Child Rescue: Its Value & Virtue

In Mark's Gospel chapter 10 v15, when the Lord wished to set before His hearers the necessity of absolute faith for salvation, He could do no better than to choose the example of those children that surrounded Him at that moment.

'Verily I say unto you. Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.'

The child's trust, the child's unmixed devotion, the child's open acceptance is a lesson in what is necessary in accepting Christ.

Never underestimate the appeals the Saviour makes to the child, for they are not random illustrations, but rather Gospel truths wrapped up in the beauty of humanity in its most pleasing form.

In Zechariah 8:5, we find another such moving and telling illustration, and whatever one's interpretation of end time events, the force and power of this statement stands alone.

No other words could describe the absence of war, famine or suffering, than these words. When speaking of the peace of Jerusalem he describes the city streets as being 'full of boys and girls playing'.

Happy, without care or fear, oblivious to all but the game of the moment. Happy is that town or village that is found in such a state.

Children are precious above all else in this world. They are marked out in God's word as being precious, and they ought to be precious to us. Where we work in Kenya, we see such a different picture. There is much suffering among children in the continent of Africa. 2 million each year die from disease related to dirty water. (The equivalent of 5 jumbo jets full every day). Orphans are commonplace, accident orphans, aids orphans. Street orphans and street children abound in thousands in Nairobi alone.

They are indescribably filthy, scavenging in rubbish tips, where the stench is overpowering and disease rife. Sleeping in alleys and doorways or on the open pavement.

All too often a bottle containing glue is found clenched in their teeth. Street wise, demanding, irrational, unreasonable and vicious, especially at night when they have the street to themselves. These children present not only a terrible social problem, but more importantly they are to the Christian a great spiritual tragedy. When confronted with them and the nuisance and danger they can present, one can so easily forget that underneath those filthy rags, and beyond the glue crazed brain there is a child. A child brutalised, a child degraded, a child defiled. Hunted and harassed every day, a soul destroyed as it were in the bud. A pitiful wreck of humanity in the form of a child, what could be more tragic, what could be further from the picture of Zechariah 8:5.

Many of our children in our centre have escaped this fate, and the results speak for themselves. In our centre the children are well fed and clothed, and above all loved and made to know it.

Here they are instructed in the things of God daily and we seek to win them for Christ. Just recently, Irene and myself spent five weeks living at the centre, and it was a privilege and a blessing to be there. We travelled the 400 miles from our base in Kithumulla with a cement mixer and other building supplies, and after making some preparations, moved into a room which became our new H.Q. for the duration of our stay.

When we eventually left the centre we had been enabled to accomplish much by way of improving living conditions there. Two large water tanks, totalling 100 tons capacity are now finished, full of water and operational. The kitchen and washroom area for both boys and girls has now piped clean fresh water on tap.

Four foot concrete paths now front all buildings, and small stone ballast covers the remainder of the compound. This ensures clean dry footing during the rainy season. A new study/dining area has been completed which is a big plus for the children and the foundations are laid for a new girlÕs dormitory. New shoes, clothes and blankets for each child completed our visit and all in all we had a very worthwhile stay. The solar is to be installed very soon, and when completed will ensure adequate lighting for all purposes at all times. We are at present discussing a new plan which will give us a flush toilet system, and when finalised it will make our centre complete, Clean water and good hygiene we feel is a must for our children, and we hope soon to install this vital aspect of the work there.

Pray for our child rescue work and remember just £320 per year can feed, clothe and educate a needy child.

In F.A.M.E. we believe that never will an outlay repay such dividends as our children's work promises to realise.