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http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/dec/03/no-headline---gl_pablo_aragon_latin_america/
People of faith know, not just believe, that God can heal.
So when people of faith find themselves in a situation where it appears that God isn't healing a disease or disability, what do they do?
Pablo Aragon, 16, a resident of Guatemala, and his family made a choice — they decided to trust.
Aragon, the son of a Guatemalan pastor and his wife, is deaf. The disability was discovered when he was 2.
During an interview with The Gleaner, the Aragons — with the help of interpreter Laura Epley — relayed their journey with Pablo that has currently taken them to preparing for a trip to Europe.
That's right. The teenage Pablo Aragon is viewed as the top deaf swimmer in Central America. His skills have earned him a spot in the 2013 World Special Olympics to be held in Hungary.
This week the Aragons spent the week in Henderson where Aragon's father, Pastor Sergio Aragon, has been preaching at The Father's House, located in the Old Orchard Cinema. The stateside adventure is a family vacation, a celebration of their daughter, Liz's, 15th birthday, and a reunion of friends all rolled into one.
However, the soon-to-be Olympian isn't slacking off, he is still keeping up with his training, thanks to the facilities at the local YMCA. On a side note, younger sister Liz isn't a slacker either. An honor student who ranks in the top four of her ninth-grade class, Liz is an active member of a tennis club. She has also been gifted with the ability to dance, and choreographs all the dances performed at her church.
Now let's back up. When as a toddler, Pablo was diagnosed as deaf, the news, initially, was devastating.
"At the beginning it was really difficult," said Sergio Aragon, who pastors a church of roughly 300. "I questioned God: 'Why is he deaf? I am a pastor. I preach Your word. Why God? Why did You do this to us?' But God just spoke and gave us peace. God knows what He is doing and that Pablo has a strong testimony to give to people. A lot of people know us, and when they find out Pablo is deaf, it surprises them because we are happy. We don't let it get to us."
According to Sergio Aragon, in Guatemala, a disability is often viewed with shame. The person with the disability, is something to hide, he said.
That's not the path the Aragons chose, and their decision has led to some incredible opportunities. Initially, some of those opportunities sometimes appeared more like obstacles. For instance, as a 5-year-old, Pablo was having a difficult time at school, Sergio Aragon said.
"He was anxious and nervous all the time, and he was overweight," he said. So Pablo would "go around and hit other kids," he said.
"A teacher suggested that Pablo get involved in a sport as an outlet, so he could relax. Pablo decided that he really liked swimming, but in Guatemala there aren't associations for deaf swimmers," Sergio Aragon said.
For five months, the family searched for a trainer, but were repeatedly turned down. No one wanted to train a deaf person, he said.
Finally, "a trainer from the National University of Guatemala said he would accept the challenge of training Pablo because no other trainer would help him out," Sergio Aragon said.
The trainer had to start from scratch because "Pablo had never been in the water before," he said. "So the trainer had to teach him how to swim. In Guatemala we don't have public pools, we only have really cold water. It took four years to teach Pablo how to swim the proper way, and after that, the trainer taught him how to compete."
In August, roughly 11 years after Pablo took to the water, he competed in the World Deaf Swimming Championship in Portugal. There he qualified for the World Special Olympics.
In addition, Pablo is now training with a swim instructor from Japan named Hiroaki Ito.
"This trainer in the past has trained champion swimmers," Sergio Aragon said. "He's very strict, and only God knows why (Ito) was willing to accept training Pablo because a lot of kids want to train with him. But he always says no to those kids, but he accepted Pablo."
The Aragons, more than anyone, are aware that even though this journey with Pablo began with shocking news, it has had Divine fingerprints all over it.
"In Guatemala, Pablo is the only deaf swimming champion," Sergio Aragon said. "He is the only deaf champion swimmer in all of Central America. Pablo has to train with swimmers who can hear."
