October 2010
V2M
Vision Challenge: To the Lost Child on the Street Imagine seeing your child growing up roaming crowded market places, under fly-overs and living on roadsides disease ridden, flea infested, fearful, poor and abandoned, begging, stealing and eating out of garbage cans. This is the lost child of the streets! Street children refers to young ones who live on the streets of the city, deprived of family care and protection. They exist in all major cities more so in the developing countries such as in Asia and Africa. These children are subject to abuse, neglect,
exploitation and even organized murder by gangsters. The most common causes of abandonment include family breakdown, conflict, poverty, disasters, abuse, disowned and others. Recent estimates conclude that there are about 150 million children living on the streets, with over 11 million in India alone.
upbringing and always under the eye, reaching out to them is a challenge beyond expression. Reaching out to them often includes taking responsibility for their future for which the harvest is plenty but workers are truly few. A Christian worker in El Salvador writes ‘The little bit of light left in the eyes of these small ones is going to go out unless we do something to help’.
Street children are a challenging but fertile ground for the gospel. There are several Christian mission groups and individuals working tirelessly with these children. Deprived of a family
The Vision Challenge for the month of October is to reach out to the lost child on the street. In the Gospels of Matthew (Chapter 18) and Mark (10) our Lord Jesus confirms that the call of salvation extends to children as well. Our Lord walked the streets 2000 years back and the children who approached could very well have also included the lost child on the street. God’s unconditional love reaches out to these young ones that whosever should believe upon His Son shall taste eternal life.
Can we share that love to the lost child on the street?
Mission Challenge: The Ministry of Brother Godknows Muto The Mission Challenge for the October is from the ministry of Brother Godknows Muto. Brother Muto is from Zimbabwe in Southern Africa and has been reaching out effectively to the street children. He writes:
“Our primary ministry is on reaching the youth with gospel this has been necessitated by the fact that much of Christian work concentrate on adults. Statistics tell us that most people who are Christians gave their lives while they were still youth. In this ministry we focus on young people in schools and everywhere they are gathered but it has also birthed two more dimensions that is the street k i d m i n i s t r y a n d c h u r c h planting. We have thousands of children praying to receive Christ and some being transformed by the gospel. One day while returning from a school and I met a number of street kids who were hurling insults. I tried to talk to them which they allowed me but could not knock sense in them. I discovered that it was a waste of time to speak of love while they felt that they were worthless. They needed to see love in action. I devised a plan to get them clothing and food so that I can preach to them which was a successful breakthrough. I gave up at one point when I discovered that they were selling the food I was giving them to buy drugs. I didn’t know what to do except to quit until God visited me and gave scripture 1 John 3vs.16. It changed the whole view I had about them. He told me to go any extra mile. That extra mile also meant to help them get shelter but the only place they could shelter and be loved was in their homes where they came from. This was easier said than done as reuniting with the
family was difficult. After returning from seminary, I was overwhelmed and so took these kids into my home until they could be reconciled with their families. I had no money and the place was small. We lived like a family and we enjoyed each and everyday of it. Church planting was necessitated by the need to disciple some school children in areas that we could not visit regularly. Most rural areas are dominated by sects and they base on good works for salvation so we had to plant some churches in rural areas so that we can teach the gospel as it says”
The Ministry of Brother Muto and Family is very inspiring. Let us uphold this dear brother and the great ministry that this family has challenged themselves to do.
V2M PREVIOUS ISSUES • January - Uyghurs of Kazhakstan • February -Rescue the perishing..Care for the dying • March- The Good News to the Islamic world • April - The Nation of Argentina for the Lord • May- Reaching Home with the Good News • June- Reach out to those behind bars • July- Wining the battle for the mind • August- And from every tribe, people and language • September- And God Loves Burma Too!
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