The boys home we are working at consist of 15 energetic boys who are always off on a great adventure to slay the Dragon(who is usually Jared) and to save the damsel in distress or a fellow brother who has been captured. Everyday the war rages on between the forces of good and evil and the fearless knights never reject an opportunity to take down the empire of the evil one.
The other day I was watching Pritam run around the room taking down the enemy with all his “smooth” karate moves. He ran up to me and flexed his arm muscles to show me just how amazingly strong he is. As I oohed and awed over how awesome he is he declared, ” I am Jesus, the winner man.” This took me off guard and I wondered if I should correct his obviously wrong thinking but then a thought hit me; Jesus is his hero.
At home in the U.S. it is extremely common for young boys to dream about being Superman, Batman, or Spiderman because they watch t.v. shows, read books, even dress up to imitate their hero’s. Our culture shouts out those type of characters. Everywhere you look you can see posters of soon to be released movies to entertain those dreams. Yes, those characters are here in India as well but they are not as common. Instead, everyday these boys hear stories about the ultimate hero and sing songs about Jesus, the winner man. Every night before they go to bed they hear about a real man who walked this earth and overcame the darkest evil there is. A true hero to be worshipped and admired. Why wouldn’t they want to be just like their beloved hero?
Today I watch 15 boys pretend to slay the Dragon. Today I hear them cry out to their hero on behalf of their lost family and friends. Today I look into the eyes of 15 fearless warriors. Someday they will realize that there is a real war at hand and how each one of them is playing a role in an incredible story of love and victory over darkness.