"He is competing at such a high level there aren't many people with disabilities who can compete with him so he is now competing with hearing swimmers," Sergio Aragon said. "Hearing swimmers start when they hear a buzzer sound. Pablo can't hear the buzzer so he has to wait until he sees other swimmers start. Which puts him at a few seconds delay ... so he has to swim faster."Giving up has never been an option, he said — not when Pablo was diagnosed with being deaf, not when he wasn't acclimating well at school and not when a swimming trainer couldn't be found.
"I believe that I have to support my child in all that he needs to do to develop himself," he said. "In Guatemala, when a child is deaf, a lot of fathers will have nothing to do with their child because they say the child isn't worth anything. But I saw it differently. I know he can do a lot of things, better than people who can hear."
Far from the youngster who "hit other kids," Pablo is now an honor student. Recently, Pablo participated in a parade, celebrating Guatemala's Independence, by carrying a flag that represented his school.
"That's not normal in Guatemala because they normally don't let anyone with disabilities such as deafness have such honors," Sergio Aragon said.
Through the use of sign language, Pablo Aragon also spoke to The Gleaner. He said swimming changed his life. He said, "I'm happy now. I have something I'm good at. If I wasn't able to swim, I'd be really bored."
Pablo Aragon said he works hard — training 4 hours a day — because, "I want to represent my country well and to be an example and help other kids who are deaf. I wanted to do a sport just to prove I could do it and that being deaf couldn't stop me."
Faith has played a defining role in the lives of Pablo Aragon and his family.
Pablo said, "Just like Jesus carried the cross of Calvary and He had to go through a lot. When I think of Jesus, and if Jesus was willing to do that for me, than I'm willing to do this for Jesus ... I am willing to fight to win."
As for his father, Sergio Aragon said, "For me and my family, this has strengthened us. We've been through a lot of hard times. The faith that we have in God and His Word, has helped us believe that God can heal Pablo and give him his health, and we just support him in whatever he is called to do with his life.
"A lot of people don't support what he does and don't support him because he is deaf. We could've easily fallen into that trap as well, if not for the faith we have in God."
"We know many parents who are really depressed and sad," he said. "They don't accept that their children are deaf. God has given us the words to speak to people and encourage them. God has been very faithful to us."
People of faith know, not just believe, that God can heal.
So when people of faith find themselves in a situation where it appears that God isn't healing a disease or disability, what do they do?
Pablo Aragon, 16, a resident of Guatemala, and his family made a choice — they decided to trust.
Aragon, the son of a Guatemalan pastor and his wife, is deaf. The disability was discovered when he was 2.
During an interview with The Gleaner, the Aragons — with the help of interpreter Laura Epley — relayed their journey with Pablo that has currently taken them to preparing for a trip to Europe.
That's right. The teenage Pablo Aragon is viewed as the top deaf swimmer in Central America. His skills have earned him a spot in the 2013 World Special Olympics to be held in Hungary.
This week the Aragons spent the week in Henderson where Aragon's father, Pastor Sergio Aragon, has been preaching at The Father's House, located in the Old Orchard Cinema. The stateside adventure is a family vacation, a celebration of their daughter, Liz's, 15th birthday, and a reunion of friends all rolled into one.
However, the soon-to-be Olympian isn't slacking off, he is still keeping up with his training, thanks to the facilities at the local YMCA. On a side note, younger sister Liz isn't a slacker either. An honor student who ranks in the top four of her ninth-grade class, Liz is an active member of a tennis club. She has also been gifted with the ability to dance, and choreographs all the dances performed at her church.
Now let's back up. When as a toddler, Pablo was diagnosed as deaf, the news, initially, was devastating.
"At the beginning it was really difficult," said Sergio Aragon, who pastors a church of roughly 300. "I questioned God: 'Why is he deaf? I am a pastor. I preach Your word. Why God? Why did You do this to us?' But God just spoke and gave us peace. God knows what He is doing and that Pablo has a strong testimony to give to people. A lot of people know us, and when they find out Pablo is deaf, it surprises them because we are happy. We don't let it get to us."
According to Sergio Aragon, in Guatemala, a disability is often viewed with shame. The person with the disability, is something to hide, he said.
