A Transforming Life

“I want to leave the street life because I hope to change my life.” This is the feeling of Heng.

Heng is a 15-year-old youth who had been living a difficult life on the streets. He reflects on his past days living on the streets: “Every day was more or less the same, extremely dull. It was hard to find a place to sleep on the streets. I didn’t have enough food nor clothing so I often had to endure hunger and coldness. I also lacked family care and was constantly worried about being arrested by the police in addition to feeling very lonely and helpless. I would even get into conflicts with others at times. My whole life was chaotic and without direction. I was just living to survive.

When our co-workers met Heng, we encouraged him to leave the street life. Heng was willing to take the first step to change his life. “Because I want to study, only then can I find a job in the future. At the same time, I want to get rid of my bad habits which included drinking, smoking and drug abuse. If I continue to live on the streets, I can’t make any changes.”

After coming to Metta, not only does Heng have a place to live and get proper meals, he has also made new friends and is able to learn and grow together with them. Thankfully, he has also accepted Jesus and is willing to let God transform his life.

Besides learning at the centre, Heng also participates in village service. He helps maintain the garden of Metta at the village and also takes care of the children in the classroom. Through these services, Heng is affirmed again and discovers that he has the ability to help others, giving his life a brand new meaning.

“I really like my current life, and I’ve discovered that my life has changed a lot,” Heng says wholeheartedly. He no longer gets angrily easily and has more love and tolerance for others. He is also more courageous when facing others. All these changes are because of the guidance and encouragement from our co-workers. Heng is also thankful to God for giving him the opportunity to start anew.

Life transformation is a long journey, and we are grateful that God lets us walk with Heng, witnessing God’s continuous work of transforming lives.