All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:4

I used to like post-apocalyptic movies but recently, they have lost their appeal. Everything changes when our reality reflects what once was a mere fantasy.

Every day we see abandoned buildings, increasing sense of lawlessness, trash scattered everywhere and families living in makeshift tents cooking their dinner on improvised stoves, while the police walk around armed to the teeth as if we are in war. All this we see in our own neighborhood and we live in supposedly the richest city in Latin America. I thought maybe I am just being negative. Recently, we received a visitor in our home. It was a friend who is living in Europe presently. He is back on a short family visit. He decided it would be fun to walk to our place from his temporary lodgings. It’s not anywhere near us, almost two hours walking distance. Perhaps it sounds like a crazy idea for some but our friend is a very unique person. Besides, it is something I would do easily in his place. He wanted to get reacquainted with the city and this seemed like a good way. When he got to our place, he told us that he felt like he walked through the scenery from a post-apocalyptic movie without any of the entertaining element. It is not just my opinion then. We are living in a post apocalyptic state.

The place where we meet the children and teens is considered the old commercial center of this city. Sometimes the word “historic” is added to its description to attract the tourist. However, you have to be a pretty naive tourist to come here. It is quite dangerous and frightening. We are part of the environment now but it does not mean that we are immune to its dangers. We still need to be aware. There is a new group of children and teens who have moved to our area. Most of them do not know us. There are about at least 50 to 60 of them and they are mostly under the age of 12 with some older teenage girls in the mix. All of them are runaways from orphanages. We do not know exactly how they met. The pattern is always the same. The children and teens ran away from their situation and joined up with others like them and eventually they migrate to the historic center. The first thing they do is to prove how tough they are. As a result, any unfortunate soul wearing a gold chain is sure to lose it in this old center. I wish I was exaggerating but this is the sad truth.

A group of European looking tourists came walking towards the church and few seconds later they were running away from a bunch of children trying to rob them. An older teenage girl pounced on one of the tourists to steal her chain. She managed to get away with her things intact but I am not sure about her state of mind. It was quite an unsettling scene. The teenage girl behaved like a dreadful monster. However, it impressed the other children. No doubt this was her intention. She has proven herself to be one of them. Now she has a story to tell. The next day the same girl came up to us and asked if she could color with us.

She colored in silence. There is something about her face which revealed a timid gentle soul hiding behind a tough exterior. She spoke to us in curt sentences. She chose her colors carefully and then when she was finished she showed us her end product. It was truly beautiful. She stood up and walked away with a satisfied smile. The next day, when she saw us, she gestured to us to sit with her. She started coloring again and did not say anything. We did not want to burden her questions. The following day she called our names with a big smile. We do not recall telling her our names. Suddenly the images of the girl attacking an innocent tourist were not compatible with this girl we are beginning to know. She appeared to be a little child now. She asked Mary to teach her a few English words. She wanted to know how to say “sorry” in English. Ever since this day, she always comes up to us and sometimes she just stands next to us without saying anything, never hiding the fact that she is happy to see us. Our relationship is slowly developing through silence. The Holy Spirit gave us the capacity to speak the language this young girl understood without uttering a single word. She just wants to be close to someone who will let her be herself. It is apparent that she feels safe with us and we feel a sense of love creeping into our hearts. Suddenly, the world does not seem so dark and gloomy anymore. The Spirit brought a little girl who wants to be in a place where she can feel safe and loved. We are grateful that Holy Spirit considered us for the role.

Her name is Giovana.

Some Recent Interactions

Perhaps few days after I wrote this, we saw her in the streets playing with another teen. I suppose it is her boyfriend. We know him but we do not have any strong connection with him. She was playing with him like a little child. She ran up to him expecting him to catch her as she jumped into his arms. A game a little child would play with her father. When her boyfriend caught her, she was laughing and completely oblivious to the world. There was something sad about it.

A little later she came up and stood next to us, smiling. She wanted us to know that she had just celebrated her birthday. She added that the doors of the orphanage are permanently closed to her. It means that she is 18 now. We told her that we will do something special together. She smiled and thanked us. The next day, Mary wrote her name in beautiful calligraphy with special birthday wishes. We also included a box of good chocolate and a pair of warm socks. It has been cold recently and anything warm is always welcomed. The next day, she came up and gave us hug. Our relationship has progressed to hugs. This is a pleasant development. She did not know that we had a gift for her. She was taken by surprise. She saw the chocolates and the socks. There was not much of a reaction beside a smile. Then she saw the hand written note. She showed it to the other kids who were more interested in the chocolates. She sat down and shared her chocolates with the others but held the note in her hand. It was something that just belonged to her.