Dan Matano

What you are about to read has been written from the heart and not an attempt at literary impressiveness.

Dan Matano was the first street boy that we ever connected with over 3 years ago. He was our

"trial". Graig Austin, Rich Key, and I met him along with 3 other boys in Kawangware. After a lot of discussions and prayer, we decided to help these four boys out of the life they had become bound unto. (Many of you will remember this story) After 3 months, three of these boys decided that, though we could take them from the street, the street couldn't be taken out of them. They returned to the streets. This was a tough blow to Graig and I. We really wanted to see a better life for these guys. But they weren't "young boys". These were 19-20 year old street-hardened men.

But one young man stayed. He didn't want that life any more. He did want to leave it. For Dan's safety he moved into the extra house we had on our property. Graig and I tried a new approach. We involved Dan in as much of our lives and the lives of our families as possible. He ate with us, fellowshiped with us, went grocery shopping with us, and participated in life with us. Direct and intense discipleship was our game plan. We got Dan connected to a small mechanic school that began training him for a career in automotive repair that he desired. Dan eventually moved into his own small apartment under the watch of Thomas. He began attending church with Thomas. He got involved in the youth ministry at Thomas' church. He was making much better decisions. On his 20th birthday, we took him out to eat, made a cake, and bought him a present. Graig bought him his first phone. We were excited for what was taking place in Dan's life.

But Dan's life soon took another turn. Dan began to become secretive with his time. He wasn't coming home at the proper time. Jorem, his teacher at the garage, called me several times to report that Dan was either late or not showing up at all. Other people in the neighborhood told us that they saw Dan out with strange people and even taking up some of his prior bad habits like smoking. Over the next few months we had meeting after meeting with Dan in hopes of helping him realize the poor decisions he was making and that they must change. Sadly, his decisions became worse instead of better. Within a matter of months, Dan chose to leave the best shot he had a better future, and return to his familiar street past. I was grieved over this. Graig was grieved over this. But we couldn't make decisions for Dan. He had to take ownership of his own future.

This was just about a year ago. ...

Three days ago I was greeted in Kawangware by a few street boys I've known for a while.

"Chris, have you heard the news of Dan?"

"No. Tell me."

Dan was shot by the police and killed when he tried to steal someone's phone the other day."

I had no response. I returned to my vehicle and left. I didn't have much of a reaction. Maybe it was because of the other guests accompanying me on this particular day. Maybe I was struggling to imagine the young man who lived in my home and received my love ending up like so many street thugs I've heard about or seen. Surely not Dan. Surely not the young man that had tasted the freedom from that life.

Dan Matano. I'm still not sure how I should feel or respond. The inevitable questions are in my mind right now. "Did we fail Dan?" "Did we do enough?" I don't have answers to these questions. I'm still not sure how to respond other than this; I believe that God is bigger, better, and stronger than all the sin in this world. I fail Him, Dan fails him, but He never fails us. I am going to sit with our boys in Kawangware, Dan (young Dan, not the same one), Nicholas, James, Chinji, Brian, Thuku, and Julius, to tell them that I may end up failing them. I'm going to tell them not to put their faith in me. I'm going to tell them to put all their faith in a real Father who will never ever fail them, and who will never let them out of His sight; no matter the decisions or paths they choose.

I can only take the boys out of the street. But Jesus can take the street out of the boys. And that gives me great comfort.

~Chris