obvious is beautiful

In the moments that we say something so obvious...like your hands are cold or your hands are soft....it's a beautiful moment that we got off our phones and finally being present in the moment. In the moment that two lose their selves in the conversation that they step in each other shoes for a couple moments. The joy that comes that somebody finally listens to us and we could be free to talk about the good in bad in life.

It is obvious we only have limited amount time, that we are all ticking and tocking, walking the fine line between days and weeks as if each second speaks of years and each month has years listening to forever. Knowing that for us we got a day that it could end but personally we live life like we can't die. Some people believe that they are too pretty, too dressed up, too busy, too young to die but death is slowing coming closer every second without your consent. It makes me woundering how am I going to use my perious time? Am I going to waste  time just sleeping in while time is passing by? Am I going to waste time on my phone to accomplish nothing at the end of it? Some of us even including myself that we are so blinded by our phones that the world in front of our lives is falling apart and we cant do anything about it because we wasted time? It makes me really think about whats important in life and is my usage of time really point back to it? Us wasting time is obvious to others but we know that we are throwing away precious time that we could spent with love ones and spending time with God.

February Update Letter

I want to start to say thank you for supporting me for the past couple years and being there every step of the way. I am so thankful for this experience of trying to rise support to go to college because it really showed me how many people are always praying for me and supportive in my walk and actually believe in me that God would do amazing things in my life. The month of January was already an interesting month and a good start for the semester.

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege to be a part of a minority meeting with President Paul Nyquist, the dean of admissions, dean of distant learning, dean of financial aid and three other students to discuss how to bring more minorities into the student body of Moody Bible Institute. The meeting covered the topics of how to recruit minorities, discuss how our experience at Moody was and what we like and what work Moody has to work on, also scholarships for minorities.

I was assigned for Practical Christian Ministry for Moody to work in a 3-hour open gym at Church in West ridge. I have been going there every Friday for the past three weeks and I learned that I am way out of shape to keep on hustling for the ball with inter-city kids. A lot of kids are involved in Gangs and by their flashing gang signs I was able to point out there are around 3 different gangs: Latin kings, cobras and gangster disciples. Can you pray that I would be able to use my testimony to connect with them, build relationships with some of the them and share the gospel to them.

This week I attended my first ever Founder’s week at Moody Bible Institute. We had amazing speakers that talked about Running the Race. All of us had different starting places and run in different paces. A lot of people start the race strong but could take a detour, others stay comfortable in their lives and never took a step of faith. The biggest question is how are you going to finish the race?

There were two main messages that really spoke to me and convicted me. One speaker gave an illustration that I have been thinking about. The illustration that he gave was that while we sin the devil gives us lose rope until it causes the most destruction in our lives and pulls the rope and at that point our lives fall apart. The second speaker talked about lamenting. Overall we (the church) have lost the gift of lamenting through the hard times. A lot of us believe that it’s bad to question what’s going on but our God is bigger than our questions. In Psalm 42 when King David is being mocked by enemies when they ask David “where is your God?” David responded by saying “I don’t know but I will praise Him because I know He is working. (Paraphrased)

Financial Update:

Currently I owe $11,700 in my student loan that I took to come to Moody. I am not worried because God has and will provide for all my needs.  I am applying at a couple places trying to pay back my loan as soon as possible. I am still praying for God to show me if he wants me to work in the warehouse or a summer camp in the summer. Pray for God to show me clearly. If you find it in your heart to donate int his cause then donate to http://www.gofundme.com/j8iu04

Additional prayers:

For God to keep me on working me and teaching about sacrifice by living for Him and not for myself anymore.

To keep on softening my hearts towards my dad and for God to heal the scars that he has made on my heart.

For me to find a job

To help me become that man that God wants me to be instead of what people want me to be.

In the midst of the good and bad times to trust on God and find my peace only through Him

Trusting in God provision

Orlando Blanco

Gang Violence

Today has a been a rough day because i had a to write a speech about Gang violence in Chicago. It reminded me of the pain that i cause in my mother and my sister and my friends when i was in the gang. I had to pray to God to keep me together because there isnt enough sorrys to go around. it destroys my heart to think about how people that are living in the city are so blind to the pain. i write in my speech A lot of students look out the window and look into the city and think that its beautiful. When end up looking outside…I see a city full of pain, regrets, revenge, envy and unjustice. When I talk about Chicago, I don’t talk about the suburb I mean downtown but including  the south and the west side. Where the gang violence has destroyed the lives of brothers, sisters, mother and fathers." where mothers cry when the children leave their house because that may be the last time she will ever see him. Where tears runs like waves runs down the kids cheeks asking "where is daddy?? Am I good enough to have a dad?? where there is no need for best friends cause they could be gone in any second by a bullet. Where the kids are looking up and telling God that i have been living for too long and please take me out of my misery? In this environment, where the fathers are the best at playing hide and go seek but never coming out to play in their child life, where finding a positive male figure is harder to find waldo, where any second  a flying bullet could be scaring your name. The youth aren’t really thinking about the future because they are in the survival mindset and only trying to make it through the day without being six feet deep. A lot of the youth explain it by saying “it’s a war out here and we’re fighting to live.”  

