Zambia (MNN) — They're known as call boys. What are they? Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach (CWO) says these young boys and men are basically street kids who load buses along the street in exchange for money.
"They're looked down upon because most of them have problems with alcohol. They don't have anyone who really cares for them. They're down and out. They're known as thieves," says Yoder.
According to Yoder, CWO is reaching out to them specifically. "[We] actually call them our nephews, instead of call boys. They come to an outreach once a week where they are taught a Bible lesson. There are often times when they just play some games. [We're] trying to teach them life skills.
This type of ministry is something these young men need. Yoder says, "Some of these boys don't have any families, so who's going to teach them how they should live or offer them Christ to help change their life, which has happened with a number of these boys? This has become their church; the outreach is once a week."
Yoder says as they do come to Christ, there are still obstacles. "If they become a Christian and they come to church, [Christians] are very suspicious of them–suspecting the boys there for other motives instead of coming to church."
The boys are learning English and are receiving tuition to return to school; they're encouraged to get real jobs, rather than returning to the streets.
As the nephews grow in their faith, they're asking from something pretty amazing. "The older nephews said, 'You've shared Christ with us: we want you to tell us how to do that. How do we tell others?' For them to come and say 'It's time for us to go out' is really exciting."
Yoder is asking you to pray that the nephews won't be discouraged, that they won't return to their old ways, and that they'll continue to grow and have a positive influence on society.
If you'd like to learn more about sponsoring a nephew or support their work in other ways, click here.
