Fernando

June 2012
When I first met Fernando, he was the boyfriend of a church girl.
I met him with a look of distrust, as if to silently say, "If you hurt her, I'll kill you."

Fernando wasn't the kind of boyfriend that a church girl's dad wants to see on his daughter's arm.
He had half-dyed hair hanging down into his eyes.
He had a 15 year old effort at a beard.
He wore all black, and his arms were covered in bracelets up to his wrists.
Those bracelets had words on them that I'd rather not repeat, because I'm a church girl too.

Fernando was Heidi's boyfriend, and that was the extent of his identity to us.

July 2012
He kept showing up and sticking around.

August 2012
It didn't take long for me to see Fernando for who he is, not for who he is dating.
He is a sweetheart.
He is a sensitive soul.
He is a fast learner, working on guitar, voice, cooking, Mexican dance, and the Japanese language.
He has a protective mother.
He has about a million little brothers and sisters.
He is the son of an alcoholic catholic.
He will do anything to be helpful to others.

September 2012
We were at the Welcome of Cadets at the Centennial Memorial Temple - an energetic, theatrical, brass-band-infused Salvation Army event, surrounded by flags and uniforms.

I was quietly aching for the gospel to be proclaimed.

"Tell 'em about Jesus!"

It was proclaimed.  Commissioner Israel Gaither preached about the grace we see on the cross of Christ.  He said that our response to the cross is to follow Christ.

That evening, Fernando knelt at the altar to pray.
He was joined by a young Christian man.

As Fernando put it, that night he "sealed the deal" with God.

March 2014
I cannot believe the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit that I get to witness in this guy.

Fernando is a true soldier.
He's fighting a spiritual battle, like the rest of us, but he's actually engaging in the fight.
Every time I see Fernando, he is serving somebody else.
He is the errand runner, the mopper, the box-carrier extraordinaire.
He's fasting and praying for the victims of human trafficking.
The hair is still there, but the bracelets are long gone.

He's following Christ. He's taking up his cross.

Thank You, God, for the chance to witness Your miracles.