Wednesday, July 2, 2008
colombianita destroyed
Colombianita, the recycling community where our ministry had been working for the past three years, was finally destroyed about two weeks ago. After months of threats made by the Government to bull-doze and relocate the community of nearly 500 kids and 100 families, they finally made good on their promises and replaced the shacks made from tin and scrap wood with a nicely paved road. It has been difficult month for our team, morning the loss of the group of kids that we had grown to love so much. Pray for them, remember them. We can only hope that the love and knowledge of God that we poured into them for the past 9 months is not lost, and that God provides new opportunities for them to be ministered to. They will not be forgotten, they taught us mucho.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
April update
This will be somewhat random in order, but let's see if I can get down some thoughts about the happenings of the past months.
The first thing that comes to mind are the recent developments in the life of Camilo, our neighborhood friend who was living on the streets for several months until finding a cheap habitation close by where he has been able to stay for the past couple of months. Slowly, signs of progress have been showing themselves. Camilo is generally an upbeat guy, and almost always pleasant to be around. In many ways he is not the typical drug addict on the streets. He's intellegent, college educated, speaks passable english, and has a great desire to change his life. A steady job has been his goal for the past couple of months. Finally it looks like he has a good chance of seeing that come to fruition. Somehow, he got an "in" at the local governemnt office, and has been going through the application process. Today in fact, he is in a training course of some sort for the morning. It's been great to see him excited about the possiblity of getting a job, and being one step closer to a better life. Last week was Tyler's birthday, my roomate, and we took Camilo with us for the best hamburgers in Bogota; Golden Corale. More than once he expressed how much he missed having friends to pass time with. As he put it in spanish, I'll translate, "I've turned into nothing more than a small animal, that has no life." But the great thing to see that night was his hope for something different, a life apart from the drugs that have nearly destroyed him. We are all hoping greatly that he gets the job.
The effects that drugs have on a persons´ life are far too easily seen by walking the streets in and around my neighborhood. Each night as I comfortably settle into bed, there are men sleeping on the sidewalk down the street from my house, each one of them, just like Camilo, trapped by drugs. Carlos is another young man that we have become friends with over the past couple of months. He is 29 years old, and has much less hope, it seems, to escape. Quite regularly he stops by our house for a chat, or to ask for something to eat, or clothes, and is almost always completely incoherant. He's been on the streets for much longer, and in many ways is more typical of the type of person roaming the streets for their next coin to get drugs. In talking to him, he has little hope for change. Usually his response to a friendly question like "what's going on?", is something like, "just waiting for the end of the world brother." In spite of the overwhelming despair, I believe in the possibility for change, and believe in the power of friendship and a little love. If you find it in you, pray for Carlos. Pray that somehow he comes to see a hope for new life. A hope for change. A hope for contact with other people. A hope for renewal. A hope in himself. A hope in God.
Something that I'm continually challenged with is this: what is my response the needy, the outcast, the unloved, the poor? I have periodically been reading "Works of Love" by Soren Kierkegaard. I can't recomend it highly enough. He presents our calling to love our neighbor exactly as it is; a commandment, free from distinctions, preference, and anything but easy. It is something that we must will ourelves to do, dedicate ourselves to do, choose to do, remembering that it is not optional, but a duty.
"It is in fact Christian love which discovers and knows that one's neighbour exists and that - it is one and the same thing - everyone is one's neighbour. If it were not a duty to love, then there would be no concept of neighbour at all. But only when one loves his neighbour, only then is the selfishness of preferential love rooted out and the equality of the eternal preserved."
In other news, over the past two months I have been working at "Luz y Vida". (Becuase of a ministry rule that doesn't allow for "couples" to work together, I was forced to move from the Other Way to the school. "Couples?" you wonder? Well, yes, I guess it should be said that I've met a pretty cool girl from Texas who also works at the Other way.) Each day we go with the bus to Colombianita, the same community that the kids from the Other Way come from, to pick up a group of kids to bring back to the school for the day. It's a small group, 11 in total, but they are a handfull. I'm currently working with two of the kids one on one, tuturing in math and spanish, and teaching computer classes to all the kids at different times during the week.
Unfortuantely the governemnt has been threatening to bull-doze Colombianita and relocate the families to a section in the south of the city called Ciudad Bolivar. Ciudad Bolivar conisists of about 2.1 million people, many of whom were displaced becuase of the war, and nearly all who are extremely poor. Currently, Colombianita is situated close to the center of the city, within reach of us and many other resources that might be able to help the kids. If they are relocated to the south, they will be placed in the largest pool of poverty, drugs, paramilitaries, and violence in all of Bogota, too far for us to reach. The thought of loosing the kids is freightening. We have been working with many of the kids for the past two years, and have poured so much into them. To see them go would be a tragedy. As it stands the date for the destruction of Colombianita is May 30th. As well, the government has decided to give many of the families money, in hopes of convicing them to leave peacfully and with a hope to start a life somewhere else. If in fact they are relocated, the coming months will be increadibly difficult for many of the volunteers in our ministry.
