Do you have a favorite birthday? I
remember when I turned 10 – my grandpa told me I was getting old because I was
getting in double digits now. Maybe yours was at 13 when you became a teenager,
or maybe you had a very sweet 16th. My friend Mickey from the Children’s
Garden just turned 18 and I’m pretty sure this was his favorite birthday.
Mickey had a huge meal, cake, and ice
cream. He celebrated with all of his friends, including his new World Race
friends. We played games, danced, and made wishes for him to let him know how
grea
t we think he is. It’s still hard to believe that was the first time he has
ever celebrated his birthday. Yep, that’s right, his first birthday party.
That’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard.
Mickey is fortunate that he was taken in
off the streets by the Children’s Garden (CG). Unlike the other 200,000 kids
still living on the streets of Manila, Mickey is now being cared for,
discipled, and educated. Although Mickey may still face some challenges, he
will have opportunities that some kids may never have because of the CG.
In the U.S. even a child living in poverty
can still go to school. Most likely if that child can make it through high
school then there are government programs, grants, etc. that give them at least
the opportunity to go to college or get a job. In the Philippines it is very
unlikely that you will move out of the social class you were born into. So the
problem isn’t that kids aren’t finishing school, it’s that they aren’t even
starting school. A lot of kids start working on the streets at a very young age
and chances are that’s where they’ll stay.
You know the verse from Luke, “…From everyone
who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one trusted with
much, much more will be expected.” We’ve been given more opportunity in America
than most Filipinos could ever dream of.
We need to be using our opportunities
and our freedoms to bring opportunity and freedom to those who can’t get it on
their own. I don’t know exactly what that looks like or what the solution is,
but here’s what scripture says about it:
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
Gal. 5:13
