I will start with a disclaimer: I'm not a writer, I hate writing, I think I am a bad writer, I've never blogged before and really, I don't know what I want to say in this blog. But since I signed my name, I must write something, and here it goes:
Today we took the kids from our ministry sites to the beach for a fun filled day of laughs, water, and sun. It was great getting to see and know the faces that my fellow students get to see everyday, as well as to see the ones from my site. It's amazing to see the kids full of life, and smiles and able to get away from any problems they may be facing, and just be kids. When interacting with the kids, only a few are older than 16, and most are under the age of 10; you get this overwhelming sense that they are a lot more mature for their years than you would expect. This got me thinking; these kids are growing up in an environment where they've have to grow up very quickly in order to survive. It amazes me what these kids have been exposed to at such a young age. This is also seen in the way that they simply talk to each other. The young children, no more than five, talk to the older kids, and each other, in a very defensive and aggressive manner. I have to question, what would I be like if I had grown up in an environment where I saw things I shouldn't be seeing and where most people were doing things they shouldn't be doing? Where it took a strong will not to succumb to the pressures of the community? I don't know if I could handle that, or if most people could. It's easy to understand how at a young age, these kids become self-sufficient, develop a hardened exterior, and behave the way they do because it is what they are accostomed to.
Now that I see an issue, my question then becomes, how can I make an impact in these kids lives? Or how can I change the environment in which they live? Through our discussions from learning about relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution, what is necessary, is to create a complete paradigm shift in the way people view each other and the world in which they live in. Does this sound like a daunting task? You bet it does. And now I turn to, how do I go about changing this paradigm, and create a new way of thinking? I've learned that a great place to start is by listening. So quick are we to see a problem, and come up with a solution and fail to stop and consider what the people actually need.
I've come to realize though, that when faced which some a depressing task, people will normally take one of two routes. Either someone will go in to the situation full of life, with a huge plan of how they are going to change the world. Once put in the situation, they are faced with many challenges to social justice and become discouraged and as a result, fail at what they intended to do. Then there are other people who see the problem, recognize the severity of it, and decide that the world is just too messed up for comprehension, and that they, as one person, will have no effect, no matter what they do.
What we must realize is that most people will not attain the glitz and the glamour of becoming the international symbolm for peace. Not that I am saying we shouldn't strive for that, but that we must realize the chances of it happening are very slim. And so, we must go into our situations with the attitude that this is not for my own personal gain, but I'm here to serve this community. I may not have a profound impact, but I can change a few people, who may be able to change a few more, who can then affect a few more, and the cycle continues; almost a pay-it-forward type thing. We also must realize that superheroes don't exist; just people. And with God's strength behind us, we can start the process for social change. It is our responsibility, as people who have been given much, to actually do something with what we have been blessed with.
But what this actually looks like, I can't really say. The calling is different for everyone, some people may be called to provide financially, while others may be called to relocate and provide by actively participating in the community. It is a start though, that for one day each year, we are able to allow the kids to escape the pressures and realities of what it means to live in the inner city, and allow the them to just be kids. And as the joy and happiness exudes from their sweet little bodies, they become our motivation and hope that change is possible, and we can be a part of it.
Briana Ovbude