I would consider myself relatively knowledgeable on the
injustices of the world. I have been fortunate
enough to have been exposed to many nations’ realities through documentaries,
classes and personal conversations. But
it is an entirely different experience to know about an injustice and to experience
one firsthand. It is completely shattering.
Last week, our ministry consisted mainly of door-to-door
evangelism, as well as going to the hospitals and praying healing and comfort
over people. It was beautiful,
challenging and refining. We were able
to see 14 people come to know Jesus, which is absolutely incredible! Yesterday though, Reverend Gideon told us
that the Lord had revealed to him that we were supposed to start a different
form of ministry, working with the street children here in Busia. Hearing this, my heart leapt. This is where my heart is, what I am
passionate about. We decided that we
were going to have a few women go with some of the Kenyan youth to get some
leads about where the street children sleep/eat and who their leaders are. I stayed back to get some finance
business/Jesus time in, but soon received news that we were to go and help the
women who had earlier gone. What I saw
when we got to where they were, broke my heart.
It broke me. It was a beautiful, broken mess.
My teammate Emily Rae came to greet us, so saddened and
overwhelmed with the need. She said that
in a matter of minutes 3 street children had turned into 40 street
children. They quickly found the leader
of the children and started discussing their needs and wants. I headed over to where they were all huddled
and I started hurting. What I saw was
40+ kids, all wearing tattered, dirty clothes, filthy bodies, some sniffing
bottles filled with shoe polish/car oil to get them high, all between the ages
of 7 and 20. I can’t even begin to
explain what goes through your mind when you see that. I had to run on autopilot to keep from
breaking down right then and there. I
started getting introduced to the children, and it was so beautiful to see
their smiles and goofiness. I started realizing
though, that some of that was coming from the high of their drug. I can’t even write this right now. This stuff is real. It’s real.
These are kids. And this is their
life. Seven and eight-year old kids,
high off their mind, filthy, no where to go, no one to love them.
The story I heard and saw next only furthered this broken
heart of mine. I was introduced to a
14-year old girl, Adhiambo, whose leg had been run over by a tractor 10 months
ago, and hadn’t been able to receive treatment for it. Her leg was extremely infected, swelled up,
just absolutely horrific looking. After
the accident, the police had come, but were paid off by the drivers, so they
let them go. Adhiambo went to the
hospital, but wasn’t able to receive treatment because she didn’t have any
money. So she has been living in extreme
pain, with an un-usable leg for almost a year.
When the street kids were asked what their top priority of need was,
they said treatment for her.
We collected everyone’s names and ages and told them that we
would be coming back with breakfast (chapatti and chai) tomorrow. Then we took Adhiambo back to our house,
bathed her, gave her some clean clothes and food and took her to the
hospital. I did not go to the hospital,
but was informed that she was admitted and given a bed (which she hasn’t slept
on in 5 years) and some medicine. We
aren’t positive as to what the next step will be for her, but we are going back
to talk with the doctors tomorrow to find out.
I stopped for a second as we were warming up food for her
and it hit me what I had just witnessed.
It’s easy to watch documentaries and get fired up, but it’s also easy
for us to go back to our comfortable homes, get distracted with life and forget
all about what is a reality to people around the world. It has happened to me numerous times. But when you witness it firsthand, when you
see children that should be enjoying the carefree stage of childhood, snuffing
and acting dangerously too mature for their age, it rocks you. It broke
me. It hurts so much for me to think
about it. And it’s not even my
reality. It hurts me and I’m not even
living it. Man.
Through all of the tears (of which there were a ridiculous
amount), and heart ache today, God has been reminding me of who He is.
Kelly, I love these children much more than
you could ever know. They are my heart.
Kelly, I am good. Trust me, trust that I am good. Have faith.
Bring my peace and joy to them.
Kelly, I am calling you to
be my vessel. Show them they have a
Father who loves them.
“Jesus said, ‘Let the
little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven
belongs to such as these.’ Matthew 19:14
I am putting these street children into my Father’s
hands. That’s where they will stay. That’s where they have always been.
And as I am being broken down by all of this, I know my
Jesus is repairing me. He is using this
pain and grief I feel to ignite in me a righteous passion. My strength in this will not come from
me. It truly is and will be Christ that
strengthens me through all of this. And that will build me even stronger than I
could have ever imagined.
My team and I, although drained and broken by what we saw
today, are excited to start bringing some change into these children’s
lives. Reverend Gideon and some of the church
youth are just as passionate about this issue as we are, so it has been great
to set up some short-term and long-term goals.
Our first priority for them is to get them a clean place for them to
sleep at night, as now they all crowd under a tiny veranda at night. Reverend Gideon has graciously decided that
the Sunday school rooms at the church will be a good temporary shelter for
them, until a permanent place is found.
Food is our next priority, and while details are still being ironed out
with that, it will be provided. We are
for sure bringing them chapatti and chai tomorrow morning at 7am, so hopefully
that will open some doors for further talks of bring some justice to their
lives.
I’m not ignorant to the truth that this is going to be hard
and will take time. My team and I are
only here for another two weeks, but we are going to bring passion and fire to
this ministry in the hopes that it will continue to flourish after we
leave. We are going to have to take
things slowly though. These kids are used to living a different lifestyle,
using drugs and having to take on the forced maturity that the street calls
for. So any kind of change for them will
take some time and consistency. So this
is how we will love them. They may run
away and go back to their street life, but we will continue to love and pursue
them. Just the way Jesus pursues and loves us when we run from Him. He is our greatest example and
testament. The way He loves beautiful,
broken messes in order that they may bring love to beautiful, broken
messes.
