Can you imagine a place where people have never heard even a hint of the news? I can. This is that place where "God" is simply the first syllable of a curse. I say Jesus and children reply…who? Somehow they haven't heard. Somehow no one has told them. Somehow they are living life without this great Hope.

This is why each moment is precious. Around here we don't do much more than help people to begin. Begin a journey, a walk of faith. No one stays around long enough for us to see what might become of that. Life here is transient at best, chaotic at worst. These kids are constantly on the move, due to eviction, family problems, a parent being in jail or simple poverty. It's true that I've known some kids for years but far too many others seem to stay for a month, maybe a few more. So I do what I know best…I begin the story. And I tell it again and again. Because these kids haven't a clue that an ancient twist of events was really about them.

Two-thousand years ago Bethlehem was only a spot on the map. But soon it would become history as the God of Heaven made his entrance on the earth. He could have ripped open the skies and roared at a world so deaf to his righteousness. But he came as a baby. The stars could have danced and the earth might have shook from its core. The angels could have announced their celestial glory to kings, the wealthy and well-adorned high priests. But God made his entrance in almost a whisper.

The Kingdom was never more upside down then that crowded night in Bethlehem. God's angels skipped the aristocratic upper-crust and fell into song above a field full of nomads. The skies themselves could have heralded his arrival. But instead God chose one single far away star to do the job. What a beginning…

And though we're miles away and years apart, our little urban corner is not that different. This is a place of beginnings. A Bethlehem of sorts. An unexpected place of Hope.

* all names and identifying details have been changed to protect anonymity. © Amy Beth Augustin Barlow 2003