Scriptures give former street children
‘new zest for life’

By Rifka Herawati, Head of Distribution Department, Indonesian Bible Society

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Simon cannot remember what his parents look like. He can only remember that he was unhappy living with his uncle on the outskirts of Jakarta, so he went into the city to find work. He found himself sleeping on the streets and making a small amount of money as a shoe-shiner.

For a small boy, however, life on the streets was hard and often dangerous and Simon dreamed of another life where he felt secure and where he had the opportunity to go to school. One day, he met another boy who told him about an accommodation centre where he was living and about the school that he attended.

Simon went with him to the centre, Yayasan Griya Asih, which is run by the Roman Catholic Church, and which accommodates children from many different faith backgrounds. With the care and attention of the staff there, Simon settled down well and is now attending school.

When staff of the Indonesian Bible Society visited the centre to distribute Scriptures to the children, Simon told them how happy he was with his new life. He was delighted with the Scripture Portion that he was given – Sobat di Simpang Jalan (‘A Friend at the Crossroads’) – saying, “This proves that God has not forgotten me, and that he loves and takes care of me.”

All the children at the centre, who are either orphaned or abandoned, were amazed at the Bible Society’s visit because they are unaccustomed to people, other than the centre’s staff, taking an interest in them. They were excited to receive the Scripture Portions, which they immediately started to read. Later, Bible Society staff sat with them and asked them what they thought of the stories in the Portion.

“After reading the story of the return of the Prodigal Son, I know that even though I do not know who my parents are, they love me,” said one child. “And I also know that although I have done many wrong things, the Lord Jesus accepts me.”

The Bible Society also distributed the Portion at another accommodation centre for street children, Kampus Diakonia Modern, which is also run on Christian principles. Like those in the other centre, the children were eager to tell the visitors how happy they were to have left the streets and be living somewhere where they felt safe and cared for.

They were all eager to learn as much as they could at school because they wanted a better life for themselves in the future. Many of them said that reading God’s Word made them feel that they always had a friend in Jesus, and that this helped them to face the future with enthusiasm, giving them “a new zest for life,” as one of them put it.