On a lighter note, I, along with several others, have bought a bike. I now find myself zipping in and out of traffic, pretending I'm on a motorcyle, passing cars and busses trapped in traffic jams. It's awsome! I've found that I can get anywhere I need to go, even the north which is about 100 blocks, or 45 minutes, as quick or quicker than by bus. I save money, get exercise, it's winner. Tomorow Luke, another volunteer, and myself, are planning on taking a trip up into the mountains, to a lake about 60 kilometers from Bogota. It will be a good test of how much endurance I've built up over the past two weeks zipping around town.
Did I mention that I'm going to Alaska?? For one week in May I'll be in Alaska for Adri's brothers wedding. Can't flippin wait. Not to mention how excited I am to see everyone in Ohio. And Amish Country. It seems the more time that passes, the older I get, the more attached I become to the simpleness and beauty of Holmes county. I miss the rolling hills, fresh air, green grass, motorcycle rides, family...all of it, even the smell of fresh manure.
The first thing that comes to mind are the recent developments in the life of Camilo, our neighborhood friend who was living on the streets for several months until finding a cheap habitation close by where he has been able to stay for the past couple of months. Slowly, signs of progress have been showing themselves. Camilo is generally an upbeat guy, and almost always pleasant to be around. In many ways he is not the typical drug addict on the streets. He's intellegent, college educated, speaks passable english, and has a great desire to change his life. A steady job has been his goal for the past couple of months. Finally it looks like he has a good chance of seeing that come to fruition. Somehow, he got an "in" at the local governemnt office, and has been going through the application process. Today in fact, he is in a training course of some sort for the morning. It's been great to see him excited about the possiblity of getting a job, and being one step closer to a better life. Last week was Tyler's birthday, my roomate, and we took Camilo with us for the best hamburgers in Bogota; Golden Corale. More than once he expressed how much he missed having friends to pass time with. As he put it in spanish, I'll translate, "I've turned into nothing more than a small animal, that has no life." But the great thing to see that night was his hope for something different, a life apart from the drugs that have nearly destroyed him. We are all hoping greatly that he gets the job.
The effects that drugs have on a persons´ life are far too easily seen by walking the streets in and around my neighborhood. Each night as I comfortably settle into bed, there are men sleeping on the sidewalk down the street from my house, each one of them, just like Camilo, trapped by drugs. Carlos is another young man that we have become friends with over the past couple of months. He is 29 years old, and has much less hope, it seems, to escape. Quite regularly he stops by our house for a chat, or to ask for something to eat, or clothes, and is almost always completely incoherant. He's been on the streets for much longer, and in many ways is more typical of the type of person roaming the streets for their next coin to get drugs. In talking to him, he has little hope for change. Usually his response to a friendly question like "what's going on?", is something like, "just waiting for the end of the world brother." In spite of the overwhelming despair, I believe in the possibility for change, and believe in the power of friendship and a little love. If you find it in you, pray for Carlos. Pray that somehow he comes to see a hope for new life. A hope for change. A hope for contact with other people. A hope for renewal. A hope in himself. A hope in God.
Something that I'm continually challenged with is this: what is my response the needy, the outcast, the unloved, the poor? I have periodically been reading "Works of Love" by Soren Kierkegaard. I can't recomend it highly enough. He presents our calling to love our neighbor exactly as it is; a commandment, free from distinctions, preference, and anything but easy. It is something that we must will ourelves to do, dedicate ourselves to do, choose to do, remembering that it is not optional, but a duty.
"It is in fact Christian love which discovers and knows that one's neighbour exists and that - it is one and the same thing - everyone is one's neighbour. If it were not a duty to love, then there would be no concept of neighbour at all. But only when one loves his neighbour, only then is the selfishness of preferential love rooted out and the equality of the eternal preserved."
In other news, over the past two months I have been working at "Luz y Vida". (Becuase of a ministry rule that doesn't allow for "couples" to work together, I was forced to move from the Other Way to the school. "Couples?" you wonder? Well, yes, I guess it should be said that I've met a pretty cool girl from Texas who also works at the Other way.) Each day we go with the bus to Colombianita, the same community that the kids from the Other Way come from, to pick up a group of kids to bring back to the school for the day. It's a small group, 11 in total, but they are a handfull. I'm currently working with two of the kids one on one, tuturing in math and spanish, and teaching computer classes to all the kids at different times during the week.
Unfortuantely the governemnt has been threatening to bull-doze Colombianita and relocate the families to a section in the south of the city called Ciudad Bolivar. Ciudad Bolivar conisists of about 2.1 million people, many of whom were displaced becuase of the war, and nearly all who are extremely poor. Currently, Colombianita is situated close to the center of the city, within reach of us and many other resources that might be able to help the kids. If they are relocated to the south, they will be placed in the largest pool of poverty, drugs, paramilitaries, and violence in all of Bogota, too far for us to reach. The thought of loosing the kids is freightening. We have been working with many of the kids for the past two years, and have poured so much into them. To see them go would be a tragedy. As it stands the date for the destruction of Colombianita is May 30th. As well, the government has decided to give many of the families money, in hopes of convicing them to leave peacfully and with a hope to start a life somewhere else. If in fact they are relocated, the coming months will be increadibly difficult for many of the volunteers in our ministry.
On a lighter note, I, along with several others, have bought a bike. I now find myself zipping in and out of traffic, pretending I'm on a motorcyle, passing cars and busses trapped in traffic jams. It's awsome! I've found that I can get anywhere I need to go, even the north which is about 100 blocks, or 45 minutes, as quick or quicker than by bus. I save money, get exercise, it's winner. Tomorow Luke, another volunteer, and myself, are planning on taking a trip up into the mountains, to a lake about 60 kilometers from Bogota. It will be a good test of how much endurance I've built up over the past two weeks zipping around town.
