Juan Diego

The first school that two groups of Gideons went to was in Azogues.  The students were taking exams that day but the headmaster was excited for us to be there.  He asked us to wait and distribute the testaments when the children changed classes and took their recess.

A young boy named, Juan Diego, was one of children who received a testament that day.  While I continued to distribute testaments to many of the other youth, Juan hovered around my distribution point.  When Carolos, the translator, came by Juan ran over to the him and asked him a question.

Juan wanted to know where I was from.  Carlos motioned Juan to come back over.  I replied back in Spanish that I was from the United States and the state of Tennessee.  Juan smiled and laughed.  He ran off with his friends, happy that I spoke to him in Spanish.

A while later, after we had distributed testaments to almost the entire school, we went to the courtyard where the basketball and soccer areas were.  We had more time to tell the youth to write their names in the front of the testaments and were able to share scriptures with them, including the plan of salvation.  Many of them began to ask the Gideons to write their names in the front of the Bible under their own name.  

There was a tug on my coat.  It was Juan.  He tugged on my coat and the translator relayed that he wanted me to sign my name in his testament below his.  I sat down with him, wrote my name in his testament and took several photographs with him.  Then I was able to show him the helps in the front and opened the testament to the plan of salvation in the back.  I especially pointed out the section to show him that God loved him.  I told Juan to be sure and read the back and pointed to the scriptures.

I pray that someday Juan will sign his name in the back.