Katy is beautiful. This may seem like a blessing, but because of her beauty, her parents hoped to have her marry a much (much!) older man. As in more than 50 years old. Katy’s family is very poor, as are the majority of those who live in El Callejon. A rich son-in-law would be a way to improve the living conditions of the entire family. That Katy was only 15 and absolutely did not want to marry him was beside the point.
Thankfully, Daisy was told about the situation, and did her best to intervene. She helped Katy find another place to live when her parents made it clear she was no longer welcome in their home. Daisy and others began to pray that God would remove this man from the picture. God heard these prayers, and within a month the man had moved on.Katy was understandably angry with her parents for what they had tried to do. Unfortunately, the way she ‘got back’ at them was by running off with a boy of 19. He lives around 15 minutes from El Callejon. For most of us, that’s barely one neighborhood away. Here, where not everyone has transportation, it is like moving to another state. Katy became pregnant, and last month delivered a baby boy.
This week Daisy went to visit Katy. Katy’s mom has not been to see her in three weeks. When Katy calls her with questions, she responds with short, angry answers. The home is tiny, dirty, filled with flies. The boyfriend isn’t a lot of help. Katy is not able to nurse much, as she is not eating or drinking much. The baby is very quiet, and very skinny. Katy seems apathetic, and is likely suffering from post-partum depression.
So, what do we do? How do we best help Katy, her precious son, her ‘husband’ (the boy she lives with), her parents? How do we show her the love of Jesus?
It’s not just one little girl with one little baby. It’s entire systems which are ineffective, it’s a history of apathy among the families of El Callejon. If we simply swoop in and fix this, have we truly helped, or have we hurt? Have we made a positive, lasting difference, or reinforced the feelings of worthlessness and helplessness? What impact will it have on the families of El Callejon if we take away from them the responsibility of seeking to care for themselves?
But, it’s a baby, a precious, tiny child of God. Everything in us yearns to bundle him up and save him. God help us! How do we help?
Daisy will continue to visit Katy. On Friday she talked with Katy’s mother, telling her the seriousness of the situation. For this week, the mother seemed to respond positively. Next week, we’ll need to follow up.
We share Katy’s story with you, not to fill you with despair, but to help give you a glimpse of what we face in El Callejon. There are many Katys, with many stories. The reality is, poverty is complex and complicated. It’s not just material, but spiritual and emotional, too.
If ending poverty was simple, we’d have figured out a way to fix it by now. Instead, it is a long, slow process with lots of back-tracking and disappointment. Faced with Katy’s situation, all we can do is cry out God Help Us!
But friends, God has not forgotten Katy. She is His beloved and beautiful daughter, bought with a price. We don’t know what needs to be done, but God does. He knows Katy, He knit her together in her mother’s womb, just as He knit her son in hers. Our hearts are heavy, our minds overwhelmed, but we know that Jesus is right here with us, in the muck and mess of El Callejon. We can do nothing, but He can do all things!
We ask your prayers for Katy and her son, for her parents and the boy with whom she is living. We ask your prayers for us, as we seek to find appropriate ways to help her. Ways that will first of all show her the love of Jesus. Ways that will encourage her to take responsibility for her life and the life of her child. Ways that will allow her baby to grow up – and grow up knowing that he is loved, by his family, and by Jesus.
Thank you for being willing to enter into Katy’s story. Thank you for praying with us and for us. You are a blessing to us, to Katy. With God's help and your prayers, we will find the way to minister to Katy and her son, to the people of El Callejon.
It is probable that the poverty you describe so poignantly is better addressed by policies and decisions among the "have-nations" than almost anything that can be done in the Third World. I have prayed for years for this, and also been told to keep quiet! Still praying...
ReplyDeleteGod is the answer, not any government. We are called to be Jesus' hands and feet, plain and simple. We are called to serve which you illustrate beautifully Kim. So many Katies... reminds me of the story about the little boy who stars hundreds of star fish on the beach. He was taking one at a time and putting them back into the water. When he was told it was futile because of how many there were he responded the just one made a difference. Helping all Katie's one at a time. Being faithful to the call.
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