Did I mention that I'm going to Alaska?? For one week in May I'll be in Alaska for Adri's brothers wedding. Can't flippin wait. Not to mention how excited I am to see everyone in Ohio. And Amish Country. It seems the more time that passes, the older I get, the more attached I become to the simpleness and beauty of Holmes county. I miss the rolling hills, fresh air, green grass, motorcycle rides, family...all of it, even the smell of fresh manure.
febuary update
once again i've let too much time pass without writing an entry, so for that i apologize. if i remember correctly the last enty i made was back in decemeber. much has happend in the last two months, so here goes.
first off, david, the eleven year old boy that came to live with us around the begining of december, decided to leave the second week of january. as it was with ferney, the 8 year old boy that was with us for two months prior, our month and a half with david was a challenging time. a little background on david: he has lived most of his life with a woman who is not his biological mother, but nonetheless has cared for him greatly and rescued him from an abusive father and unloving homelife. however, she does not have a stable job, and makes only enough money to pay the small nightly fee for her habitation by cleaning houses in the neighborhood. for this reason, she was unable to continue providing for david, and decided to entrust him to our ministry with the understanding that living with me would be a temporary first step before being committed to long term by the ministry and placed in a family with a small group of kids.
unfortunately he was not able to understand that we were the best option for him, and decided to run off with a few of my things and leave for whatever other option he may have had. my fear at the time was that his only options were the streets, where he would quickly fall into drugs and gangs, or the governemnt social services program, which he had previously been placed in 12 times only to run away each time, which in all probability would only lead to the streets as well. fortunately, after an afternoon of fun with the money he made from selling my ipod, he decided to return to gloria's house, who agreed to keep him for the weekend while it was decided what would be done. in the end it was david who decided to run away from our house and we decided we could not take him back. he had not shown us any desire to change or to take advantage of the opportunity he had with us. gloria then handed him over to the government social services program, where as expected, he made a quick escape and once again showed up at gloria's. refusing to see david sucked into a life on the streets, she again decided to take him in and do everything possible to save him. he has since been with her and is now attending our school called "luc y vida" or "light and life".
i have not had a kid living with me since david, and instead have begun working at "el otro camino" or "the other way", which is sort of like a kindergarden. for four days a week we take our bus to a community of recylers called Colombianita, and bring back around 20 kids to work with for the day. honestly, it has been a welcomed respit from the responsibility of careing for someone 24 hours a day, and i'm rather enjoying it. however, thats not to say that i may not find myself in a 24 hour care position sometime in the near future. coming to colombia, it was my hearts' desire to invest in a child full time, and that still remains.
for three weeks in january, tyler and adri both got to go the amazons to help translate for a ywam outreach team. the amazons. what else can i say. it would have been an amazing opportunity to see the jungle of the amazon, visit peru and brazil, trek through rain forrest, swim with alligators and piranahs, visit tranquil villages, meet amazing people, and share the love of god, but.....maybe another day. matter of fact, yes, another day i will go.
the outreach team came back to bogota along with tyler and adri, and spent a month around the city visiting various ministries and programs that work with kids at risk. while tagging along i got the opportunity to test out my translating abilities, which i found really struggle when i'm infront of a crowd. practice practice practice. it reinforced the fact that i need to continue to study and do as much talking and reading in spanish as possible. it doesn't help that i work with mostly english speaking volunteers.
salsa dancing. for those of you that know me, you might have a hard time imagining me dancing to salsa music. maybe you don't know what salsa is, but it's something very specific. there are moves. and i think i've learned a few of them, or atleast i'm on my way to becoming a passable dancer (hopefully more than the "tree" that i was once labled by a good friend who first got to enjoy my moves in december) by getting together with the rest of the volunteers to practice with real colombians. needless to say it's humorous to get eight gringos together trying to move and dance like real latins. but i think we do okay. getting better for sure. and its fun once you get the hang of it.
a few weeks ago, i made my first trip to cazuca, a neighborhood that tyler has been visiting on saturdays to work with mary, another volunteer in our ministry. first, i'd like to say a bit about cazuca, then a little about mary. cazuca is a community of tens of thousands of people, many of whom who were displaced due to the war and forced to what once was a vacant mountainside situated in the southeast corner of bogota. it is mostly made up of makeshift shacks or small block houses, and there are no paved streets. it is currently controlled by a paramilitary group which collects its own tax, enforces curfews, instills fear, and generally does anything it wants to controll the people including kidnapping and killing. to give you an idea of the degree to which the bogota city police fear this particular paramilitary, mary said that not long ago on a saturday afternoon she passed a military tank on a street corner with two national police in full armor, unwilling to leave the saftey of the armored tank. over the past months, the police have gradually been working their way up the mountain into the community, but its a slow and dangerous process. which would lead you to believe that for a 65 year old austrailan woman to be working alone, in cazuca, one of roughest parts of bogota, would be crazy. well, it is, but sometimes that's what god calls his people to do. so, a little bit more about mary. as i've already mentioned she is a single older aged austrailan woman, dedicated to serving the poor and oppressed. she is the greates example i have in my life for what it means to obey what god calls us to do as christians. this past december she took her work in cazuca one step further and decided to purchase a house and move there. "what? are you crazy? you have so much courage, i hope to have your courage someday," i said to her. she quickly responded in a soft spoken voice, "i don't have courage, i just obey." this hit me like a ton of bricks. i had never heard someone respond to a question of courage in this way. to mary, its not a matter of mustering up the correct amount of courage, or even asking god to provide the courage, its simply a matter of obeying the call of god, and responding with action. for her, that meant purchasing a house and starting an after-school study program for kids in one of the most dangerous parts of bogota; cazuca. enough said. she is my hero.
