Burdened Heart, Righteous Anger

The other day a few guys showed up out front of the orphanage and started talking to the older girls at the orphanage. I did not feel comfortable with them being there, and went to get Bebe (Grandma) who takes care of the kids in the evenings. I asked her to come out and tell them to leave, since I don’t know Swahili well enough to tell them myself. They immediately came up with excuses as to why they were there, and Bebe didn’t understand why I wanted them to leave, but I still had her ask them to leave. Though their excuses seemed innocent enough, and they could have been, I do not believe that is why they were there. Instead of going to do what they claimed they were there to do, they immediately sat down and started talking to the older girls. This may seem innocent enough, but I will explain here in a minute why I was not comfortable with them there.

Last week I was asked to sit in on a meeting and give a guy’s perspective with the secondary school girls who are ages of about 14-18. The meeting was basically because there have been problems with some of the girls, and their boyfriends. Ultimately the meeting was basically about sex, and quickly turned from just boyfriends to other issues. I came out of the meeting with such mixed emotions that I did not even know what to begin to write about the situations these girls deal with on a daily basis. You see, I came out of the meeting with a burdened heart, having a righteous anger, yet a little happy all at the same time. I was happy because I felt like through the meeting we had helped the girls immensely. Although it took them a little while to open up, eventually they did, and it gave us the opportunity to be an example to them on how they should pursue relationships. They were thanking the girls on our team for taking the time to talk with them about the situations, and different ways they can deal with them. I truly believe God used this time to show these girls how much they truly are worth, and that He loves them very much.

This brings me to my burdened heart, my righteous anger, and why I ran these guys off. As we were sitting in the meeting, we discovered much more about what these girls have to deal with. We found out that there are these men in town known as fataki’s. They are basically wealthy men in town (many of whom are married) who will buy the girls makeup, a phone, or even something as small as a soda in exchange for sex. There are even teachers who allow the fataki’s to come to the school and pull girls out of class. Some of the teachers will give their students better marks in exchange for sex. Most of the time it is the girl’s choice to go with the men, but there are some men who it is very dangerous to say no to. The fact that they jeopardize their very lives by refusing to go with these men angers me so much. These girls are an amazing group of young women who are worth more than a soda, makeup, or a simple phone. God created them, and that makes them worth so much more than all of the money or valuables in the entire world. I hope that now you see a little of where my burdened heart and righteous anger come from.

Now, you know why I asked those guys to leave, and why I am very wary of any guys that come to the orphanage that we do not know. Although some of them coming may be innocent, I feel a sense of responsibility to keep the bad ones away. I feel as if I have to be on guard to protect these girls and keep them safe. I am so happy for the girls on our team and the connections they have made with the older girls at the orphanage. I know God has placed them here at this exact time to speak into their lives, and be an example to them on how to live their lives for Christ.

Although it is hard for me to write about this (it did take me a week to say anything), and I know this hasn’t been a very “uplifting” blog, I had to post it. I still don’t feel like in all that I wrote, I captured all of my emotions I have been feeling about this, but I hope you have the same righteous anger flowing through you when you read about what these girls have to go through. All I can do is ask that you pray that the men doing this will find Christ, and turn away from their wicked ways, and that you be praying for the girls. Pray that they may find full contentment in Christ, that they may begin to realize how much they are truly worth, and that God may continue to watch over them, and keep them safe. Thank you for your much needed prayers for these girls!

In Christ with love,

Jordan