We say on the masthead of our web site that our task is to "rescue street children from the streets of Nairobi, Kenya" But what does that mean? What do we actually do? What is our goal and how do we go about it?
For many years when people have asked about my favorite books, I have said, "
Generation to Generation by Edwin Friedman. It's a book on counseling using what is called "family systems theory", and it has lots of case studies. I was in a thrift store last week and I noticed a little book called
Friedman's Fables; I immediately thought of my favorite book, so I looked at it. And it was by the same author!! It is full of stories which are great for discussion topics. The first story is called "The Bridge," and it is all about the way we look at street ministry.
In "The Bridge" a man has discovered that it is time for him to realize his destiny, to move his life toward what he was created for, and so he begins his journey toward the goal of his dreams. He comes to a bridge and sees a man approaching from the opposite direction. The man is swinging a rope and has one end tied around his waist. When they meet, the man with the rope hands our man one end, asks him to hold it for him, and jumps off the bridge.
Our man searches for a way to rescue him, but the rope is long enough that he cannot directly pull the man up. There is no place to tie the rope, and he cannot swing the man to safety. And the man will not roll himself up the rope; he simply calls out to our man to hold on to the rope "or I'll be lost." The time is fast approaching when the opportunity to fulfill his destiny will be lost. He tries every possible argument to get the man to help himself to safety, but to no avail.
In the end our man turns loose of the rope and goes on to seek his destiny.
How does this play out in street ministry? We are engaged in rescue, in seeking out 13 to 14 year olds and inviting them to live at Kamulu, where we have a literacy school, residence halls for boys and girls, a farm and a skills training center -- and where, with love and teaching, we prepare young people to be successful in faith, in life and in jobs. How does it work?
One goal we have is to have the kids be responsible for their own lives, to make good decisions and do for themselves all they can. We provide what they cannot -- housing, food, teaching, training, affection, and more. They must decide to come and decide to stay - every day. They must stop some things, like glue and sexual activity and lying. They must work on the farm, attend classes and struggle to learn, get along with one another in the residence halls and more.
They must do what the man on the rope is urged to do in the story -- they must "roll themselves up the rope" thus making themselves "rescuable." They do that by attending programs at the Eastleigh Center, beginning to change behaviors even as they are on the streets, agreeing to come to Kamulu and staying even through difficult times (if they run away, they cannot return if we do not find them on the first day away), and by following the program. The program includes daily chapel, worship on Sunday, Bible studies, literacy studies (in English, Math and Computers), skills training (we have several options - sewing, cooking, computers, auto mechanics, woodworking, hairdressing, agriculture and masonry) and more.
We also help the youth remain independent by having the boys cook their own breakfast and lunch in their residence halls and the girls do the same. We also have them be responsible for their own studies if they are planning to take the national 8th grade exams while with us. When they are ready to exit at 18 years and older, they are to, with our help, find a place to live and an internship or a job and then stay with it. They are also responsible to begin a Discovery Bible Study group in the apartment where they go to live. And always our students have the daily responsibility to decide that they want to stay with us. That is hard for some, as they have a history of running from place to place.
It is never easy letting go of the rope and allowing young people to sink back into the streets, back into homelessness and hopelessness. But helping them be responsible for their own lives is even more important.
Efforts to wash his face proved futile, and his friends helped him get to where he wanted. When we visited him yesterday at "Rounda" base, he was holding a tin with milk. When Byron spoke and asked if he knew who we were, he said "Najua ni odijo lakini sikuoni" ("I know it's the teacher but I can't see you"). He narrated to us how Evans had taken him to Kenyatta Hospital and how later he was chased from there. He had the hospital papers which on the top read "Urgent Please". Larry, Jane Njeri and I taught all the other youth there especially to be thankful, and we made plans to take Geofrey to hospital on Sunday. We hope it will be something the Doctors can rectify before it's too late.
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