Will our decisions follow us all of our lives?
Someone wisely said, "?The decisions that we make become the foundational building blocks of our lives.
We stand or fall, succeed or fail, and experience joy or sadness because of our decisions.
An experience that reinforced this truth occurred the winter of 2005.
Ruth and I were living in the Central American city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. We were helping a missionary who has devoted his life to the young ones who have fallen through the cracks of life, the orphans and gang members.
I had not known much about gangs and to my knowledge had never met a gang member. I think most people who walk the path through the middle of society never rubs shoulders with the down and outers like thieves, murderers, prostitutes, gang members, and others who are walking at the edge of the societal path. Well, during the course of Jan. through March of '05, Ruth and I rubbed shoulders with all of them.
The missionary with whom we worked ministers in the inter city of the capital. He has established a storefront church in the seediest part of the city. One day I asked him this question, Alvin, "?what percentage of your congregation comes from a respectable background?? His answer was, "?None of them, they are all ex thieves, murderers, prostitutes, drug addicts or dealers, street people, and gang members.? Sounds kind of like the folks that Jesus used to hang out with doesn't it?
My job was to give the message every Sunday morning in the church and Ruth's job was to teach the women's discipleship classes on Monday nights.
In the course of the winter we got to know many of these folks and I must admit when someone has been lifted out of a deep dark pit and placed on solid ground in the light, it shows and it is fun to be around them. They ooze with appreciation.
Another aspect of our being there was to visit with the young prisoners. To go into the youth detention centers and see 13 years old boys and girls locked up behind bars gives your heart a sinking feeling. You can't look at these children and not think, "?That boy or girl is the same age as one of my grandchildren. (I have ten of them so almost every age is represented.) Sometimes I would turn my head and look the other way. Why were they in there? A lot of them were incarcerated because their stepmother or stepfather had sent them out into the streets to steal food or whatever and they got caught.
When I visited the young gang members, it was worse. Here were young boys, ages 13 to 17 locked up for being gang members.
60 % of the family units in Honduras have no father. They grow up without the guidance and leadership that comes with having a father in the home. Boys have a built in need for a father figure so without one, they turn to the gangs.
When one joins a gang it is for life. The first thing that you do after you get and survive a beating by your future brothers is to get a tattoo. The tattoo must include the name of the gang that you are entering, either the 18th street gang or the MS gang. Some boys put the tattoo on their face, arms, chest, hands, or back. Now they are in, and they can't get out.
In the country of Honduras gang members are considered terrorists and the consequence of being a terrorist gang member is if you get caught you automatically get a 6-year jail sentence.
One does not have to be involved in breaking the law, only get caught with a tattoo on them and they are thrown in jail for 6 years, no trial, straight to jail.
When they get out, they go back on the streets; of course they still have their tattoo. If the police catch them the next day on the street wearing a tattoo, back to jail they go. If they get caught in the wrong section of the city, namely on the turf of the other gang member, they get killed. There is not much of a future for these young boys.
Some of them come to the Lord while in jail and get saved. Now they have the same problem, when they get out they cannot get caught by the police or they return to jail or if they wander over on the wrong side of the city and get caught by the rival gang they are dead.
Alvin has to get them out of the city right away to a safe place, like Teen Challenge or some other Christian safe house. He has lost several boys because the rival gang has caught them and killed them.
I have gotten a whole new perspective on tattoos since that experience. One of those decisions, right?
Someone wisely said, "?The decisions that we make become the foundational building blocks of our lives.
We stand or fall, succeed or fail, and experience joy or sadness because of our decisions.
An experience that reinforced this truth occurred the winter of 2005.
Ruth and I were living in the Central American city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. We were helping a missionary who has devoted his life to the young ones who have fallen through the cracks of life, the orphans and gang members.
I had not known much about gangs and to my knowledge had never met a gang member. I think most people who walk the path through the middle of society never rubs shoulders with the down and outers like thieves, murderers, prostitutes, gang members, and others who are walking at the edge of the societal path. Well, during the course of Jan. through March of '05, Ruth and I rubbed shoulders with all of them.
The missionary with whom we worked ministers in the inter city of the capital. He has established a storefront church in the seediest part of the city. One day I asked him this question, Alvin, "?what percentage of your congregation comes from a respectable background?? His answer was, "?None of them, they are all ex thieves, murderers, prostitutes, drug addicts or dealers, street people, and gang members.? Sounds kind of like the folks that Jesus used to hang out with doesn't it?
My job was to give the message every Sunday morning in the church and Ruth's job was to teach the women's discipleship classes on Monday nights.
In the course of the winter we got to know many of these folks and I must admit when someone has been lifted out of a deep dark pit and placed on solid ground in the light, it shows and it is fun to be around them. They ooze with appreciation.
Another aspect of our being there was to visit with the young prisoners. To go into the youth detention centers and see 13 years old boys and girls locked up behind bars gives your heart a sinking feeling. You can't look at these children and not think, "?That boy or girl is the same age as one of my grandchildren. (I have ten of them so almost every age is represented.) Sometimes I would turn my head and look the other way. Why were they in there? A lot of them were incarcerated because their stepmother or stepfather had sent them out into the streets to steal food or whatever and they got caught.
When I visited the young gang members, it was worse. Here were young boys, ages 13 to 17 locked up for being gang members.
60 % of the family units in Honduras have no father. They grow up without the guidance and leadership that comes with having a father in the home. Boys have a built in need for a father figure so without one, they turn to the gangs.
When one joins a gang it is for life. The first thing that you do after you get and survive a beating by your future brothers is to get a tattoo. The tattoo must include the name of the gang that you are entering, either the 18th street gang or the MS gang. Some boys put the tattoo on their face, arms, chest, hands, or back. Now they are in, and they can't get out.
In the country of Honduras gang members are considered terrorists and the consequence of being a terrorist gang member is if you get caught you automatically get a 6-year jail sentence.
One does not have to be involved in breaking the law, only get caught with a tattoo on them and they are thrown in jail for 6 years, no trial, straight to jail.
When they get out, they go back on the streets; of course they still have their tattoo. If the police catch them the next day on the street wearing a tattoo, back to jail they go. If they get caught in the wrong section of the city, namely on the turf of the other gang member, they get killed. There is not much of a future for these young boys.
Some of them come to the Lord while in jail and get saved. Now they have the same problem, when they get out they cannot get caught by the police or they return to jail or if they wander over on the wrong side of the city and get caught by the rival gang they are dead.
Alvin has to get them out of the city right away to a safe place, like Teen Challenge or some other Christian safe house. He has lost several boys because the rival gang has caught them and killed them.
I have gotten a whole new perspective on tattoos since that experience. One of those decisions, right?
posted by Jim Burton at 7:46 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home