The Thief and the Shepherd
He’s new at Santa Maria’s and very playful…this 7-year-old boy by the name of Marco Antonio. But for a mere seven years of living, Marco 
Antonio has been exposed to a lot of wrong things. Perhaps that exposure helps to explain why this little guy is quite particular about caring for the space given to him at the orphanage—to ensure that no one touches or steals his things. You see, Marco Antonio learned to rob with his maternal aunt with whom he was staying for a while. She would take him to many commercial centers to steal clothes and other items. It is probably a natural response for Marco Antonio to assume that others will rob from him, too. “But why is he living with his aunt in the first place?” His own mother has been in a women’s prison, and just before Marco came to the orphanage, his father was also sent to prison. For a season, Marco Antonio lived with his dad…always on the go, asking for alms from people on the streets. He has obviously not known a stable life up to this point. Marco Antonio neither reads nor writes as of yet, but we are hopeful that within the loving walls of Santa Maria Children’s Home, young Marco Antonio will be able to receive the stability, nurturing, and instruction needed to make great progress. Please pray for him. He definitely needs a lot of help and encouragement from everyone around him, and JESUS our Good Shepherd desires to provide him with the abundance of life that He came to bring. Where the enemy has sought to steal, kill, and destroy (and to set Marco Antonio on a path of doing the same!), God has stepped in to rescue, restore, and renew this precious young man of promise! Thank you for your prayers for him.
We are very grateful to report that Robert—the boy in need of the surgery for scoliosis—has successfully made it through the surgery and is now at the orphanage for recovery and healing. He is in a decent amount of pain as he heals, however, and so your prayers for Robert are greatly appreciated. Please join us in asking God to give him grace and relief. I know that Robert would thank you with all of his heart, if he could.
During the first week of May, I (Tony) plan to be back in Peru getting the third batch of chickens for the home. What a blessing from you and God that these children are able to have such an abundance of good, healthy meat to eat daily. Your support, enabled by the Lord, also keeps this orphanage functioning from month to month…so that a child like Robert can have his physical body freed from pain and from that which would cripple him, and a child like Marco Antonio can have his heart and soul freed from all that would cripple his ability to walk in the way of LIFE. The thief has come to steal, kill, and destroy the children of Peru—that is certain—but the GOOD SHEPHERD is leading them to eternal life (and the hope of a better earthly life, too!) through His Son. We are the ones that He is using to do that beautiful work in their lives. Thank you for being a participant in God’s handiwork. Your participation…no matter how small you think it is…is of eternal value and reward; do not grow weary in well-doing.
We love and appreciate you, our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Until next month, may the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you. Amen.
By His Grace,
Tony and Rosa Rivera
Home of Refuge International, Inc.
