Saturday night as we rode the metro home from a museum, I stood next to a shirtless boy, about 15 years old. He faced away from me and stared out the doors of the train, his back completely covered with deep scratches, scars and sores. He mumbled to himself, pounding the door softly with his fist. He was a drug addict, his sores induced from the self abuse of falling onto glass and pavement while strung out on inhalants and other drugs.
I couldn’t look away. I stared at his back, overwhelmed with sadness and fear. I thought of the night before the crucifixion, Jesus weeping alone, begging God not to leave him. The next day, as the wrath of God on the sin of the world turned loose, Jesus’ back felt this pain.
When the boy got off the metro, I quickly saw his face, and this time I could not keep my gaze. His eyes were wide, desperate, and his cheeks barely gripped his cheekbones. He blankly pushed past the people and then was gone.
Is this boy forgotten? Does anyone know about his pain, does anyone hear him cry out at night when he is alone? Sometimes this city feels warm and alive, but when I stand on the metro with poverty and sickness, these people feel forgotten. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31).
Pray that God will reveal His character and grace in the midst of despair, poverty and hospitality and we learn to trust in Him.
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Rachel Telehany is a journalism student at the University of Alabama participating in InterVarsity’s Global Urban Trek in Mexico City. Read more of this report and find links to more of Rachel’s reports. InterVarsity’s Global Urban Trek is focused on acquainting Christian students with Jesus’ love for, and the ministry opportunities among, the world’s urban poor. The Global Urban Trek homepage has links to diary reports from students in other cities, including Eugenia Chung, a UCLA student, and Laura Abrams, a Trinity University student, both in Manila; and Jenny Beach, an Indiana University student in Bangkok.
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