Meet the Boys

Carlitos........manly

Carlitos is our youngest boy. He is a very bright 2 year old, with a silly grin that melts your heart. Since we have been here Carlitos has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Doctors believe this is either from tramatic birth or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and no prenatal care. This affects Carlitos' speech, ability to walk, fine and gross motor skills, digestion, eyes, one foot, and one hand. Currently we work with Carlitos doing rehabilitation exercises that strengthen his less mobile limbs. We are thrilled that Carlitos is learning to talk and WALK! He can speak a mix of English and Spanish. Carlitos is extremely lovable and gives love to all he meets. He is always willing to snuggle. If you hear a scraping on the floor you know that Carlitos is coming around the corner, pushing his stool. Carlitos is the youngest of three brothers. He has an 8 year old brother, Fernando, and Arnol who is 5. Carlitos and his siblings were taken from their mother by INFA. Their mother is a single mother who struggles with alcohol addiction and battered women syndrome. Unfortunately a string of bad choices with men and addictions led to violence and neglect in the home. Carlitos is able to visit his mother with supervision once a month. She is happy to see that he is well fed and is able to see receive medical care. On his last visit she even thought he was getting gordito (heavy)! Like all 2 year olds Carlitos has some favorite words; agua and NO! He is rapidly becoming a pro at picking up small objects and putting them in a cup with his less mobile hand. Carlitos is thrilled with any toy that spins, or rolls. He is very intense and very sharp. Even though he is not able to speak with a large vocabulary, there is not anything that gets by him. He is a speedy imitator, with brings us all much laughter. Whenever we have visitors it is usually Carlitos that grabs their heart and arms. We love Carlitos and pray for his body and mind to be completely restored. Carlitos used to cry every night, ripping all of our hearts out. Now he sleeps peacefully. Everyday we can see God's hand working in Carlitos. He is extremely responsive to love and care. Our prayer for Carlitos is that he know he is loved, accepted, and competent to fulfill the destiny that Christ has for him.

Arnol.....eagle, powerful

Arnol is a snappy 5 year old with a mischevious grin. He has a charm and warmth that make him a favorite among his peers and adults. Arnol excels in his 1st grade schoolwork. Arnol has two brothers, Carlitos and Fernando. Energy is Arnol's middle name, and riding a bike is his favorite pastime. You have to be quick to get the bike in the afternoons before this little guy. He has picked up English phrases extremely quickly and loves to say, "I don't know, I love you Tia, and thank you very much". It all sounds cuter with his little Honduran accent. Arnol enjoys learning english in the afternoons. He has really picked up on games such as Go Fish (Pesca), Concentration and songs such as "The Wheels on the Bus" and "This Little Light of Mine". He is the same size as our son Timothy and they love and fight with each other fiercely! It is from Arnol that Timothy has learned most of his Spanish. Arnol lives life with passion. You can see this in his play, fruit eating, and in his crying. Everyone knows that if Arnol has started crying, he is in it for the long haul. Sometimes we just hold him and tell him how much he is loved, sometimes it is to the bed. Because Arnol was raised mainly by his older brother, who is now only 8, we believe that his deep crying really is a deep lonliness and need to be loved and noticed. Most nights it is Arnol that has to be carried to bed during Bible time. We pray for Arnol to grow into the dynamic young man that God has created him to shine as. He is so very smart and endearing. We hope that this home will always offer a safe place for him to learn, grow, and experience life to the fullest.

