Miguel is a typical, very mischievous little 6 year old with seemingly boundless energy. He is one of those kids that you need to watch constantly or he’ll get in trouble. However, his broad smile and sly grin, combined with his obvious need for someone to give him love and attention, makes it all worth it! Sure he can be bad and cause many problems, but if we can be of help to guide him towards a relationship with Jesus Christ, what does it matter the costs here on earth?

We don’t know much about Miguel’s early life, but we do know he was born into a family that rejected him. His mother left him when he was young, upon which his aunt took upon herself the responsibility to care for him. His aunt had another child by birth, who is essentially a younger brother to Miguel, although not by blood. This is pretty much the extent of his family–his birth mom, as far as we know, has no contact with him whatsoever. He probably wouldn’t even recognize her on sight. The place where Miguel lives with his aunt isn’t what you would call an ideal home. The house is next door to a little comedor (restaurant) where lots of men come to eat and drink beer. Somehow Miguel developed a taste for the vile stuff and he has told us already that it’s his favorite! He has come to school already acting a bit woozy, most likely from an alcohol hangover.

Miguel started school here at CICS in May of 2013. He was very intelligent with lots of energy. A (then) 5 year old little boy, it took some time for him to adapt to life here. The first week he would cry himself to sleep each night, because of homesickness and the strange new environment.

Miguel has learned a lot since he first started school, however, he still needs frequent reminders about different conduct issues. He struggles a lot with respecting authority and doing what he is told. His boundless energy and rambunctiousness also creates problems in his relationships with the other children. But when he is in a good mood, he is a joy to be around. He likes to show off make other people laugh. He achieves his goal quite often with his outlandish facial expressions and toothless grin. We try not to laugh at him too much, but sometimes it’s a little hard to restrain our mirth.

Since he lives so far away, Miguel stays here at CICS all week, until the weekend, when he goes home to be with his aunt. He is fairly young yet, so he doesn’t have a lot of responsibilities, but he has learned how to care for various animals and doing small things like washing dishes. Doing the dishes with him means you’ll probably have some water splashed around at some point. He also helps Elmer, his dorm dad, with any other projects that he can do. Miguel likes to tag along after anyone who will let him. In the afternoon, one of his favorite pastimes is riding bike. It’s quite amusing to see this small, skinny kid, with pants not reaching down to his ankles, riding this bicycle about as tall as he is.

Pray for Miguel as you think about him. Pray that he could grow up to know Jesus as his personal Savior. Pray that he could be an example to others who look up to him when he grows up. Pray for his teacher, Melody, and his dorm dad, Elmer, as they try to teach him practical things and also about God. Pray that he could use his difficult early life as a platform to demonstrate God’s power of healing and restoration. Pray for Miguel…