The hopelessness of circumstantial hope

At first when I took this picture I laughed because it almost appears as though the cartoon carrying tortillas in the background is fleeing the scene from a passed out drunk who just had his shoes stolen. Later I began to ponder the fact that it is a common sight to see a man passed out drunk on the streets of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. I probably see at least one a day. It is a sad sight to see someone in that state, but after seeing it so many times your heart kind of becomes calloused to the image. On many occasions I've talked with Pablo, my brother in Christ and roommate here in Nicaragua, about what we could do to help. Given the great number of people who struggle with alcoholism, and the difficulty of turning such a life around, there seems to be little to be done to help. We also serve people in the community of Matagalpa who are addicted to sniffing glue. Now when I say glue, I'm not talking about Elmers, but rather something like rubber cement mixed with gasoline. I've seen the effects of this "high" and it's damaging. The saddest part of the matter is that the majority of those who sniff glue are the ones that aren't in a position to buy alcohol, youths. Well surely there's something I can do to help a 15 year old who's addicted to glue? But again given the great numbers who struggle with the issue, there seems to be little to be done. So what about the young boys no older than 5 who are surviving by digging through the trash dump? (And I say boys because drug and alcohol addiction is greater problem among males. There are plenty of 3 year old girls digging through the trash to survive as well.) What is the example set for a young boy, let's say the age of 5, who survives in the dump? Well most of them are without fathers, so the male example in their lives are those who are high on glue and addicted to alcohol. Do you see what I'm getting at with this cycle? Drug and alcohol addiction is real, here and throughout the world, and it doesn't start with a 40 year old who all of a sudden wants to be an addict. It begins with how kids are influenced by those around them.

There are a couple of rehab centers out of town that we could take people to, but it would require each individual to be sponsored for around $100/month. This is a tremendous opportunity to help an individual begin a new life apart from drugs and alcohol. I wish I had great amounts of money to help all of these people, but I do not. But what I do have, I have been blessed with the chance to freely give. And that is the good news of Jesus Christ. When we go to the trash dump and the streets to serve meals every week we talk about hope. We talk about a hope that is eternal and transcends the hardships of the here and now. Part of sharing that eternal hope is, as Jesus did, meeting the physical needs of the here and now. I ask for the prayers of those reading that Jesus will change the lives of many, and that Pablo and I will be able to serve in a manner that brings to light the real hope of Christ.