This past week my team (BBH) has been working at Camp Joy, which is a rehabilitation center for addicts and gangsters on the streets looking to change their lives. It is a 12week program in which they willingly place themselves in to. No one forces them to be there and no one forces them to stay.
As I’ve gotten to talk to these men I have been so humbled. A few of them have come to Christ and it was so encouraging to hear their powerful stories.
The guy on the far left in the picture arrived on Monday while we were talking to some of the guys. As soon as he walked in the door we were informed by them that he is a hit man, an assassin. That he has a bounty on his head and thus is running here for protection. Apparently that is nothing new to Camp Joy – sometimes guys seek refuge here when they know people are hunting them down to kill them, so they wait it out until it’s safe then leave. They aren’t there to heal or to change, but to stay alive – for now at least. On Tuesday as we played soccer with them, he showed us where a bullet went straight through his arm last Thursday and shared that he has seen eight of his friends die in the past six months. The world that they live in blows my mind, it is not something I can even comprehend experiencing. But to them, it’s life.
The little boy to the right of him in the blue/white/gray shirt, Jody, is only 16 years old (although he looks younger in person). He is such a cutie and is one of our favorites: he has a beautiful smile and is constantly laughing. Devin (the camp director) explained that although he looks innocent, he has probably already has a list of kills. Devin explained that despite the boy’s positive appearance, sometimes things happen and you can see the change in his eyes. You see the anger that is buried deep down. It doesn’t take much, but in a flash it’s there. This too is “normal.” Most of these men started into drugs or joined gangs as early as 13 years old. They are born into families where the men in their life always have guns, always do drugs, and thus, that’s who they look up to. When the man figure in their life comes to them with guns and says “Go,” they obey because that’s what they know.
Patrick, the guy in the blue jeans, is the one I’ve talked to the most. He has kind eyes and an even kinder heart. He told me how he got into drugs when he was 15 years old and since then has lost all the support of his family. He has no one in his life except one friend who lives in Johannesburg. In 2009 he came to Christ and had a strong walk with the Lord up until last year, when he started to stumble and struggle again. He’s 32 years old and is looking to go to school for miming since he feels it is a way he could successfully express himself. He is still a strong Christian and I loved hearing his story. He has so many wise things to say that were humbling and teaching me. He shared that Monday night into Tuesday morning he was having a tough time. But since he has programmed himself to run to the Lord each morning, on Tuesday the first thing he did was pray that the Lord would fight the lies and the devil off his back so that he could stop listening to the lies. His words impacted me because how often have I listened to lies and succumbed to them for longer than I should, when I could have just run to the Lord and ask for help?
Cheslyn, the guy at the far left in the yellow undershirt and red shoes gave his heart to Christ five weeks ago when he entered Camp Joy and is looking to better himself as a man. He is literally hilarious. At one point while Aly and I were talking to him on Monday, Jeremy (their bodyguard – also a Christian – who was once one of the most wanted and notorious gangsters for 25 years) told us Cheslyn is an opportunist. When we gave Cheslyn a questioning look he said “He’s saying I’m a womanizer. Do I look like a womanizer?!” Aly and I immediately answered “Yes.” He’s very funny and we all had a good laugh about that and “his swag” since he is a rapper and hopes to become a Christian rapper now.
I got the chance to ask him what it meant to him to be a man. He told us his “old answer” was about showing in an instant on the streets what kind of man he was. How many people he’s killed, who he associates with… it wasn’t about who he actually was, it was all about sizing up in that moment on the streets. But now, his new answer is that he hopes to be the older brother that his baby sister can depend on, and one day be a father that is always around since his father never was. Now, being a man to him means supporting his family, those around him, and being a positive light and leader.
Like Patrick, Cheslyn also impacted me. He shared about how he has had a difficult relationship with his grandmother because of his lifestyle. But this past Friday they had a graduation for some of the people who had already completed the 12weeks. At the event everyone danced and worshipped the Lord together as brothers and sisters, including Cheslyn. When he turned around he saw his grandmother crying. When he asked why she was crying she explained, “I’ve never seen you as happy as you are when you’re up there worshipping the Lord with your brothers and sisters. I never again want to turn away from the Lord.”
How amazing is it that this man, who is only a year older than me, with a past I will never understand or know, can start to change his life so drastically all because he gave his heart over to Christ. A man who can now redefine himself in positive ways. A man with a dark past, who can worship the Lord and through that joy, have an impact on his grandmother so that she too doesn’t want to turn away from the Lord. How powerful is our God?! He is the ultimate redeemer of lives.
God uses all of us. God uses our weaknesses. God uses our strengths. God uses it all. It doesn’t matter our past, our present, our future, He uses it for His greater good.
I have been so humbled by these men and will be so incredibly sad to have to say goodbye to them in such a short amount of time. But they have sparked a passion in me and stolen my heart. I now feel such a desire to somehow continue this ministry to those with similar stories and pasts. Because if God can use these men in South Africa in such powerful ways, God can use others like them in incredible ways.
