She

She came in today, the first time in a while.
She didn't want to take a bath.
She hadn't slept since Monday.
She just wanted to sleep.
Please.
Sad eyes.
So dirty little girl.

She said there were so many men in her house.
She was scared to fall asleep cause they might come to her.
She was unprotected.
She said, "He hurt me."
Please.
Sad eyes.
So broken little girl.

She said, "He hurt me."
She ran, torn open.
She came to us and all we could do was hold her.
She slept for hours.
Please.
Sad eyes.
So desperate little girl.

She has little cuts all over her wrist.
She tries to drain the pain.
She needs hope.
She's thirteen.
Please.
Sad eyes.
So little girl.

One Child**

I'd like to introduce my new friend, E...I met her a few weeks ago in the Plaza (town square). She was outside of a bank looking through the window and the guard came out to shoo her away, so she wouldn't disturb the customers by begging as they came out the door.

I happened to have a bag of sweet breads in my hands, so I called to her and got her attention. She crossed the street to where I was waiting and thankfully took the pieces of bread I offered. As she ate, I asked her about her life, with the help of my friend Dahlia, who translated.

E is 12 years old and was abandoned on the streets of Butuan, along with her siblings, by her mother when she was only six. Her father had all ready died. After some time, she was "adopted" by an American and his Filipina wife. Apparently she was well taken care of in that home and was happy. However, after the American died, she was thrown out of the house by the wife's mother, because of money issues. So she went back to life on the streets.

On the day I met her she asked me if she could come home with me. I can't explain what went through my mind at that point...but I knew I couldn't say yes. Praise the LORD, I all ready knew what hope I could give her. I told her about Project Destiny Drop-In Center. I told her about what kinds of things we'd do there...that we would feed her there...that she'd be safe there.

Before I left, with the help of Dahlia, I told her that I would look for her when I was in the city, and that she should look for me...that I would love to talk to her more.

The next day Teresa and I were doing errands in that part of the city, and we ate our lunch at Red Apple. (If you ever come to visit, I'll take you there...it's an interesting experience.:)) We had leftovers we were leaving the restaurant with, and Teresa was so excited about what I had told her about E. So we decided to look for her in the Plaza. She wasn't there, unfortunately, but we met some of her other friends...so we gave the chicken and rice (and brownie) to them and asked them to please tell E that Ate Susan would be back tomorrow around lunchtime to see her.

So I bought one loaf of bread, two cans of tuna, some sandwich spread and a can of juice. The next day, I made baggies of diluted juice (they probably don't drink enough water) and a bag of tuna sandwiches.

I looked at the small little pile of food on the table and wondered if it would be enough for the kids that might be there after it got around that an American was coming for lunch. But I just decided to trust that God knew who would be there and how much was needed, and that I was just going to be faithful with my "loaves and fish."

So off I went, alone. (We were having about 12 lunch guests in our house, so Teresa was needed there to serve them.) When I got to the Plaza, I was relieved to see that there weren't 50 kids waiting for me. The number was closer to 15... E was happy to see me, and a little bit shy, while she watched me the food away. I was amazed to see that there were more than enough sandwiches (one kid got 3!) and at the end, there was enough juice for every child there (plus the 2 adults), with one bag leftover.

I didn't preach, I didn't mention church or the Bible. I just simply passed out smiles, kind words and a bit of food. I remembered Jesus words about giving someone a drink of water...that it is like giving Him water. So I thanked Him that I was able to love these kids in His name. I told them about the center...and I hope to see them there one day. Relationship has been established.

I haven't seen E since that day. But I do look for her. I wonder if she's ok. I wonder if she ate today. I wonder if someone is hurting her. (It's well known in Butuan City that if you want sex with a child, you go to the Plaza.)

Please pray for E and her friends. She is one of more than 2,000 street kids in this city alone. Please pray for Butuan City. Please pray for the street kids all over the world today.

**edited to change her name, for her protection.

Yep, I was in Thailand TOO!!!

From Hong Kong, where our other trip began and ended, I flew to Bangkok for the Cutting Edge conference on "Invisible Children". It was my first time in Thailand, and I spent the majority of my time at the conference location. One evening we were able to take a trip into the city to spend a few hours at a night market...super fun!!

The conference was excellent. It's quite a sensation to be in a room with 300 other people who have a heart for Children at Risk...The conference was for leaders of Christian ministries to children in Asia. It's put on by the VIVA network. www.viva.org Since I am fairly new to working in this type of ministry, this conference was a valuable experience for me. I was exposed to all kinds of things that were new to me. It was also quite overwhelming, and I just did my best to SOAK up all that God had for me, and remember that I couldn't learn it all at once. It was definitely another one of those moments in life where I wish I could implant the chip in my brain and then be on the same page as everyone else...wouldn't that be a marvelous invention??

There are so many children in such tragic circumstances around the world.The theme of the conference this year was "Invisible Children," meaning the children in our world who are unseen...who slip through the cracks and don't end up being noticed. I learned about "grooming" children for web porn. There are thousands of internet cafes in Mindanao (the island I live on) alone, and there are people who will get street kids and have them chatting with foreigners in exchange for a meal and then doing things that the child may not even understand. Sometimes the child even ends up in a slavery situation, where they are unable to break free from the perpetrator. The foreigners have to pay money to view the child, so the easiest way to spot a cafe where this is happening is to look if there is a Western Union next door. It's so heartbreaking to know that children are caught in such a filthy trade...

Please pray for the children who are on the streets right now. They need hope.