Seven-year-old Salomón looked suspiciously at the cardboard box sitting on the table. Those boxes were capable of containing such wonderful surprises, or such awful ones. He warily looked around to make sure his mother wasn’t watching before tiptoeing over to the potentially dangerous box. As he gingerly lifted the books and plate of cookies from the top of the box, his heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, lying half hidden under some toys, was the source of Salomón’s fears that day—a twenty-inch long, thin “spanking stick” capable of inflicting great misery. Very cautiously, he picked up the stick and put it inside his shirt for the short trip to the back of the house and his favorite hiding spot. He would have to be careful not to be seen by his mother, as he was very much aware of how much worse things would go for him if he were caught confiscating the “spanking stick.”
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Things had sure changed for Salomón’s family since the Clarks had started coming to give his mother Bible studies. In one sense, it was his favorite day of the week because Mrs. Clark would always bring treats for him and his siblings. On the other hand, he hated those “spanking sticks” she occasionally brought, which had now become a part of his everyday life. His mother had become convinced through reading the Bible that discipline was necessary to drive foolishness from a child’s heart (Proverbs 22:15). In fact it was Alicia’s love for her children which encouraged her to spank them, as she had read in Proverbs 13:24 that “…he who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him, disciplines him diligently.” But Salomón, at the time, could not understand such truths. He despised correction and hated discipline. The older he got, the more rebellious and hardened his heart became.
Also, now that his mom had become a follower of Jesus Christ, this meant much rejection for his mother from family and friends. The village of Arumbaro, nestled in the lush green mountains of the Sierra Madre range, was a small community and everyone soon found out about Alicia’s new faith. Salomón found himself between a rock and a hard spot. On the one hand, he wanted what his mother had—assurance of going to Heaven when she died. But then again, he had friends he liked hanging out with; he knew they gave no thought to God or the Bible. This left him very confused. What side do I want to be on? he wondered.
BUT THEN CAME JESUS…
His anger burned as he felt each sting from that dreaded stick. I will not take this one second longer, thought Salomón, as Alicia disciplined him for misbehaving that day. He finally made up his mind and lifted his hand to strike his mother. Alicia stared at him with incredulity. Their eyes met. Salomón realized he was really “in for it” if he carried out his daring plan. His hand went limp, but the memory of that day stayed with him for the rest of his life. He realized his sin at that moment and the extent of his rebellion.
He had watched the “Left Behind” movie, which dealt with the Bible’s message of world events at the End Times and Christ’s return, and he, for one, did not want to be left behind when Jesus came for His people. One day the breaking point came for Salomón as he heard the following conversation between two of the villagers. “I’m telling you, it won’t be long,” commented one of them. He continued, “This world is coming to an end.” “Yes! Did you see the news report this week?” added the second man, “People being shot in town all the time. Why just this week I heard of a man who was walking to his house when, all of a sudden…” Salomón could take no more. He ran home and began weeping as he confessed his utter despair to his mom. “I’m so scared of dying!” he cried. “I don’t know where I’m going after that, and if Christ comes back, I will be left behind!” he sobbed uncontrollably.
Alicia gently lifted her oldest son’s tear-stained face upward and began to explain the good news of the gospel. “Salomón, you don’t need to continue living with this fear.” she said. “Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the debt of sin you owe. You no longer have to pay a debt that’s been paid for you by someone else,” she explained. “You can have assurance of your salvation! God is offering you this salvation as a gift. All you must do is receive your gift, believing in Jesus as your one and only Savior.”
That night Salomón could not stop weeping, but this time his tears were tears of joy as he realized that he no longer had to worry about what would happen when he died, or whether he would be left behind. “I knew at that moment that I was a child of God through Jesus Christ,” he later recalled.
Several years later…
Salomón winced as he lifted yet another heavy crate full of cucumbers into the truck. His family had a field where they would plant different crops each year. The pain in his back was only getting worse, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand this physically draining job. His father looked over worriedly at his son. He was concerned and wanted the best for Salomón. He finally made up his mind to send him back to the country of his birth—the United States. This was something Salomón had in his favor; since he had been born in California, he was a US citizen. After the necessary arrangements had been made, Salomón, at age 16, left home and went to live with his uncle in California where he worked at a less physically demanding job and attended high school.
After two years, the Persson family, whom Salomón had met in Mexico, invited him to come and live with them in Arkansas. He was not too sure about this, as he had friends in California whom he didn’t want to leave. However, his dad decided it would be the best thing for Salomón to go with the Perssons, and so there was no getting away from it. “This ended up being the decision most filled with blessings,” he later remembered. But at the beginning, he was not one bit sure about it. I won’t live up to their standards, he thought nervously as he sat stiffly in the back of the van that would take him to his new family and his new home.
Two years later, back in Mexico…
“So, what will you most miss about Arkansas?” asked Annie as she and Salomón knocked on doors in yet another row of houses. It was an evangelistic outreach, and the group of Christians were trying to provide each household with a Gospel of John. Salomón thought a moment and then answered, “Uncle Phil” (a godly man from the church who took a special interest in him and taught him mechanics along with many other things).
