(Terrance with Jarvis' brothers and Paris)
A few Sunday's ago we had a rough day with some of the children we had brought to church. One boy ran away and several others were acting defiant. For the first time that I can remember we had to take some of the boys home instead of out to lunch with us. We take our outings seriously. We have got to know that they will act in a worthy manner.
Later that evening my oldest daughter, Paris, and I decided to go visit the boys that weren't able to go to lunch with us. We didn't want things to end on a bad note. We wanted them to know that discipline and love belong together. We wanted to affirm our love for them and give them the gift of restoration.
We turned into the projects and I was about to turn down the street one of the boys lived on when Paris asked if we could drive to the recreation center to pray before we got the boys. The recreation center. The place we were to start our own children's church to over 100 children in a matter of weeks.
"Mom, we had such a tough day today. I just want to take a moment and pray," were her words.
Brilliant. Prayer is exactly what we needed.
We just didn't know how much we needed it.
We arrived at the recreation center to find the two boys we were going to go visit were there with about ten other boys (ages 8-11). The government runs a feeding program in the summer while the children are out of school and not accessible to food on a daily basis. They were finishing up some carrots.
The two boys who knew us leaped with joy when they saw us. When we got out of the car they ran into our arms. They knew we loved them.
I told them to get in our car so we could go ask their parents if we could take them on a special outing. We were wanting to spend some quality time with them and talk. We are very close to these boys, having spent most of every Saturday and/or Sunday with these boys for the last eight months.
As we all began to climb into our car their crowd of friends became insanely jealous. Some of them began punching the boys through an open window. I got back out of the car to put a stop to it. As I got out of the car several children rushed past me to climb into the car through the drivers seat. The ones that weren't punching were hitting every button they could get their fingers on. They opened the trunk. They opened the hood of the car and they rolled up a carrot in the window.
Paris and I were in over our heads it seemed. They were little but they were strong and utterly persistent in their little rebellion. We were trying to pull kids out of the car when they began pummeling us with carrots. We were under attack. And the only thing I could think was, "if we can't handle ten kids, how are we ever going to manage 100?"
When I got the last kid out of the car, I noticed the threats he and another boy were making to the two boys we picked up.
S.O.S.
The boys declared an S.O.S. would be enacted against our two little friends.
"I'm going home to tell my older brother right now," he yelled.
As I began to drive away the two boys were in a full panic. Come to find out S.O.S. means "smash on site". The boys who made the threat had older brothers who were leaders in gangs.
Somehow our good effort to help these boys turned into their lives being threatened. Seeing how the boys were attacked in front of our very eyes, left me no doubt they were were in danger.
When I pulled out onto the street a boy threw a rock at our car. It hit the mirror and left a nick.
If there is one thing I know you have to have with these kids, it is respect. I knew it was time to retrieve some. I threw the car in park and got right back out of my car while it was in the middle of the road. I turned toward the kid who threw the rock, the same one who threatened the S.O.S., and pointed my finger directly at him.
"I'm going to go see your mother! She is going to hear about this." I declared fearlessly. Never mind I didn't know who or where his mother is.
That eleven year old boy came back at me fierce. He didn't say a word. He just started coming my way with stomps that should have shaken the core of the earth. He pulled off his shirt in heated rage as he made his way over. Let me remark that he had lots of muscles. Very cut. I decided to hold my ground.
As he made his way over I noticed people had come out onto their porches to witness all the commotion.
"Do you know who his mother is?" I asked them from the middle of the road.
"I sure do!" was one woman's reply. His uncle is right over there and I'm going to get him now. I've been watching this whole time. I saw what they did to your car."
She then let the boy have it from about a quarter block away, "I've been watching you and I'm going to tell your momma what you did to this lady!" she yelled with sobering sincerity that immediately deflated the boys rage.
We were saved.
I got back into the car to find two boys scared to tears. Literally. It was the S.O.S. Getting his mom involved made it worse. They felt doomed. And I felt responsible.
We went to see the mothers of the boys we came to pick up. We asked if we could take their boys out for some ice cream at McDonald's. They agreed to let them go.
I was driving down the street when I saw one of the ring leaders walking down the sidewalk by himself. It wasn't the boy who pulled off his shirt. It was the other one.
"Let's ask him to go with us to McDonald's," I suggested. Their dreadful response made it look like they were going to wet their pants.
"No," they began to plead but it was too late. I had already made up my mind.
"Boys, scoot over. I'm going to get you out of the S.O.S.," I assured them as I rolled down the window.
"Hey, want to go with us to McDonald's?" I asked as if no conflict had ever existed between all parties present.
"Sure," he said and he got into the car.
"Where do you live? I need to ask your parents if you can go."
He showed me where he lived and his dad came out. His dad looked the part of what anyone would guess a gangster to look like. Not to stereotype, but everything at that moment had gang written on it to me.
I asked his dad if I could take his son to McDonald's and then I asked him if he would be willing to help volunteer at the outreach we would be doing in his neighborhood. I knew the kids would respect him. They crave attention from dads. He agreed to both. I got his phone number and we took off.
I used our time driving to make friends with the boy who moments before had been causing so much trouble. Now he was acting like the son of Bill Cosby himself. I introduced myself and apologized that I couldn't take all the kids who were wanting to go with us. He apologized to me for being rude and told the boys he would cancel the S.O.S.
"It doesn't matter because (the other boy) still has one on us," they moaned.
"Well, how about we get him a milkshake and make a little visit?" I wasn't about to give up. I really didn't feel like I could.
The other boy told me he would help us. And that is exactly what we did.
I pulled up to his house with a milkshake. Incredibly, he was outside with his mother. I walked up to him to give him the milkshake. I couldn't help but throw in a hug as well.
"Sorry, I couldn't take all the kids. I didn't have enough room and I didn't know any of you. My name is Ms. Kara."
He was soft as could be at this point, away from the crowd. I introduced myself to his mother and told her what strong leadership skills her son has. I told her that if he could use those skills to do what's right then he could help a lot of people.
She agreed with me and wished out loud he didn't cause so much trouble. I told her about the outreach we would be starting. I told her, in front of him, that I could use his help if he was willing to help me.
He said he was willing. Lord knows I would rather he be for me than against me.
And peace was made. Another S.O.S. canceled.
And two little boys were once again safe.
And Paris and I learned that we do, indeed, need prayer. Lots and lots of it. Because we are in over our heads. But it feels so right to pull people towards the light.
"I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God, so that they may recieve forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified through faith in me." Acts 26:17&18
"For He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son." Colossians 1:13
When we pulled into our driveway we realized we needed to clean out the car. It was full of carrots.
