The summer of 2006 I was in Guatemala. For 1 of those 8 weeks my team and I were able to spend time with a group of street kids. We took them to a park. We played fútbol with them. We brought a piñata to share with them. We listened to their stories...of the dire situations that forced them into the streets. We smelled the strong stench of the glue they huffed throughout the day to numb them from their realities. We saw broken kids who craved love. And we met Italo. Italo was a Guatemalan believer who spent his free time hanging out with these hurting kids. He brought them laughter. How? Well, Italo was a clown. An actual clown. He would dress up and do routines and tricks. He would tell them about God. He would be present with them. You could see in the eyes of these kids how much they loved Italo...how much they looked up to him. And you could see in his eyes how much he loved them. We were all inspired by Italo. In February of this year, Italo died in a swimming accident.
I recently learned of a documentary being done about Italo and the work he started. It is called Becoming Fools. Take a moment and watch the trailer. I recognize the kids in this clip. These are the kids I sat next to on the bus and laughed with as they whacked that piñata. I remember well my conversations with Italo and I know God will raise up kids that he worked with to continue the ministry he started.
It is easy to be overwhelmed with all the needs that are in this world. But please don't let that keep you from making a decision to do something. Supporting this documentary project is just one small way to get involved. If God puts it on your heart to give and/or pray for this project, please do so!
We aren't guaranteed a tomorrow. "Find the hard thing in life [that God wants you to do] and do it!" Make the most of the time you are given.
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