From the dust to the throne
By Gail Robins
Oasis En~Gadi, Guadalajara, Mexico
Street kids in Mexico couldn’t have been further from Gail’s mind when she went as a young woman to Church of Christ the King in Brighton. Work with troubled children and teens in Sussex, and her experience with then youth pastor, Pete Brooks, in the kids department were preparation for something that was very dear to God’s heart.
Gail was being gripped by a vision. She saw a news item about street children in Mexico City who were causing such a problem to local traders that businessmen were paying police to go out at night in unmarked cars to shoot and leave them dead in the streets. It impacted her and she began to pray. That was the start of a journey.
What a shock to be confronted by the words, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land that I will show you.’ Stunned, she tried to absorb the implications of what God was saying. Eighteen months later, after much prayer, overtime to save money and tearful goodbyes, CCK sent her off to respond to God’s call to go and work on the streets of Guadalajara (pop:7million).
Street life was a shock!
Coming from middle class Hove, street life was a shock! That first small team began to walk the city streets meeting people of all ages who were living on filthy, rat-infested waste land and in disused buildings crawling with cockroaches; the stench of stale urine and drugs was overwhelming. One night Gail wrote: ‘Dear God, what am I doing? What difference can I make?’ She seemed to hear the whisper back ‘You can’t make a difference, but I can through you.’
That was a lot of years, and a lot of culture and language learning ago. After those first tenuous connections, Oasis En~Gadi was born with God-given promises; ‘He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honour’ (1 Sam. 2:8).
Oasis was established in 1997 by Gail to help Rescue, Restore and Reintegrate street Children from the poverty of Guadalajara, Mexico. From the early days of street work and a night shelter the work has grown and developed, now operating a children’s home 24/7 for up to twelve boys at a time and manned by a number of staff and volunteers from the local churches. Elders from local Newfrontiers churches keep an eye on the smooth running of the project and the integrity of the team.
In 2000 an English guy, Chris, moved to the city and was learning Spanish. He volunteered to help, and Gail welcomed him to come and oversee the showers and do the boys laundry. The story goes that they fell in love whilst mopping the kitchen floor together and were married in 2001!
Many have come to faith
In the last ten years Oasis has affiliated to local social s
ervices, created jobs for a number of church
members, given away 1,000kg clothes, made 60,000 meals (that must be a million tortillas!), and has provided countless showers, night shelter for 150 and live-in accommodation for 50. Some have integrated well and gone from education into jobs. Many have come to faith in Jesus and been healed from addictions. Boys can stay until they are no longer in need of the Oasis ‘family’ when they are helped into independent living by their key workers.
One such boy is Pancho (name changed)
‘At home my parents didn’t treat me well, they used to beat me, wouldn’t talk to me and ignored me completely. One day I ran away. I arrived in Guadalajara without knowing where I was going. Some people tried to steal my belongings and I got very frightened because I didn’t know anyone who could help me. Some boys came up and started to talk to me, and I explained what had happened. They were street boys, and that’s how my life on the streets began and how I started to take drugs.
‘I lived with a gang of ten to fifteen others boys on a piece of wasteland, sleeping on dirt floors. I used to be very dirty because I couldn’t take a shower. Each of us had to find our own food, but when we got into fights with other boys, we’d fight together as a gang and defend each other. I used to wash cars to earn enough money to eat, but sometimes I’d get angry because I couldn’t get enough and I would feel really hungry.
‘I’ve been living in Oasis for over a year now and feel settled. I take a shower every day, have my own bed, play games, and live with other friends. I’ve learned many things about God; and now I’m in school studying construction. I’ve even been part of a football team.’
Eventually Pancho’s family was found and they were reunited. His mother wept, saying ‘I have prayed every day for three years that whoever was with my son would treat him well. THANK YOU.’
We’ve even seen God multiply food
Gail writes: ‘What we do at Oasis is rooted in the confidence that what God calls us to, He will equip and will provide for. Time and again we have seen God fill our cupboards with food and our account with money. We’ve even seen Him multiply food on occasions when there wasn’t enough for the boys, but both they and the team end up eating their fill, with some left over – sound familiar? We know that He will continue to provide whilst we continue to listen and are obedient.’
We’ve also learned that our team is our biggest and most indispensable asset; it’s virtually impossible to achieve God’s plan without them. The team affects what happens in the household and is also the face of Oasis En~Gadi, so good training is an essential aspect of our work and integrity is a key value. This has enabled us to gain a good reputation with the local authorities and local community. We choose to hoist God’s standard even when the government has come asking us to do illegal things with our accounts!
Life at Oasis is a ‘Holy Spirit Adventure’. We are never quite sure what the day holds but as we work with the poor and needy – those very close to the heart of our Father – we know that He will provide for us in every way, according to His riches in glory.
And so now, 2007, Oasis En~Gadi is having an important birthday! To celebrate there will be fun parties for the boys and local people later in the year in Guadalajara, (they love a fiesta!). An astounding event recently hosted by the Cumbria region (UK) was ‘The 10 Peaks in 10 hours Challenge’. Over 100 people spent ten hours in driving rain, to cross ten peaks as a sponsored event; a masterfully engineered feat of endurance.
We’re eternally grateful to all those who continue to support us both in prayer and financially but especially to the ones who do crazy things like the ten peaks or the London marathon just for the fun of it! All our supporters have big hearts just like God’s heart for the disadvantaged. Together we’re all making the difference.