Dysfunction is Normal

It's summer in Peru and our team is down to half its size. Carolina and Vladimir were both away this weekend and so it was just Milagros and I on the streets tonight. The youth already know who we are and we just stay in one spot now and they come to us. Well, those who want to see us. Oscar ran away from us today. We believe it's because he and a friend wanted to do some B&E (break and enter) so they would not even say hi to us. Carlos was a no show tonight. 


The first person we saw tonight was Andrea and another girl, Jimena who is 3 months pregnant and smoking pasta. She is 14 years old. She said that the father of her baby died in an accident. I started teaching her about the consequences of doing drugs or alcohol when pregnant or lactating and she was genuinely surprised. I sincerely hope that she stops smoking pasta for her baby's sake. Andrea told me she is consuming drugs again after 2 months of not doing it. I wish families would realize that and get their kids out of the environment after they get clean.  


We met Carla tonight with her 5 month old baby, Jean Pierre. She is 18 and was accompanied by a family friend, Christian Anderson (and no, I am not making up any of these names) who is 12. Both of them have very interesting stories. Carla's live in spouse, Roberth who is 16 was shot twice in the abdomen last night at the stadium. Football or soccer  games here can be fatal. There are 2 major teams, Alianza and Universitaria and they both have gang back-ups and fans and the gangs backing these teams use the games as excuses to fight one another. And Roberth, being involved in a gang backing one of the teams, got shot last night. He could have died but is now in Intensive Care because God protected him. Carla knows that and keeps saying that herself. They have 2 kids, the older child is 2 years old and little Jean Pierre is 5 months old. Carla sells  chewing gum on the streets to help support them. Her mother provides the necessities for the babies. She is a Christian but has not gone to church for a while now. Christian Anderson who is only 12, used to be on the streets inhaling terokal. He decided he wanted to change his life, begged God to help him and got off terokal and is still clean today and attends church. He shared his testimony with Milagros and started preaching to her. I love it! I asked him what he was doing in Ciudad and he said that he was only there accompanying Carla as she sold candy because Roberth is in hospital. And it was obvious he was telling the truth because the other guys teased him and bugged him about being off the streets and being clean. Hopefully Carla will let us know when we can go and visit Roberth because it would be good to be able to go and see him, pray and share the Word as well. 


While we were talking, right in front of us were the older guys mentioned in the last blog, swiping wallets off unsuspecting passerbys' back pockets. When Milagros asked them about it, their justification was that these were new people in the area. Those who steal will only steal from newbies as they know better than to steal from their neighbours or the people who live there. Then, as we were heading to our bus stop to go home, we ran into Luis Enrique who is a thief. I had met Luis Enrique a while back and he used to go to church and had been somewhat involved but then he decided to stop going when he knew that he didn't want to give up robbing people. His motive for robbing others is because he is spoiled and likes living the good life and working will get him no where. He can make up to S/1200 (USD 430) a day stealing. We talked extensively with him about his lifestyle and what's really funny is that he thinks that one day it will all change like a fairy tale and he will have kids and all will be good and fine and feel good fuzzy. I kinda burst that bubble by giving him a huge reality check of what would be the probable thing that will happen if he keeps going the way he does. He didn't like where I went with his fairytale. At the end, before we left, I asked to pray for him, he was like, nooooooo, the last time I talked to you I felt so bad I couldn't steal for days. I was like, yes, and that is why we need to pray for you more! So we did and I prayed that God would touch him and change his heart and take all desire of robbing people away. He didn't like that too much, I could tell by the way he scrunched up his face at me. LOL. He did like it when I prayed protection over him and healing over his leg that got hit by a combi when he robbed a girl of her cell phone. 


