He says, “If I had not been in the Compassion project, I probably would be in a jail. I would not be alive.”
Maycol Ossa is 19 and lives with his parents, three siblings and nephews in the suburbs of Medellin, Colombia. His house is one of the highest on the slope of a mountain that people can get to by walking up long, steep steps.
At six, Maycol was enrolled in a Compassion project near his house. His family were very poor and his mother worked hard as a cleaner but barely got paid enough to feed the family.
The family’s neighbourhood has been riddled with violence for many years. One day, Maycol’s older brother, Leonardo, was murdered. Leonardo had become involved in drugs, and a local armed gang killed him. Maycol and his sister heard the shots and saw the gang run away. Hatred for the boys filled Maycol’s heart.
Some days later, motivated by revenge, Maycol, who was only 11 years old, decided to join another armed gang in his neighbourhood, hoping they would hurt the other gang for his brother’s death.
During this time Maycol continued going to the Compassion project. His tutors spent time with him, knowing about the gang culture that was so easy to get involved in. They spent time with him, supporting him and telling him about how much God loved him and wanted more for him than this violence.
Maycol began to be touched by this; he started to see his mother’s worry for him and realise that he did not want to end up like his brother. One day Maycol decided to change his life and leave the gang. Sadly, it’s hard for people to leave gangs; in Maycol’s they often killed anyone who tried. The day Maycol decided to tell the gang’s leader that he would leave, the police captured all of the members, leaving Maycol free. Maycol could see God’s hand in his life as he knew He had rescued him.
When Maycol decided to accept Jesus in his heart, he knew that forgiving others was the first step he had to take. He stopped hating those boys who had killed his brother.
Maycol now volunteers in his community, working with young people who find themselves involved with gangs. He wants them to know how much God loves them.