first off, david, the eleven year old boy that came to live with us around the begining of december, decided to leave the second week of january. as it was with ferney, the 8 year old boy that was with us for two months prior, our month and a half with david was a challenging time. a little background on david: he has lived most of his life with a woman who is not his biological mother, but nonetheless has cared for him greatly and rescued him from an abusive father and unloving homelife. however, she does not have a stable job, and makes only enough money to pay the small nightly fee for her habitation by cleaning houses in the neighborhood. for this reason, she was unable to continue providing for david, and decided to entrust him to our ministry with the understanding that living with me would be a temporary first step before being committed to long term by the ministry and placed in a family with a small group of kids.
unfortunately he was not able to understand that we were the best option for him, and decided to run off with a few of my things and leave for whatever other option he may have had. my fear at the time was that his only options were the streets, where he would quickly fall into drugs and gangs, or the governemnt social services program, which he had previously been placed in 12 times only to run away each time, which in all probability would only lead to the streets as well. fortunately, after an afternoon of fun with the money he made from selling my ipod, he decided to return to gloria's house, who agreed to keep him for the weekend while it was decided what would be done. in the end it was david who decided to run away from our house and we decided we could not take him back. he had not shown us any desire to change or to take advantage of the opportunity he had with us. gloria then handed him over to the government social services program, where as expected, he made a quick escape and once again showed up at gloria's. refusing to see david sucked into a life on the streets, she again decided to take him in and do everything possible to save him. he has since been with her and is now attending our school called "luc y vida" or "light and life".
i have not had a kid living with me since david, and instead have begun working at "el otro camino" or "the other way", which is sort of like a kindergarden. for four days a week we take our bus to a community of recylers called Colombianita, and bring back around 20 kids to work with for the day. honestly, it has been a welcomed respit from the responsibility of careing for someone 24 hours a day, and i'm rather enjoying it. however, thats not to say that i may not find myself in a 24 hour care position sometime in the near future. coming to colombia, it was my hearts' desire to invest in a child full time, and that still remains.
for three weeks in january, tyler and adri both got to go the amazons to help translate for a ywam outreach team. the amazons. what else can i say. it would have been an amazing opportunity to see the jungle of the amazon, visit peru and brazil, trek through rain forrest, swim with alligators and piranahs, visit tranquil villages, meet amazing people, and share the love of god, but.....maybe another day. matter of fact, yes, another day i will go.
the outreach team came back to bogota along with tyler and adri, and spent a month around the city visiting various ministries and programs that work with kids at risk. while tagging along i got the opportunity to test out my translating abilities, which i found really struggle when i'm infront of a crowd. practice practice practice. it reinforced the fact that i need to continue to study and do as much talking and reading in spanish as possible. it doesn't help that i work with mostly english speaking volunteers.
salsa dancing. for those of you that know me, you might have a hard time imagining me dancing to salsa music. maybe you don't know what salsa is, but it's something very specific. there are moves. and i think i've learned a few of them, or atleast i'm on my way to becoming a passable dancer (hopefully more than the "tree" that i was once labled by a good friend who first got to enjoy my moves in december) by getting together with the rest of the volunteers to practice with real colombians. needless to say it's humorous to get eight gringos together trying to move and dance like real latins. but i think we do okay. getting better for sure. and its fun once you get the hang of it.
a few weeks ago, i made my first trip to cazuca, a neighborhood that tyler has been visiting on saturdays to work with mary, another volunteer in our ministry. first, i'd like to say a bit about cazuca, then a little about mary. cazuca is a community of tens of thousands of people, many of whom who were displaced due to the war and forced to what once was a vacant mountainside situated in the southeast corner of bogota. it is mostly made up of makeshift shacks or small block houses, and there are no paved streets. it is currently controlled by a paramilitary group which collects its own tax, enforces curfews, instills fear, and generally does anything it wants to controll the people including kidnapping and killing. to give you an idea of the degree to which the bogota city police fear this particular paramilitary, mary said that not long ago on a saturday afternoon she passed a military tank on a street corner with two national police in full armor, unwilling to leave the saftey of the armored tank. over the past months, the police have gradually been working their way up the mountain into the community, but its a slow and dangerous process. which would lead you to believe that for a 65 year old austrailan woman to be working alone, in cazuca, one of roughest parts of bogota, would be crazy. well, it is, but sometimes that's what god calls his people to do. so, a little bit more about mary. as i've already mentioned she is a single older aged austrailan woman, dedicated to serving the poor and oppressed. she is the greates example i have in my life for what it means to obey what god calls us to do as christians. this past december she took her work in cazuca one step further and decided to purchase a house and move there. "what? are you crazy? you have so much courage, i hope to have your courage someday," i said to her. she quickly responded in a soft spoken voice, "i don't have courage, i just obey." this hit me like a ton of bricks. i had never heard someone respond to a question of courage in this way. to mary, its not a matter of mustering up the correct amount of courage, or even asking god to provide the courage, its simply a matter of obeying the call of god, and responding with action. for her, that meant purchasing a house and starting an after-school study program for kids in one of the most dangerous parts of bogota; cazuca. enough said. she is my hero.
