A couple of nights ago we were spending time with some of
the teens, playing games, and just having fun when we asked one of the boys
what he wanted to do with his life. Anthony looked at us with a blank stare and was completely unable to
answer. He was growing up in a very poor
community without a father and had already dropped out of school. He is only thirteen and already without hope
for his future.
Most of the teens in this community seem to be in the same
position as Anthony. Candelaria is an overwhelmingly broken place that is
controlled by fear and poverty. At first
glance it may seem like poverty is what controls their situations, but after
spending a month here we know that it is fear and brokenness that keeps this
community without hope! We have seen and
heard the brokenness and we have experienced the fear, but now my team and I
are left questioning how do you really bring hope back to a community that
seems so dark and broken?
The brokenness of the community has been heavy on our
hearts, because we see it written on the faces of the youth daily. A home with both parents is extremely rare
here. It is also common for kids to live with grandparents, because their
parents decided to move on with their lives. Physical and emotional abuse is
expected and accepted in the homes, and because of this teens are having babies
at very young ages to try and escape. Unfortunately,
this only causes more broken homes and more room for abuse. It seems to be a never ending cycle and to
see the teens daily affected by these things is heartbreaking… especially
because we have grown to love them so much!
Fear is also a huge problem. The gangs control the streets and the police can be just as corrupt and
cruel as the gangs. There is no control
and no one to stand up against the steeling and violence. We experienced this fear through a couple
different events that took place during our time in Candelaria. It’s easy to not let fear control you when
you are only living in the community for a month, but for all those who cannot
escape it, I understand how the fear can be consuming.
We are confident that God will continue to protect and work
in the lives of the teens and children we are leaving behind, but it is so hard
to leave and to know that these kids are going to have to face more hard situations
than they should at their ages. Even
harder is to know that some of the kids are still at a crossroads in their
lives. They want to live their lives for
God, but the fear and brokenness that consumes them makes the gang life seem
easier and more appealing. I wish I
could mother and protect each one of them. I wish I could make them understand how important and valuable they
really are. I wish I could make their
decisions for them. All I’m hanging on
to is this verse for their lives….
I thank my God every
time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
because of your partnership in the gospel, being confident of this, that he who
began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ
Jesus.
Philippians 1:3-6
