Occasionally, I will Google Kenyan news, just to keep up with what’s going on in the country that I love so much. Earlier this week, as I was doing this, a headline caught my eye – “Two More Thugs Shot in the City” – that was the actual title of the news story. I clicked on it and proceeded to read about police cracking down on the theft problem in Nairobi by shooting thieves dead. It specifically called out street children, who “have been blamed for crime incidents reported so far.” The comments section was full of people praising the efforts to rid the streets of these thugs.
Now, of course, I’m not advocating for theft or robbery. I don’t believe anyone should be subject to those sort of crimes and I know that they have become an increasing problem in cities all over the world, one I think should be addressed. But as I was reading the article, my first thought was of these three handsome young men – Martin, Kelvin, and Rodgers.
Many of the boys at Shelter come from the local towns of Naivasha and Nakuru, but these three all lived on the streets of Nairobi (Kenya’s capital and largest city, a couple of hours away from Naivasha, and the city discussed in the article) at some point in their young lives. I know that there were times they stole to survive. There was no one to take care of them on the street, no mother or father to provide for them. They resorted to many illegal and unspeakable things in order to stay alive. But praise God, instead of encountering someone who would shoot them dead on the street for petty theft, they encountered someone from the Shelter, who loved and befriended them. Who didn’t see them as thugs or criminals but as boys who needed direction and care and a way out of this life they didn’t choose for themselves.
Now, they are all thriving. Martin is crushing it at school, and Kelvin and Rodgers are completing the carpentry course at Shelter. Soon they will be providing for themselves and one day, God willing, their own family.
These boys are silly. They are kind. They love to dance and play soccer and they are so chivalrous and protective of me. Martin taught me how to juggle (well, as well as he could with such a poor student, haha). Kelvin is a quiet but hilarious kid who loves cartoons and action movies. Rodgers is the goalie on the Shelter soccer team and the one who always makes sure I have someone to escort me home at night. I get excited when I think about the kind of men they will be – great husbands, fathers, co-workers, friends. Evenings at the Shelter were often spent sitting on the stoop outside the kitchen with them – laughing, talking, hoping and dreaming about their futures. It makes me shudder to think that at any time, those futures could have been ripped away in an act of swift “justice” because no one cared to look beyond their circumstances to who they could be.
I think, as we seek to understand and pursue justice, which of course includes working to reduce crime and make communities safe, it’s important to remember something that my pastor and friend Derek talked about this past Sunday (I highly recommend you listen to the whole sermon here). In short, his point was that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for the oppressed as well as the oppressor, the victim and the perpetrator. AND WE ARE ALL BOTH. We all have been victims and we all have victimized others. The gospel is for all of us.
What if we could really believe that and live our lives that way? What if, instead of being quick to condemn those in society we deem worthless, we could exact lasting change by creating communities where people take care of each other and no one is seen as irredeemable?
I understand this is not a simple issue or solution. I’m not exactly what you’d call a “sunshine and rainbows” kind of person. I know that there is unspeakable evil in this world and I understand that everyone wants to feel that they and their families are safe. But I wanted to offer my perspective that things aren’t always as cut and dried as they may seem. I want to call us to dig deeper, not to accept the simplest explanation and solution for very complex issues when people’s lives are at stake. Let’s not be quick to rejoice at the loss of a life, regardless of how we feel about the choices that person was making.
Many in Kenya dismiss these boys and consider their lives to be of little value. In fact, I recently saw a comment on one of the Shelter Facebook posts in which the commenter said the boys we serve are “naughty kids” who are all destined to be “gangsters and robbers and killed.” I’m so grateful that there were men and women who refused to believe that and sought these young men out. My life would not be the same if I hadn’t crossed paths with them. They inspire me to be kinder and work harder and love those around me better. They are not thugs. They are precious image bearers of the God who loves them so.
Let Go, My Soul 
I enjoyed reading this Janell. It’s Not the typical opinion from a Texas girl but I completely agree. You hear of a story fairly regularly in Texas of a homeowner who kills a fleeing burglar over a TV or kills someone stealing their car. Generally there is universal praise for the shooter in these situations. I do not want to come off as sympathetic to criminals but I personally feel Christians should assign more value to human life than to kill over stuff.
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Thanks so much for this comment, Mark! I agree that, sadly, we’re in the minority in our thinking here (especially in Texas). It’s something that’s always bothered me in the situations like you mention, and has only become more personal as I’ve gotten to know more and more people who didn’t grow up like me. It’s really concerning to me that there are Christians who would not even feel any sadness over a loss of a human life.
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