The man in the red shirt.
I cannot begin to explain the amount of emotion that comes from my heart with these words. My mind has trouble wrapping around these things, as my fingers have trouble tapping these keys to share this with you. You hear about these things, but it hurts too much to accept them for reality. Until you're forced to hold back tears, while holding one of these children in your arms.
The streets. Fifteen kids and counting. Living under the bridge by McDonalds. They have no shoes, no jackets, no source of comfort. Hot polluted air in the day, and cold ground to sleep on at night. They only have each other, the man in the red shirt, and rugby. Rugby, a sniff in a plastic bag that makes you forget that fear exists. Makes the pain a little weaker. Makes the high of life a little stronger. Makes the heart pound a little faster. Makes the eyes a little red-er. Makes them feel a little cheaper. Running through eight lanes of traffic; dodging cars and hunger pains. Begging for protection and purpose. Scarred wrists, even arms. Why? She says, "Ate (sister) Leigha, a cut for each problem." While looking into the small brown eyes of a thirteen year old girl, water fills my eyes like an empty aquarium. I kiss her pain inflicted wrists and tell her that she is loved. She looks up at me torn between the truth, and all she has ever known. The problems only multiply. The cuts only deepen. The cycle repeats.
He is their supplier. He is their father-figure. He controls them. He takes advantage of their weaknesses. He abuses them to establish his authority. He buys their drugs for them, and in return they beg for him. He is their savior. They do every thing they can to please him. They are terrified of him. He wears a red shirt. The man in the red shirt is all they know. These kids are labled "street kids", but truly they are the beautiful, dirt-covered, lice-infested, children of God. They desire love and a home. They are worthy of much more than that. Then reality hits. So is the man in the red shirt. Please pray for love and justice for this situation. Please pray that his heart changes. Please pray for the color of his shirt to change from red to white.
