When the call came, Sergio was at work.
On the other end was a police officer asking if he knew Manny Garcia.
“Yes,” Sergio said. “He’s my nephew.”
Manny needed somewhere to go. So Sergio left work, picked him up, and brought him home. That moment would become the beginning of a new chapter for both of them.
Manny had been through a lot. He and his siblings had experienced a difficult upbringing, and by the time he came to live with Sergio, Manny was struggling with behaviors and influences that could have easily pulled him further away from a positive path. He had been involved with gangs and smoking marijuana, and Sergio knew firsthand how difficult it could be to find your way out of that kind of life.
But Sergio also knew something else: people can change.
He had made mistakes of his own. He had spent years caught up in a lifestyle he now hopes his nephew will never have to experience. So when Manny came through his door, Sergio wasn't looking for perfection, he was looking for a chance to help Manny choose something different.
“I’m trying my hardest to keep him away from the other stuff,” Sergio shared.
And slowly, things began to change. Manny has now been living with Sergio and his family for nearly a year. He has his own room, he goes to school, he has become involved in extracurricular activities, and according to Sergio, he is becoming more respectful and making more positive choices.
“He’s doing way better with me,” Sergio said. “He’s not perfect, but he’s trying.”
For Sergio, that effort is worth celebrating.
He says there is something different about the environment Manny is growing up in now. There isn't the same yelling or instability. Instead, Manny is surrounded by people who want him to succeed and who are willing to be there for him.
“I feel that the whole household has a good positive impact on him,” Sergio said. “He has changed a lot.”
Manny notices the difference, too. When asked how he feels about living with his uncle, his answer was simple:
“It’s good and it’s better than when I was before. I do better.”
Sometimes, those three words—I do better—represent an enormous amount of progress.
But Manny's journey isn't happening because one person stepped in and fixed everything. It is happening because he has a network of people around him who continue to show up. This includes Jenessa, his Koinonia support. Sergio speaks warmly about the relationship Jenessa has built with their family. He says she checks in, makes calls when she is concerned, and continues to show care even when she is busy or outside of normal hours.
“She’s there. She shows concern for the kids. She really does, “ says Sergio.
That kind of consistency matters. For a young person who has experienced instability, knowing that an adult will keep checking in, keep listening, and keep showing up can make a lasting difference. For Sergio, having that support means he doesn't have to navigate parenting Manny alone.
“I really appreciate what you guys do for him,” he said. “I really want him to do good.”
That is what Sergio wants most: for Manny to keep moving forward. He wants him to stay busy, discover things he enjoys, meet new people, make positive choices. And ultimately, to understand that his circumstances today don't have to determine who he becomes tomorrow.
Sergio has a phrase he lives by: be a good for something, not a good for nothing.
He wants Manny to know that he has something to offer the world.
“I would really want him to continue to do good and strive and do more positive things,” Sergio says.
Manny's story is far from finished. There will be challenges, and there will be choices ahead. But today, he has a safe place to call home. He has an uncle who believes in him. He has people around him who are willing to walk alongside him. And he is beginning to see for himself that another path is possible.
Sometimes, changing the direction of a young person's life doesn't happen through one big moment. Sometimes, it happens one day at a time.
One safe home.
One person who refuses to give up.
One caring relationship.
One positive choice.
And one reminder that their future can be different from their past.
Kaitlin Earnest, Contributor