I was standing with my apostle Heavy, and I saw a load of hollering kids beating the sides of the big blue bus through the open windows. As it slows to a stop the kids stream out with nervous excitement. It was obvious that they were thrilled to be there, but their guards were definitely up. We settled into a little football (thats soccer for us Americans) and those walls started coming down quickly. It was apparent that they were feeling me out in the same way I was them. They'd kick the ball and look toward me for approval. If I would laugh, they would stare for a split second then join in. It didn't take long for us to settle in.
The tough part was not knowing exactly what to do at any given second. In America we are "time" people, not "event" people. Almost every American has a clock on their person in some form or fashion at this any every moment; watches, phones, etc. So we're wired to expect to know eveything that needs to happen and in what order it will.
Most of the rest of the world isn't wired that way.
That being said, I knew I would need to take a lot of initiative and just get to know them. We went around and had all 15 guys introduce themseves. Some spoke a little English, although most were very hesitant. Heavy was terrific in helping me relate with them. I would realize later in the week that most of them spoke a decent amount of English, they were just embarassed to try it around me. I would probably be the same exact way in their shoes.
After a big group teaching time and some football we were ready to wrap up the first day.
I didn't really realize how exhausted I was until I jumped in the shower after that first day. My adrenaline was up all day, the sun was pounding on us, and oh yeah...the air is as thin as Denver. Sweet.
It was obvious to everyone the weight of what we had begun as we were all sitting around at dinner. Not a lot of ruckus or joking around, just a real awareness of our task at hand.
I laid in bed that night reflecting on the day, and praying for my guys. I was burdened for them as I thought about where they were. Were they fed when they got home? What is "home" to them? Were they sleeping on the street that night? Were they safe? Did they feel safe? On and on as I laid awake.
During blessing times over the next 4 days I would learn the tragic realities of those thoughts.
