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One of the greatest events I witnessed on my trip to the Philippines was the basketball grudge match between the deaf Filipino kids at DMI’s Fishermen of Christ Learning Centre in Ligao and the visiting mission team from Huntington Beach First Christian Church in California. An intense affair, there were no ‘excuse me’s’ or ‘beg your pardons’ out there on the court. And to turn up the heat even more was, er, the heat. I’m not sure who organised the schedule but this game was played in scorching equatorial temperatures which took its toll on all players. Both teams played their hearts out, but the standout athlete was our illustrious leader Neville who consistently dribbled the ball the full length of the court, in and out of players, and slam dunked more times than we could count. I tell you, it was a joy to watch that man in flight.
Back on earth, there was another player in the game that day who made quite an impact both on and off the court. He comes to me later that evening for our interview, squeaky clean from the shower and with a salubrious glow. He carries a calm confidence and a gentle contentment.
Yet this demeanour belies an unimaginably tragic background.
Marcelino Quite Jnr is the eldest of four boys and has five sisters. Sadly though, when Marcelino was born and his mother realised he was deaf, she rejected him and sent him away to live with his grandmother. From that day, Marcelino lived under the lie that his mother had died and that he had no other family at all.
There were two saving graces in his life. The first was that his grandmother loved him. The second was that Marcelino found the Fishermen of Christ Learning Centre in Ligao. There, he learned to sign, he made friends, he heard the gospel and he experienced true love for himself.
Yet tragedy would strike him again.
When he was in grade 4, his grandmother died. Marcelino was taken in by an aunt yet with little means to support herself and with no-one to sponsor him, Marcelino dropped out of school. He went without any education for years and became disconnected from the deaf community. At such a tender, impressionable age, one can only imagine the feelings of isolation and sadness that he experienced at that time.
The loss has clearly affected his educational progress. He was able to return to the school in grade four at the age of 17. He was 21 in grade six. Today he is in grade eleven and is 29 years old.
Then, less than a year ago, something remarkable happened. Marcelino’s aunt finally told him the truth about his family. How do you cope with such news? What do you do with it? Marcelino decided to go looking for his birth mother.
When he arrived, unannounced, at the family home, he first saw his father napping in a hammock. Then his mother came out, then his brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews. He was so surprised to see what a large family he had! They all hugged and kissed him, and they cried till they had no more tears to shed. It was a beautiful but bittersweet reunion as his siblings had had no more idea that he was alive than he had of them. But they were so glad to have him in their family. Marcelino’s father was especially happy to see him and asked him to stay with them.
What to do?
Marcelino decided to stay at the school. It wasn’t just for the basketball. While he was so happy to be reunited with his birth family and still visits them, Marcelino considers the school community to be his true family. With his birth family, even though he was glad to find them, he feels lonely because no-one can communicate with him. They tried but they couldn’t communicate well. Here at the school, he can communicate with everyone, and shares a way of life, so he feels that this is more of a family.
But there’s more to it than that.
Marcelino loves Jesus. He loves to be under His guidance and living the right way. He knows that if he follows Jesus he will always be guided in the right direction. This is not just rhetoric. It’s the presence and peace of God that has enabled him to cope with the tragic episodes in his life. Marcelino feels no bitterness toward his mother. He feels no resentment toward his father. After all he’s been through, this is supernatural. This is the work of God.
And it’s DMI’s Fishermen of Christ Learning Centre that has been instrumental in not just giving Marcelino an education and a family, but leading him into a faith that is life-saving. Child sponsorship changes lives. DMI reaches the lost. And God cares for His children with an unfathomable love.
If you would like to know how you can support Marcelino or any of the kids or teachers at DMI’s schools, or help meet any of DMI’s needs, please click on the donate button on the top right of the page, or mail to info@deafmin.org
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