AMONG THE WOLVES

posted by Petra Erkens HELP MANILA
I am on my way to Germany. As I am sitting in the airplane somewhere between Manila and Frankfurt my thoughts go back to our staff meeting this morning. Mariana is very concerned about Jay, a boy whose mother we know since she was a teenager. She grew up in the streets and had a loud voice that underlined the naughtiness of her words. She had to be tough to survive. I don’t know if it was her first boy friend who got her pregnant with Jay when she was not even yet a grown up. The relationship didn’t last. She had other kids with a new guy and earned some extra money in bars. Jay was used to beg in the streets, he grew up as a bread winner for his half siblings and his Mom.
His biological father was a well known snatcher and no stranger to the police. One day he got picked up and carried into custody like pig to slaughter. Someone had pointed a robbery to him, but this time he was apparently innocent. In jail he got locked up with the traitor. We learned this week that he killed the guy in the bathroom of the prison. Despite his initial innocence in the case he was locked up for, he became a murderer and got locked up for good. The tragedy in his story is, that on the day he got picked up by the police, he was supposed to come to our drug rehab for a new start in his life. Of course he never arrived at our center.

On Monday we had an outreach at the street corner, where Jay hangs out. We showed up with loud speakers, good food and an evangelistic program.
The kids were happy to see us and many gottouched by God’s presence. Our eyes looked around to find Jay in the crowd. He was no where to be found. As we packed already our stuff to leave, he showed up, beaten up and totally high on glue. The bigger boys ganged up on him and banged his head against the cement. His face was swollen up.
“Where is your Mom?” we asked concerned.
“They left to the province!” he stuttered.
“Why are you still here then?”
was the next question, knowing that Jay was just ten years old. “Kasi, matigas daw ang ulo ko (because I am stubborn)” replied the little boy.
Our hearts broke as he looked at us, the word REJECTION written all over him.
He wants to come to us to the Father’s House. We decided that we will take him despite of the lack of beds for boys at the moment.
I am hoping to see him soon in our house when I get back to Manila in three weeks.
JAY is NOT rejected…HE IS ACCEPTED AND LOVED BY HIS FATHER IN HEAVEN WHO HAS A PLAN AND A DESTINY FOR HIM. The Father’s House is a of refuge for children in need like Jay.
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