(YWAM compound)
In the afternoon, we went to the YWAM compound. E B was there and we spent time playing with the kids, hearing some of their stories and knowing that any trouble that I go through is so much less than theirs, and eating hamburgers for supper. When S got home, we all gathered around and he told us about their street kids' rehabilitation program. What shone through was his willingness to do everything and anything You told him to do (and he continues to do so today).
The thing that really
challenged me was how the whole purpose of his life changed after he was
willing to give everything up. I've tried to do that again and again, but I
always hang on so tightly to some small part. Honestly, I'm scared to think of
what You could and would do in my life if I let You have full control. My ideas
and knowledge are so limited to my personal knowledge sphere.
Help me to lay down
everything, knowing that You want everything for my good and that You will
multiply my wildest dreams into something I can't even imagine. Help me to
daily lay down myself and to let go, knowing that You are unchanging and good.
(YWAM school)
Well, You definitely
showed me a lot of things today. We taught at the YWAM school which was cool
because it catered to street kids and so had a different teaching style. The
class sizes were from 3-6, and it was fun working more one-on-one than ever
before.
These kids have
amazing potential and I'm so glad that You're working in that way to bring kids
to You to break the generational cycle.
(The Jungle)
It is an amazing
place! Although the different stations are set up from whatever they have, it
looks like something any little kid would enjoy. I volunteered to stay at the
foosball tables along with whoever else wasn't busy at another station. These
kids had never been there before and the joy in their eyes as they went through
all the different stations and played to their heart's content, was gladdening
to see. It's sad to think that these kids haven't been able to come before
because their area is controlled by a guy who says what they can or cannot do.
After a while of
playing, everyone sat down and we helped to serve their snack. Then, with the
help of some laminated pictures, some of the kids told the story of blood,
sacrifice, and sin that started at Genesis and led up to the death of Jesus.
Although there's so much that has gone on in their lives, it amazed me to see
how much truth can be put into one child's life. Even though it's hard, there
is a pastor working among these children, planting seeds that could very well
cause a large harvest to be reaped later on. I need to determine to do that in
my own life - to do what may seem little, praying that it may grow large in
Your hands.
While the kids played
for a few more minutes, we hopped into S B's van and toured the region nearby
to give us an idea of where the usual kids who come to play come from. Just a
few streets up, there was a region that was testament to how much Your love is
needed in this city.
I don't know that it
must have felt like to be a guy at that moment, because to be a girl was hard enough.
To think of these girls, who are being shown daily that "love" can be
bought and that they are only useful as toys, makes me cringe. They have no
idea of Your love for them, no idea of the beautiful soul that You created
within them to be realized, no idea of a Hope beyond what they see every day.
What did I do that I am privileged enough to have been born into a Christian
family, to live in Canada, to go to the school that I do, and every other thing
that I have been blessed with. Why them in this predicament and not me? I am
once again glad that You promise them a future and a hope.
Prayer is essential for wisdom and strength in all these facets of ministry. The cycle of destruction that they are endeavoring to break is powerful. Pray that if delivered that they would not be sucked in later in life but that they would continue in their bright futures. Pray for some of the children to come back and teach (some of them have already done this). Pray for permission from parents to put their kids into these homes that teach them what true family looks like. Pray also for the prostitution zones, for ministries to be started there and for the Christians already there to have opening doors towards their friendships. Pray for the workers as they create relationships of trust with kids through the Jungle. Above all, pray that God`s glory may shine in this ministry and that hearts would be won for the gospel.
More info: http://colombiastreetkids.org/
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