Home at Last
Mauro Emmanuel Santiago Lozano - Age 6
Nov 18, 1997 - Apr. 21, 2004
April 21, 2004
Yesterday
was the hardest day of my 50 years of living. I was called around 4:30 in
the afternoon and told that one of our Ranger Kids had just been run over by a
truck. I was asked to pray and before too long I received a phone call
that Emmanuel had gone on to be with the Lord. It is a socking thing to
lose such a young man from your outpost, church, and family. We all miss
him and long to see him again; however we know beyond a doubt that Emmanuel is
with Jesus in Heaven. He will no longer have tears of sorrow or
pain. He will live in the land of cloudless day and feast at the banqueting
table God has prepared for him. Through our tears of sorrow we must see
the happiness and gladness that he is experiencing with his Lord and Master
Jesus Christ. We must rejoice at his homecoming. Let us NOT forget
that our goal in Royal Rangers is to Reach, Teach, and Keep Boys for Jesus
Christ. I encourage you to have your devotion prepared at every meeting
so you can present Jesus to each and every boy. We must be Ready because
that devotion might be the last opportunity for one of our boys to accept Jesus
Christ.
Later
I would learn that Emmanuel would go outside almost daily when they were
playing retreat at Lackland Air Force Base near his home. He was proud to be an American and would
stand at attention as they lowered the flag.
I also learned that he would also pray for all the men and women who
where fighting in Iraq. He didn’t
understand why there was war, only that someone’s Dad or Mom might be over
there fighting for their country. He
also expressed concern for the Iraq children who had to live in a war zone with
bombs devastating their homes, family and sometimes even their own little
bodies.
Emmanuel loved everyone he met. He was innocent and full of life, the kind of life that Jesus would want us to have, a life full of compassion with love for those around us. Emmanuel was an example of that love. I know that Emmanuel was one of God’s special children. He had a heart of Gold and the Love to match. I don’t know if our world can endure the loss of any more Emmanuel’s.