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Contrast between Destitute and Hope

I remember clearly the first time I encountered someone begging for money on the street.  I was 10.  I was in Boston.  And, I was heartbroken.  I remember vividly.  He was playing the saxophone and had the longest locks I had ever seen and sparkling eyes.  He and his music were beautiful.  I remember crying to my dad to give me money to give him.  My dad reminded me that I had my own money.  The saxophone player was not the last houseless person encountered on that trip.  Next, my money went to a man playing the drums.  Then a man with a simple sign requesting help.  My dad and I both left Boston with empty pockets and heavy hearts.

Living in downtown Atlanta and working for a church that was well known and respected for its Community Ministries I became accustomed to the reality of urban homelessness and all of the painful layers that surrounded it.  And dare I say that living in Fortaleza I fear that I have almost become desensitized.  The child who begs for good still breaks my heart, but when the travesty becomes commonplace it no longer shocks the senses.

But, this last weekend as I was travelling along the Federal Interstate to the PRECE EPC in Paramoti I saw something new.  There were individuals and families sitting on the hot black asphalt under the scalding desert sun on the side of a dangerous interstate with hands outstretched.  At first I assumed they were hitch hikers which is very typical.  But, as I paid more attention I noticed that they were not dressed to travel- men in torn shirts, babies in diapers, barefoot women, children without shirts, and no bags or purses.  So, after seeing the 30^th or so person/family I asked my travelling companions what was happening.  They informed me that these individuals and families were begging for money/food and not a lift to the next city.  They come out from their homes nearby and line the road every day.  I was shocked.

1st- what type of governmental/societal system forces (or encourages) families to sit out in the hot sun on the side of a dangerous interstate and trade in their dignity for a little cash?  2^nd- where was the incentive to work and earn an honest a living instead of ask for handouts from the cars that pass by at 80 km per hour? 3^rd- how did this cycle start and what can be done to stop and prevent the despair?

When I arrived at EPC Paramoti I experienced “the other side of the coin”.  The EPC was filled with young university and high school students who were full of hope and promise.  They had determined to take control of their own destiny and pave a better future for themselves, their families, their friends and community.  They asked no one for handouts, but rather requested that others dream with them and walk alongside them to help ensure their dreams become a reality.  Their perspective of a brighter future stood in stark contrast to the despair and destitute I encountered on the drive there.  Reflecting on what I had seen that day, my prayer is not that each of those families receive simply enough change to buy the food they need for the day but rather that the baby in diapers and his sister without a shirt be shown that there is more to live for and hope for than simply survival and that they can change their own destiny and break the cycle of poverty that plagues their family and community.  And maybe, in just a few years we will see a PRECE EPC in their community.