After my walk through the ghetto when God spoke to me and said, "These are my
children, you are to love my children, you are to teach them all the human arts,
and teach them of my glory," the words kept echoing in my mind, over and over
again. So I again visited the ghetto. This time I had my young and beautiful
daughter Faye in the car.
When I saw a group of teens on a corner I stopped the car. I told Faye I was
locking her in the car to keep her safe, and that if she saw anything happening
to me or any of the others, she was to keep her hands on the horn till the
police arrived. (The police station was about two blocks away, and they
routinely drove around to keep peace in the neighborhood.)
I got out of the car and walked across the street into the midst of all the teen
hoods. All the time it took to cross the street I was telling God, "OK you want
me here, you will protect me, you will help me do want you asked me to do,
RIGHT?!" OK, here I go.
First I asked the kids some questions about the neighborhood, the stores, the
schools, any recreation, were there any parks, etc. They gave me a smirk, a
little attitude, and very negative answers. One boy was opening and closing a
switchblade knife near my face. I never flinched I just kept talking.
I asked them "If they hated the area so bad, what were their hopes and desires
to get out of the area?"
Another boy answered, "The only way to get out of these streets is to be a pimp.
A prostitute, or leave in a welfare pine box."
I asked "What is a welfare pine box?"
He said, "You know! It's a coffin with no top on it, just black material"
I said "I thought all coffins had tops on them."
He yelled back at me that it was "just a black thing over the top. The dirt
falls in on you, and your face gets eaten by bugs!"
I apologized and said, "It must be a frightening thing to think about. So that
would be even more of a reason for all of you to try to get out of this area." I
told them that I was there to help them.
By now I noticed these tough kids didn't even have on clothes or shoes that fit
them... Their faces seem to soften, and their voices too… Except for the girl
that screamed into the face of the boy who was still trying to frighten me with
the switchblade knife. She screamed in Spanish to put the knife away! Stupid!
And in English she said, "She is trying to help us, you Jerk!" He put the knife
away.
Then they all started telling me of their hopes and dreams. One wanted to be a
fashion model, one a photographer, one a writer for a newspaper and interview
famous people, another a hairdresser or makeup artist. Others wanted to work for
doctors, some wanted to take x-rays, or work on the rescue squad, paint murals
on buildings, fly an airplane, and one wanted to be a Karate instructor.
Well, everything they wanted to be, I was or had been! With one exception...I
WAS NEVER A KARATE INSTRUCTOR! But I would be able to teach them everything I
had learned all through the years. I began to see what God had in mind. I told
the kids that I could, and would, teach them everything I knew about everything
they wanted to be. Except a Karate Instructor, but I would work on that too!
By now my daughter Faye saw everyone was laughing and joking around. She got out
of the car and came over to the group. I said "This is my daughter Faye, tell
her some of your thoughts of what you would like to be"
They did, and as they did, Fay kept saying "Oh my mom did that, or my mom knows
how to do that." This nine year old, just confirmed everything I had told the
kids!
Next, I told them that I would back soon, and we could plan on how we were going
to make these plans happen. It was getting dark, and Faye and I had to get home
to cook for our large family.
Everyone yelled out as we crossed the street "BYE FAYE, BYE MOM!" I never did
tell them my name.
As we drove away Faye said. "Mom those kids looked, and sounded so awful, but
they really were so nice!"
I asked her if she noticed what they were wearing. She said she did notice that
one girl had sneakers on that only fit the front half of her foot, the heel part
was under her arch. I told Faye that when we got home she was to telephone
everyone we knew and ask them to clean out their closets, and give us their old
clothes, shoes, books, pens, stuffed animals. Anything they thought kids would
like, we would take.
Three days later our mobile store went back to the streets where the kids hung
out. We set up racks, boxes, mirrors, seats, makeup tables and more. Our street
boutique was born. They lined the street waiting for their turn. We treated them
as if they were in an expensive department store. Many of them had tears in
their eyes, and asked if they could bring a sister or brother, or their mom, to
our store. Of course they could!
The police came by often, never saying a word… The crowd of kids just took their
first steps on becoming the good examples in their neighborhood of despair.
"These are my children," God said. "You are to love my children with all your
heart!"
This was the beginning of taking care of thousands through the years to come.
God supplying our every need! Trust in Him!
This was the YES, YES, YES, FACTOR at work!!!! AMEN
© Carole Devecka God Given Daisies
CaroleDevecka@comcast.net
To see the next story in this series: A Foot In the Door
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