From Orphan to Missionary 从孤儿到宣教士

My name is Leandro. I am 34 years old. When I was eight, my father and mother separated and later my mother left us. My father was too old to support my siblings and me at that time, so he sent us to different relatives. I was sent to live with one of my aunts. I did all kinds of work while attending school– cleaning the house, raising livestock, among other chores. At that time, my life was very difficult; because I was not the biological son of their family, I was often abused. Some relatives even suggested that they abandon me. Therefore, I was full of hatred at that time.

我叫Leandro, 今年34岁。8岁那年，我的父亲和母亲分居，随后母亲离开了我们。我父亲当时年纪大了，没有能力养活我们兄弟几人，就把我们分别送给了不同的亲戚。我被送到我的一个姑妈家里。那时我一边上学，一边干各种家务和农活：清扫房子、放养牲畜等等杂事。当时我的日子过得很艰难，因为我不是他们家的亲生儿子，经常被虐待。有些亲戚甚至提议抛弃我，所以那时我心里充满了仇恨。

When I was fifteen, I left my aunt’s home and went to find my uncle. He kindly kept me and helped me find a job in the factory. Although I was still a minor then, I was already making money. With the money I had, I went into the world of alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and drugs temporarily filled my empty soul.

十五岁那年，我离开了姑妈家，去找我的舅舅。他好心地把我留下，还帮我找到在工厂里的工作。虽然当时我还是一个未成年人，但已经开始赚到钱了。因为有了钱，我又进入到酒精和毒品的世界。酒精和毒品让我空虚的心灵暂时得到满足。

On the day my father died, I went to his funeral. On my way from the cemetery, I visited one of my other aunts. She sat down with me and said I should pick myself up and go back to school to finish my high school studies. In the end, I took her advice.

父亲去世的那天，我参加他的葬礼。在从墓地回来的路上， 我拜访了另一个姑妈。姑妈坐下来跟我说，我不应该自暴自弃，应该重新振作起来，回去学校完成我的高中课程。最后我接受了她的劝告。

This aunt was a Christian and often attended local church gatherings. She invited me to attend different gatherings at the church. I had rejected all the invitations until I heard there was a gathering for men only. I attended because I thought I was a man, an adult!

这位姑妈是一名基督徒，经常参加当地教会的聚会。她邀请我也去教会参加不同的聚会，我一直不愿意去， 直到有一天听说有一个专门的弟兄聚会，我就去参加了，因为我认为我已经是一个男人了！

At the gathering, they were telling a story of a child who lost his parents and was hopeless.Finally, Jesus’ love comforted him and fulfilled his heart. This story moved me so much that I decided to attend church and other services as well. Once, at a meeting for brothers, the pastor called, and I could no longer refuse the conviction of the Holy Spirit, so I asked the Lord to forgive my sins and change my life.

当时他们在讲一个故事，一个没有父母的孩子，失去了所有的希望。最后是耶稣的爱安慰了他，填补了他心中的空虚。这个故事感动了我，我决定参加教会，也开始去参加其他的聚会。有一次在一个弟兄聚会上，牧师呼召，我不能再拒绝圣灵的感动，就求主赦免我的罪，让我的生命得到改变。

From that day on, my life really changed. My heart was no longer empty, and I became
a new person! I became an active attendee in fellowship gatherings, served God, and shared God’s Word with those around me. With the encouragement of the church, I studied in a Bible school for two years. Later, with the support of the brothers and sisters, I completed the four-year course at Mobile Bible Institute. When I was studying in the seminary, I met my life partner, Johanna, that God arranged for me. She was studying in the music department of the seminary. We married three years later, and now we have a beautiful daughter. We always serve God together.

从那天开始，我的生命果然发生了变化，心灵不再空虚，我成了一个新人！我积极参加聚会，并且服事神，把神的话语分享给周围的人。在教会的鼓励下，我去一个圣经学校学习了两年。后来又在弟兄姐妹的支持和帮助下，完成了在Mobile圣经神学院的四年课程。在神学院学习时，遇见了神给我安排的人生伴侣Johanna。她在神学院的音乐系学习，我们认识三年后结婚了，现在有了一个漂亮的女儿。我们总是一起事奉神。

There was a missionary in our church who had been evangelizing to the Indian tribes in the mountains of northern Honduras for many years. When he was about to retire, he made an appeal in the church and asked, “Who is Timothy?”  and who could take over his ministry. I had heard about missions before, and God put missions in my heart. Now the Holy Spirit touched me again and stirred up my passion for missions, so I started a missionary journey with my wife.

我们教会的一位宣教士在洪都拉斯北部山区的印第安部落宣教了很多年，快要退休时，他在教会里呼吁，谁是提摩太？谁可以接替他的事工？之前我听说过宣教，当时神就把宣教放在我的心中。现在圣灵再一次感动我， 挑旺了我心中对宣教的热情，我就和妻子开始了宣教旅程。

For the past few years, my wife and I have served the indigenous people in the Indian tribes on the mountain. Thanks to the Lord, God helped us overcome many difficulties, and we became a member of the big family of Indian tribes.

在过去的几年里，我们夫妇两人在洪都拉斯北部山区的印第安部落服事那里的原住民。感谢主，神帮助我们克服了许多的困难，我们成为了印第安部落大家庭的一员。