Friday, June 17, 2011

Street Babies

Today I saw one of the saddest sights ever.  
Let me set the scene for you.  My friends and I had just eaten lunch at Garden City mall.  On the street a short distance from Garden City there are always children in the middle of the street begging.  They are ragged and in need but we know not to give them money because someone has put them on the street and the children will never see any of the benefits of the money.
They are there at night and I am always afraid that one of them will get hit by a vehicle.  Sometimes there is a policeman trying to keep them out of the street.  When dignitaries come to town the streets are cleaned up and those children are rounded up and put into a children’s prison.
Today traffic was slow and while we were sitting at a traffic light I noticed a little baby on the sidewalk. (S)he was about two years old and trying to sit straight up while sleeping. I commented to my friends that I was amazed that the baby could sit up like that without falling over.


One of them noticed that there was another baby sitting about 30 feet away.   And another -- 5 in all. All about the same age.  We realized that they had been placed there so that people passing by would drop money in their laps. 
 Sure enough in a few minutes a lady came by and nudged them awake and placed their hands cupped together so they could receive money and so that no one would mistake why they were there.



It was so sad, but more than that, I was angry about it.  I wanted to get out of the car and pick those children up and take them home with me.  These were the youngest I had ever seen -- so innocent yet so exploited.  Pray that a way can be found to keep these children - all of them - off the street.

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