch. However, it was already three o’clock. There was something similar and different about Igor. While we were talking, some of the children were sniffing paint thinner near us. Igor stood up and told them not to do such things near our presence and they needed to respect us. The children and teens put their bottles of paint thinner away and left the area. This was when it was obvious that Igor is connected with the gang. In another circumstance, we would be discouraged with this new development. However, something has changed within us. Maybe Felipe has something to do with this change. We have seen God’s face in Felipe’s life. It has brought reaffirmed hope in us. We are hopeful for Igor. He could have avoided us. Instead he chose to look us up. He wanted us to spend time with us. He made sure that we knew that the time and energy we spent on him was not wasted. He cherishes us. We cherish him too.

Two young men that we have known for a long time. Two young men who have become very important to us. They are both success stories. They know that they have someone who loves them. Felipe is trying to find his way in this world and Igor knows that he has taken the wrong path. They both have to discover how to walk in harmony with God’s presence in this world. They are beginning to discover the right tools. Igor is lost for the moment but he knows that he needs to find his way back. At the present moment things look uncertain and fragile but the same God whom we saw in Felipe’s life is also present in Igor’s life. Both young men need people to remind that God beckons them through love to walk in harmony with Him.

This is our transfiguration encounter this week.