What Would You Fight For? by Ruth Mercy: It is always easier not to….but where does easy get us?

It is always easier not to….but where does easy get us?

I caught this sunset out the car window on our way home from a prison in south Chile. It was probably one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

We had a beautiful time performing for a government run orphanage in Chile. These kids had nothing and no one. The director told me that 70% of them will live their whole lives in one of the homes for children that the state runs. There are three homes, one for children age 1 to 5, one for children 5 to 12 and one for children 12 to 18. They get moved from one home to the next and then when they turn 18, they are on their own. It is so sad because I once met a young man in prison who had spent his life in these orphanages and then ended up robbing a store to survive when he was on the streets.

The orphanages do not have enough staff to give the kids adequate care so many end up neglected. When I first went into the orphanage court yard, there was a little girl sitting in a corner just crying. It really breaks your heart to see their suffering. Some have parents, but the parents that are not fit to raise them so the state takes them, and since the children are too young to understand everything, they just feel unwanted.

This was the little boy who was deaf.

When we preformed for them, there was a little boy, maybe 7 or 8 who was deaf. We would lay next to our speaker so he could feel the vibrations of the music. He loved seeing magic and hugging our big stuffed lion. We were able to tell them stories and puppet shows to give them a message of hope and love. I think seeing some of the older kids laugh makes me the most happy. There is so much suffering in those young eyes.

A few companies donated some toys and little
stuffed animals that we were able to give these kids.
They had a blast, I just hope the teachers don't hate me
for giving them whistle things.

In some of our dances we fill the stage with bubbles
that creates a magical effect. I snapped this one of my sister.
We also learned how to make massive bubbles that everyone (including me) finds enchanting.
I'll post a picture sometime, they are really cool.

We continue to work at different homes for the elderly. Some of the homes are so bad it is really a tragedy, they are neglected, lack basic necessities like heat and plumbing, and smell really bad. It is winter here and getting very cold obviously being elderly, they get even colder. The ladies that run some of these homes had never seen the survival tin blankets that we have, and once I showed it to them and explained what it was, they were thrilled and said they would put them on all the beds.

I was making conversation with an oler man, maybe 80 and I asked him what he had done for work. He said, "survive". He told me that he had never known his parents, had no idea if they died or if they just gave him up, but spent his childhood in many foster homes and orphanages until he was just thrown out to the streets to fend for himself. You would never think looking at this man the story behind his eyes.

This is the man who was an orphan and lived on the streets.

Another women told me she lived in the far south working in the country until she recently fell while carrying fire wood for the winter. She broke her leg and had to come here. She cried as she told me she had know one in the world to visit her or remember her. I don't know if I have ever met more grateful people then the elderly at this home. At the end of our time there, one old man put on his best clothes and hat, took the microphone and read us a beautiful poem that he had written in his head while watching us. It rhymed beautifully in Spanish and had the idea that we were from the Fathers Kingdom and had been given to them as gifts. He gave us a hand made little box from all of them. It really touched us.

We have visited most all the prisons in the area and reached many, many men and women who have lost there freedom. So many stories of a mistake turned tragedy. In the eyes of society, there is the victim, and the criminal, but in Gods eyes, we are all victims of this thing called sin that is within us due to Adams fall. God does not see levels of sin. Jesus said that he who is angry with his brother, is as guilty as he who kills his brother (Matt.5:21). Gods forgiveness is a gift, offered to all, based on faith in the blood of His Son Jesus. We cannot be good, or be better, but we can become new.

Some of the men say they are innocent, set up or victims of a failed justice system. I think many of them may be innocent, but who would ever be able to prove it and fight for their release? Many of them are guilty and know it and have accepted that they deserve to be where they are.
Each prison is different from the next and some are a lot more complicated to get into then others. It is an involved process and takes alot of time and work on my part to get authorized entry and to figure out all the logistics (like getting several hundred pounds of equipment checked in). But since God tells us to remember them (Heb.13:3), they are worth fighting for.
In one area we were only allowed to go into talk to them and give them reading material, in all the shouting and caos, one men yelled at the top of his lungs, “I am going to be here ten years, please, give me anything”. The patio where we was, was horrible, freezing and smelled really bad. I can’t imagine being there ten years!

In this prison the gym became a theater and they even had spot lights. In this picture my brother is under the black "grave" waiting to come out as a phoenix with new wings.

In this act we use a net to convey the things that ensure and trap us all. At the end we find freedom and escape by humbling ourselves and asking the Father for help.

