Carlos has been part of Quechua FC for several years now. A couple months ago he approached our head coach, Manolo, wanting Manolo to know why he was so distracted and showing a lack of mental commitment to the games and practices.
This is Carlos’s story. Carlos had recently discovered that his girlfriend was pregnant. While this news came as a surprise to him, he was excited to be a father and excited about the baby. However, his girlfriend’s parents were separated and presented conflicting views on the news of their future grandchild. The mother was fine with Carlos and his girlfriend moving in together and having the baby. However, the father did not like Carlos. He offered to pay for an abortion. When Carlos’s girlfriend told him what her father had offered, Carlos said, “No, let’s have the baby.” With this new development of a baby on the way, Carlos and his girlfriend were considering moving in together.
Shortly after this, Carlos left the city to go to the village where Quechua FC was participating in the Copa Peru tournament. After the game, he returned back to the city to meet up with his girlfriend. There she told him that the baby was gone. She had taken her father’s offer. She had aborted their baby.
Carlos was devastated, desperate, and emotionally struggling. He was at a loss of what to do. He had wanted to have that baby. Knowing that he needed some kind of peace, he started praying and listening to sermons. He told Manolo that he wanted to find peace in his life, and he knew that he was not going to find that peace by getting drunk in a club, or in the arms of another girl. He knew that the only peace he was going to find was in the Gospel. (As a result of Carlos being in the soccer program, he had been listening to the devotionals for years. The seeds planted were about to bear fruit!)
Carlos started praying. He called Manolo and told him, “I want to receive Jesus. I know that Jesus is going to be the only one who can give me real peace. The peace that I really want in my life. And forgiveness.” Manolo talked to him and Carlos received Jesus. Glory to God! Carlos is a new brother for all of us now. He is now attending a church in the city.
Carlos knew where to lean in a moment of difficulty. He knew what the world could offer, but he also knew what the Gospel could offer to him. He chose the Gospel. His testimony has the potential to be really impactful to his team as he is an excellent player. His teammates respect him as a player, and as such, he has that type of “authority” on and off the field. We hope that others will see in his life, the change and the decisions he made, and know that they can also lean into the Gospel and Jesus at any moment in their lives.
Carlos Story Update:
Since we received this story about Carlos and had it typed up ready to share with you, Carlos came to Manola with an update. This update is both joyful, but also requires all of our prayers.
When his girlfriend went to the abortion clinic, they gave her something to drink that was supposed to abort the baby. Some time after this, when she had not bled or passed the baby, she went to the hospital. The abortion had not worked! The baby is still very much alive!
While this is wonderful news, we also ask you to join us in praying for Carlos, this girl, and their baby. We pray that she does not try again to have an abortion, that the attempted abortion not have caused damage to the baby, and that God’s hand would continue to be on this child as he/she is already a miracle.