A few days ago something happened that I don’t think I would believe if I had not witnessed it myself. I have always been accused of being a little naive when it comes to people. I tend to assume the best in people and give them the benefit of the doubt but on this particular day I realized the harsh reality of selfish, horrible people that live in this world. I also realized that when God allows us to see these injustices, he is doing it for a reason, and a few days ago God broke my heart so that He could motivate me to take action.
Here’s the story:
I went with a few of my teammates to do the grocery shopping for the next several days. We have a pretty significant amount of groceries since there are seven of us and we shop for about 4 days at a time. Every time we go to the grocery store we get crowded by little boys begging for food and money. Usually we give them a piece of fruit or shake their hands or just try to acknowledge them as we direct our main focus to getting in and out of the store with the items we need. For some reason, on this day, our taxi driver misunderstood that he was supposed to wait for us and we were left in front of the store with a cart full of groceries. This was not the most comfortable situation because the little boys all surrounded us and were holding our hands and trying their best to communicate with us. I felt so bad having this cart full of groceries and these little boys standing in front of me, wearing torn clothes and covered in dirt. I still had my lunch in my backpack so I distributed it among the boys the best I could and they were sooo grateful and happy just to have oranges, a peanut-butter sandwich, and crackers.
One of the boys was deaf and could not speak and he was wearing an old, dirty, long-sleeved shirt even though it was so hot outside. I asked one of the older men, who was also standing by and who spoke some English, about this boy and he told me that he did not have another shirt. Without thinking, I grabbed the boys hand and walked straight in to the closest clothes store. I signaled to him that I wanted to buy him a new shirt and his face just lit up with the biggest smile. Surprisingly, he really wanted a vest for some reason but I showed him that a shirt would be better and let him choose the color he liked best. Two other boys followed us in to the store so I bought them new shirts too and you should have seen their faces when they got to actually pick out the color they liked best. I wonder if they have ever had a choice when it comes to clothes…or even if they have ever had a brand new shirt.
I was thinking about how horrible it is that people, including us, can walk right by these boys, day after day, and not do something to help them. It is so overwhelming because there are so many of them and of course just providing food or clothes is not a permanent solution. I was trying to communicate with one of the older men and ask him who in the community looks out for these boys. The whole time I was trying to ask him about the boys, all he would do is ask me for money for himself. Several other men were getting angry, yelling at the boys, and threatening to beat them. Apparently, they were “jealous” that these boys were getting more attention than them. I was so caught off guard. I would never in a million years imagine that grown men would be angry and jealous that someone was trying to take an interest in some of the poorest children in their community.
What happened next is what really broke my heart the most. Some random man came up with a piece of wood and hit the deaf little boy in the head. I don’t know why someone would ever do something like this. I still can’t comprehend this. One of teammates, Drew, grabbed the piece of wood, and the man ran away. I just hugged the little boy until he stopped crying and knew that this situation with these kids is not O.K. and we had to atleast TRY to do something to help them.
I think most people find that it is easier just to ignore things like this or to at least push them to the back of their minds and try to tell themselves that this was a one time thing, or that someone else will help. Yeah, it is easier to see hurting people and pretend like they aren’t our responsibility. But God says they are our responsibility. It IS our responsibility to do something when our heart breaks for someone in need. It IS our responsibility to stop ignoring the hurt and need in the world around us.
I definitely don’t have any answers about why this would ever happen or why a grown man would ever, ever hit a little child in the head with a piece of wood. I don’t know what we can do about this. We are only in Kasama for one more week. I was crying about this and praying to God about it and I felt like he told me, just do what you can. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t have time to stay here and establish some kind of long-term program. I don’t have money to feed, bathe, and clothe all of these children. But I do have something. I have enough money to cook them all a hot meal. I have connections to the nearby church. I have eyes that saw their need. I have a heart that will not just walk away and forget them. So, yes, I do have something to give and atleast one step I can take.
I talked to the pastor of the church we have been working with and he helped me plan an outreach for the boys. He announced the idea at church and next Saturday we will be walking with the boys to a nearby park, providing them with a hot meal, sharing about Jesus, and connecting them with mentors from the church who can take a special interest in their individual stories. We went today and shared our idea with the Commissioner of Kasama. Everyone we share our concerns with agrees, these boys need a long term program in place to address their needs and keep them off the streets and away from these terrible influences.
Maybe this is all I can do for them. I can be a voice for them. I can point out their needs. I can trust that after what little I can give, God will take over. Other people will start to see these things and also be willing to take a little time to ask questions and do something, even something small. We will rarely see someone in need and have the WHOLE story or be able to “fix” their problems. This month I am learning to just love the person in front of me and to just do what I can and trust God with the next step.
