Day 49: Travis

Drew and I just finished watching Slumdog Millionaire for the first time tonight. Wow. What an amazing movie! I knew people were crazy about it when it first came out, but usually I ignore hype and watch things on my own time, like tonight. I loved the story though. The character of Jamal (the good kid) made me think of Travis, a kid from Belle Glade, FL.

For those of you who are not from FL or are unfamiliar with Belle Glade I need to explain it to you. This is a picture of what would be considered an average house in Belle Glade:

The homes in Belle Glade get much worse than this sadly. Belle Glade was known in the 1980s as the most AIDS infected area in our nation and in the early 2000s it had the 2nd highest crime rate in America. BG (Belle Glade) is heartbreaking. I never knew conditions like these existed in America, let alone 40 miles from Palm Beach, one of the wealthiest cities in America. I became involved with Revolution Ministries through Grace Fellowship Church in Royal Palm Beach, FL during my junior year of college. It completely changed my life. I worked with the drama team that went out on a specific day of the week and met with anywhere from 5-25 kids ages 4-15. We would do a Bible Study, homework help, drama games, a snack and then the kids would leave. The main thing was relationships. Most of these kids (most were boys) were living in below poverty situations without fathers. Most of the men in Belle Glade are in prison for gang related crimes. Sadly, many of our kid's mothers were involved in drugs or prostitution. It was so important to us to build relationships with these kids and teach them that through education they can have a different life. Anyway, now that you have a little bit of an understanding...

Travis is an amazing kid. He was one of the older boys who came to Revolution. When I first met Travis he was really quiet and rarely came to the program. Most of the time he would linger outside in the parking lot with a rough crowd. Travis grew up watching his brother kill his mom's boyfriend in her protection. His brother is in prison as is his father I believe. Travis was recruited by many gangs in adolescence and even became involved with one of them for his own protection from his mother's ex-boyfriend's gang who was out for revenge. We all saw Travis going down a very dark path. However, we started noticing a change in him during year 2 of my time with Revolution. He started coming to group more often. He slowly began participating in games and talking with the leaders. He even asked questions about God. He was getting it and it was incredibly obvious that God was pursuing his heart. It was a beautiful thing to watch Travis respond to God's calling. He became a leader among the kids and even tried to talk other kids out of gangs. He was a really intelligent guy, super protective, and had a kind heart. I never felt unsafe when Travis was around because of how protective he was. Thankfully, we never had to deal with a supremely scary incident. One of my favorite memories with Travis was when we discovered his "Mickey Mouse" voice. Here was this big guy, potential gang member, talking like a cartoon mouse. It was glorious! It was funny and humbling all at the same time. I got so much encouragement and hope from that mouse voice.

I hated leaving West Palm Beach because I knew my time with the kiddos in Belle Glade was over. My heart was so sad. I think of them all the time. I think of them when I see a slum. I think of them when I hear a success story. I think of them when I hear their favorite rap music. I miss them so much. I pray for them often. Will you join me in those prayers?

If I could say something to Travis I would say:

Travis,

You are such an intelligent guy. You are talented and kind. You have a really good heart. The Lord loves you and wants you to live your life for him. Get out of Belle Glade! Leave! Do well in high school so you can get a scholarship to college! Do well in college so you can come back and change Belle Glade. Change will only come from within this town and you have what is necessary to do it. I believe in you. I am praying for you. Thank you for teaching me about God's endless pursuit of humanity. Jer. 29:11.

I don't know what is going on with Travis right now, but I pray God is surrounding him.

-MB