Throughout my time here, I hear stories of things that occur within the townships. As I hear these stories my heart aches and the shock is evident from my face. Yet those who tell the stories have lost the shock factor. Their hearts still ached, but stories like these are so commonplace that these stories are life, not an exception to normalcy. As I share some of these stories I do not share them to scare you but instead share them for you to realize the reality of those who I’m working with.
First, this past week we discussed Human Trafficking in Kids Clubs. We did this because Human Trafficking is a reality in South Africa and is becoming a greater threat with the World Cup drawing near. On Friday at LSE training, each team shared what they did to begin explaining to the children Human Trafficking. As the Massai team shared they noted that as they spoke children began weeping because one little boy who had been missing from club for about 2 weeks was trafficked. A man came into the township telling the boy he’d take him to the store to buy an ice cream. Now the boy hasn’t been seen for 2 weeks. Human trafficking is a reality here.
Second, a girl that attends Teen Club in Ocean View confided in an LSE that her best friend has been getting paid by her uncle to sleep with him. Her friend has a mother who is a dead-beat and has little brothers and sisters to look after. With the weight of life on her shoulders to provide for her siblings, she is selling her 13 year old body to this 30 year old man. The friend who confided in Meagan feels terribly responsible for what happened. She feels so guilty that her friend is now sleeping with her uncle she ran away. No one has seen or heard from her since Thursday.
Third, Melissa, an LSE I work with who quickly became a friend finally opened up how her brother died. He was walking home from a friend’s house one night and got caught being in the wrong part of Ocean View at the wrong time. He walked into a gang fight without realizing it and was stabbed to death. He had no affiliation with either gang but became their target one dreadful night. He had child who is now fatherless. He had a family who loved him. He had a mother who became so distraught after his death that she died 6 months later. Within a 6-month span Melissa lost both her brother and mother before she was even 16. The saddest part about this is that Melissa isn’t the only one. This happens every day in Ocean View.
Fourth, the 10-12 years I work with in Ocean View are addicted to meth and marijuana. Not all of the children but many of them have tried and gotten hooked on these drugs. Why? In their homes their parents are using. If their parents aren’t using then their older siblings are usually using and/ or selling. My naïve self doesn’t even know what a marijuana plant looks like yet these 10-12 years old come to Kids Club high sometimes.
Fifth, at youth at Capricorn on Friday a boy was horsing around and hit his head so hard on the concrete that he began convulsing. The leaders called his foster mom to tell her what occurred, and she took him to the hospital. But, the problem is that they don’t have health insurance and many hospitals here don’t even see patients without health insurance. So as far as we know, this little boy could have been convulsing in the waiting room, going in and out of consciousness but because his foster family cannot afford food let alone insurance, he possibly went without help Friday night.
These stories and more are common place here. I know that stories like this exist all around the world, including Jefferson City. These stories, however, are on such a grand scale here. As I hear story after story, I pray that my heart does not become numb to it all. I pray that I do not become so overwhelmed with the magnitude of it all that I stop seeking justice because I see justice as being too great a challenge to reach. I pray that as I continue to hear, see and experience these stories that the power of God continues to overwhelm me. For every tragedy faced here makes the glory of God so much sweeter. Jesus is the only steadfast hope here these people have to hold on to. Praise God they have hope in Christ unlike any I’ve ever seen or experienced.
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