‘I know what it is like to be a streetchild’The testimony of Hector Ramirez, Program
Coordinator of the Bible Society of Costa Rica SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — When Hector Ramirez, 49, says he knows what it’s like to be a streetchild he is telling the truth. With an alcoholic father and a mother who was unable to control her wayward son, his childhood was an unhappy, insecure and destructive time for him. He often found himself out on the street with nowhere to go.
“I was the black sheep of the family and gave my mother many sorrows,” he recalls. “I often drugged myself on narcotics and alcohol and got myself involved in some very tough situations.” His self-destructive behaviour continued well into his adulthood, and he found himself dependent on drugs and unable to do anything positive with his life. “I wanted to change and have a better life but I simply could not do it,” he says. “I lived like a ‘hippie’ with long, unkempt hair and torn and dishevelled clothes.” A turning point came when he was approached
by some Christians on the street who told him about Christ and how he
could help him to change his life. Today, as Program Coordinator of the Bible Society of Costa Rica, Mr Ramirez is drawn to helping people in difficult situations, in particular children, drug addicts and people with HIV/AIDS. And with the Bible Society, he has plenty of opportunities to do this. Through the Society’s work among people with HIV/AIDS at a special centre run by the Catholic Church, for instance, Mr Ramirez speaks about his turbulent past to help others open up and address the difficult issues they are facing, such as rejection and hopelessness. The fact that he is honest about the fact that he made some bad decisions in the past helps others to listen seriously when he tells them that the Bible helped him to find the courage to change his life. From being a drug addict with little hope for the future, Mr Ramirez is today a committed and active Christian who has been happily married for many years, with three children and two grandchildren. His wife, whom he met before he became a Christian, was initially sceptical about his conversion but later became a believer herself, along with her father and mother. Before becoming an employee of the Bible Society, Mr Ramirez worked for many years as a volunteer. His years of experience in Bible work have taught him that an unconventional approach to talking about the Bible is sometimes needed in order to put people at their ease and present the message in an unthreatening way. That is why he hit upon the idea of dressing up as a clown and using humour to introduce people to the Bible. This approach has been very successful and he now co-ordinates a team of 36 volunteers whom he has trained as Bible Society clowns. Together, in small teams, they visit schools, hospitals, children’s clubs and other venues [More...]. (WR 385/4 - 4/5.04)
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