Walking and Jumping and Praising God
It’s a place where S.A.Y. Yes! is really needed. (S.A.Y. Yes! is the biblically-based after-school program Here’s Life has developed and made available for inner-city churches.) Most of the kids who come to S.A.Y. Yes! have only one pair of shoes, which they wear for everything and which of course wear out quickly (if they are not outgrown first). Kids show up at the Center with shoes that are falling apart, with holes on the top and holes in the soles. Shoelaces are often too long, probably salvaged from somewhere else. Every fall, Here’s Life provides shoes to S.A.Y .Yes! children, giving a tremendously valuable resource and also communicating God’s love in a very tangible way. Jenora is in the second grade, and she and her two brothers come to S.A.Y. Yes! Jenora and her brothers live with their single mom, who works hard but is always struggling to make ends meet. The father is rarely present. Their mom does not bring the children to church, so the Center is their only source of spiritual input. Because of her involvement at S.A.Y. Yes!, Jenora now believes in God. She can go through the Gospel bracelet and explain what Jesus has done for her and how she needs to grow. She loves to pray, and she is always one of the first to memorize scripture. Jenora is usually quite reserved — some would say shy. But when she received the gift of brand new shoes at the Center, she was literally bouncing! She came running up to her mentor, eyes shining, jumping and skipping and showing off her shoes — an uncharacteristic outburst. On that day there was a lot to get excited about in Jenora’s neighborhood in Harlem. |
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In the neighborhood around the S.A.Y. Yes! Center in Harlem, there isn’t a lot to get excited about. The buildings look dilapidated ... The playground is often littered with broken glass ... A few doors down from the Center the police raided a house of prostitution.