Each day is filled with countless moments. Some are fast. Some are slow. Some are ordinary.
And some change your life.
On Tuesday, I had a life changing moment.
For two days this week, we spent our ministry time in the city. We just went to talk to people, to establish relationships, and to love them. While I was praying with my new friend Ann in the market place, we were approached by 4 street boys.
(( Street boys are very common in Nakuru. You can tell a street boy by his lack of shoes, and usually by the glue hiding up his sleeve which he is addicted to sniffing to keep his hunger at bay. ))
When we finished praying, the boys looked at the water bottle in my hand and asked for water. After a second of hesitation and selfishness, I gave it to them to share. It was gone in seconds. That is when reality kicked in. They were quick to ask me for some food, so I bought them a bag of mangos and asked them to sit with me and talk.
It was clear by the way they followed me, that this did not happen often. I asked them if they knew who Jesus was. They said yes, but they want to hear the story. So I told them. They soaked in every word (at least the two that could understand English). I asked them if they believed in Jesus and they said yes. Then I started to ask about them.
"Where do you sleep? " I asked. Kevin, the oldest of the boys responded, "we sleep in the park."
"What happened to your shoes?" "The older boys steal them off our feet when we sleep."
"Where is your family?" I asked quietly, afraid for the answer. With tears in his eyes, Kevin responded, "My parents are both dead. I went to live with my aunt but she has her own children, and she is a mean woman, so I ran away and have been living here for 4 years."
Four years. Kevin is 14 years old. He has been on his own from the age of ten. My heart was instantly broken. Because he had no signs of being high or having glue on him, I asked if he did sniff glue. He replied no and said he had never touched the stuff. I could see in his eyes that he was being truthful. And when I asked around town, my friend Dennis said he was one street boy that he had never seen sniff before.
As we sat and talked, an old man with very kind eyes stopped and spoke in Swahili to Kevin. Then Kevin turned to me and said, " he says that you are being very kind to them and telling them about God. That is good because they don't receive kindness often."
Then another man walked by. He asked if I was their mother (insert second heart break here). Then Kevin looked up, and said "no, she is our friend." After the man walked away, Kevin asked me if I could take him home with me. I explained that I couldn't but asked him if he would be willing to go to an orphanage. He immediately said "YES! Take me to an orphanage, I don't know where they are!" I told him I would see what I can do, but I wasn't sure how the system works. The other boys called to Kevin, and in a flash he was gone. I told him to meet me in the same place the next day.
The next day came and I waited and waited. I searched the city for him because the pastor we have been working with wanted to meet him to try to help him. The end of the day comes, and no Kevin.
When Kevin first told me about his parents, I reminded him that he has a father in heaven who loves him. With full assurance he said, "I know, God is my Father and he loves me." As he said this, I was almost angry. Why does my loving God allow things like this to happen to his children? But then I realized…His heart is breaking too. I was looking at Kevin through God's eyes, not my own. I saw him as a beloved child, and it broke my heart that he was living on the streets. God feels the same and allowed me to share his heart in that moment. It is because mankind is broken. We are fallen. We make mistakes and our sin, as well as Satan, causes "the bad stuff" to happen. God sent me there, to that very moment to show his love to that specific child. And I am so very humbled to do so. He is the father to the fatherless. And although Kevin is living a rough, trying life And has been through more than I can even imagine, I can find rest in the fact that he will be so rewarded and lavished on in eternity. Because he has a father who loves him more than he can ever imagine.
I will continue to search for Kevin this week before I leave for Tanzania. It will be heartbreaking for me if I don't see him again. The harsh truth is, there are millions of Kevin's out there. Before, they were just a statistic. Before, they were just stories. But now, because of one life-changing moment, it is a reality. God has brought me here to love his children. That is what he wants for all of us. To love one another. To be His love to one another.
He loves you more than you can imagine. You are his beloved child. Even when things are rough, even when it seems like he is far away…he is there, with his arms open, just waiting to love you.
