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By Ken Peters
A classic and beautifully done musical, arguably one of the best ever made, was filmed in the early sixties of Latinos in New York’s West Side of Manhattan rivaling a Hell’s Kitchen gang for turf and respect. It was a cross cultural collision, overlaid with the theme of romantic love in the style of Romeo and Juliet’s bittersweet tragedy. As a musical and a story it embodied all the timeless elements of human struggle so common to mankind.
Recently I reflected, here we are working on the “west side” of Santo Domingo in a reverse cross cultural situation, this time with a Kingdom-Love overlay which burns through all the barriers to His glory, without tragedy- at least as far as relationships go. Thank you Jesus! The tragic piece is found in the extremes of poverty of poor Dominicans and alienated Haitians who are the poorest people in the Western hemisphere. The oppression of poverty and its twin “ignorance” are deeply tragic and we find ourselves in a “turf” war with the enemy of all souls- the Devil himself. Children made in the image of God twisted by disease, hunger and neglect, and instead of cool music and intense choreography there is only the hollow laughter of a cruel principality delighting in the ravages of his destruction.
On this August trip with a team from Cross Life Church in El Dorado, Arkansas we refreshed the saints in the churches, distributed medicines through the clinic, evangelized, and loved on the least of the Lord’s brethren. We found our friend, Junior, once again navigating in the mud without clothes from the waist down, crippled from polio. He is a seven year old boy and it seemed all heaven opened up for him as we prayed. We got him to his feet and walked him home to his shanty on the western edge of the Haitian town of Palmerejo. We arranged for him to begin therapy, gave his mom money for clothes and shoes, and the Pastor was given funds for his braces and doctor visits. Junior smiles as wide as the sky, his eyes are bright with delight at being loved and given attention. His mom, dad and grandmother are greatly relieved he will have a chance to be “upright” in every aspect of that word. Jesus is smiling! Being a disciple and making disciples is carried out only one way according to the scripture-with LOVE.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Mat 6:33