Monday, November 26, 2007
choices
ferney has not returned. unfortunately rumor amongst the kids at school is that he has been passed off by his mom to another relative. i was hoping that his mom would decide to take him in. i wonder how he is doing? is he satisfied with his choice to leave? will he be showing up at our doorstep anytime soon?
coincidentally, one leaves, and two more show up at the door unanounced. this past thurday morning i opened the door to a timid, scared looking teenage girl. she described her situation; that she was looking for a ministry connected with "bienestar familiar", the colombian social services department. i asked her to come in, only to find out that she wasn't alone. she went after her brother, and together they returned to the house with their bags in hand. as her story unfolded, i pieced together that 7 years ago, as little kids, they lived at our house and were in the ministry for 2 years. they had returned to bogota and the only house, our house, they could remember in a city of 8 million, becuase they lost the telephone number to the uncle that they came to visit. so they said.
fast foward a few days...
we found out they did not come just to visit an uncle. in fact, they ran from home, tired of being abused. 14 and 15 years old, they had had enough. given that we worked with them for a substantial amount of time in the past, and their current situation - no money, no contacts, nothing - we were happy to bring them in for a short time while trying to come up with the right thing to do.
the right thing to do...
these two kids find themselves on a list that is unquantifiable. a list of children that are seeking a refuge, a safe place, a place to live. unfortunately, others have already been presented to the ministry in hopes that we will be able to take them in. a mom dying of cancer with three kids under the age of 10, and an abandoned 11 year old boy are at the top. not to mention ferney, who may still return. how does one decide who to take? is the decision to offer refuge, safety, and new opportunities really ours to make? our choices now could possibly have lifetime effects. yes, on the one hand, the effects of some of our decisions could be minimal. for example ferney. he was with us for one month, left, and now finds himself in much the same situation as before: abandoned by his mom, trying to make his way outside of the family structure. however, i can look at the many kids that spent a significant amount of time with the ministry and now find themselves heading in a different direction; towards hope, with an entire extended family along side them to lead, love, and encourage them. what if they were told no? how was that choice made? was it luck that brought them to the lap of the worker that told them they were loved and jesus cared for them?
all to say that to choose one kid who has zero options over another is difficult. praying for wisdom and the revelation of god's will has to be the way. how else can we justify making decisions with such serious implications for kids that have run out of options and find themselves lost?
coincidentally, one leaves, and two more show up at the door unanounced. this past thurday morning i opened the door to a timid, scared looking teenage girl. she described her situation; that she was looking for a ministry connected with "bienestar familiar", the colombian social services department. i asked her to come in, only to find out that she wasn't alone. she went after her brother, and together they returned to the house with their bags in hand. as her story unfolded, i pieced together that 7 years ago, as little kids, they lived at our house and were in the ministry for 2 years. they had returned to bogota and the only house, our house, they could remember in a city of 8 million, becuase they lost the telephone number to the uncle that they came to visit. so they said.
fast foward a few days...
we found out they did not come just to visit an uncle. in fact, they ran from home, tired of being abused. 14 and 15 years old, they had had enough. given that we worked with them for a substantial amount of time in the past, and their current situation - no money, no contacts, nothing - we were happy to bring them in for a short time while trying to come up with the right thing to do.
the right thing to do...
these two kids find themselves on a list that is unquantifiable. a list of children that are seeking a refuge, a safe place, a place to live. unfortunately, others have already been presented to the ministry in hopes that we will be able to take them in. a mom dying of cancer with three kids under the age of 10, and an abandoned 11 year old boy are at the top. not to mention ferney, who may still return. how does one decide who to take? is the decision to offer refuge, safety, and new opportunities really ours to make? our choices now could possibly have lifetime effects. yes, on the one hand, the effects of some of our decisions could be minimal. for example ferney. he was with us for one month, left, and now finds himself in much the same situation as before: abandoned by his mom, trying to make his way outside of the family structure. however, i can look at the many kids that spent a significant amount of time with the ministry and now find themselves heading in a different direction; towards hope, with an entire extended family along side them to lead, love, and encourage them. what if they were told no? how was that choice made? was it luck that brought them to the lap of the worker that told them they were loved and jesus cared for them?
all to say that to choose one kid who has zero options over another is difficult. praying for wisdom and the revelation of god's will has to be the way. how else can we justify making decisions with such serious implications for kids that have run out of options and find themselves lost?
