Seeing Austin through the Eyes of Children
I grew up in a white, rural town, so the experience of living in the predominant black neighborhood was completely new to me. My team and I live on a budget of $120/week. We don’t have air conditioning, and we use Chicago Public Transportation. We have walked through arrest scenes, drug deals, and the trash that lines the sidewalks. We’ve heard the police sirens as they fill the neighborhood nightly. We’ve read the reports of shootings and gang violence. We’ve seen and talked to the homeless. We’ve heard the stories of our neighbors and the ways that racism and segregation still exist. We’ve experienced the brokenness of this neighborhood, city, state, nation, and world. We’ve experienced God’s calling in that too. When he tells us to love our neighbor, he doesn’t exclude the one who’s a gang member. He doesn’t mean just rich, white people, or the people who are like us. He means everyone!
The most meaningful experience for me has come from working with the children and seeing the city through the eyes of the children who live there. We hear the news reports of violence, but somehow we think the children living here aren’t affected by it. There’s a memorial in Roseland with lists of names, names that belong to children who were shot and killed. The kids I’ve met and been working with are afraid that their names may end up on that list. Everyday, they pray for and thank God for the safety he has granted them. What were you afraid of when you were seven? I found myself reflecting on that question. I didn’t have many worries when I was kid. I didn’t have to worry if food was going to be on the table, if I was going to make it home from school safely, or if my parents would make it home from work. There was a boy at camp who was crying at the end of the day because his mom was later than usual. He was worried that she would be late picking him up and get a late fee. He knew if his mom had to pay a late fee that she wouldn’t be able to buy food that week. In a week, I leave the city. I get to go back home to Wadesville where I’m not really sure if there has ever been a shooting. If there has been, it hasn’t been for the past twenty-two years. These kids don’t get to leave. They’re subjected to the injustice everyday and so few of us are doing anything to change it. I’ve learned that that is something that makes God wrathful.
It’s not okay that kids have to worry about being shot. It’s not okay that they have to worry about when their next meal will be or when their dads will get out of jail. It’s not okay that our public school systems stand and wave as they continue to leave these kids behind. . It’s one thing for me to write about the fourteen-year-old boy who doesn’t know how to read; it’s a very different situation for you to sit down and talk with him, to hear his story about how the public school system has failed him He’s been in school since kindergarten, and teachers continue to overlook him. I know a six-year-old girl who doesn’t know how to spell her name. I’ve seen these things and the ways that the school system continues to promote this injustice. As a future teacher, it’s a scary thing. It’s scary to think about the ways that teachers aren’t meeting the needs of their students. Also, through this experience, I believe I’ve found my calling. God has given me a heart for inner-city children, so how can I see this brokenness and not do anything? I believe God is calling me to inner-city schools, and through that realization, I have experienced God’s grace and faithfulness as I wrestle with the doubts and fears about what that looks like for a single, white female.
In all of this, I’ve experienced God’s presence as well. I’ve seen his love and goodness in the ways that I’ve learned to live in community. I’ve seen his grace in the conflicts that have occurred as we make commitments to live cross-culturally. I’ve seen his awesomeness and creativity in the ways that he created cultures and diversity. I’ve seen his worthiness in the members of Circle Urban as they devote themselves to serving God by loving their neighbors. I’ve seen God’s joy in the children’s smiles and have heard it in their laughter. I’ve seen God’s beauty in the garden on Central Ave. and at Columbus Park. I’ve seen his faithfulness in the ways that he has continuously provided for us. I’ve seen the ways that he is at work in this city. I’ve recognized his call for believers to pursue justice, to love the poor, and to stand up for what is wrong. These past four weeks have molded me in ways I can’t explain. Thanks, God!
Kayla- Student from Austin Neighborhood Team