Reynaldo...King

Reynaldo is our quiet little 7 year old guy that has a smile that turns you to putty. Reynaldo's mother was traumatized by abuse by their father when she was pregnant, and then when he was born she starved and hid him. Reynaldo was found, along with his older brother Fredy, and taken to the hospital when he was 5 years old. He had no hair or toe nails, wasn't walking and only spoke baby sounds. Today Reynaldo is healthy and in Kinder at the local school. Reynaldo is about the size of our four year old son Timothy, but very stout. He is certainly the most reserved of the boys, but is slowly coming out of that. He is a tough cookie to crack, but you can catch him in a smile! You can find him curled up in Hannah's lap at Bible time every night. Reynaldo is such a handsome young man. He is rapidly developing in his education. He loves to play outside. Actually that is an understatement. Reynaldo could live outside! He loves to play ball, watch the animals, ride the bicycle, run around and scream, swing on the homemade tree swing, and chase chickens. He loves to gather the chicken eggs, but you just don't end up with many eggs if he is in charge. He finds too many things along the way back to the house to entice him and break the eggs. Reynaldo is the first home from school everyday, his class ends at 11 am. So he gets to enjoy some schoolwork with our son Timothy under Hannah's instruction. Right now they are learning to read music (in English). He knows a lot of English vocabulary, but speaks only in Spanish. I think he wants to make sure we learn it! When Reynaldo laughs, you have to laugh with him, because he has a wonderful, deep belly laugh. It is so wonderful to see him let go and laugh. I love to hear Reynaldo say at night, "I love you Tia." It means so much coming from a little boy that didn't receive love for so long. We praise God for Kimberly Cassinelli who opened this home and heart so that young boys like Reynaldo could have a place to grow up. We pray for Reynaldo to continue to grow, develop, and open his heart to love. We pray that he will not have any root of bitterness from the things he has suffered from.

Fernando........brave, full of courage

Fernando Alexis is our 8 year old boy who is now getting to have a childhood. One document we have says that he is 8, but he has always thought he was 2 years older. Fernando is the older brother of Arnol and Carlitos, and spent his younger years as caretaker. Fernando loves his mother very much and hopes to see her break free of her struggles so that he can live with her. He is a very sensitive soul and feels things very deeply. There have been times where I have hurt him unintentionly with my straightforward corrections. We are learning how to handle and care for Fernando. Fernando is a very quick learner of English. He is constantly asking how to say things in English, and you really do hear him use what you teach him. He also trys to find the words that he knows in English written in books, papers, etc. He can quote all of the English movies he has seen. Fernando is in the 5th. grade. His teacher says that he is doing very well in school. Fernando is the master marble player. Everyone says he is the best. He now loves Star Wars, and can be seen constantly jumping around with a pretend light saber in his hands. Fernando can take anything he finds and have fun with it. He is very creative. Any scrap of fabric is quickly a cape. Fernando is realizing that we love him and will take care of him. He is beginning to open up to us and let down his guard, though he still wrestles with believing that there will always be food to eat. We believe that his mind will be renewed and he will find comfort and care in the arms of his heavenly Father. We pray that Fernando will continue to live his childhood and release all of the pain he has been through to the Father who loves him. We love seeing him develop into a happy young boy that loves the things that all boys love.

Fredy........Peaceful Ruler

Fredy, our resident 9 year old mountain man. Fredy is the older brother of Reynaldo. He also was born into a abusive home, hidden from his father, and starved. He was close to death when found. Thankfully Fredy has come a long ways, and is now healthy and developing rapidly. It is amazing what love and care can do. Kimberly Cassinelli, the founder of this home, was able to come to the rescue of Fredy and his brother after they were released from the hospital. Fredy is full of life and intensity. He is the first to run and greet anyone, and the first to throw his arms and body around you. Fredy has NEVER met a stranger and is so accepting and full of love. I love the way Fredy loves; all the time and with everyone! Everyone on the mountain knows Fredy, even people you meet in town. Fredy is now in 1st. grade, though obviously challenged in areas of development. He works very hard to overcome any difficulties he has with learning, and gives it his all. He is quick to do his homework and is proud of his accomplishments. You are hard pressed to bring little mountain man indoors. He loves to be outside chasing animals, and has the toughest feet around. We have really cramped his style enforcing the always wear shoes outside rule. Fredy can work with the biggest of boys and play with the youngest. He will do any type of work around to earn some money to go to the Pulperia. You can always find Fredy hanging out around the mixer when Mark is cooking, ready to do beater clean up. It is Fredy's job to gather the eggs. He does this with much responsibility and seriousness. Of all the boys, Fredy is the most likely to become a farmer, or a missionary to a remote setting. We pray for Fredy's mind and body to be restored to full health.

More boys and photos coming soon