Friday, November 9, 2007
changes
so its been over a month since i signed up for a blogger accout, and to date i've made one official entry. ...pretty poor if you ask me. there has been plenty going on, however, i have no excuse.
likewise, it's been almost a month since ferney, the abandoned 8 yr old boy from colombianita, moved into our house with tyler and i. tyler is from texas, and arrived here in colombia about the same time i did. great guy, and a huge help.
safe to say, this past month was more than i could have imagined. specifically, more emotionally draining, trying, confusing, and all around difficult. i look back to the ministy meeting when it was announced to the rest of the team that i had agreed to take in ferney, and i got a timely "oohh" or in spanish "oesh" from nearly everyone present. at the time, it was comical. i can see now how naive i was concerning the implications of my decision. i knew i was in for a challenge, but without experience, i was comitting to the unknown.
ferney was abandoned. what does that mean for a kid only 8 years old? a child old enough to know what love should be, to have an appreciation for his providers, in this case soley his mom, and a child old enough to fight for what he wants, misses, or fears. abondoment is a fairly straight-foward word, but with so much consequence. consequence that when faced with, i find myself at times unprepared to go to battle against. how can i know what it feels like to be given away to strangers, by the only one that i believe cares for me, provides for me, and maybe loves me? i will never be able to relate, just like i will never truly relate with the poor. i will always have a saftey net. someone to call, to pick me up, take me home, back to the world of abundance and security. part of poverty is the complete lack of security, living each day hand to mouth, not knowing what tomorow will or will not bring. in part, i belive that is where ferney is at. he has been given away by what he intrinsically knows to be love, his family, and is faced with the uncertainty of whether or not he'll ever get it back.
so....last thursday, it finally happens. i'm on my way to pick ferney up from school, only to find him in a fight with an archrival, didier, a kid much smaller, and nicer, that ferney seems to have something against. i pull him away and walk him to the corner. he's angry and resorts to behavior that is less than kind, and then talks about running to his mom. at this point, he's had a normal day filled with fighting and getting in to trouble, and he's as angry as ever, but i don't think he is capable of making the 45 minute trek to the recycling village of colombianita, where he wrongly believes his mom to be. evenso, he runs off, not to return. tyler and i, along with the help of our homeless friend camilo across the street, spent the evening searching the neighborhood with no luck. the next morning, we found out he did in fact make it to colombianita, and later to his mom's. it was good to know he was safe, and suprising to know his mom agreed to keep him for the weekend. maybe a sign of hope.
hope. i need to hope in the posiblity for change not only in ferney, but his mom. last sunday she came to the monthy visitation time here at the house. it's hard for me to understand how someone like ferney's mom can care so little as to abandon her son, but yet make an appearance once a month to visit. i was at a loss for words while sitting next to her, not knowing what to think or feel. sitting next to someone responsible for so much pain and emotional damage, i was forced to make small talk about the day and dance around the numerous episodes of struggle that had taken place over the past weeks.
in spite of all that has happened this month, i hope for ferney. for all the bad that he is capable of, he is also capable of good. this is redemption. the redemption that god can do in his life, if ferney allows it. the question is, will he allow it? i see signs that tell me no. at times he seems to get more satisfaction out of doing wrong than good. he lacks the sense of connection between his actions and words, and the effects thereafter. i'm hit with 2x4, spat on, he curses me and my family, expresses his desire to take my life, and five minutes later wants a hug and can't understand why i seem a little upset. this is what scares me most. he has normalized his behavior, which is far from normal and at times dangerous, and at the age of 8, fights internal battles that i can't imagine. but yet there are times when he seems cabable of love and desires to do the right thing, and for a moment makes me forget about the battles waged the night before. his environment plays a huge part in his outward behavior. around bad kids, he joins in and makes the situation worse, feeding off negative influence and inturn influencing those around him. his level of influence for bad is what convinces me of his potential for positive influence. another thing that i'm leanring is that when he feels good as a person, and feels afirmend in something, he is 100 times more likely to do good.
because he has been with his mom for the weekend, i've been able to relax, get out of the house with friends, and clear my mind a bit. today we find out if he returns to our house, stays with his mom, or is sent to the only other option; the governmental social service. my hope is that his mom see's her responsiblity as a parent, and finds the courage to take him back. maybe then they can begin the rebuilding process and the past 5 months of abandonment for ferney can become a memory instead of a reality sooner than later.
one last thing. there is so little that i know about ferney and his life so far. one can only guess as to the extent that he has been abused and mistreated. but one thing i do know is he has a life to live. a life to influence others for the better, learn how to love, and a life to enjoy. for this, i hope in him, and all the kids that the ministry gets to work with every day.
likewise, it's been almost a month since ferney, the abandoned 8 yr old boy from colombianita, moved into our house with tyler and i. tyler is from texas, and arrived here in colombia about the same time i did. great guy, and a huge help.
safe to say, this past month was more than i could have imagined. specifically, more emotionally draining, trying, confusing, and all around difficult. i look back to the ministy meeting when it was announced to the rest of the team that i had agreed to take in ferney, and i got a timely "oohh" or in spanish "oesh" from nearly everyone present. at the time, it was comical. i can see now how naive i was concerning the implications of my decision. i knew i was in for a challenge, but without experience, i was comitting to the unknown.
