He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. I Kings 19:11-12

Nobody was around. I was a little early. Not exactly early. It was about three in the afternoon.
Lately the children don’t come up until much later. This is part of many subtle changes in the center. The city is slowly trying to resume her regular activities. Everyone is trying to get into some sort routine not unlike before the pandemic. It will take a while before we fully comprehend the new normal. There are some depressing signs. The city center looks abandoned. Lots of stores are closed and some buildings show signs of deterioration. Many people have died including business owners. People like to point out which stores had owners who met with a tragic end. It is a conversational topic nowadays. Even on my way to the street, I saw a newsstand with a sign saying that the owner has passed away. He was only in his forties. I used to exchange greetings with him. For our children and teens, the major change is the scarcity of food. There is still an abundance of food but it is not accessible to everyone. There used to be many groups delivering food to the homeless several times a day. Now the homeless have to wait until six in the evening to eat. Most of the children would rather stay down under the bridge until then. Every evening a spiritualist group feeds the homeless. They have been doing this for years. It is part of their religious belief. It has something to do with creating positive karma. They do not interact with the people. They fear that interaction might be perceived as a reward for their good works. They want to save it for the afterlife. It is very possible that I am oversimplifying their doctrine. All the same, I am just grateful for them. They ensure that the homeless get at least one hot meal a day. For the moment, it is the only meal for most of them.

Sometimes the children ask us to buy them some food. We are their last resort. They have a different kind of relationship with us which they don’t want to change. They consider it humiliating to beg for food or money. They would rather do it with someone with whom they don’t have any relationship. Everything is compartmentalized in the minds of our children and teens. Certain people are for certain things. They beg from complete strangers. They receive food donations from certain groups. There are social workers who deal only with medical issues. Then there are those who provide blankets and even temporary shelter on cold days. Most of these people have a limited relationship with these children. They are restricted by their jobs and their task. Nevertheless, they play an important role and in a way, they free us up too. They give us an opportunity to occupy a different space with these young people. We do not have anything defined. This is intentional. Sometimes a newcomer to the street will ask us for money and the older teens will let him or her know, “Uncle Stephen and Aunty Mary are not the kind of people for these things. They are here for different purpose.” No one can really say what is our purpose exactly. It evolves with our relationship with them. We play a different role with each child. When the children are really young, we spend time with them and allow them to have their childhood. Other times, we accompany them to the doctors when they don’t feel well. We celebrate their birthdays. As they grow older, they want us to accompany them to get their documents. They call us when they need help with a job. They even use our address in their job applications. Most of the time, they like to talk about things in general. We allow them to be curious about life and God. They can ask questions without being feeling embarrassed or stupid. When they become young adults, they want us to accompany them in their journey. It is a scary world for them and they want someone who understands them to be with them without any judgment. These are new grounds for us. It is the first time we are walking with them as adults. Now, we have a new role added. We are their last resort when they cannot find any food. Whenever we buy them a meal, we sit and talk with them. We want it to be like friends having a meal together. In this way, we keep our previous roles intact and do not let them be absorbed by the present crisis. Besides it gives us another opportunity to enjoy their presence. After all, this is the essence of breaking bread together.

It seems like every time I come to the streets, I don’t know what will happen. We cannot program anything in the streets. The children and teens are free. They are free to be with us or ignore us. Most of the time we just sit and wait. Usually, I don’t have to wait long. Someone comes over and sits with us. Sometimes in the moments of waiting, I hear God’s voice. I was hoping that it would be the case this time. Sure enough, I heard a voice calling out my name. Of course, it wasn’t God, well, at least not directly. It was Kawanna. She gestured for me to come over. Just around the corner where I was sitting, there was a small patch of grass. We hardly go to this area because the children rarely hang out here. However, today there were about thirty of them. All new faces from eight to twelve devouring sandwiches which Erica frantically was preparing for them. She was about their age when we first met her. Now she is twenty and taking the role of a mother figure. It would have made a perfect picture if I was that kind of person who took pictures. I am not so these words will have to do. Kawanna commented that all these children just showed up in the midst of the Pandemic. Unfortunately, there are more. They are elsewhere wandering around the center. These children have run away to the streets in the worst possible time. I can’t imagine what they were escaping. I was looking at their faces. Some of them looked like rascals but all of them had their innocence intact. Unfortunately, things will change for many of them. They will learn to do everything that it takes to survive. Some may not make it even though I hope to God that they all do. Miracles still do happen.

When we came here in 2013, there was a large of group of children freshly arrived to the streets. Daniel, Ruan, Dreyson, Alex, Guilherme, Aline, Vanessa, Wanderson and many more were among them. Most of them are twenty or older now. Almost all of them made it. I was about to write everyone until I remembered a few faces who met tragic ends. This first group are young adults now but in our minds they are still children. Now, we are in a different phase in our relationship with them. I wonder how things are going to turn out with these new lads. I was looking at them when one of the boys made eye contact with me. He held up his sandwich and asked me if I wanted to share it with him. “Not today but maybe one day soon we will break bread together.”