Editor’s note: Following is an edited excerpt from a testimony by Heber López, one of ICC’s young adult children in Guatemala. Thank you for what you continue to do to transform the lives of orphan and vulnerable children!
My name is Heber López. My life has been a journey full of challenges, but also of miracles and opportunities. From the moment I was born, everything seemed to go against what one would expect for a small child. When I was two years old, life gave me a blow that I could not forget: I was separated from my mother and my brother. The PGN (Attorney General’s Office) came to my home and, for reasons I didn’t understand at the time, took me to a different place. It was at that moment that my destiny changed, although I later understood that everything that happened was part of a larger plan; a plan that, though painful, led me to where I am now.
Upon arriving at Los Pinos, I was not only separated from my family but started a new life. It was there where, little by little, I understood what perseverance and effort were. It was in that home that I learned many skills that would help me later in life. Over time, I found that these skills were not only useful but made me feel capable and in control of my own destiny.
Over the years, Los Pinos became more than a refuge, it became my school of life. The classrooms were my escape and, at the same time, my challenge. Studying was not easy, but every day I felt that I had one more reason to move forward.
I also met God. The way in which Los Pinos instilled principles in us was wonderful – that the love for God was from the heart and not out of obligation. Without a doubt, one of the best things that happened to me at Los Pinos was learning to walk with God.
As I progressed in my studies, life took me to Guatemala City, a place that seemed so distant and different from what I had known. The city represented a new opportunity, and a new stage in my life.
Over time, I managed to enroll in university, and today, with a lot of effort, I am in my fourth year of Industrial Engineering.
I know that this achievement is not only mine, but also that of all the people who have supported me on this path, especially Los Pinos and my sponsors who never stopped believing in me. Thanks to their support and the love I always received at Los Pinos, I have managed to move forward, step by step, without giving up.
Heber continues to live at the Los Pinos City Center where he is provided with housing and food as he attends university. According to Anabela, City Center Director, Heber “is a very responsible, reliable, respectful young man. He likes to participate in church activities, and sometimes he is invited from other churches to preach.”
To read more of Heber’s testimony, visit ForHisKids.org/Hebers-Testimony