The first day we arrived in the townships, we had a pretty good idea of what to expect. We had quite a bit of experience with “slumming” while we were in India. Slum ministry usually involved some kind of worship session, a message, and praying over the people there. We were all feeling pretty confident.
When we got to our ministry site, we were divvied up so two care workers were with two Americans. After the groups were made, we all separated to our specific blocks of the township – following our designated care workers like lost puppies. You see, this township was the biggest slum I had been in yet! Little homes everywhere with trails weaving every which way…offshoots from the main road. By the time we reached our first home, I was hopelessly lost. I had no idea which way was the right way back home, haha.
We entered the home and were greeted by a mother with her 3 small children – the smallest wrapped in a blanket that nestled him into his mothers back comfortably.
We chatted with the mother and played with the kids for a while and then left. I was confused at this point. I was prepared to at least pray over the families we met with, but it seemed more like a check-up than a prayer session. So I asked what the purpose of going to the families was. My care worker explained that they go into the homes every day to make sure the kids are being taken care of: getting fed, being cleaned and dressed, getting to school each day, making sure their homework is done, etc.
I thought for a while and then said, “So you are like an extra set of parents for the kids?” He smiled and said, “More like a friend and mentor.” He went on to explain that they also try to bring hope to the parents and help them when they can. Help for the parents looks like: getting legal documentations like birth certificates for each of their children and correct information when applying for work. Many of the parents have a difficult time finding a job because they are missing important documents and aren’t sure how to retrieve it. This is how the care workers help.
We went to many homes on our first day. We came back the second day and did the same thing. Every time we would walk the trails, all the kids would rush out of their homes to see us yelling, “the white people are here, the white people are here!” (We are the first volunteer group that has been American, so they’ve never seen white people before). We would smile and wave, give them high-fives and take pictures with them….we felt like celebrities. The third day, we were asked to create a children’s program that we could do for all the kids in the township.
The program was a huge hit! We had 100+ kids packed into the church – singing, dancing, playing games, learning about Jesus, and clinging to each of us for dear life.
The kids were so excited to spend the day with “The white people.” They didn’t even know us but they would run to our open arms and cling to us like a koala bear to it’s tree. They were so curious – our hair was different and our skin was so pale. They would touch our skin continuously to see if it would rub off onto them…checking their hands to see if it worked – it never did.
By the end of the program we were exhausted from entertaining the kids and trying to have some semblance of order. A bit disheveled, we all piled into the back of the truck; dirt caked to each of our sweaty bodies…our limbs like limp noodles from carrying so many kids around. We smiled at each other; proud of all the fun the kids had – we survived!
A sigh of relief expelled from our tired bodies.
Since the program went so well, we were asked to do a new program every day until the kids went back to school. I think most of our hearts dropped at that request…thinking of how we would entertain 100+ kids all over again tomorrow seemed impossible. But we agreed anyways. If this is the ministry God had planned for us this month, we weren’t going to miss out on the fun! So we forged ahead…ready for the battle against exhaustion and wild kids.
And so far it has been fun! I mean we are tired for sure, but it’s the good kind of tired – the kind that you’ve earned. An accomplished kind. Every day we enter the church unsure of how many kids we will have or how the program will go, but that’s expected on the race now. We never know for sure how something will go until we’re knee deep in it. And that’s ok. I have learned to enjoy the spontaneity of each day. If kids can live every day without a schedule, so can I. They have fun regardless…so I’m going to have fun with them.
I think that’s how Christ asks us to live anyways. Without our own schedules so that we can depend on Him every day on this earth. It’s pretty incredible to see kids do that so easily…to “have faith like a child,” that’s tough when you’ve been burned before.
But it’s not impossible.
God has bridged the gap between our sin and his redemptive salvation. The gap is filled with His compassion and everlasting love for us. It’s freely given – no strings attached. He’s just waiting for you to walk across that bridge with a childlike faith. The bridge is set before you every day – ready to carry your burdens and lift your regrets from your heart. Because on the other side, freedom and uninhibited joy await you. Those burdens and past regrets can never hold you down after you’ve crossed the bridge – Christ’s love casts them out forever.
Walk across that bridge.
