“Little Puss” was no Thief
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matt 1:21.
In the statement above, the Angel of the Lord declared to Joseph the purpose of the incarnation of the Son of God: “He shall save his people from their sins.” The angel instructed Joseph to name the child Jesus, which means ‘Jehovah is salvation.’ His identity and purpose were wrapped up in His name.
The Gospel of John tells us that “the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus left His home, became vulnerable, sacrificed everything, endured hurt, pain, and temptation, and was unjustly killed so that He could save His people. This Jesus now dwells in our mortal bodies not just to save us from hell but for us to adopt the same strategy—become vulnerable, sacrifice, and endure.
Many Christians in Jamaica have done exactly that: given up the hope of a luxurious lifestyle; sacrificed their time, energy, and money; and endured verbal attacks and even threats to their lives in order to rescue people from Satan’s oppression. They endure day after day, despite the media, politicians, those in academia, and others constantly asking, “Where is the church? What is the church doing?” Had the church, as well as the various para-church organisations, not been living this lifestyle every day, there’s no doubt the society would be in a greater state of social unrest.
The Operation Restoration Christian School (ORCS) is one such Christian organisation stemming the tide of unrest daily. It exists because its leaders and cadre of teachers and volunteers, from inception till now, insist on becoming vulnerable, sacrificing, and enduring in order to have a transformative impact on the lives of our students—to change their future and reshape their destiny.
“LITTLE PUSS” WORKED HARD TO SUCCEED
Over fourteen years ago, a twelve-year-old boy walked through the gates of the ORCS in Trench Town for the first time. His aunt knew that this was the school where illiterate or semiliterate teens could go to get the help they needed instead of remaining in the traditional high school system where they were struggling. Most of his friends and community members referred to this boy as “Little Puss” because in Jamaica, ‘puss tief’ (cats are thieves), and his father, who was called “Puss,” was a well-known thief in the area.
Like father, like son—the destiny of Little Puss was supposed to be wrapped up in his name.
However, this young man thrived in his new environment at ORCS. He once told me that when he just entered the school and his teacher asked him to read three-letter words, he thought everything would be easy. Then she gave him four-letter words… and he realised he had a problem, and it was major. He was determined to change that. And he did.
That change allowed him to re-enter a traditional high school after three years at ORCS, where again he was determined to succeed. We were always there for advice and motivation. We also assigned a university volunteer to tutor him Math twice per week after school, even though he was no longer a part of our institution. He graduated high school with five CXC subjects, including Math and English.
Today he is gainfully employed, and living with his wife and children.
Most of our inner-city youth grow up in a single-parent household led predominantly by a mother. They live in communities with poor infrastructure and a history of gang violence, domestic abuse, child abuse, and poverty. Too many get caught in all the traps that are set for them. Too much potential has been wasted. But many, like Little Puss, have been rescued because a Christian became vulnerable, sacrificed, and endured. Many, like Little Puss, are now productive, law-abiding citizens, and loving parents.
Many, like Little Puss, have had the curse of their name broken, and their destiny changed.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
An elder at his church, Robert Dixon is the principal of Operation Restoration Christian School (ORCS) in Trench Town. ORCS operates largely through donations from well-wishers. To contact them for ways you can help, you can visit their website at operation-restoration.org/.