To be honest with you, I don’t have all the answers but I do have some ideas how we as Moody students and even more as Christians could make a difference. The violence in Chicago is being mutted in the news and overlooked. But why? All people are hearing and thinking about the violence is “its another black boy gone, gang related” Michael Pledger, a catholic priest that is a big activist against the violence in Chicago, said “If white children were being killed in the numbers of brown or black children then we wouldn't be here sitting talking about violence” We have to speak out for the oppressed and voiceless by bring awareness. Also be willing to listen to other people stories. Guys when we talk to any youth we have be a father figure in their lives because you could be the only positive father figure they ever see. Ladies be a positive female leaders shows the girls that someone believe in them and that they do something in their lives. Church, we have to get out of four sided building and set into people lives and live life with them and be willing to share the gospel and being transparent about our struggles. Students, lets step out of just being in downtown all the times and invest some our free time in west or south side churches or even one kid that would know that somebody believes in them.

Lets make a difference in Chicago and Lets pray for God to have a revival in this beautiful hurting city.

We Will Never Know When Our Day Could be our Last

Before I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior I was involved with the Latin Kings, a powerful Hispanic gang, for 3 and ½ years in the west side of Chicago specifically Humboldt Park.  During the second year of being involved in the gang, I learned a valuable lesson that I will carry in my heart till I die. I learned that we just don’t know when we will die. At that time in my life, I thought that I finally found a family that I belong in but it took the sacrifice of my emotions, friends, safety, and sanity. I was in the edge of depression from seeing a lot of friends getting killed from drive by and leaving but never coming back. In a regular August day my Marco and I went to play basketball in a local park that had a playground only 10 feet away from the basketball court. I known my friend since I was in seventh grade. He got me involved in the Latin king when I was in eighth grade. Daily, I was with him playing basketball and hanged out every day and talk about what was going on in our lives. One of the things that we had in common was that we both came from a broken family. Both of our fathers were alcoholics and daily getting drunk. We came from families that never wanted to play a part of our lives because our families didn’t know how to deal with destruction that our fathers caused in our families. He was like a brother to me and stood by my side when hard times and goodtimes came.  While I was shooting around with Marco, I saw a little kid around six or seven with brown hair trying to climb up the slide. He was going up and slipped and went all the way down. He kept doing this for five minutes. I felt bad so I told my friend “Hey Hold up, let me help the kid out. Just shoot around for a little.” He replied, “Sounds good but afterwards let’s go out to eat”. So I ran to the little kid and when he saw me walking to him, a big smile appeared on his face. When I walked up to him I asked him, “Can I help you get up the slide?” and without hesitation he jumped up and said “Yes! Please!” I went to pick him up and right when I put him on the top of the slide, I heard three gunshots. Instantly, I grabbed the kid and put him underneath me to try to use myself as a shield for him.  After the shots ceased, I looked back to the basketball court and I saw my friend laying down. I ran to the basketball court and saw that my friend had been shot three times in the chest and blood was everywhere. I picked up his bloody body in my arms and put my hand over the gunshot wounds in his chest. I was yelling with tears running down my face, “Help, help, please, this can’t be happing, somebody help please, please! God save him!! God please! Stay with me, homie! Somebody is coming to help you! I got you! I can’t keep going on life without you, bro. Stay with me, man!” I kept yelling until my voice was gone from hopelessness and not being able to deal with the pain anymore.  Every second I felt his breathing slowing down while my mind became a hurricane, leaving a path of destruction. My mind was playing a movie of the times he had saved me from being shot or getting stabbed. I was bawling, knowing that I wouldn’t have Marco for the rest of my life. The ambulance came in 10 minutes, which felt like a lifetime, and they pronounced him dead on site. In the ambulance, with his lifeless body next to me the only thing that I was thinking about was getting revenge. I was angry at the heartless person that took the only brother I had from me. This event has pushed me over the edge of depression and I struggled for depression for the next two and a half years. We just don’t know if this is our last day, last hour, last minute or last second. I learned the hard way that it only takes one second for somebody’s life to be taken.

Why am i doing this?

I am probably not the most intersting, not the smartest, not stand out but i want to be a man of God that would be valunerable and share my struggles and deepest thought. The reason is that somebody out there may be facing the same thing but scared to share it. I know that people may use these thing against me but i dont not care. its all worth it if it speaks to only one person. I feel like God has been convicting me and working on me to be transparent even to a point that it hurts. It may seem weird that a guy would be sharing their emotion and their struggles but there is too many christians that put on a mask like everything is okay...if it is that its all good...i rather be a christian that can relate to others and be upfront. I am praying that God uses me to speak to you... i would love to receive any messages of any comments or someone to talk to cause im here...

Doing this out of Love
-Orlando