The Students
I’m teaching literacy and French in a centre run by voluteers in a church in Paris. The kids are sent by social services. They’re usually between 18-30, and their stories break your heart.
One guy was 2 hours late today and it was only his second lesson. The teacher got very mad at him and he couldn’t explain why he was late. (He is from Bangladesh and he speaks a very small amount of English.) It was clear that he had got lost because the nearest metro station had been closed. I invited him to walk back with me to the next station and I made sure he got on the right train. He is about 18 years old, his dad is dead and he has left his sister and mum in Bangladesh. I asked him about his life. He said he is very cold here in France. That he hasn’t really spoken to anyone for 3 months, the time he’s been in France. He has been given a TV by the social worker but he doesn’t understand. He said, ‘I am lonely all the time.’ I nearly cried there on the spot!
Anyway, at the metro station it became obvious that he couldn’t read our alphabet - which means he had been going round in circles on the metro this morning and explains why he was so late. The poor kid.
I wondering about doing something one evening a week for these kids. Like a meal and games evening. I think they are all so lonely and they just need to be ‘normal’ for a few hours. Of course I need to talk to the pastor about this, but if you’re the praying sort, you can already start praying into this situation for wisdom and open doors. Thanks!
