Teen Poverty in America

This is not mine, but it sums up several thoughts I have had lately quite nicely....

We just spent several hours observing teenagers hanging out at our
local mall. We came to the conclusion that many teenagers in America today
are living in poverty. Most young men We observed didn't even own a belt;
there was not one among the whole group.

But that wasn't the sad part. Many were wearing their daddy's jeans.
Some jeans were so big and baggy they hung low on their hips, exposing their
underwear. I know some must have been ashamed their daddy was short,
because his jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even
their daddies' good jeans, for most had holes ripped in the knees and a dirty
look to them.

It grieved us, in a modern, affluent society like America, that there
are those who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I was thinking about
asking my church to start a jeans drive for "poor kids at the mall." Then on
Christmas Eve, we could go Christmas caroling and distribute jeans to
these poor teenagers

But here is the saddest part...it was the girls that were hanging out
there that disturbed us most. Never, in all of our lives, have we seen
such poverty-stricken girls. These girls had the opposite problem of
the guys. They all had to wear their little sister's clothes. Their jeans
were about 5 sizes too small! I don't know how they could get them on, let
alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their hipbones. Most
also had on their little sister's top; it hardly covered their
midsections. Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride,
but it was a sad sight to see these almost grown women wearing children's
clothes.

However, it was their underwear that bothered us most. They, like the
boys, because of the improper fitting of their clothes, had their
underwear exposed. We had never seen anything like it. It looked like
their underwear was only held together by a single piece of string.

We know it saddens your heart to receive this report on condition of
our American teenagers. While we go to bed every night with a closets full
of clothes nearby, there are millions of "mall girls" who barely have
enough material to keep it together. We think their "poorness" is why these 2
groups gather at the mall; boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans,
and girls wearing their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place
where they can find acceptance. So, next time you are at the mall,
doing your shopping , and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you
say a prayer for them?

And one more thing Will you pray the guys' pants won't fall down,
and the girls' strings won't break?

We thank you all.