Happy 19th birthday to my friend, Rafael. When I first started mentoring him almost eight years ago, he was struggling in school and in many areas of his life. He honestly didn't envision himself even living to see his 18th birthday. He lost his older brother to street violence when his brother was just 17 years old, and his uncle was murdered that year as well. Raf has had to navigate through more pain in his short life than most of us will ever have to endure in our lifetimes. Still, he is a resilient and courageous young man. He is on track to graduate from high school this year, and he has dreams of going on to a career in the military. Raf is far from perfect... none of us are perfect. But, I am encouraged that God has a plan for his life and that he is going to accomplish many great things. He has hope for the future. I am so proud of him. We've been through many ups and downs in our friendship, but I am so thankful that God brought Raf into my life.
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