Loving the Discarded
“What would happen if you took a group of homeless, drug-addicted street kids and believed in them? Four years ago I did just that. I adopted a community of 17 kids living on the streets of Mexico City; all were addicted to inhalants. Unfortunately, 3 of the original 17 have died. But for the rest, the future is promising. I’m not declaring total victory, because it’s common for kids to relapse. But, as of right now, none of the 14 kids in that original street community are on drugs.
My work with them started in a corporate office building overlooking Mexico City. The owner of the largest cell phone company in Mexico was helping me with a project to distribute Audio Bibles through mobile phones. Before the meeting started, a lady in attendance shared the story behind a community of street kids that she had befriended. She asked if I would start working with them. Several days later I met the group and instantly committed myself to the new project.
Over the years, I’ve visited the kids on weekends. My goal has been to see Christ transform their lives through the hope that springs up when we love those who are discarded. I’ve worked to offer them encouragement while providing for their basic food and clothing needs. My team and I were able to give them the Faith Comes By Hearing Audio Bible; they listened non-stop day and night. It did not take long for many of the kids to give their lives to Christ, but their addictions remained.
I was shocked when one of the kids died, shortly followed by another. Both were young and strong; both were addicted to inhalants. I was with the third kid when he died. The ambulance came, but the workers refused to take him in because he was a dirty, drug-addicted street kid.
The medic asked me, ‘What good would it do? We could save his life today, but he would just be back on the street tomorrow.’
Antonio was the young man’s name. He died on the street 10 minutes after the ambulance left, having been weakened from dehydration caused by a virus. Something as simple as hospitalization and an IV would have saved his life.
Antonio had never shared any family details with me, so there was no one I could contact about his death. Because I wanted him to have a proper funeral and burial, I claimed Antonio’s body.
However, as one who was not a family member, the process took time. Nine days later, after maneuvering through the Mexican legal system – including involving the Attorney General and the office of the President – and being covered by the city’s largest daily newspaper, Antonio’s body was released to me. His friends and I could finally honor him in death.
"It didn't take long to find out the impact of believing."
I knew that something had to change. If it didn’t, the entire group of street kids I had adopted would die. I stopped treating these kids as a project and started treating them as friends. The staff and mission teams that came to work with me changed approaches, too.
Valued friendships were founded with these kids. They came with us all around the city as, together, we stepped in and helped others. As an important part of our lives – no longer just a scheduled project – they began to thrive.
People can change when someone puts faith in them. I have always believed that transformation can take place – even among street kids who have been labeled as worthless by most. It didn’t take long to find out the impact of believing.
First, one of the remaining 14 responded to encouragement; then a second one did. Over the past 2 years, one-by-one, each has gone for treatment. The final 4 guys held out a long time against the hope and encouragement that God was able to offer them through our friendship. But the love of Jesus won out.
Recently, those last 4 guys, the ones who told me over and over that they had no interest in changing their lives, finally responded. I was privileged to take them to a rehab center for a 56-day program. A circle of their friends, many of whom had also been drug-addicted street kids, came along as support. Today, all of them are inhalant-free. We continue to support these last 4, through visits and sponsorship, as they seek freedom from addiction and find hope in Jesus.
If street kids in Mexico City – those the world sees as hopeless or valueless – will respond when someone intentionally and consistently believes in them, just image the possibilities that lay around each one of us . . .”