ferney was abandoned. what does that mean for a kid only 8 years old? a child old enough to know what love should be, to have an appreciation for his providers, in this case soley his mom, and a child old enough to fight for what he wants, misses, or fears. abondoment is a fairly straight-foward word, but with so much consequence. consequence that when faced with, i find myself at times unprepared to go to battle against. how can i know what it feels like to be given away to strangers, by the only one that i believe cares for me, provides for me, and maybe loves me? i will never be able to relate, just like i will never truly relate with the poor. i will always have a saftey net. someone to call, to pick me up, take me home, back to the world of abundance and security. part of poverty is the complete lack of security, living each day hand to mouth, not knowing what tomorow will or will not bring. in part, i belive that is where ferney is at. he has been given away by what he intrinsically knows to be love, his family, and is faced with the uncertainty of whether or not he'll ever get it back.
so....last thursday, it finally happens. i'm on my way to pick ferney up from school, only to find him in a fight with an archrival, didier, a kid much smaller, and nicer, that ferney seems to have something against. i pull him away and walk him to the corner. he's angry and resorts to behavior that is less than kind, and then talks about running to his mom. at this point, he's had a normal day filled with fighting and getting in to trouble, and he's as angry as ever, but i don't think he is capable of making the 45 minute trek to the recycling village of colombianita, where he wrongly believes his mom to be. evenso, he runs off, not to return. tyler and i, along with the help of our homeless friend camilo across the street, spent the evening searching the neighborhood with no luck. the next morning, we found out he did in fact make it to colombianita, and later to his mom's. it was good to know he was safe, and suprising to know his mom agreed to keep him for the weekend. maybe a sign of hope.
hope. i need to hope in the posiblity for change not only in ferney, but his mom. last sunday she came to the monthy visitation time here at the house. it's hard for me to understand how someone like ferney's mom can care so little as to abandon her son, but yet make an appearance once a month to visit. i was at a loss for words while sitting next to her, not knowing what to think or feel. sitting next to someone responsible for so much pain and emotional damage, i was forced to make small talk about the day and dance around the numerous episodes of struggle that had taken place over the past weeks.
in spite of all that has happened this month, i hope for ferney. for all the bad that he is capable of, he is also capable of good. this is redemption. the redemption that god can do in his life, if ferney allows it. the question is, will he allow it? i see signs that tell me no. at times he seems to get more satisfaction out of doing wrong than good. he lacks the sense of connection between his actions and words, and the effects thereafter. i'm hit with 2x4, spat on, he curses me and my family, expresses his desire to take my life, and five minutes later wants a hug and can't understand why i seem a little upset. this is what scares me most. he has normalized his behavior, which is far from normal and at times dangerous, and at the age of 8, fights internal battles that i can't imagine. but yet there are times when he seems cabable of love and desires to do the right thing, and for a moment makes me forget about the battles waged the night before. his environment plays a huge part in his outward behavior. around bad kids, he joins in and makes the situation worse, feeding off negative influence and inturn influencing those around him. his level of influence for bad is what convinces me of his potential for positive influence. another thing that i'm leanring is that when he feels good as a person, and feels afirmend in something, he is 100 times more likely to do good.
because he has been with his mom for the weekend, i've been able to relax, get out of the house with friends, and clear my mind a bit. today we find out if he returns to our house, stays with his mom, or is sent to the only other option; the governmental social service. my hope is that his mom see's her responsiblity as a parent, and finds the courage to take him back. maybe then they can begin the rebuilding process and the past 5 months of abandonment for ferney can become a memory instead of a reality sooner than later.
one last thing. there is so little that i know about ferney and his life so far. one can only guess as to the extent that he has been abused and mistreated. but one thing i do know is he has a life to live. a life to influence others for the better, learn how to love, and a life to enjoy. for this, i hope in him, and all the kids that the ministry gets to work with every day.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
It's Not All About Me and Jesus
A link to some thoughts by a friend of mine worth reading and thinking(talking) about. Click on the title above.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
first try
Well here I am, typing in capital letters for the first time in....a while....maybe because I feel like this needs to be official, posting my first blog as it were about my experiences in Bogota, Colombia working with the Street Kids of Colombia ministry. I arrived the 12th of September, to the business of Latin American culture, and the chaotic streets of Bogota. A far cry from the humble roads and clean air of Holmes County where Amish buggies and beautiful farmland vistas are the norm. Something I miss already.
A few weeks have passed and I"m begining to feel more at home. I'm begining to remember again what its like to be in a Spanish speaking culture, and becoming reaquainted with the city. Last week I began my orientation with the ministry by spending time at the "Otra Camino" or "Other Way". Here I'll refer to it as the later. The Other Way is the entry point for the ministry that currently works with about 25 kids from a recycling community called Colombianita. All members of the community in one way or another contribute to the gathering, sorting, saving, and selling of trash found on the streets of Bogota. Colombianita could almost be considered a village in of itself that takes up about 2 square blocks. Made up of scrape wood and metal, some houses two stories tall, it's packed full of workers, parents, about 500 kids, and the "trash" that makes it all posible. Many of the kids are able go to a normal public school and come home to some kind of family environment. Not all bad and not all good, but somewhere in the middle. I've noticed that many of the kids that we pick up and drop off everyday return to hugs and kisses by a smiling mom or sibling. Unfortunately its never been a father.
