Saturday was a day of contrast.
We started the morning under dark skies and heavy rain. The day ended in the sun with warm temperatures.
While serving the Ellilta children, the 5-8 years olds played games, did crafts and laughed with half our team in a downstairs classroom.
Upstairs was a different story all together. There we gathered with 40 youths - mostly young teens. As they ignored many of requests, argued and sometimes fought with one another, our team felt helpless...and hopeless that any blessing would come out of our time with these mostly tough street kids who's mothers also worked the streets.
We saw an almost instant shift in tone as several male team members stepped into situations and conversations with father-like love and authority.
I pulled aside a group of the oldest most rowdy boys and began to engaged with them on a personal level...asking questions about their lives and family.
When i asked these 5 boys which one of them knew their eathly father, only one raised his hand.
Heartbreaking.
After some more talk, I asked if I could pray for them. With hearts softened a bit by conversation, I prayed they'd understand the love of a Heavenly father. Looking into each of their eyes, I let them know they were worthy of this kind of love.
I could see one of the boys with tears in his eyes.
Then challenged them to show the same compassion to other children, young girls and women as they and their mothers have reveived through the Ellilta program.
This experience punctuated the need for the boys mentoring program Arukah Global is beginning to.woek on with our partners.
(in order to protect the identity of these children of former prostitutes, there are no photos posted)
We started the morning under dark skies and heavy rain. The day ended in the sun with warm temperatures.
While serving the Ellilta children, the 5-8 years olds played games, did crafts and laughed with half our team in a downstairs classroom.
Upstairs was a different story all together. There we gathered with 40 youths - mostly young teens. As they ignored many of requests, argued and sometimes fought with one another, our team felt helpless...and hopeless that any blessing would come out of our time with these mostly tough street kids who's mothers also worked the streets.
We saw an almost instant shift in tone as several male team members stepped into situations and conversations with father-like love and authority.
I pulled aside a group of the oldest most rowdy boys and began to engaged with them on a personal level...asking questions about their lives and family.
When i asked these 5 boys which one of them knew their eathly father, only one raised his hand.
Heartbreaking.
After some more talk, I asked if I could pray for them. With hearts softened a bit by conversation, I prayed they'd understand the love of a Heavenly father. Looking into each of their eyes, I let them know they were worthy of this kind of love.
I could see one of the boys with tears in his eyes.
Then challenged them to show the same compassion to other children, young girls and women as they and their mothers have reveived through the Ellilta program.
This experience punctuated the need for the boys mentoring program Arukah Global is beginning to.woek on with our partners.
(in order to protect the identity of these children of former prostitutes, there are no photos posted)
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