New York
Ministering to the children in Brooklyn, New York
Here in Brooklyn, New York, we came face to face with the painful reality of abandoned, abused and hurting children. As we walked through the group of children interceding and bombarding heaven for them, you could read the pain, abandonment and sorrow on their faces. Some children showed no emotion whatsoever - they have learnt the hard lesson that the only way to survive is to shut away their feelings and emotions. Others watched you with the eager anticipation of a child who for, at least one fun-filled hour that week, they could relax and just be children again.
As the Holy Spirit started to move and minister to them, they spontaneously started to cry and God could begin His work of healing. As one little girl cried copiously, her friend told me that her mother had died the previous week; another little girl’s family was evicted from their home. Others were being healed of abuse, abandonment and pain.
As Johan and I walked through the streets of the ghetto to the building of Metro Ministries, we experienced mixed reactions from people. The older people greeted us and were more friendly, but wary - However, the young ones, the macho gang members, ignored us totally and did not even bat an eyelid as we had to walk right through their group having a discussion on the sidewalk. At one stage 3 of them started to follow us, and we went into a small shop. Only later did we realize that this is one of the most dangerous places in Brooklyn, and that God had His angels protecting us from harm and danger. Then we understood why we had to ask more than one taxi driver to take us there the first morning - they simply do not drive to Bushwick, Brooklyn - it is just too dangerous as people are shot and mugged without reason. And it is in this environment, on these streets of pain that children have to grow up.
On Saturday, we attended 2 of the three Sunday School sessions held at the buildings of Metro Ministries. 153 buses leave early morning to pick up the children all over New York. On the bus the children have lots of fun and games. Older children attend the Sunday School where there is lots of fun, worship, movement and competition between the boys and the girls. The toddlers and younger children go the a separate hall where they enter into a child’s paradise - everyone is wearing costumes, and there are lots of fun and games, as well as little presents in the form of candy or 1 US$, being handed out to the children.
Lots of loving, fun and games…
Learning about the Lord in a loving and fun-filled environment
Among all this fun and games, activities and noise, it broke our hearts to see numerous small children just sleeping in the arms of the workers or in their chairs - it is the only place where they experience enough peace that they can go to sleep feeling secure and relaxed - even amidst lots of noise!
As a child, Pastor Bill experienced the pain and hopelessness of abandonment. One day, as he walked down a street with his mother, they stopped to sit for a while. She instructed him to sit there and wait for her to return. He sat and waited for 3 days straight. She did not return. A gentleman who had seen him sitting there for 3 days stopped and picked him up. The man was a Christian.
Out of the pain, impoverishment and isolation of his own abandonment, Bill developed a heart of compassion for suffering children everywhere. From the ghettos of America to the garbage dumps of Manila to the sexual slave trade in Thailand, Bill has sought to rescue hurting children, offering a message of love and hope while combating issues like hunger, poverty, child prostitution, AIDS awareness, etc.
They conduct Sunday School programs for inner city children 6 days per week at 150 sites throughout New York City. They offer their programs right after school each day which is a critical time for juveniles. They engage them with fun and games and with a positive message that encourages them to stay in school, to stay away from gangs and crime, and to dream big.
They are currently reaching over 20,000 children each week through this program. Every child also receives a personal home visit from one of our staff or volunteers each week. This enables us to mentor and build relationship with the child and his family, while identifying physical needs facing needy families and connecting them with community resources.