Sometimes, all you can do is shake your head in disbelief at them. You just gotta love them because they're so weird and funny and endearing despite the stuff that they do. Where their thoughts come from, how they perceive things....it's beyond comprehension sometimes. But then, they are the product of their upbringing. How many of them have mothers who are prostitutes and dads who are druggies or vendors? How does one stand a chance when they are born into a family which does not know better? How does one know what is normal or abnormal when complete dysfunction is absolutely normal to them? If you see your mom constantly handling marijuana, would that not become the norm for you, just like someone who sees their mom baking all the time? 


So much needs to change. But we can only do it one step at a time. I can't wait to be able to have funding to start the residential part of the house going so we can get some of them off the streets. Step by step, that is all we can do while God leads and directs. 

Only His Favour

She is 14 and seems like a normal teenager. We said hi to her and she was nice and friendly, but then as the conversation unfolded, we realized who the lady with the nursing baby sitting next to her was. 


Ciudad de Dios is our turf. God has given it to us and we take it with every step and each one of us feels it. We feel a deep peace when we are there and there is no fear, but the absence of fear does not mean that we are ignorant of what goes on around us. Each time we go there, we step deeper into a world that is so dark and twisted, it makes the world we know seem so unreal. Each one of us knows that we are there only because we have been called and that the favour of God goes before us. This was definitely evident tonight. As we entered Ciudad, while we were still on the bus, we saw a young couple being robbed by three guys. They basically tossed the girl aside and knocked the guy down and got away with probably his cell phone and wallet. The girl landing down onto the sidewalk was what tipped me off that something was up. The couple were fine, shaken up, but fine. 


It seemed a usual night but we could not find any of the guys. We went to all the usual spots but not a one was anywhere to be seen. So we pulled out the big guns; huddled ourselves in a circle and prayed for God to bring them to us. Voila! we turned the corner and saw one and as two of us went over to talk to him, it seemed as if a veil was lifted and the others we had come to know suddenly appeared literally out of nowhere. Carlos was there, so was Oscar although he didn't seem to care to see us too much.  There were several newbies, like Daniel and Adrian and Luis. It was good to see Carlos and even though he was high on terokal, he was pleased to see us and wanted to know again when he could get himself interned in the house. Daniel is a 24 year old, trying to pass off as a 14 year old. I am still trying to figure out the reason for his lie. Adrian is a sweetie, having only been on the streets for 4 months. He smokes pasta and said he left home because he was bored. However, the Lord gave me words of knowledge about his past and it seemed that he has been carrying a huge guilt on his shoulders believing that something that happened with his younger brothers had been his fault. Some people had also accused him of being at fault for what had happened and believing that he was not wanted anymore at home, he left. But, his family still cares for him and loves him. I shared that with him as the Lord revealed that to me and he started tearing up. And when I asked him if that was true, he nodded.  We shared with him that God is the healer and that He can heal the pain in his heart and he does not have to smoke pasta to get rid of the pain and over and over again, even though I do not know what happened in his past, I just kept sensing to tell him that it was not his fault, that which happened. All I know is that God touched him on some level tonight and we just have to continue to pray for Adrian to be healed and set free. 


While we were talking to Adrian, a group of three older guys came up to us, kinda stoned, and one introduced himself as Abram, shook all of our hands, offered apologies for the conduct of the other guys, admonished the younger ones to behave and respect us, shook our hands again and said goodbye, crossed over the street and beat up and robbed a guy right in front of us without missing a beat. We just stared open mouthed. Nothing could explain the weirdness of what had just happened except that we have God's favour upon us and He has obviously gone before us and paved the way so that all those guys can see in us is Him. How do you explain any of that otherwise?


Tonight we realized that we are now really starting to see the really seamy side of things. So, who is that woman with the nursing baby? Well, she's  only just one the many "mamas" for the prostitutes and yes, that 14 year old girl, Andrea, is a prostitute. Every place that our feet step on is ours. And as we talk to and reach out to touch the "unloved" ones, we are declaring that they belong to God. With each step, each gesture, each word and prayer spoken in His love, each hug and each sandwich handed out, we are taking Ciudad for the King of Kings. 

