Tuesday, September 21, 2010
ch-ch-ch-changes.
I think part of the reason I keep a blog is for the purpose of having a quick artistic outlet. I change the colors and theme about as often as I post an update....
Saturday, September 11, 2010
nice kid killer.
I ran into M on Espana Street tonight and offered to buy him some food. He tends to move around the city often, and I'm never really sure when and where I'll run into him. But lately, I've enjoyed seeing him most evenings in town where he goes to wash windows and pick-pocket on the side.
We bought some greasy food from a street vendor and sat down in the Plaza Colon to have a chat. I asked how things have been going for him, and he filled me in on some bridge rivalries and fights. The bridge he's at is fighting with the the kids from America Avenue (my bridge) because the America kids are starting to smoke crack more and more, but instead of buying it from M's bridge, they purchase it elsewhere. On the streets, that's reason enough for a knife fight. So M gave me all the details on who got cut and where. I said they should just sell it for a little cheaper, but street kids aren't really business savvy.
I was able to talk with him a little bit about just how unnecessary and unfortunate all that violence is... I know that it's "kill or be killed" on the streets (sometimes literally, sometimes not), and I asked him what he thought about all that. He looked at me sincerely and said he's sick of it and wants to go home, but like all street kids, he had several reasons why he couldn't go home tonight...
At one point he asked me if I knew that Vladimir had died, which of course I did (see here). His death is actually one of two suicides (see here for the other) from last October that were very difficult for me to deal with. One of several things I did in order to seek healing and wholeness while I was home in the US was to work through those tragedies with a great Christian counselor. And it's only because of his help and the way the Lord has healed my heart that I was able to have the following conversation with M:
(It's a little graphic... )
I had heard a lot of rumors about how Vladimir ended up in hospital Viedma, but had never spoken to anyone who was with him when everything went down. But M was with there and was part of the fight, and tonight I heard the whole story.
M told me that Vladi had this girlfriend (on the streets, girlfriends cause enormous amounts of trouble) who cheated on him with a guy from La Paz called Paceno. Well, one night when M was with Vladi downtown, they went over to confront and fight Paceno over the girl. During the fight, Paceno pulled out a knife with a 6" blade and stabbed/sliced Vladi in the stomach. M said that Vladi's intestines spilled out and that there was blood everywhere.
After that, Paceno took off running, but M and the other guys who were with Vladi chased him down. They took his knife and stabbed him repeatedly in the stomach, in the lungs, in the heart... M said he died right there on the street. (I hadn't heard any of that.) Then, the guys put Vladi in a taxi and took him to Viedma, where he was recovering for 2 weeks before he jumped out of the window.
I was a little bit shocked sitting next to M while he was telling me all this, just because I have never thought of him as a violent guy. In fact, he was one of the boys that always went to church with me... I told him what I was thinking... He said that he's not violent, but that he has to protect his friends. That's just how the streets are.
Nice kids can be killers.
We talked in depth about what it would take to get him off the streets and how I could help. His mom and dad would be happy to have him return, but he's not from a particularly stable family. His dad works out in the country, and his mom cooks and sells food at cock fights. Even so, it's better than the dangerous life he's leading on the streets.
And we finished by talking about the life God has for him... M said he prays often and asks the Lord to forgive the things he's done because he knows that they're wrong. We discussed God's grace and love and mercy... And I told him a little bit about my relationship with God and about how we can know and love God like we know and love a person...
It was a good, long conversation, and M asked if I'd come talk to him more tomorrow. I'm planning to do so...
So please be praying for M... for safety, because the devil hits hard as soon as the kids start turning towards the Lord... for an open heart... and for a desire to change.
We bought some greasy food from a street vendor and sat down in the Plaza Colon to have a chat. I asked how things have been going for him, and he filled me in on some bridge rivalries and fights. The bridge he's at is fighting with the the kids from America Avenue (my bridge) because the America kids are starting to smoke crack more and more, but instead of buying it from M's bridge, they purchase it elsewhere. On the streets, that's reason enough for a knife fight. So M gave me all the details on who got cut and where. I said they should just sell it for a little cheaper, but street kids aren't really business savvy.
I was able to talk with him a little bit about just how unnecessary and unfortunate all that violence is... I know that it's "kill or be killed" on the streets (sometimes literally, sometimes not), and I asked him what he thought about all that. He looked at me sincerely and said he's sick of it and wants to go home, but like all street kids, he had several reasons why he couldn't go home tonight...
At one point he asked me if I knew that Vladimir had died, which of course I did (see here). His death is actually one of two suicides (see here for the other) from last October that were very difficult for me to deal with. One of several things I did in order to seek healing and wholeness while I was home in the US was to work through those tragedies with a great Christian counselor. And it's only because of his help and the way the Lord has healed my heart that I was able to have the following conversation with M:
(It's a little graphic... )
I had heard a lot of rumors about how Vladimir ended up in hospital Viedma, but had never spoken to anyone who was with him when everything went down. But M was with there and was part of the fight, and tonight I heard the whole story.
M told me that Vladi had this girlfriend (on the streets, girlfriends cause enormous amounts of trouble) who cheated on him with a guy from La Paz called Paceno. Well, one night when M was with Vladi downtown, they went over to confront and fight Paceno over the girl. During the fight, Paceno pulled out a knife with a 6" blade and stabbed/sliced Vladi in the stomach. M said that Vladi's intestines spilled out and that there was blood everywhere.
After that, Paceno took off running, but M and the other guys who were with Vladi chased him down. They took his knife and stabbed him repeatedly in the stomach, in the lungs, in the heart... M said he died right there on the street. (I hadn't heard any of that.) Then, the guys put Vladi in a taxi and took him to Viedma, where he was recovering for 2 weeks before he jumped out of the window.
I was a little bit shocked sitting next to M while he was telling me all this, just because I have never thought of him as a violent guy. In fact, he was one of the boys that always went to church with me... I told him what I was thinking... He said that he's not violent, but that he has to protect his friends. That's just how the streets are.
Nice kids can be killers.
We talked in depth about what it would take to get him off the streets and how I could help. His mom and dad would be happy to have him return, but he's not from a particularly stable family. His dad works out in the country, and his mom cooks and sells food at cock fights. Even so, it's better than the dangerous life he's leading on the streets.
And we finished by talking about the life God has for him... M said he prays often and asks the Lord to forgive the things he's done because he knows that they're wrong. We discussed God's grace and love and mercy... And I told him a little bit about my relationship with God and about how we can know and love God like we know and love a person...
It was a good, long conversation, and M asked if I'd come talk to him more tomorrow. I'm planning to do so...
So please be praying for M... for safety, because the devil hits hard as soon as the kids start turning towards the Lord... for an open heart... and for a desire to change.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)