Abel felt hopeless. Abandoned by his father at age seven—and his mother at age eight—the young Peruvian boy traveled through life feeling rejected. He longed to feel cherished; he needed love.

“I felt alone,” Abel says. “I didn’t even want to go to school. I said to myself, ‘There’s no one to give me the books…or even pencils.’ I felt sad and abandoned.”

Before long, Abel moved in with his grandparents, settling into a modest stone and straw home. Like many of his classmates, Abel lived in poverty. He lacked the resources to live comfortably, lost motivation to stay in school and struggled to find hope for the future.

...he lacked the resources to live comfortably, lost motivation to stay in school and struggled to find hope for the future.

While living with his grandparents, Abel attended Vacation Bible School, a program tailored specifically for Abel and his Quechua-speaking neighbors. A teacher discovered Abel and handed him a Bible, a gift made possible by American Bible Society’s generous financial partners. Abel flipped through the pages, ran his fingers across the cover and smiled warmly, cherishing the opportunity to hold his first Bible.

“It was the biggest gift of my life,” he says.

As Abel read messages of love, peace and acceptance, he clung to Psalm 27:10: “My father and mother may abandon me, but the Lord will take care of me” (GNTD). The more he studied the Bible, the more his perspective on life in Peru—and life in poverty—changed.

“Day by day,” Abel says, “I read [the Bible] and it tells me that Jesus loves me and gave his life for me. Now I respect other people and greet them, and I love my grandparents a lot. And I want to continue with my schooling.”

“Day by day,” Abel says, “I read [the Bible] and it tells me that Jesus loves me and gave his life for me.

Today, Abel continues to read the Bible on his own, holding on to God’s Word as a guide for his life. But he also reads aloud—clearly and confidently—to his elderly grandparents. As he reads, they nod, understanding every word of Abel’s translated Quechua Bible.

Now attending secondary school, and seeking to finish his education, Abel looks toward a bright, hopeful future. And he feels loved and cherished by God, who will never abandon him.