A special birthday boy

Today is a very special day for Casa Shalom child Martin Cox Garcia - today is his 14th birthday! In some ways, Martin is just like any other teen boy; he loves pizza, doesn't shower quite often enough, and is a sports fanatic. But unlike other teen boys, Martin asked for some pretty strange birthday presents. He wanted a Biblical Concordance, a study Bible, and a Bible dictionary! You see, Martin has a call to be a preacher, which is a miracle given his background. Martin and his brothers are indigenous Guatemala Indians, and Martin's grandfather was their village's Mayan priest. Before coming to Casa Shalom, the boys saw animal sacrifices and ritual blood lettings, and Martin was in line to become the next village shaman! But when he came to Casa Shalom, he accepted Jesus as his Savior and got a call to preach. He takes his calling very seriously, which is why he already spends much time in prayer and Bible study, and why he wanted such atypical birthday presents!