Of Street Kids

One facet of ACTION Zambia's work is ministry to kids living on the street. The photo shows the street kid team (left to right) Robert, Derek, Kino, Blake, Chalo, Stephen and Vasco. The Zambians on the team have formerly lived on the street, are now Christians and have a passion to help others on the street. Thursday was a solemn day here at ACTION Zambia. This team had to bury a street boy. I asked Steven to write about it first-hand. We are learning to live in this new culture and this is part of the reality of living here. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

July 28th, 2005

Yesterday we (the street outreach team) washed and buried the body of Kennedy Knosa, a street boy in Lusaka. Kennedy died at age 18 of anemia. Life on the street means you sleep where you are least likely to be sexually abused or beaten. For Kennedy, that meant sleeping in the coal furnace of an old coal train. Hidden away in the dark, sick, hungry, and tired, Kennedy was alone with no one to care for him. - No one wants to know about these things. Thousands of street children face sickness and suffering more immensely by age 11 than I will probably ever have to deal with my entire life. His mother is still alive, but cared nothing for him - not even enough to come to his funeral. I know, if this happened to me, and I were Kennedy, I would be asking the missionary, "Where is God? How can you say God loves me?"

We called Social Welfare after Kennedy's death, to see if they might be able to assist us with the funeral. No, assistance was given. They offered to wrap him in plastic bags, and throw him in an unmarked grave (as unclaimed bodies are buried). Shocked and angered by their response, we decided that we would take care of the arrangements ourselves. So we had a coffin built. We washed and prepared the body. Clothed him and wrapped his body in a blanket. Dug the grave. And buried him. Street boys came out from town to watch their friend be buried. There were no tears, and there was no weeping. It seems that their emotions had already been spent. For them, death is near, and real, and if they know Christ it is truly better than life.

The gospel was proclaimed at the funeral. Please pray that God would put a sense of urgency in these boys, that they might come to know Him soon! And please continue to pray for us, that in spite of our sin, God would show Christ through us, and that many street children from Zambia would be in Heaven one day because of this.

-Stephen