That's not the path the Aragons chose, and their decision has led to some incredible opportunities. Initially, some of those opportunities sometimes appeared more like obstacles. For instance, as a 5-year-old, Pablo was having a difficult time at school, Sergio Aragon said.
"He was anxious and nervous all the time, and he was overweight," he said. So Pablo would "go around and hit other kids," he said.
"A teacher suggested that Pablo get involved in a sport as an outlet, so he could relax. Pablo decided that he really liked swimming, but in Guatemala there aren't associations for deaf swimmers," Sergio Aragon said.
For five months, the family searched for a trainer, but were repeatedly turned down. No one wanted to train a deaf person, he said.
Finally, "a trainer from the National University of Guatemala said he would accept the challenge of training Pablo because no other trainer would help him out," Sergio Aragon said.
The trainer had to start from scratch because "Pablo had never been in the water before," he said. "So the trainer had to teach him how to swim. In Guatemala we don't have public pools, we only have really cold water. It took four years to teach Pablo how to swim the proper way, and after that, the trainer taught him how to compete."
In August, roughly 11 years after Pablo took to the water, he competed in the World Deaf Swimming Championship in Portugal. There he qualified for the World Special Olympics.
In addition, Pablo is now training with a swim instructor from Japan named Hiroaki Ito.
"This trainer in the past has trained champion swimmers," Sergio Aragon said. "He's very strict, and only God knows why (Ito) was willing to accept training Pablo because a lot of kids want to train with him. But he always says no to those kids, but he accepted Pablo."
The Aragons, more than anyone, are aware that even though this journey with Pablo began with shocking news, it has had Divine fingerprints all over it.
"In Guatemala, Pablo is the only deaf swimming champion," Sergio Aragon said. "He is the only deaf champion swimmer in all of Central America. Pablo has to train with swimmers who can hear."
"He is competing at such a high level there aren't many people with disabilities who can compete with him so he is now competing with hearing swimmers," Sergio Aragon said. "Hearing swimmers start when they hear a buzzer sound. Pablo can't hear the buzzer so he has to wait until he sees other swimmers start. Which puts him at a few seconds delay ... so he has to swim faster."Giving up has never been an option, he said — not when Pablo was diagnosed with being deaf, not when he wasn't acclimating well at school and not when a swimming trainer couldn't be found.
"I believe that I have to support my child in all that he needs to do to develop himself," he said. "In Guatemala, when a child is deaf, a lot of fathers will have nothing to do with their child because they say the child isn't worth anything. But I saw it differently. I know he can do a lot of things, better than people who can hear."
Far from the youngster who "hit other kids," Pablo is now an honor student. Recently, Pablo participated in a parade, celebrating Guatemala's Independence, by carrying a flag that represented his school.
"That's not normal in Guatemala because they normally don't let anyone with disabilities such as deafness have such honors," Sergio Aragon said.
Through the use of sign language, Pablo Aragon also spoke to The Gleaner. He said swimming changed his life. He said, "I'm happy now. I have something I'm good at. If I wasn't able to swim, I'd be really bored."
Pablo Aragon said he works hard — training 4 hours a day — because, "I want to represent my country well and to be an example and help other kids who are deaf. I wanted to do a sport just to prove I could do it and that being deaf couldn't stop me."
Faith has played a defining role in the lives of Pablo Aragon and his family.
Pablo said, "Just like Jesus carried the cross of Calvary and He had to go through a lot. When I think of Jesus, and if Jesus was willing to do that for me, than I'm willing to do this for Jesus ... I am willing to fight to win."
As for his father, Sergio Aragon said, "For me and my family, this has strengthened us. We've been through a lot of hard times. The faith that we have in God and His Word, has helped us believe that God can heal Pablo and give him his health, and we just support him in whatever he is called to do with his life.
"A lot of people don't support what he does and don't support him because he is deaf. We could've easily fallen into that trap as well, if not for the faith we have in God."
"We know many parents who are really depressed and sad," he said. "They don't accept that their children are deaf. God has given us the words to speak to people and encourage them. God has been very faithful to us."