The Boys From The Market

We go to a local market called Lekke almost every weekend. It is where we buy our fresh fruits and veggies, bootleg DVD's and other goodies. The challenge of shopping outdoors, in the heat, in the dirt and surrounded by the very poor can make you want to lay right down and cry. But, if it's fresh fruits and veggies you want then this is where you have to go. Well, we could go to the beach market but Lekke is where the beach vendors get their goods so it makes sense to go to the source. We have developed a rapport with many of the vendors and enjoy hearing how their week went, how their families are, etc. And since we bring money, they are always glad to see us! Of course we have "the boys." I am not sure quite how calling them "the boys" got started. It may have been how we asked for them the first couple of weeks we went to the market. You know, "We have boys who help us, thank you. Where are the boys?" - that sort of thing. Today it is a badge of honour for them. We show up and you hear the call go out "Get the boys - they're here!" They even refer to themselves that way. We will take a newcomer to the market and they try to engage the boys in conversation and to a person they start with "Who are you?" The reply is always "We are the boys - their boys" or "I am one of the boys - their boys." We all feel like we belong to each other and it seems they like that feeling, we certainly do. John, Paul and Michael have been lugging our purchases - big and small- for almost a year now. It is amazing to see how they have grown. There is a 20-something man who works where we work but lives in the same neighbourhood as 'our boys' so we are able to know quite a bit about them. He knows that we worry about the boys and would like to help so he keeps us informed on the daily routines of their lives. The boys get a little freaked out when we ask them about things that it doesn't seem like we should know about but are thrilled that we care. Our 'informant' hasn't given up the game and neither have we. It helps the boys to try a little harder in many things knowing that we somehow find out about what they are doing and that we really do care. We are helping them with school and learned this week that John is really "doing" school, while Paul and Michael are just "going" school. We will talk to them this week but it may be a lost cause; we are glad they are still going and are safe for some portion of each day. John, though, really has goals. He wants to work as a driver when he grows up and understands that to work for "important people" (he believes we are in that category; it just means we can afford to hire a driver but, well, that is important in a country where jobs are scarce so his meaning is understood), he must be able to read and write and do math, be trustworthy and have a knowledge of his own country. And that means school. He talks to my guy every weekend about what he has learned druing the week. The feedback and encouragement he gets from my guy lights up his entire face. It is such a joy to watch. So we will support his efforts as long as we live here. We love these boys. They aren't our own but we worry about them and pray for them and want them to live and grow and succeed in life. We can't change the world but maybe, just maybe, we can make a difference in the lives of John, Paul and Michael.
The picture at the top of the post is "the boys." From left to right are Paul, Michael and John. John may be the littlest but he is the oldest at 14!