Why do I Care 4 Children
Why Do I Care 4 Children?
By Dennis Eagle
Billy Graham said, “Most people don’t turn to God until there is a crisis and then only to realize that it was God who allowed the crisis.” This was true in my life as well. It was a period in my life when everything turned upside down and I didn’t know where to turn. I called a pastor, whose church I visited previously, and he advised me to begin attending church and reading my Bible.
After a few months of church attendance I responded to the need for a bus driver. I was 20 years old, awkward, self conscious and plagued with low self esteem. The pastor promised he would take me out and train me how to fill the bus with children which he did every Saturday for one solid year. I drove for two years and had a high day of 94 kids on my bus. It was the ministry of children and the love and personal training of my pastor that gave me a new hope and grasp on my personal life.
From there I went into youth work for a year and then off to college. But it was those early years that I learned the reward of working with children and especially poor children. Just a few weeks ago a young woman caught up with me on Facebook and reminded me of the time I led her to Christ. Hundreds no doubt look back on the day I had the privilege of leading them to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
I have come to believe that youth and adults alike who work in children’s ministries are the most unselfish and caring people in the world. Children can’t give anything back except love, acceptance and appreciation. They overlook our faults and flaws and love us as we are. They don’t make us popular with those we may be trying to impress but we are always popular with them. Kids are just kids! What you see is what you get! But it is and always has been true that ministering to a child is one of the best ways to change the world one life at a time.
Now, 40 years later my wife and I have the privilege of ministering to displaced, hungry and needy children again. In the early ‘80’s I served a term in the Philippines as a missionary during which time I saw how needy some children are. There are over 150,000 homeless “Street Children”, as they are called, just in Manila. These children are from 5–18 years of age run the streets unsupervised.
Most Street Children are missing out on their education and without help will never be able to rise above their present condition. Some of these children are in the streets selling vender’s ware and/or begging in order to subsidize their parent’s income. Many are on the streets working for pimps who force boys and girls into prostitution for room and board. The majority are simply homeless and hungry children trying to provide for themselves while barely scraping together enough food to stay alive.
There are many who have no idea who or where their family or parents are. They are lost little people, in a sea of cement and strangers, always running and hiding from those who would do them harm. They sleep under bridges, walkways and in doorways or wherever they can get protection from the elements. They fight bigger children, insects, disease and cold nights. They are hopeless, homeless and hungry.
Our goal is to start a home that will feed, clothe, house, educate and provide medical care for the ones we can rescue. We are not alone in this because many have expressed to me their heartfelt understanding of the need for helping “Street Children” in the Philippines and other major cities. One of our biggest blessings is my dear friend, Sam Fagan, whose heart is the same as mine.
Sam and Melody have raised one family and have been Foster Parents for years. Now they have adopted two small children to love and raise into healthy adults. They have joined as partners in this undertaking, not only with their time and energy but also financially. I am so proud to have them at our side as we attempt something so big that unless God intervenes we will fail.