Is there any hope left? | Mexico

I stare into vacant eyes. Unblinking they stare emotionless back at me. This little girl can't be more than 4 and yet a lifetime of hurt and pain is etched into her beautiful face. Another girl clings to a sticker. The sticker is a symbol of her past, her past with a family. A 6 year old has a huge bump on her forehead either from a blow to the head or a burn. Laughing and joyful, a small child colors with me. As I look at her, I notice marks around her neck from being choked or strangled. Two girls have panic attacks which seems normal around here. I watch as a little boy sobs silently at the table. Is this real I wonder?

"You are deeply loved"

Yes, it is very real. The CAT (which is a government run shelter for children age 0-16) is one of the hardest places we serve. All of these children are here because their story is dark. Parents dropped them off because they could no longer take care of them. Children were removed due to dangerous circumstances. Some await trial to potentially be sent to a juvenile prison. The worst part, abusers and those abused are not separated.

The reality of the situation hit me when I saw two boys playing together. They were probably 3 years old. On the playground one was spinning the wheel and the other wanted to join. I told them to share but one of the boys pushed the other down. He pulled his hair, twisted his ear, and pushed two fingers into the child's eyes. I had to remove the children so no one became seriously hurt. I was angry with that boy but I realized he learned that through observational learning. Who had taught him to do that? Or worse, who had done that to him?

Each time I leave the CAT my heart breaks and I want to run and cry for these children. How could they ever be treated like this? And yet, God kept putting a question on my heart to distract me from my tears: Is there any hope left?

 

Will he even survive past 3 weeks?

I began to look for glimmers of hope like gold in a mine. Sure enough, they were there. Yesterday a little girl would not share her crayons but after talking to her she finally began to share. We gave them chips at lunch and everyone loved trading their chips to try new kinds. I watched a little girl feed  some of her chips to one of the group members. It was her way of saying she loved him. A group member was given a star by a little girl who said, "Tu eres mi estrella." The babies laughed and smiled at the attention the workers gave them. I was kissed goodbye by a 14 year old girl I had never talked to. We, as an organization, are allowed to talk openly about God to the children of a government facility. How incredible! Three children have become Christians over the past few years. When asked who loves you more than anyone they all replied, "Dios!"

The city of Cancun seems dark. It is full of poverty, sex slavery, prostitution, gambling, abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse, single families, and starving families. But as Bluetree sings so truly, "For greater things are yet to come // and greater things are still to be done in this city." A firm yes has been stamped into my heart. Yes, there is hope. Yes, we can make a difference. Yes, it can change. Yes. Because God is here.

 

God's beautiful creation provides hope