Food & Sports for Street Kids

October 7, 2007

Friday afternoon we had an outreach to 28 very hard core street boys and girls in Novaliches, Quezon City. There were 10 Manila Bible Seminary students and 2 workers from the Restorers ministry leading the kids in worship, games and Bible discussions and a nearby canteen prepares food for the kids at a very reasonable price. Joining us for the afternoon were 3 representatives from a local business and foundation that has been very generous financially to ACTION. They gave another very healthy gift to our work among the poor for which we are extremely grateful.

The youngest street kid is 9 year old Joey who is already addicted to glue. He had a bottle sticking out of his back pocket and would take a huff during the meeting as well other kids who use glue or solvent to forget their woes and deaden their hunger. It doesn't do any good to take the glue or solvent from them so we try to keep them from using substances during the meeting if at all possible. The kids sleep in an open field (boys and girls), bathe in a dirty canal, beg, steal and sweep buses at P10 a bus for food and drug money. I thank God that we have an opportunity to intervene in their lives and demonstrate the love God to them in a very tangible way.

Contrasted with the street outreach was our sportsfest yesterday. The kids were in similar situations as those in Novaliches but they're now being ministered to by churches and agencies. They're still rough but clean, learning social skills, regaining their health and learning how to walk with Christ.

At the sportsfest about 90 street kids along with pastors and workers from several churches and ACTION people had a great time. We had lots of good food, relay races, board games and competitive games of basketball, volleyball and badminton followed by awards. I gave a meditation about growing in our lives in Christ through sports by learning teamwork, living by the disciplines of life and gaining confidence in our Lord. Everyone got a prize for something. We held it at a local Baptist Bible school and seminary so a few of their students watched through out the day and some inquired about the event because they'd never anything quit like it. Perhaps someday we'll talk with them again about ministry to street kids. It is a joy to see former street kids now working with us in ministry, churches of different denominations working together and street kids having a good time learning about teamwork, discipline and gaining confidence.

Perhaps we'll see some of the Novaliches kids join us at a future sportsfest. I pray so.

Christ died and rose again for all the 160 million street kids of the world!

I have a dream--a basketball league for street kids.

"I have compassion on the multitude, because they ...have nothing to eat." Mark 8:2 (NKJV) We need more missionaries who have the heart of Jesus for the hungry crowd.