as part of a summer class requirement, i read the book "deep justice in a broken world". what i thought was just going to be something i would read just for class became something that rocked my world. the idea of deep justice is simply righting the wrongs in our broken world. it's finding the root causes of the issues and provide the tools, to come alongside with those in need and help them to solve the issues. not just provide the temporary solutions.
looking at our world today, we are surrounded by brokenness. the homeless person u walk by each day, the elderly person going through the trash can, the child begging for change on the walkway, the one who sits by themselves every day in the cafeteria. we fail to recognize them, after all, why would we go that far out of our way to help someone who's a complete stranger?
as i journeyed to Boston, MA for about a week of vacation, i asked God to open my eyes to see. the 2 days that i spent stuck in the Houston airport, i was very very restless. it was a new environment, a big city. what would deep justice look like there?
upon arrival in Boston, armed w suitcases, and my new friend Nade from Mexico, we attempted to locate the house that we were going to stay at. of cos we got lost and ended up wandering through a housing project that was just a couple of blocks away from our accommodation. there was nothing special about it, but for some reason, i couldn't get the image of it out of my mind. the next few nights, thoughts of the housing project was constantly on my mind.
after wandering around the city for several days, and having a good time, there was something about that housing project several blocks away that was still edged in my mind. so when i had a morning to myself, i decided to take a walk to the housing projects. at the most if people were looking i could just pretend to walk through it. for some unknown reason, i decided to take a candy bar w me, even tho i just ate n there was no way i would get hungry in the 5-10mins walk i was going to take.
i was really nervous as i made the walk over. but when i reached, i decided to be a little bit brave and walk around in the projects. that's when i chanced upon the dumping area for trash and i saw a little boy climbing in the trash bin and digging around. surprising myself, i said hi and asked him what he was looking for. "oh you know, just some food. this is the best spot for scraps." he says with pride, a big grin spreading across his face. i cringed on the inside. he was probably no older than 5 or 6, and he was digging for scraps in the trash.
i offered him my candy bar which he gladly accepted, giving me a huge hug. and we sat down on the steps to chat for a bit. this little guy was 5, has never been to school cos his family can't afford it. his dad is usually gone for long periods of time, 2 older brothers have been arrested for drugs and his mum does odd jobs to make ends meet but hasn't been lucky lately. his mum spends most of her time away from the house so he spends his days looking for scraps to feed himself and 2 younger siblings. its been 3 days since he's had anything close to a meal.
he then invited me to come to his house w him, said his mum is out and he wanted to give some of the candy bar to his younger siblings. i agreed and meeting the other 2 kids almost had me in tears. they're the most adorable kids and just looking at the little that they had just shocked me to the core. their home was pretty much as big as the typical college kids room that we always complain of being too small. they had one thin mattress that they all shared n one blanket. the room was pretty much bare for the most part. there was a small box or used candles that he proudly told me he collects to help keep them warm in the winter.
i watched as my little friend rationed his candy bar and it broke my heart. here i was, on vacation, and this little guy hasnt had a meal in days. he'll never know when his next meal is coming either. not knowing what i could do to best help him, i decided, buying them groceries would be the least that i could do. so off to the grocery store we went, and it was by far the best trip of my life. it made me smile watching this little guy stare in awe of the aisles and aisles of items and grin every time he got to pick out something to put into the cart. almost an hour, and $50+ later, we headed back to his home armed w groceries and some blankets that will last them for quite a while.
what i wasn't expecting was for his mum to be home when we returned, and i'm so thankful that she was very nice and very thankful. she shared w me the dreams she had for my little friend as she said he's the brightest of all her kids and she wanted a good future for him. she wished she could give all her kids a better life. there had to be ways that she could get help, i just didn't know anything about help she could get, especially since i'm not even from Boston. after more sharing and prayer, i left their home, promising to come by and bid farewell when it was my time to leave.
i bet u're thinking just the same. my story ends here. but instead, later that night, for the life of me i couldn't fall asleep and ended up doing extensive research of ways to help my little friend and his family. i was surprised at the amount of help that was out there that they could possibly get. unknown to them, because unlike me, they didn't have the internet. but there was help out there and i was so glad i found all this out, even though that meant losing sleep. the day i was departing, i went by their home to bid farewell, as well as give them all the information i had gathered that could possibly help them.
when i was stuck in Houston on the way to Boston, i wondered if i was even suppose to go at all. but knowing that i made a difference in the life of my little friend and his family, made the entire trip worth it. sure i had a blast being a tourist and meeting up w diff people, but none of that beats spending time w this little guy and being able to bless his family.
i pray everyday that they will be able to have a better life, and find God in the midst of it all.
is there someone that u can help? someone that's been ignored and made invisible. be the eyes that see them, be the hands that reach out to them.
