As I ride in a bus en route to my last country on the World Race I think of all those back home in Iowa riding in a combine. As they harvest the corn and beans, I reflect upon the harvest I saw take place this month thousands of miles away in South Africa. A harvest not of physical food but of spiritual souls. A harvest Jesus describes in Matthew 13.
“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty.”
As I went out to the field for the first time I was met by children of various types. Some greeted me warmly with hugs and kisses, while others treated me as a human jungle gym, and the majority occupied their time punching and kicking one another. I quickly realized if we desired to see fruit this month our field would require more than seeds being planted in the soil, it would require our time, effort, and toil.
The ground had been prepared by the teams before us and the diligent efforts of our local hosts, Bradley and Joslyn Barnes. Each team had slowly chiseled away the path of destruction many of these kids were on while others removed rocks, pulled weeds, and tilled the soil in hopes that their seasons of planting would reap a harvest in this community plagued by gang violence, broken homes, and substance abuse.
Some children already knew the Lord or quickly accepted the message of salvation and love we taught during our first week of sports camp. The seeds had already been planted and all they needed was a light sprinkling of Jesus as their living water and they blossomed into a relationship with the Lord.
God is working mightily in this community and has started the harvest as thirteen teenagers decided to become Christians and start following Jesus and nine were baptized while we were in South Africa.
However, many of the children come from backgrounds so broken and damaged that if we could see the foundation of their lives it would probably look something like a level-B gravel road. One of those roads many don’t dare pass down for fear they will get stuck in the car-size ruts along the way. These children were broken and bruised. They came each day with bottled up anger and hurt which usually erupted as they took it out on the closest victim.
Most of our time was spent breaking up fights and talking the children through their emotions and the correct way to treat each other regardless of the example they see at home. One day I had to stop seven fights in a two hour time frame which were usually initiated by a little girl named Lauren. After explaining to her over and over again that she couldn’t punch and kick other kids, I took her away for a longer one-on-one chat to see what was going on.
As we sat on the sidelines I got the quiet treatment in response to my questions about what was wrong. After a few minutes with no response and at a loss for what else to do I started to pray aloud. I prayed The Lord would protect her and keep her safe, that The Lord would soften her heart to know Him, and for The Lord to diffuse the pent up anger and frustration that permeated her entire life. As I prayed over her she started to cry and I could sense The Lord working in her. I prayed more fervently and started to sing worship songs over her. This continued for about 15 minutes until she was ready to get up and go play again.
The next day I adamantly searched for her and scooped her up in my arms once I found her. That day she was less angry and her laughter rang in my ears for the first time. She was no longer the violent Lauren I knew the day before but a girl who’s smile spread from ear to ear. A transformation had occurred. The whole month I sought her out a little more than the others and was constantly showing her the love and grace she doesn’t get at home. While the fighting and kicking didn’t completely stop it did slow down and at the end of the day she walked away knowing she was special and someone loved her.
I reckon this is the way The Lord seeks us out and continues to show us love and grace even if we fight back and resist His efforts.
The Lord used me to clear away the rocks in Lauren’s life and give her a better foundation to understand what the Father’s love and grace look like. Rocks still linger in the field of her life but now there are a few less for the next team to pick up and a little softer soil to till. I hope you will join me in pray that one day a little girl named Lauren miles away in South Africa will join the harvest of souls heading to Heaven.
