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?
Monday, November 26, 2007
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
