Today is a difficult day. Last night, as @hannahpickering and I worshiped at @thebelongingco, we received news that our Lorenzo, whom we have sponsored and loved like a son, died in Jamaica. When we met Lorenzo, he was already in very dire medical condition. Many of you supported us as we sought to get him the best medical care that was available to him. Thank you for your support. Lorenzo was 17, completely deaf from birth, and had never learned to read, write, or communicate. Over the time we knew him, we bought him a copy of The Action Bible, praying that he would fall in love with the Jesus he saw in those pictures. We also prayed since the day we met him that God would speak to him in a way he could understand, for he had no other means to hear the Gospel. What I know is this: every time I was around Lorenzo, I could feel the tangible presence of God in a way that I have never experienced elsewhere. I know that Jesus identifies our service of “the least of these” as done directly to Himself. I know that from the beginning, God always given us a choice. In his own way, I believe I observed the fruit of Lorenzo’s choice: he was a servant, gentle and kind, and compassionate to those in pain despite his own. And so, knowing how loving and kind our God is, I believe that today Lorenzo is in Heaven with Jesus. He was not “healed” but has received something far better: a new body that will always be whole and never know sickness. For the first time, he can hear and he can eat without fear or pain, and there he joins a joyful, musical feast. Most of all, he can freely gaze into the face of Jesus, the one he saw pictures of in his Bible, the one who perhaps even visited him in his dreams. The real Jesus. ❤️❤️❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/B3CipUhhtxs/?igshid=1rb85rbcdak0w
