The Plight of Alvis

Dear Friend

For a moment imagine, the perpetual smell of urine, sweat and dirt. Contemplate the thought that the next meal you will eat will more than likely be pulled out of a trash can and someone’s leftovers. Take second, to ponder the thought of living with the constant fear of looking over your shoulder wondering who will take advantage of you next. Or possibly, the reality of looking for a temporary escape from this hell you live in through the use of inhaling toxic fumes. Sound familiar? Of course not, or at least, for your sake, I hope not. Unfortunately, for some youth here in Zambia this is daily routine that leaves them to live a life without any hope for a future of what many of know to be normality.

What I have described to you is a picture of life in the day of what the world has labeled a “street kid”. This past Friday, three of my friends and I spent sometime minister to about thirty of these unfortunate souls. During this time I met a young man named Alvis. Alvis is what you might call a ring leader. He is a bit older than most of his peers and is responsible for selling “stika” to the rest of his colleagues. “Stika” is basically what we would call rubber cement and most of these kids spend a majority of their day seeking out and inhaling its fumes; which provides a temporary escape from the battle of life as they know it.

Alvis was an interesting story as he explained that he only sells “stika” because he wants to get his teenage wife, who is pregnant with their child, off the streets and away from the city. As I scanned the crowd of filthy youth for her, my eyes settled on a girl that could not have been more than 15 or 16 who had a dirty dish rage covered in “stika” over her mouth. You can image my horror as I realize the danger this young lady was putting herself through, not to mention the jeopardy she was exposing her and Alvis’ unborn child to. This is life to them, they know nothing different. To them the importance of life lies in finding the next high and then waking up the next morning to do the same. My heart sunk as I soon realize this is who Jesus was taking about when He said he came to seek out the lost and forgotten.

If there is any ray of hope in this story, it is that after talking with Alvis for almost forty minute he admitted he was tired of living this live and wanted something more. I told him that the only true satisfaction he could find in life would be through a relationship with Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. He agreed and we prayed for him to receive Christ and to have his life turn around in that moment. Our discussion was interrupted by his pregnant wife pulling at his sleeve asking for more “stika”.

Pray for Alvis as leaving this life he knows will be anything but easy. Alvis’ story is not unique but probably very typical of what many young adults on the streets of Lusaka and around the world are experiencing every day. In fact, for those of you who think a story like Alvis’ is only occurring in third world countries, I would challenge you to consider that right now there are many young adults like Alvis in your own back yards. Maybe they don’t live on the street and maybe they are not eating out of trash cans. But there are many lost souls all around us searching for that true satisfaction that comes only through a meaningful relationship with Christ. You might think working with individuals like Alvis is only for those that find themselves in the slums of developing countries, but that simply is not the case. Each of you have numerous opportunities to reach out to suffering individuals like Alvis each day. The question is will we listen to the Holy Spirit’s prompting?

Pray for us as we will be going out tomorrow night again to bring food and hot tea to the many needy street kids of Lusaka. I am hoping to see Alvis and not only provide for his physical needs but more crucially his spiritual needs. Thanks for your continued love and support and remember what God is doing through us here in Africa He can do through you right where you find yourselves now. We love and miss you all.

His Servants

Luke (for the Whitfield clan)