Looking back at his two years in Arkansas, things sure hadn’t gone as he feared. The church had welcomed him into their homes and hearts. The Perssons treated him as their own son. In fact, if you were to ask the 9 Persson kids, they would joke that their parents treated him better than their own children! Salomón admired their fear of God and decided he someday wanted to be like “Uncle Nate” Persson. He viewed Lisa Persson as a wonderful and loving mother. After graduating from Sylvan Hills High School in 2020, he had now returned to Mexico for a few months. The following school year, he returned to Arkansas to resume his studies.
Back in Arkansas…
“You can’t catch me!” yelled the four-year-old as she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. She squealed in delight as Salomón caught up to her and picked her up to tickle her. Just as Salomón came to love his family in Arkansas, he was likewise loved by everyone who knew him. He became like an uncle to all of Nate Persson’s grandchildren and the rest of the kids in church also adored him. His kindness, humility, gratefulness, and servants’ heart became a source of amazement to those around him.
In spite of his new life in the States, Salomón never forgot his beloved family in Mexico. He created a chat group with his younger siblings to encourage them in the ways of the Lord. Once, he selected a passage from the Bible which he challenged his brothers and sisters to memorize before his next visit. If they could memorize the passage, he would bring them a prize from the States. His youngest brother was born when Salomón was 20, making Noé everyone’s “little baby.” Noé, loved his big brother and enjoyed talking baby-talk with him over the phone.
Salomón was forever grateful for his father and mother who had influenced him in such important ways throughout life. His father had taught him to be a hard worker and it was through his decision that Salomón had ended up in Arkansas. His dear mother would counsel her oldest son for hours, encouraging him to live for the Lord and to faithfully read his Bible. She prayed for him continually.
In August of 2021, the Lord led Salomón to attend Jackson Hole Bible College, a one-year Bible school in Wilson, Wyoming. That year was full of blessings from the Lord and Salomón grew closer to his beloved Savior through the study of His Word. He had a strong desire to serve his Lord and to see unsaved family and friends come to know his best friend—Jesus. One of the phrases he would often use to encourage others was, “Eyes on Christ.”
On January 22, 2023, Salomón and 4 friends, former and prospective students, were driving home to Arkansas after a weeklong visit at Jackson Hole Bible College. A drunk driver, headed the wrong direction on the freeway caused a semi to cross the median, involving Salomón’s vehicle in a head-on collision with the semi-truck. All five young people were killed upon impact.
This shook people worldwide as they wondered at the Lord’s plan in cutting short five young lives ranging in age from 18-23. But the faith of the believers held fast, in spite of the tremendous pain of losing such beloved children, siblings and friends. At 4:30 a.m., when Ted and Priscilla Clark went to tell Alicia that her son had been killed in a car accident, her response stunned them. She looked at Ted and said, “The Lord knows. He’s only gone a little ahead of us. We’ll see him soon.” Then she began to express her gratitude toward God for allowing Salomón to be part of their lives for 21 years. “If he’s happy, I’m happy.” she told the sorrowing group of believers who went to her house. “If Salomón were here, he wouldn’t want us to be sorrowful at his death, he would want us to know that he’s in Heaven with Jesus and that we must continue serving the Lord here on earth.”
In spite of the deep pain she felt at the temporary loss of her beloved eldest son, she never denied her faith in God. As the days wore on after the crash, and Alicia’s faith was tried, she would always remind herself of the truths she knew from God’s Word. She was constantly comforting others who would come to console her, sharing with them the truths that sustained her through these hard days.
Salomon had longed to see his father come to the Savior and had prayed earnestly for his salvation for years. A few days before his death, he shared with a close friend. “I’m planning on doing something special for my dad. I would give my life to see him saved.”
It didn’t take long for the believers to understand part of God’s wonderful plan in taking His five children. The very day after the crash, Salomón’s cousin, who was with the family, was amazed as she saw the peace that they had in spite of the circumstances. She heard about the assurance Salomón had of going to Heaven when he died, and she expressed her desire of having that same assurance and peace. The Lord convicted her of sin, and she realized her need for a Savior. That night she too placed her faith in Jesus as her one and only Savior. The Bible says there is a party in Heaven over each sinner who repents. I can’t help but believe that Salomón took part in the celebration when his cousin came to the Savior’s feet. Many others have become sensitive and open to the gospel message as a result of this tragedy, and several have professed faith in Christ.
The funeral for the five youth took place at the Sylvan Hills High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Over one thousand people were in attendance. Many thousands more around the world watched the two and a half hour service online. The name of Christ was exalted and the gospel was proclaimed clearly. Salomón’s dad was the only one in the family who was able to attend. He was greatly impacted, and since then, we can see the Lord is working in his heart.
In the Lord’s sovereignty, he chose to take Salomón to be with Him at an early age. But we know that he had the assurance of where he was going when he died. He once had a strong fear of death, but because Jesus had paid his debt of sin, that fear could no longer exert its power over him. He was ready to die. What about you? If you were to die today, would you have that same assurance that Salomón did, of going directly into God’s presence?