In February, the Love Story team welcomed a bunch of tired Americans with open arms and invited us into the vision the Lord has given them.
My team spent month 6 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, working alongside a nonprofit organization called Love Story. Love Story was birthed out of a desire in Luke and Elaine Watson’s hearts to see the destitute of their city reconciled to Christ. The Lord opened their eyes to the disparity between the wealthy and the poor and broke their hearts for what breaks His. They looked at Christ’s example and wanted to go and do the same.
We had the opportunity to participate in every part of their ministry. Love Story has integrated into the surrounding community in many facets, including a variety of community upliftment projects, education programs, and feeding schemes.
We spent most evenings at City Feed with Willie and Anita. Monday through Friday they travel to the city square to pass out a hot meal and spend time with people on the streets. Willie shares a message and then food is distributed. Willie and Anita often spend the next hour building relationships with the people. They know each person by name. They know their stories. They remind them that they are loved. They tell them have value. They share that Jesus loves them so much that He died just for them. Every once in a while, Willie and Anita get to celebrate someone choosing Jesus. They see people choose to walk away from drug and alcohol addictions. They get to help people go home. They get to see people’s lives transformed because they were willing to go and do the same.
Love Story also partners with several babies’ homes in Port Elizabeth. They collect donations and help provide support for them to operate. The homes care for 6 to 8 little ones from 0-3 years. They give them a home where they are loved on, fed, and cared for. There are 6 or so women who rotate on a schedule, so there is always a momma there. I got to visit one of the babies’ homes and snuggle all the little ones. I wept as they told me the stories of how the babies came to live with them. They all have heartbreaking stories of neglect, abuse, and abandonment. These babies have a chance because someone chose to go and do the same.
Women from the streets are welcomed into Love Story each week to have a hot meal and receive discipleship from Faye, a Love Story staffer. These women are getting to hear and see the Gospel. They have someone speaking into their worth. They have someone telling them that domestic abuse isn’t okay and they can have a life that looks different. Women are coming into freedom and fullness because someone decided to go and do the same.
Every week, members of the Love Story team visit crèches (daycares) in underprivileged communities. Love Story sees the value of Early Childhood Education and they are coming alongside the people taking care of the next generation. They help provide food to feed the children. They bring ideas and resources to the people who operate the crèches, many of which are operated out of someone’s home. Kids are receiving meals because someone chose to donate food. They have an opportunity to learn because someone saw value in them. These children have a better chance in life because someone decided to go and do the same.
In Luke 10: 25-37, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. At the end of the parable, Jesus asks the lawyer, “Which of these do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell prey among the robbers?” He replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said, “You go and do likewise.”
Go and do the same.
Those are the words that the people at Love Story are living out every day.
The Lord radically opened their eyes to the needs in their own city and they are seeking to love their neighbors as themselves.
They didn’t travel around the world to spread the love of Jesus and help the poor. They saw a way to go and do the same right where they are.
That’s convicting to me.
I’ve been traveling around the world for nine months. It’s easy to arrive in a country and culture that isn’t mine and see people’s needs and poverty and brokenness.
It is easy to identify the needs for equality and jobs for Roma communities in Eastern Europe. It’s easy for me to tell you how I see children in Africa need education and food.
But can I tell you about the needs in my country?
And I don’t just mean a new president or healthcare system.
Who are the least of these in my hometown?
How can I go and be the hands and feet of Jesus to them?
How am I shining a light in the darkness?
Sometimes I get so concerned about going, that I forget that going can (and should) happen in our own towns, cities, communities, and churches.
What about you?
How are you going and doing the same right where the Lord has you?
