Hi my name is Kenneth. I’m a local surfer from the town of Burgos. I have a broken family. My mother and father both left me when I was young. I grew up with my grandma. Being abandoned made me angry and confused. When I turned 15 years old I got into alcohol and drugs as a way to forget what my parents did to me. It helped for a while to push away my pain and have fun but I still felt empty inside and longed for more. I never knew what love was because it was never taught or shown to me. Whenever I see a child who has parents and a good family I feel jealous and makes me hurt. When I was 20 years old I attended the youth ministry at Hope for the Island just for fun. I listen to what they are sharing but not get too close to anyone. I just attend to have fun and joke around. Then Hope for the Island had visitors from Hawaii. All the youth were invited to attend for a camp and games. There is one guy on the team that spend time with us. He asked me if I knew that Jesus loved me. I just looked at him but didn’t answer because I didn’t know what to say or what that means.
The next day when he saw me he asked if we could hang out. After some time together he ask me again the same question. The second time hearing the question touched my heart in a strange way and I started to cry. The more I try to hide my emotion the more I cried. Although I didn’t understand what was happening, I felt love flooding into my heart. The only thing I could do was kneel because I am overwhelmed. The guy shared to me more about Jesus and asked if I wanted to accept Jesus gift of salvation for me. I said yes and confess my sin before God. That day I became new and found a love that I never though existed. A year after I approached Kuya Derek and told him my desire to joined Hope for the Island so I can grow more closer to Jesus and be used by Him. I also told him a want to be a part of a family since I have no family. I learn a lot and still maturing in the Lord. God is also using me to be a good example and lead the young surfers to the Lord. Many youth are just like me before and have no one to turn to. After some time I was able to experience healing from my pain through forgiving my parents. With God’s help I was able to find my parents and do my part to see the relationship restored. I am thankful to be a part of Hope for the Island now 4 years and pray He continue to change the lives of the people we serve.
KENNETH
