One of my mentors back home, Braxton Brady, has been on several mission trips to Honduras with his kids and the school that I used to work for, PDS Memphis. He told me alot about the dumps in Tegu (Tegucigulpa) and the effects of poverty that are rampant in the city. Street kids, prostitutes, gang bangers, hustlers, addicts, the homeless. All of these walks of lives are rampant in Tegu and its not hidden. At all. Oh, and did I mention that Honduras is the murder capital of the world? Not an exaggeration. Just look up the Tegu newspaper in the mornings. But it's ironic because Braxton is huge on pushing men to become great fathers, he even wrote a book entitled "Flight Plan" on raising boys. So, knowing this and my friendship with Braxton, you would think that I would have immediately made the connection to all the problems in Honduras.
However, it wasn't until I heard the country that I just left referred to as a "Fatherless nation",and realized 3 or 4 days ago that this entire month in Honduras, i met only 2 fathers that are living with their families (and if you know me you know that I meet alot of people) that I truly understood the effects of fatherless on children (aka future adults). I mean ive heard stats, and ive seen the effects of it in the places I lived back home, but here it is overwhelming. Is it any coincidence that the "Fatherless nation" is also the "murder capital of the world"? I don't think so.
I mean, I heard statistics like these:
– Children in father-absent homes are five times more likely to be poor. In
2002, 7.8% of children in married-couple families were living in poverty,
compared to 38.4% of children in female-householder families
– Almost 75% of American children living in single-parent families will
experience poverty before they turn 11 years old. Only 20 percent of
children in two-parent families will do the same.
– The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states, "Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse."
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Center for Health Statistics. Survey on Child Health. Washington, DC, 1993.
– Children growing up in single-parent households are at a significantly increased risk for drug abuse as teenagers.
Source: Denton, Rhonda E. and Charlene M. Kampfe. "The relationship Between Family Variables and Adolescent Substance Abuse: A literature Review." Adolescence 114 (1994): 475-495.
– A study on nearly 6,000 children found that children from single parent homes had more physical and mental health problems than children who lived with two married parents. Additionally, boys in single parent homes were found to have more illnesses than girls in single parent homes
– In studies involving over 25,000 children using nationally representative data sets, children who lived with only one parent had lower grade point averages, lower college aspirations, poor attendance records, and higher drop out rates than students who lived with both parents
– In studies involving over 25,000 children using nationally representative data sets, children who lived with only one parent had lower grade point averages, lower college aspirations, poor attendance records, and higher drop out rates than students who lived with both parents
– In a study using a national probability sample of 1,636 young men and women, it was found that older boys and girls from female headed households are more likely to commit criminal acts than their peers who lived with two parents.
Compared to their peers born to married parents, children born out-of-wedlock were:
- 1.7 times more likely to become an offender and 2.1 times more likely to become a chronic offender if male.
- 1.8 times more likely to become an offender and 2.8 times more likely to become a chronic offender if female.
- 10 times more likely to become a chronic juvenile offender if male and born to an unmarried teen mother.
And i've experienced it to a point in the US. But i have NEVER seen it first hand like this. It was so evident here while working with the street kids. So evident. Which is why I'm thankful that men like Tony at Puerta de Zion and Alejandro in Nicaragua are stepping up to be a Father to the Fatherless. Or Papa Lee at Cortizon de Christo. I literally cannot describe the impact that ive seen these men have over blog, so email me or facetime me and ill tell you about it.
This is why i'm thankful that I had a dad like mine. Always there, always present, always faithful, even when I didn't think I wanted him to be. I mean it has literally taken me until this trip to see how phenomenal my dad was growing up, and he's not even here with me right now. This is why i'm thankful for men like Braxton Brady, BJ Thompson (check BJ out at Build a Better Us), and others that have poured into my life and tried to SHOW me what it means to be a man after I was out from under the care of my father. And this is why im thankful for organizations like PDS Memphis, Memphis Athletic Ministries, Eikon Ministries, the BDC and others in my home city that are pouring into our future men and women. I should thank God for them more.
And this is why I weep for Honduras, and am beginning to pray that He will raise up Godly men here to break the cycle of fatherlessness, poverty and violence. Maybe some from our squad will be allowed to return and see it happen. Will you pray with me?
1 Kings 2:2-3 "…So be strong, show yourself a MAN, and observe what the LORD your God requires"
much love
-chambeezy
