Dave shares a story on his morning walk to Maisha Mapya Learning Center. He tells about a young man getting into trouble repeatedly at school and an “ah-ha” moment where Dave learned to see the real needs in this boy’s life. You can watch the video to hear it in Dave’s own voice or read the story below.
Morning Walk to Maisha Mapya Learning Center
He’s in the fifth grade but about two years older than his classmates. He received one suspension for fighting. He’s good at it. Then, shortly after, he received another suspension for stealing. It was obviously not his first time. At first, he avoided all eye contact. Then, Wes and I saw that familiar look of defiance young boys have when becoming an adolescent as they sat down to talk with him.
The culture we’re trying to create at Maisha Mapya Learning Center is focused on what does it mean to be righteous? What does it mean to be set apart? What does it mean to be holy? It’s all about living in the way that God wants us to live. We’re going to look different from our culture. Jesus invites you to be His disciple if you have ears to hear. At Maisha Mapya, if you want to be a student, you’re going to adhere to our Code of Conduct. And the culture of our tribe is one that behaves in a way that’s pleasing to God.
I handed the boy the Student Code of Conduct. He looked at it, but the look in his eyes made me ask him: “Can you read that?” The boy said he could sound out the words, but he didn’t know what it all meant because he can’t read. My heart was heavy, but I had an “ah-ha” moment. No wonder this young man is having so many troubles.
He sits in class but doesn’t really know what’s going on. Everyone is telling him he’s dumb. He faces abuse at home. His mother passed away. His dad is a drunkard and beats him all the time. I’m certain there’s verbal abuse.
I asked him: “Do you want to learn to read English? Are you willing to put in the work after school or at lunchtime?” He said, “Yes.”
I assured the young man that I would not abandon him. I would come alongside him to help him find the resources to read. He’s not dumb. He’s just never had the opportunity to learn that yet. He and I will do it together.
I asked him: “Has any adult male ever talked to you like this? Have you ever had anybody who is willing to come alongside you and say, ‘I’m not going to give up on you.’?” The young man said, “No.”
The next day, the boy found me five times. He didn’t say anything. He just found where I was to be in proximity to me. He looked at me and just smiled, feeling comfortable.
Because of this interaction, we’ve asked our teachers to identify other students who are struggling or getting into trouble often. And though their hands are already so full, our teachers and I will be working together to gather resources and carve out extra time at lunchtime or after school with these students who need additional lessons in learning how to read.
I learned something about this kid who is on his way to becoming just like the community around him in terms of violence, a thief, drugs, and probably having kids way too early in life with women who aren’t his wife. He needs adults to talk with him, counsel him, connect with him not judge him, and to figure out what is going on in his life.
And then, we need to see how we can love him into a relationship with Jesus rather than just casting him out or labeling him or kicking him out. I will expel kids from school if they are not willing, if they don’t have ears to hear, if they don’t want to be a part of the culture. But I want to give them a chance first.
So, we’re always learning. And praying for God to continue to work within us to bring His light and His love to this place. Thanks for sticking with us as He continues to teach us what it looks like to love the people around us.
God bless you!