The Lost Boys
Month one of my race began in the Philippines. Here is a little of what ministry looked like for my team and I this past month.
One of my favorite things we did all month was host a boy’s camp. Every other weekend we would pick up street kids from Manila, and bring them back up to camp at the mountains. Most of the boys were teenagers, but I assure you they looked more like the lost boys from Peter Pan. Their bodies were small and pretty malnourished. Essentially, most of them had run away from home. They’ve joined “gangs” and have decided to live life on the streets. Of the many downfalls to this type of lifestyle, many of them become addicted to sniffing glue. So, we pick them up and they’re about as high as a kite. It’s sad. It’s heartbreaking. It’s a broken world.
Over the span of the next day and a half we love on them. Love reveals itself in many ways like soccer games, hugs, holding hands, words of affirmation like “good job” or “I love you”, swinging them around, correcting them when they fight, and just being Jesus to them. We have a great time, and for 36 hours they’re just normal boys. No drugs, no sleeping on the streets, and no worries.
Then, back into the city and it’s the same old thing. More drugs. More crime. Less food. It was tough for me to deal with. We teach them about Jesus, and we do our best to represent Jesus to them, but brokenness takes time to heal. I don’t think we saved any of them from their lifestyle, but I do believe we planted a seed. And the next people after us will plant more seeds. And the ministry that’s already there will continue to pour into them, love them, and disciple them.
It would be easy for me to have walked away from the Philippines, and say that those lost boys are a couple of lost causes. Except, they aren’t. And they never will be. They are special, because they are special to God. Despite their circumstances they are still loved by God. I pray they come to know Him one day. And I mean truly know that Jesus and the joy He offers is so much better than sniffing glue from a water bottle. I hope one day soon these lost boys find their Heavenly Father. He’s waiting and yearning for them to come back home.
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