Samoan Youth

It was a long day yesterday. A Pastor's prayer meeting and then prayer walking the streets of Takanini. I was walking through the little playground and heard, "Yeah you a Pastor right?" I turn around and see three young boys as they asked me about the possibilities of starting a rugby team for the community. I responded back, "its in the works". We talked for about 15 minutes and I continued on my walk. I came across Doug, a 85 year old, man in a wheelchair. He stays at the local retirement home, where in his words people love breathing each others fumes. He likes being outside and finding good conversation, it was the reason I was walking too. We talked for an hour as He told me about his current life and what he does on a routine because he likes his tea time. I enjoyed his conversation.
Soon it was time for me to preach to a Samoan Church service. I started off with telling them about family and God's promise to humanity. I told them the first time I went to Cleveland, Ohio I worked for a Urban Resource center and after having me meet everyone they pointed out on the sidewalk and told me just yesterday a 17 year old lost his life there. A gang member was shot there. 17 years old teenager, had so much potential and so much possibilities in life. He must have sought for a family, for a father to be with him. A father to give him attention and be the one that helps him up after he makes mistakes. But he lost his life because he sought the wrong family to invest his worth into.
I never met that young man but I stood there on that spot where he fell and I wondered if anyone missed him. A day after his living existence ended he still had an affect on the living... with me. I wish I could say he was the last but through meeting the youth often one day would be a good conversation and maybe a smile as we laughed. But the next day that face would fade from existence like so many others I met over the years. Instead of Greek mythology of the river of faces, my mind's eye saw a wall of faces with no names. People I knew, kids I laughed with and played basketball with (horribly because of my height)  but faces lost in our reality. The friend I knew and the next day gone, it was often the case as shots rang out in usually at 4:00am all the time. But there is hope. There is God's promise all are welcome into the kingdom but through Jesus Christ. After my sermon was translated each family got on their knees and we prayed over them. and soon the last person was myself as I felt hands upon my shoulders and words I did not understand but knew God's prayer. At the same time a 1 maybe 2 year old felt it was his challenge to climb over the kneeling bench and kept knocking into me as I was being prayed over. It reminded me as I spoke about the 17 year old and his influence on me, here before me was life and all its potential in the eyes of a child.
Praise and Glory to God for the insights he continuously gives to me.
Life is fragile and filled with love and we can not have tunnel vision on the job, on the next paycheck, on the next fix, but with family. The family we have been born into and the family we have in Church. Living life each day is a blessing when you understand good moments are treasures if your eyes are open.