We spent all week at Latter Glory Church putting on a
conference that included worship and preaching sessions every day. A lot of
street kids came as well as a few pastors and people who could hear the service
as they walked by. Being around the street kids is still a challenge for me.
The glue sniffing during church was really hard for our team, not only because
the kids were getting high themselves but the glue smell was so strong that it was
giving a lot of people headaches so at the beginning of the week we decided to
make the kids that were going to sniff glue stay outside of the church. We
would collect their glue bottles if they wanted to come inside. This soon
however became a game to them to see who could sneak their bottles inside and
sniff glue without any of us seeing them. When we would catch them they would
run and laugh and act like we were going to chase them out of the church.
So what is the right response? How do we minister to these
kids well? I have been so conflicted over this and our team has had many
discussions over what should be done. I understand why the church shies away
from working with people like this and confronting issues like this but walking
away is not the answer and ignoring the problem certainly is not the answer. What
should ministry like this look like? How do we steward our resources wisely? If
we let the kids in church with their glue it is disruptive and if we make them
leave it outside then they are afraid they won’t get it back. Even taking their
glue is a conflict because it is their security. Glue is what enables them to
sleep through the night in really dangerous places and helps them ward off the
cold without coats and shelter. It enables them to numb themselves from the
pain they feel for aching stomachs and for not having a family and the rejection they experience on a
daily basis. I can’t provide these necessities for these kids so how can I take
away their one way of coping with their daily existence?
I keep being reminded of my dad’s words of wisdom “God
doesn’t call us to be successful, only obedient.” I cannot force this ministry
into success in my own eyes or in my own time but I can only be obedient to
what God has called me to in the moment and then the next moment and then the
next. I pray that when we leave Eldoret that the street kids remember being
loved by all those “muzungus” as we are called. I pray that something of the
affection of the Father rubs off of us onto them and that seeds are planted for
the Kingdom.
(I apologize for the lack of pictures in my blogs as of
late. The internet connections are not fast enough for us to upload pictures
and videos in a reasonable amount of time).
