Gustavo

We have a new child at Breaking Chains, Gustavo. Gustavo has been in and out of our building since my arrival in August, but only recently have we seen him stay with us long term. Gustavo is 10 years old and has spent the last three years of his life either on the street or in a children's home. He was raised by his Grandfather until his death and is still emotional about the loss. His mother has visited him at our building however the abusive nature of his family cause him to make the decision to live on the street rather than at his mother's house.

Our team is doing the best we can to give Gustavo what he needs but we know we don't posses the facility to meet his every need. We take his situation on a day by day basis and are working on plans to help Gustavo have a future other than existing on the streets of Tegucigalpa. I want so much for this little guy because he has touched my heart. I want to see him go to school, have a positive relationship with his family, and I want him to have an environment where he can feel loved and wanted.

The other night Gustavo disappeared for almost 10 hours. Needless to say I was worried, we went out once it got dark to look for him, and of course while we were driving around town he showed back up at the building. Michael and I talked with him together and then separately. When I spoke with him he couldn't stop mentioning how he felt alone and just wanted to go out to play. As much as he tries to act like an adult or teenager deep down he just wants to be a kid and have a normal childhood.

Yesterday we were able to spend time with Gustavo away from the homeless shelter and it was pretty awesome. He was polite, well behaved, and was able to relax and have fun all day. We took him out to dinner at the mall and before he sat down to eat he went running to the bathroom to wash his hands first. I loved watching him be a kid yesterday because so often he feels the need to act so tough and independent.

As awesome as yesterday was today brought us back to reality. Gustavo was sitting in the office with Caity, some of the teenagers, and I. I'm not sure how it all started but he ended up fighting with one of the teenage girls. When I got him to sit down on his bed he was sobbing. He shut down and wouldn't talk so all I could do was hold him and tell him that I love him, but that fighting will not help his situation. When he finally calmed down he said what he usually says to me which is the fact the he feels like he is alone, and that just breaks my heart. I pray for guidance when dealing with Gustavo, because I know I don't have all the tools to help him, but I'll do whatever I can. I pray that he comes to know how much our team loves him and I pray we can give him a future outside of the streets he has come to call home.