Chu on this...

“My boys.” A lot of you have heard my stories from past years about “my boys.” How I came to KZ in 2005 and had 9 boys in my group, age 14 at the time. You’ve heard some of their stories and how much they are a part of my heart. You may also know they left the orphanage to live about 4 hours from me at a Polytechnic institue in a drug ridden city called Chu.

On Wednesday, we went to Chu. And I say those words and wish you could see my ear splitting smile or know the way my soul leaps up with joy. We spend a few hours with the 17 boys from the orphanage who lived at the tech school. Of my 9 boys, only 5 were there. We checked out their rooms, played some games, gave out gifts, but the best part of all was just seeing them, being with them. Boys becoming men aren’t much for emotion and it was all I could do to offer a handshake when I wanted to throw my arms around them and embrace them as beloved sons! But my heart rejoiced to watch them come to walk beside me, to try and hide smiles that couldn’t be hidden, and to hear their requests for us to come again…soon!

In reality their living conditions aren’t as bad as I expected, but the boys now 16-19 seem more broken then ever, physically dirty and heart worn. Four of “my boys” have run away. One I expected, having talked to him last summer and knowing he would likely return to the village where his family was. The other three came as a surprise. Two have sisters at one orphanage so I’ll go back and try to track them that way. Another is working in a city we often visit so I’ll try to find him. Please pray that I might be able to reconnect with these boys who are “missing.”

It became very clear to us in our time there that the boys have shelter, food, schooling and some limited options to work (on the railroad). What they needed was love, family, emotional support and care. They need to know that someone loves them, that someone cares. You could see that hunger in their eyes… soul hunger. They (and all of us) long to know that we are known and deeply loved, that we are chosen and wanted, and that we matter to someone somewhere. We came with things, but we offered ourselves and their eyes were light because of it. I gave letters of encouragement out along with my gifts and wished I had written a hundred more. Maybe I will for next time…

We are thinking of ways to adjust our already full schedule for a monthly visit, or at least every couple of months. I hope to see them maybe two more times before my year is up. I am just incredibly thankful to have seen them. Yes, we went to Chu!