At the NorCal Pastors & Leaders Conference last September, 6-year-old Gabriel Cate was the loudest singer in a Mount Hermon, CA, Christian conference center auditorium surrounded by redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Gabriel, a paraplegic with severe sensory impairment since birth, expresses himself through music. His dad, Nate, who pastors Calvary Chapel Vallejo, CA, said, “He’s nonverbal, so you think he doesn’t know things, but he knows every song. When it’s one of his favorite songs, he gets louder and more excited.” At the top of Gabriel’s song list is “Gratitude”, especially the line, “You’ve got a lion inside of those lungs.”

Nate and his wife, Dani, adopted Gabriel from a Brazilian orphanage when he was 15 months old, while they were missionaries. As the Cates stood outside the orphanage in the rain, Dani heard a baby crying. “I looked at Nathan and said, ‘Oh, he’s crying.’” Inside, they met Gabriel, throwing a fit in his highchair. Dani continued, “I remember thinking how bizarre it was that I knew it was our baby crying, even though we didn’t yet know his voice. There were maybe 20 kids in that orphanage, but somehow the Lord had put in our hearts to know Gabriel’s voice before we even knew him. We knew he was our baby.”

During pregnancy, Gabriel was exposed to an untreated sexually transmitted disease. He now suffers from several serious brain disorders that have led to developmental delays, seizures, paralysis, and blindness, requiring complete daily care. “He’s on a feeding tube because he doesn’t eat anything by mouth,” Dani revealed. “People think that [caring for Gabriel] is hard, but it doesn’t feel like that. It’s a lot physically to take care of, but …” Nate jumped in, completing his wife’s sentence, “Because of his attitude, it doesn’t feel like a lot of work. He’s the sweetest. He doesn’t say anything, but it’s like he feels just so thankful for everything. He’s always smiling at us, always happy.”

Gabriel’s neurologist suspected Angelman’s syndrome because he smiled so much—but genetic testing proved he was just a happy boy.

“Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10b

“The Lord taught me a lot through Gabriel’s suffering,” admitted Dani. “Though he lives in daily pain because of someone else’s sin, he manages to have so much joy through everything. That’s very convicting to me. I may get mad when someone offends me or messes up my day, but Gabriel is such a good example of having joy in tough times.”

Worship Culture

Leaving Brazil two years ago to return to the U.S. was a culture change for the Cate family. Nate commented on the Latino culture they’d experienced in Brazil, “People are very emotional, and worship is very heartfelt. Not that I question our congregation’s heart for the Lord, it’s just a different cultural expression.”

When the Cates, along with 10 of their now 11 children and their then-future son-in-law, arrived at the NorCal conference, sponsored by Calvary Chapel San Jose, CA, they were met with the same lively, heartfelt worship they had missed in Brazil. “The worship was so good, and all our kids talked about how nice it was that everyone was worshiping the Lord together,” Nate offered. “And it was Gabriel’s moment; he just loves worship!”

Left: Hoppy Sanchez (left), wife of Leonard Sanchez, pastor of CC Spring Creek, NV, reconnects with Mercedez Homen, wife of Dustin Homen from Calvary Chapel Reno Sparks, NV.

Right: CCSJ Pastor Mike McClure and his wife, Brenda (right), are circled in prayer by attendees.