Don't Forget the Children

On our first day in San Ignacio, Belize, I noticed a young boy with a shoe shine box, looking for customers. I felt like giving him money, but he disappeared before I could. The next day I saw him again, but then he vanished. You see, since I had not seen any other children working, or even begging, he stood out, and I was curious to know more about him. On our third day, while sitting in a patio café, I saw him yet again, bent over someone’s feet, shining shoes. And as soon as he finished Altha and I beckoned him over to our table, where, quite amazingly, though he spoke only Spanish, we enjoyed a wonderful conversation.

His name was Selvin; he was almost 13. He told us how he lived just over the border in Guatemala, coming over to ‘work’ his trade among the tourists in San Ignacio. An orphan living in his aunt’s tiny, over-crowded house, he had to work to help buy food. Of course, we paid for Selvin's dinner and gave him some money before he took the bus back to Guatemala; we didn't see him again.

In our privileged country of social services and entitlement programs, it is too easy to forget the Selvins of this world. God used our encounter to remind us that child labor in many third world countries is a necessary way of life. But just imagine being a child alone in a ‘developing’ country. Imagine growing up without the love and guidance of a parent, living without a reliable source of food, shelter, medicine, or clothing. This is the life millions of children all over the world. What’s my point? Only this: ask the Lord to show you what you can do, to help a third world child. Sponsor a child or volunteer in some way. And if you can’t, then find and support an organization that is. Because Jesus said, “when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters [to Selvin], you were doing it to me” (Matthew 25:40).