A young boy walks away from his home early one morning, because life has become unbearable for him. He walks until midnight, finding himself in another city. There he lives on the street, sleeping in the market, avoiding hostile groups of teens and malicious adults. He becomes painfully thin, finding just enough to eat every few days to keep himself alive. He suffers from respiratory ailments and skin diseases. Eventually, because of petty theft or violation of curfew laws, he finds himself in a police lockup. A social worker finds him and looks for a place when he can find a temporary home. That is often when we, at Bahay Pag-asa, first meet a "child in conflict with the law." Many are quite surprised when they first come to Bahay Pag-asa because there are no "cells" like they experienced at the police lock-up or jail. They find that they now have three meals a day, classes, recreation, livelihood training and even the medical care that they may never have received previously. But most importantly, they find a family and a sense of belonging. I wish that you could see it...it's the good news of the Gospel in its most unmistakable form.
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