Why am I a Christian?

This is a story about a man named Nuno. Nuno is a 25 year old who lives here in the Philippines. His home is just down the road from where our home base of ministry is (YMC).

Just outside the YMC is a basketball court where there are usually pick-up games happening. The mornings are a bit more quiet though, a time where some guys will be out there shooting around. Nuno was out there one morning shooting hoops with another man. I walk out to go shoot with them.

I ask Nuno what his name is, he didnt answer. I ask the other man his name, he tells me (I cannot remember the other man’s name). Then I ask Nuno again, the other man tells me his name. We continue shooting hoops.

As we continued, a group of men was watching us. They were yelling things in Tagalog (Filipino language), Nuno would become frustrated. My heart sank for him. I smiled at him. He then became frustrated and defensive with me.

You see, Nuno is someone that the world has labeled ‘special.’ The men of the community constantly make fun of him. He can never do anything right. He makes a shot, they make fun of him. He misses, they make fun. It is the only way he has ever been treated. I realized that as I smiled at him, the majority, and I mean like 90 percent of the smiles that go his way are aimed to laugh and make fun of him. The men here are so insecure in the way they are that they have to take that easy route and push down others to make themselves feel better.

As we kept shooting, the words were becoming more, and louder. I kept giving the ball to Nuno to shoot. The men would keep yelling. Even the kids jumped in on it.

I then became very angry. I started speaking out and telling the men to stop. Telling the kids to stop making fun of Nuno. Something had to be done. I dont know if anyone has ever stood up for Nuno. He needed to see that someone cares about who he is.

Then his mom walks by. The men tell me who she is. Nuno starts to walk with his mom back to their home. I walk with them. Two precious little boys named Deeno and Eugene grab my hand and walk with me.

Nuno’s mother says something to Nuno as we are walking. Nuno again becomes frustrated and furious with anger. He hits his mom and knocks down what she is carrying. I help her pick up her stuff. We continue walking to their home. Nuno pretends like he doesnt see me.

We get to their home, I’m standing there, with little Deeno and Eugene by my side. We wait for Nuno to come back out. He doesn’t speak English, and I don’t speak Tagalog. I dont know what to say, but I know something needs said.

He comes out and starts talking to us. He is frustrated, that is all I know. I believe he was saying something about always being rejected and being made fun of. There are two things in Tagalog that I remembered how to say at this point. Jesus loves you, and I love you.

I fell on my knees weeping for this man. All I could tell him were those two things. That was it. That was all I could say that he would understand. My heart was broken.

He then comes down level with me, and talks to me. He talked to me for 15 minutes. I have no idea exactly what was said, I have my ideas though. I also don’t think anyone has taken 15 minutes to listen to Nuno. He needed someone to listen.

Deeno, Eugene, and I leave the home and walk to the YMC. I go inside and get on a computer to keep my mind off of my frustration. I lost a lot of hope. I lost hope in the community men that are here. I lost a lot of hope in people. I realized that this stuff happens all over the world, all the time. And there’s really not that much difference that one person can make.

My teammate Shawn walks into the building. He had bought a basketball, a jersey, and basketball shoes, just for Nuno. We gave the gifts to Nuno and he was made known about being special.

Here’s the thing, action was taken in this story. A special man was made aware that he is special. My urge to those reading; go out and take action. Make a damn difference. Quit sitting around talking about darkness in the world and start making the Light known. There is no darkness when there is light. Its science, it makes sense. When you want the lights turned on, you don’t talk about it, you flip the switch.

Let people know about the true Gospel. Let people know who Jesus is. Isn’t that true Life? To tell people they are loved by Jesus? It really is that simple. But I like to complicate the Gospel. When we stop complicating the Gospel, we live it, we preach it, we teach it, we show it, and we know how to give it. Take action. Take a stand.

Now, go out and love somebody today.