Freedom from Hatred
Lorenzo faced an ongoing crisis that enveloped his life – the brutal murder of his son.
As any normal father would, Lorenzo felt an irrepressible anger toward the killer for taking his 20-year-old son, and toward the police for not charging that man with a crime. He also experienced tremendous guilt for failing to protect his son; a feeling that was further aggravated by comments from his family and neighbors.
Because his son had suffered a violent death at the hands of another, Lorenzo could no longer stand to be around people. While he had always been well-liked in his community, following the tragedy he locked himself away in his home and lost the desire to care for himself or his family.
When a Christian church was established there a couple years later, the preaching annoyed him a lot. In an attempt to avoid both that and his other troubles, he moved to another area for a time.
“I have experienced what it means to be different . . ."
After Lorenzo had been in the new town for a few days, he heard a Proclaimer playing the Aymara Scriptures through a neighbor’s window. He found that, while he was listening to God’s Word, he didn’t need the medicine that had been prescribed for him.
Even so, nothing had been able to truly pull him out of his deep depression and sadness, so his problems continued. His health had been affected in other ways as well, but things began to change for the better once he returned to his own community.
To his great surprise, Lorenzo heard the Aymara Scriptures playing on a Proclaimer at the same church that had inspired him to move away. One day, he not only went into the church, but he soon found himself at the platform, having responded to an invitation to come forward for prayer to receive healing.
The next thing he remembers is that he felt love in his heart for the Lord, he felt forgiveness toward the man who had killed his son, and he had a desire to serve God in fulltime Christian ministry.
Lorenzo’s painful journey will help him reach out to others with the love and hope of Christ. He shares:
“I have experienced what it means to be different, as well as the consequences of being different.”
