Meltdown

Things have been going well. Too well, in fact, since our house was robbed. Both the boys and girls bible studies are growing and going well. The English class was a hit- the children's program we started on Wednesdays went swimmingly- we are packing the house on Sunday night worship with kids AND parents...

And then the other shoe dropped. Last night, I walk into our courtyard where the boys are supposed to be setting up chairs and getting ready for the bible study, and I find Joel, our most difficult boy, on the ground and tied up from head to toe with one of our clotheslines. Several other boys were gathered around kicking him and laughing as he struggled to get free.

Now, in fourteen year-old street boy world, this is a perfectly acceptable form of entertainment, but not at my house, not at the bible study where we are about to talk about putting our faith into practice...

I sat them all down and told them in strong terms that I expect more out of them than this, that the Bible study was canceled and that they should all go straight to Joel and ask for his forgiveness.

They left, sat outside the gates, and, as a group, (Joel included!) sent a messenger to come tell me that they wanted to disband the Pescadores. That we only talk badly to them and that it's not worth the trouble to be a part of the group if we were always going to be correcting them.

Basically, we told them that was fine, and that no one was forced to come, but if they did want to come and go on trips and have game nights and english class and watch movies, there were a few things we expected them to try to do- namely, be nice to each other.

We left it at that- and a few of them have returned to say they are sorry, but it was a real meltdown- maybe a good one- but painful, nonetheless. Pray that the boys wise up- and pray that we don't go crazy from this rollercoaster ride.