In one prison we met two twin brothers who had both been in prions for 23 years, one in solitary confinement for much of the time. They were thieves and involved in armed robbery. One brother told me the first time they stole was because they were so desperate from having lived on the streets and they needed clothes and food, but then they kept robbing and said they knew the deserved to be there. We made a fold up ladder we use as a prop in a skit we do and on each one of the rungs we have written a word that is a "step" to “escaping” where they are, and a way to use the time they have in an effective way. Words like, “attitude” . Our attitude can determine our future, give up, go with the flow, or fight to be an individual and change.

At many prisons we are able to project videos we have created behind our performance. This is a great edition and useful for teaching.

We wanted to visit the southern city of Concepcion but had many events scheduled in Santiago, so we split up and my brothers and sister and I took a bus south. We planed to sleep on the bus there and sleep on the bus on the way back so would not have to stay in a motel (which are quite expensive). We arrived at 6:00 and it was absolutely freezing, I think it was like 10 degrees. We had two hours to kill before anything opened and I had planned to just doze off on some chair in the terminal, but the terminal was an outdoor, third world terminal and there was nowhere to sit. As usual, our Father always takes care of us and provided a little cafe that opened early where we could wait it out and even get some eggs (not heated, but the kitchen heat made it not too bad).

After we perform Tae Kwon do we teach about honor, discipline and respect. Here all the men bowed to us and we to them.

At 8:00, we went to the prison to see if we could get in even on such short notice (usually impossible). God is a God of the impossible and we found favor with the guards and the head director. He allowed us to visit the women’s prison in the morning and then two large mens patios later in the afternoon. We were able to give them a magic show and share many things with them.

Doing a magic routine that carries the message of taking advantage of their time in place of wasting it.

After every performance we spend time one on one with the guys talking to them and give them things to read.

We then went to the university which is one of the largest in the country and were able to talk to many of the young people as they went on lunch. Then we hit the down town center which was absolutely packed. Each of us had a large crowd of people that we were able to talk with and share many things. We then went back to the prison, (we had to be there between 2:00 and 4:00), and then made it back down town for the evening rush.

Being on a bus, at night and going somewhere that I have never been is one of my favorite things in life.
I do not know what lies ahead, but I know the Lord will meet me.

We have also taken a number of other bus trips to surrounding cities to cover as much ground as possible and reach as many people as we can. We have had many beautiful nights in front of the train station and at various venues in the city. So many unique stories from so many individuals. One older man I have come to know was a commander in the Chilean army. He was kidnapped, tortured and held for 30 years. His name is Enrique, one day I saw him down town and he had tears in his eyes as he told me his father had died because the hospital just neglected him because he was old. The other day he gave me a little piece of wood that he engraved with an English message on asking me to always remember him.

There are sooooo many stray dogs here it is unbelievable. I could tell you a lot of crazy stories of dogs running in traffic, causing accidents, fighting, disrupting our crowds, chasing me for miles on my bike, but I doubt you find wild dog stories very interesting so I'll just sum it up by saying if you ever visit Chile, plan on the local wild life being dogs.

It is winter here and really cold. The place where we are staying you can't get from one room to another without going out side and none of the rooms are sealed from the out doors so it is pretty cold. I can't imagine how cold it is inside a cement prison, no hot water, no heater. We recently got robbed when some thieves smashed a hole through a cement wall to get into the inclosed lot where our trailer was stored. They destroyed the doors to our trailer and took a bunch of stuff, including a lot of stuff we had to give out to the prisoners, stuffed animals for the orphans and some personal gear and equipment. It was a tough loss since we really needed those items, but we know God always provides and is a God of redemption.

If anyone who reads this was ever able to finically help us, it would be a great blessing and directly be used to help those in great need, even a little bit can make a big difference (we are not supported by any group or church but have worked jobs to fund our travels). You may not personally know us, but I hope you can see our sincerity from what I write and in the pictures I post.

We will soon leave and head through Argentinean cities and then on to Brazil. My birthday is tomorrow and we will be performing multiple times inside a maximum security prison. I can't think of anywhere else I would rather spend my birthday then letting God use my life to touch those in need of help.

"...To preach good news to the poor....to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...to comfort all who mourn.."(Is.61:1)

Every day we are faced with choices and decisions. Routine comes easy, doing things outside of our comfort zone, well it's just easier not to do those things. But "easy" gets us no where.

And so I encourage you all to forget about yourself.....

...Love the orphan.....