“Just Look at Me!” — An Awe-Inspiring Transformation 

Amazonian Wednesdays 🌴

April 2018
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I spotted him up in the front of the church. Lupe had both of his arms in the air, head back, face pointing towards heaven. He was dancing and singing with absolute joy and abandon. My heart leapt up, rejoicing at the sight of him. My spirit bore witness that a radical transformation that had taken place in this young man. 

I met Lupe when he was still a boy. His father, Carlos, partnered with us closely in founding San Marcos Christian School. (If you are not familiar with our school, we serve around three hundred students each year from pre-K through high school.) Lupe ran around energetically with all the other children during that season of his life. He clearly relished the safe environment that his father had helped to create for them. 

Tragically, Carlos became ill and died of kidney failure a few years later. Lupe was left completely alone. His mother had long since divorced his father. She wanted nothing to do with her children. Although we consistently reached out to him, Lupe was rapidly slipping away. Recently, he gave his testimony at one of our retreats, describing what happened next in his life: 

“When I lost my dad, my world fell apart. Trying to drown out my sorrow, I got into partying and heavy drinking. Soon, I was involved in every harmful activity imaginable. I can’t even describe all the pain I was experiencing, or begin to recount to you everything I went through. I was completely lost. 

“I got into an unhealthy relationship with a girl. After being with her for a long time, she broke my heart and left. I had hit bottom. I knew I couldn’t make it any farther without God. I turned to Him, and Jesus came into my spirit. He made Himself so powerfully real to me! Real life and true joy have entered my soul at last!” 

Lupe gestured excitedly as he described His tangible experience of his Savior’s love. He could hardly contain his emotion. Pointing to himself, he exclaimed breathlessly, “Just look at me! This is what happens when God gets into the core of you!” 

Indeed! Every time our church’s doors open for a service, Lupe is up front, dancing his heart out. In all my years as a missionary, I have seen countless lives powerfully redeemed. However, he stands out among them. I have not often seen someone so obviously, visibly, radically transformed as this spiritual son. I hear Daddy God expressing exuberantly, “This son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!” (Luke 15:24, NET).