I would like to introduce you to my
friend Patricio. Patricio has been an anchor on the WFM
International Missions Base in Belize for the past year. He is a
father to six beautiful children, amazing husband to his wife Ester,
son, and friend.
Patricio has made the most out of his
life situations. He is unable to formally write or read English. He
has learned English by way of hearing. His past employers would take
money out of his pay if they caught him speaking his native language
of Spanish, so he learned to be a listener. What he was able to
hear, he would then piece the conversation together and was able to
start speaking English to satisfy his bosses, and keep money in his
pocket to provide for his family. 
Patricio dropped out of school at a
very young age. He was faced with this real life decision when his
family’s house burned down one day, while his siblings were playing
with fire. They lost everything, but were able to rescue and save
his siblings. He was only in primary school at the time. Seeing that his
family had lost everything and needed money in order to survive, he
made the decision to leave school and begin working in the sugar cane
fields and coal mines.
You will not find Patricio making
excuses for decisions he made and the lack of education he endured.
Instead, you will find him encouraging his children to do their best
in school and continually providing for his family. He is the right
person to have around if you need anything fixed. His knowledge and
skill set he has learned over the years has made him a very valuable
asset to any employer.
I have spent a lot of time with
Patricio over the past year while in Belize. It is always a joy for both of us to
sit around a fire, a table, or on a stump and just talk about life.
It was a question that I presented to him during one of these times that began to shift his
thought process about life. The question was: "What if you could do
anything and be anything in this life, what would you do?" Patricio’s
dream is that he wants to be a tour guide; not only to tourist that
come through his beautiful country, but also a tour guide in the form
of teaching the Word of God. He wants to be a pastor and
lead people into the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ. From that question,
we began to take tangible steps towards achieving his goals. First
thing: he had never in life been taught how to drive, or earned a driver’s license. So we began helping him learn to read and write English in order to pass the written test. We
spent a week studying and going over the study guide we were
provided. He passed the test and was given his permit for a couple
months. We taught him how to drive and what being a defensive driver
looks like in a 3rd world nation!
Then,
on his own, with passion and determination, he went in and took the driving
part of the test. He passed that with no problems and is now a proud
owner of his driver’s license! This is a big deal to a man and
family who has had to rely on the unreliable bus system for transportation. Now, he
is able to go visit family, go to the store and most importantly, if
an emergency arises, he is able to handle that situation and be an
answer to someone in need.
This man’s life scope has gone from
desperation and looking for help, to being the help and the answer to those around him. He is the most humble man I have ever met, and an amazing
husband and father that many will have the privilege to learn from in
the years ahead. I am proud to call him my friend and he has taught
me to always look at the bright and positives, no matter the obstacle
in the way. We honor Patricio and look forward to watching him go
after his destiny!
Guest Blog Writer: Travis Arment
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