This past Saturday, we held our first gang church. Praise God! We had 20 compas that showed up, including a couple of young women. Another 30 were children who came to join us!
The word "compa" is taken from the the word "compadre" which means companion or close buddy. It is a positive word for "cholo" which means gang member. At first, Tom and Lilly couldn't call them compa, but because of the trust that they've built through consistent connection and relationship building, they now let Tom and Lilly refer to them as compas.
Please continue to pray as we move forward in bringing the message of Jesus' love, forgiveness, and hope to these young men in Vicente Guerrero.