Day 8: Street Boys, Full Bellies and New Clothes

Day 8: Street Boys, Full Bellies and New Clothes

March 19, 2016

Before their semi-final game with their mom

When they arrived

Eating lunch (thanks to Matt's parents who provided the meal)

Getting new clothes

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Cam with the boys

“How did you become their mom?” I asked a warm, smiling lady who had the respect of 45 street children, ages about eight to 16, as I watched them devour a meal of rice, beans and milk. 

In February, Change the Future Soccer Tournament began through Heavenly Treasures Kenya and A-STEP ministry, and the street children heard about it.  The ragtag group of boys who find refuge in the streets showed up sniffing glue and without the proper attire at the field ready to play.  They came.  This was the first step. 

And today we invited them for a meal before their semi-final game.  They made the semi-finals! They arrived with glue in hand.  Ripped shirts.  Grass in hair.  Dirty faces.  Heavy eyes.  Pants too big for their waists.  Wary.  They entered into the dining hall and awaited their bowls.  Rice.  Beans.  Milk.  Second helping served by their mom.  Rice.  Beans.  Milk.  The volume increasingly grew as their stomachs stopped growling and energy was refueled.  I smiled as my 12-year-old son sat in the middle of the group, enjoying their company. 

Afterwards, one of the cottages was filled with surprises for them.  Over 50 pairs of Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, and other brands lain on three chairs sorted by size; these were all donated by my Bible study groups who heard about the street children’s team.  A stack of 30 athletic pants formed a pile on the bed; Cameron’s middle school boys’ Bible study (e.g. a bunch of 12-14 year old boys!) at church and through Young Life collected change for a month so these could be purchased, and now the boys would wear new pants for the first time in their lives.  Bright yellow jerseys rolled into neat balls like cinnamon rolls were tucked away on a book shelf; these were donated by Tursi’s Soccer Store in Portland.  Little did Tursi’s know how much this generous gesture would bring joy and light to really hard lives.  One by one, the boys entered.  Their eyes lit up like Christmas lights on a tree.  Bright.  Excited.  Remembered. 

I walked back to the dining hall where the rest of the boys were waiting for their names to be called like horses at the Kentucky Derby before the gate is opened.  As they watched their friends return with bright yellow jerseys and smiles as wide as Niagara Falls, they became even more anxious for their turns into the cottage. 

“In 2013, I was feeling like I needed to help them, because I would see them on the street.  But I feared.  What would they do to me?  I didn’t want to listen to God calling me.  But I went into a church, and it was clear that I was supposed to help.  So, I went and began to meet with them.  One day after a church service, a few of the boys said they wanted me to come to their barracks.  This is where they all gather.  I again feared.  They would kill me, I thought.  I wanted to remain outside.  But I went, and it changed my life.  They came up to me and called me ‘Mom!’  You see, they are just children, and they need a mom.  I don’t know why God called me, but He did, and I must be obedient.”

When the last boy received his new clothes, the chatter and smiles erupted.  They couldn’t shake our hands enough.  They put Cameron in the middle of them and for once in a long while it was if they believed they were valued and cared for.  Little things that go a long way.  We are thankful for all of those back home that made today possible; it takes a village for many things, but especially for today.  We did not come alone.  And we pray for their mom that cares for them and loves these boys as her own.  Oh, and the boys won their semi-final game!  They will compete for the championship tomorrow!