The Nitty Gritty

Working with street youth can be highly addictive. My team mate is like wanting to be out there 2X a week to follow up with those he has already met. I'm like, what? you want to go out again? He loves it as much as I love it. It's good to see. God definitely handpicked him and the others. 


Got a clearer picture tonight of certain relationship dynamics amongst the street youth. They all have their terokal pots, plastic bags and weapons concealed in their jackets. And just like what they taught me in the rehab centres, the guys do not ever want their drug companions to get off drugs. One of them, Carlos, definitely wants out but his other companion Oscar definitely does not want him out and keeps mocking him and throwing stuff back in his face when he says he wants to leave it all behind. Anderson, the 13 year old is definitely a character to contend with. He is a definite product of the streets. While I was talking to Carlos, the other two came around to ask him for the screwdriver he had in his pocket. They were going to go and break into cars. There was no way I could talk them out of it but I did talk to Carlos and told him I do not want to see him in prison one day because at 16, he has a future ahead of him. I basically gave him scenarios he did not want to think about, like what if the cops caught him and shot him while he was robbing? I was really creative with all my scenarios and I'm sure it made him think. The team met up with us while I was wrapping up with him and we prayed for him and he had tears in his eyes when we were done. I know he appreciated the hugs we each gave him as well. He will be my first interned residence in our centre when it starts. 


I am bone weary now. Been a hard and long day of travelling back and forth and doing non stop ministry but it has been incredibly rewarding. A 13 year old new resident at the other rehab centre me and Carolina help out at received Christ today. Been a good day. Please pray for Carlos. 

Life, Love and Mercy

I have known all my Christian life that God is love. And it's been something I knew about but didn't realize that I knew nothing of until these last few days. It's not that I didn't know about love, or His love or how we're supposed to love each other and all that. But tonight, I realized that God has been teaching me about the many facets of who He is all these years, starting with Him as Saviour and friend who sticks closer than a brother and really learning those particular characters and personalities of the Lord. Then I learned about the part of God that is Protector and Provider, how He has protected me and still protects me and how He had provided for me and still does today considering that I am solely working for the Kingdom. 


Then I learned about Him being the Law. How He is Judge and Disciplinarian. I guess I didn't realize how much that affected and formed me while learning about that the last 5 years here. I remember being so shocked to find Christians here who actually loved. But at that time, I was too far gone to trust and to allow myself to be loved. And now, I realize that the last thing He wants me to learn about Himself and the one thing that will take me an entire lifetime to learn, is who He is in love and mercy. A friend told me, basically he was prophesying but didn't know it, that this season of my life is about me learning what and how God's love is all about and how deep it is and His mercy. He was bang on when he said that all this time I have been so bent on being in His will, being obedient to Him and serving Him that I never really let Him or others love me, never really believing or trusting that people actually do love me or cared about me and that I had essentially stopped trusting people. 


Tonight, while spending time with the Lord, the Lord confirmed what my friend had said. And that this is a season of really learning and experiencing God's love, because that is who He is. He is love and without it/Him, I am but a clanging cymbal. I taught today at the Centre about God's mercy and how much He loves us and I sensed that the Lord was speaking to me too, that this is a time for me to trust and to see and know the depth of His love not just for me but for others. That He chooses mercy over judgement and I realized that today in a few real life examples of how deep His love is for us. 


I think even as the ministry, Siembra S.O.W. will intensify, I am going to laugh and have fun and have a blast with life. For too long since I have been here in Peru, I have let the Law of the Word reign in my life through all around me. This is a season now of grace and mercy and the true depth of His love because Jesus came to give us life and life abundantly. And I choose to enjoy life to the fullest, to laugh and live and love as He teaches me. And I will not let anyone put yokes on me that Jesus already took off off my shoulders. 


Here's to life, to love and to mercy!

