Our nights on the streets

Hello everyone! I think my problem with these journal updates is that I make them too long and then the computer freezes up, so my goal now is to post things in smaller pieces, will probably be better anyway because that won't be so overwhelming for me to write.

Anyway, I thought that this week I would tell you abou the evenings that Word Made Flesh goes out to the streets where the kids hang out. Every Tuesday and Friday, about 5-10 people (depending on people's schedules) meet at 9:30ish at a church near Grau Street. Grau Street is in an area of town that I definately wouldn't go by myself at night but (this is for you, mom) I feel totally safe and secure with the staff and kids we know around. At theh church, we make a huge pot of hot chocolate by boiling water, then adding evaporated milk and some sort of chocolate. I haven't tasted it, but the kids fight over it, so it must be pretty good.

Beforehand, the servant team (that's me and my other four partners in crime) have made 70 ham sandwiches (I'm getting good at asking for "70 pieces of the cheapest ham" at Plaza Vea, the grocery store we buy supplies at). We have a system down...we like to call it "cut, butter, slap and slam". Two people cut the rolls in half (but not completely apart because then the sandwiches get seperated in the bag and that's a mess), two people butter (we've found putting the big packages of butter in your armpits softens them up really nice), one person "slaps" a piece of ham on, and the last person "slams" the finished sandwich into the bag...viola!

Anyway, back to the actual nights on the street. After making the chocolate milk and praying at the church, we walk over to Grau Street. On the way, we pass this one plaza/park by the courthouse (I can't remember the name). We usually see these cute elementary school age kids there. Their parents sell things (snacks and other random stuff) on teh streets to make a living, so these kids just hang out there all day. They do tricks like juggling, cartwheels, etc, in front of traffic when the lights are red, hoping to get a little extra money. They are so cute! Monica, Jill, and I went with Craig (one of the staff) last Saturday afternoon to paly with a bunch of them. I really likes spending time with them because I don't have to talk as much because we just played and walked and such. Also, it's way easier talking with a 10 year old than a teenanger...I can keep them entertained much longer by asking about brothers and sisters, animal noises, favorite colors, etc. Teens just don't find those topics of conversation that intersesting...I can't imagine why...anyway, I'm getting sidetracked easily today, aren't I?

On the way to Grau Street, we always stop at the same little fruit vendor (he has a big cart with fruit piled high on the side of the street) to buy a bunch of little bananas. Sometimes he'll throw in an orange for free for us to eat ont he way. On the way to Grau Street, we also see young women leaning against buildings, waiting to be "picked up". They are prostitutes, and out of everyone we see on the evenings that we go to the streets, they are probably the ones that break my heart the most. It mades me so sad to see them, but it makes me even more sad not to see them because if they are not there, they are probably working.

We meet at the same place every week, so the youth are usually there waiting for us by the time we arrive. It's just a spot on the sidewalk, nothing special about the spot. They've had to move the meetingn space several times because businesses will sometimes complain because they don't want a bunch of street kids hanging around outside their business. The boys will play a make-shift game of soccer in the street...a very rough game that I would never be able to play in...those kids are really good! They constantly have to dodge the taxis, cars, and buses that occasionally brave driving through the middle of their game.

This last week, there was a scary moment during the soccer game. Carmelo (one of the boys) jumped on the hood of a little taxi driving through as a joke (yes, nota very smart joke, but he's a teenage boy, what more can I say?) The taxi driver (probably being angry and afraid) sped up and drove for over a block with Carmelo hanging on to the windshield wipers. The taxi eventually stopped and lethim off (and then quickly sped off), so all is well that ends well, I guess, but it was a scary moment. Most nights are pretty uneventful...events like that are definately not the norm.

At some point, we gather everyonen in a circle, pray, sing some songs, and then hand out the food. Every last bit is eaten...nothing ever goes to waste. I don't want you to think, though, that our goal in going out there is to feed the youth. Yes, that's a nice thing that we do, but the goal is to show the youth we love them and care for them by meeting them where they are. Some of the youth will be high from sniffing glue. Some of the youth who have babies will have their little ones out there, even though it's late and cold because that is where they will be spending the night if they are not lucky enough to be able to scrape together a few soles (the money here) to rent a room for the night. I can't say that I enjoy going to the streets, but I know that it's a good thing that we do, and I am definately learning things by being there.