The kids at the Other way are so full of life. And courage, as I saw on the playground last week. About ten of the kids that are currently part of the Other Way are somewhere between the ages of 0 a 2 years old. The other day at "recess" I was blown away by the complete lack of fear possesed by these kids. Barely being able to walk, and still in diapers, without hesitation every one in the group climed what must have seemed like a mountain high series of steel bars to the top platform of the playground. With tiny legs and arms hardly long enough to reach from bar to bar, they hussled their way right up. Pretty sure I would have been fired by any public institution and then sued by the parents if this were to take place in the US. But they seemed pretty intent on making it, and with smiles on their faces and the eagerness to accomplish something so impressive, how could I not let them. After all, childhood is all about testing limits right? So up they went with the occasional slip, but with me right there to catch their mistep. Hanging on the parallel bars is another sport they really get into. Five feet up in the air they hang on with all the might they can muster, until gravity takes over and they fall.....to where they are exactly sure, but for some reason they place enough trust in me to risk their life. They would do it all day if I let them.
Testing limits....there are certain kids that like to test every limit posible. One of which is named Ferne. He's eight years old and was abandoned by his mom a few months ago. Apparently his mom was kicked out of the Colombianita community by her husband, who decided he prefered life with his new girlfriend. So, forced to the streets with 4 kids, she decided Ferne was the one that had to go in order to make life posible for the rest of the family. This kid is bright, fun, full of love, desires to be loved, full of energy, but like I said, likes to test every limit posible. Reason I mention Ferne is because he is the classic example of the type of kid that the ministry has been able to work with over the past 15 years. No one wanted him, or atleast couldn't afford to want him. Last Monday as we were droping the kids off at Colombianita in the afternoon, his mom came to the side of the bus where Ferne was sitting. Apparently she still comes to work with the recyclers during the day. Ferne stood up in the chair, stuck his head out the window as far as posible and cried. Cried to his mom who 2 months ago left him at the corner to fend for himself. She stood there, I couldn't hear what was said, but the fact is nothing was DONE. She stood underneath him by the window for what might have been a minute, and only words were exchanged. No contact, no hug, nothing but a broken helpless kid being abondoned by his mother yet again.
Ferne may play a part in why I'm here, and I'll write more about that as things develope. This week I'll continue spending time with the various extensions of the ministry and attempt to figure out where I should be.
Till next time - ciao.
A few weeks have passed and I"m begining to feel more at home. I'm begining to remember again what its like to be in a Spanish speaking culture, and becoming reaquainted with the city. Last week I began my orientation with the ministry by spending time at the "Otra Camino" or "Other Way". Here I'll refer to it as the later. The Other Way is the entry point for the ministry that currently works with about 25 kids from a recycling community called Colombianita. All members of the community in one way or another contribute to the gathering, sorting, saving, and selling of trash found on the streets of Bogota. Colombianita could almost be considered a village in of itself that takes up about 2 square blocks. Made up of scrape wood and metal, some houses two stories tall, it's packed full of workers, parents, about 500 kids, and the "trash" that makes it all posible. Many of the kids are able go to a normal public school and come home to some kind of family environment. Not all bad and not all good, but somewhere in the middle. I've noticed that many of the kids that we pick up and drop off everyday return to hugs and kisses by a smiling mom or sibling. Unfortunately its never been a father.
The kids at the Other way are so full of life. And courage, as I saw on the playground last week. About ten of the kids that are currently part of the Other Way are somewhere between the ages of 0 a 2 years old. The other day at "recess" I was blown away by the complete lack of fear possesed by these kids. Barely being able to walk, and still in diapers, without hesitation every one in the group climed what must have seemed like a mountain high series of steel bars to the top platform of the playground. With tiny legs and arms hardly long enough to reach from bar to bar, they hussled their way right up. Pretty sure I would have been fired by any public institution and then sued by the parents if this were to take place in the US. But they seemed pretty intent on making it, and with smiles on their faces and the eagerness to accomplish something so impressive, how could I not let them. After all, childhood is all about testing limits right? So up they went with the occasional slip, but with me right there to catch their mistep. Hanging on the parallel bars is another sport they really get into. Five feet up in the air they hang on with all the might they can muster, until gravity takes over and they fall.....to where they are exactly sure, but for some reason they place enough trust in me to risk their life. They would do it all day if I let them.
Testing limits....there are certain kids that like to test every limit posible. One of which is named Ferne. He's eight years old and was abandoned by his mom a few months ago. Apparently his mom was kicked out of the Colombianita community by her husband, who decided he prefered life with his new girlfriend. So, forced to the streets with 4 kids, she decided Ferne was the one that had to go in order to make life posible for the rest of the family. This kid is bright, fun, full of love, desires to be loved, full of energy, but like I said, likes to test every limit posible. Reason I mention Ferne is because he is the classic example of the type of kid that the ministry has been able to work with over the past 15 years. No one wanted him, or atleast couldn't afford to want him. Last Monday as we were droping the kids off at Colombianita in the afternoon, his mom came to the side of the bus where Ferne was sitting. Apparently she still comes to work with the recyclers during the day. Ferne stood up in the chair, stuck his head out the window as far as posible and cried. Cried to his mom who 2 months ago left him at the corner to fend for himself. She stood there, I couldn't hear what was said, but the fact is nothing was DONE. She stood underneath him by the window for what might have been a minute, and only words were exchanged. No contact, no hug, nothing but a broken helpless kid being abondoned by his mother yet again.
Ferne may play a part in why I'm here, and I'll write more about that as things develope. This week I'll continue spending time with the various extensions of the ministry and attempt to figure out where I should be.
Till next time - ciao.
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