He Makes A Way Where There Is No Way

So. How do I start? I can laugh like Sarah did, just a little more hysterically than she did, or I can just go, wow, God, you rock big time. I could do both but I think laughing hysterically at this point might scare my neighbours since it is almost midnight. Wow, God, you are amazingly amazing.


So, last Saturday, three of us went out to Ciudad de Dios at night as we had said we would to Hans.  We brought bread (which I should've buttered but forgot to as we were running around like crazy that day before heading out) and we went looking for Hans. Well, it was not surprising that he did not show. But we met one of the street youth who was utterly stoned out of his mind and we said hi to him. Then I felt to ask him if we could pray for him and he freaked, backed up and kept syaing no, no, no and all of a sudden started accusing my friend of reading his mind and then he ran away....that was the closest we came to ever being in danger.


 We then met others who treated us really well and respected us which surprised me seeing it was our first time meeting them. One of them was a 13 year old who had spent 7 years of his life living on the streets and doing drugs. (yes, if you do the math, it means he was living on the streets and doing drugs since he was 6 years old) At 13, he was already a veteran on the streets. He sniffs terokal which is carpenter's glue and does about 8 cans of it a day. He was smoking it in his plastic bag while I was talking to him and I asked him to stop smoking it cos it was seriously giving me a headache. He didn't say a word, just put it all aside and continued talking to me. I thought that he would be totally rude and tell me off since he didn't know me but he didn't. His name is Anderson and he has a dog called Calambre which means "muscle pull" in Spanish. Anderson led us to 2 others who were a little older, Oscar who is 16 if I remember right, and Carlos who is 18. I spoke to Carlos mostly that night while the rest of the team talked to the other guys. Carlos has no dad but has a mom and sisters whom he hasn't seen for the time he has spent on the street. At first I thought he just didn't want to see them but then I realized it was because he was ashamed of his condition and didn't want his mom to see him like that. He knows he needs to change but doesn't think he can. (And this is where the power of Jesus will come in, to completely transform the lives who want to be transformed!) Both Oscar and Carlos wanted us to return soon and to meet the others so we said we would meet them again today.


My team member was late this afternoon so I ended up being there by myself today. And there were about 10 of them, none of whom I had met before, all ready with their bags to sniff. From across the road I was praying and wondering if I should head over to where they were on my own or wait. I hadn't heard from my team mate all day so presumed that he could not make it so the other option if I didn't head over to talk to them was to leave to go home. After praying and just watching them, I decided that this was where God had called me to and if Jackie Pullinger could do it alone, well so can I. I headed over and said hello to them and they were like, whoa, a female approaching us to talk to us? I asked if they knew where Oscar and Carlos or Anderson were and none had a clue. I ended up talking to them (thank God for a gift of the gab) and then joking with them, and ended up prophesying over one of them who had gone to church and all before and then promised to return on Saturday with sandwiches and the rest of the team. They treated me with a lot of respect and I asserted my boundaries as well and they did not cross them. Luis Enrique asked me if I was afraid of them. I asked him if there was something I should fear about them? He was like, well most people are afraid of us. I said, well, I see beyond the appearances and see the goodness in their hearts so no, I am not afraid of them and also God has called me to do this and He has gone before me already. To which they agreed saying that God is protecting me. I just love them already! And they told me that they won't steal from me or any of the team as they don't steal from friends. I laughed and retorted that if they did, I would just go looking for them until they gave me back my stuff. They laughed. They even accompanied me to my stop to get my bus. 


My team mate showed up after I left and they realized he is part of the team and treated him really well too. I feel really blessed tonight, knowing that God just keeps making a way where there is no way. Only He could have orchestrated this all and paved the way for them to receive us and respect us the way they did. Their names are: Christian, Jose Luis, Cesar, Javier, Luis Enrique (he's the one who used to attend church and has heard the Word), Oscar, Carlos, Anderson and a few others whose names I can't remember. Please pray for them and for us as well, in being sensitive to how God wants us to proceed.