Going into ministry, a person may often enter it with the mindset that this month, I can’t wait to help change someone’s life for Christ. Well this month, I was the one impacted. This month, we spent are time at an orphanage high in the top of the mountains called El Shaddai. We did ministry around the orphanage in the mornings where we chose specific jobs such as fixing roads, playing with the kids, cooking lunch and dinner for the kids, painting, clinic, and building fences around the campus. Then we spent the afternoons with our buddies.
I had the privilege of being partnered with one amazing young lady who was 18 years old. As I grew to get to know my buddy, I was so amazed at her joyful spirit, servant heart, and love for Christ. However, looking at the circumstances around her, made me wonder how God captured her heart in that way.
My buddy was born in Swaziland but was abandoned by her mother. This left it up to her father to take care of her, but since he worked in South Africa, he left her with a servant (another word for babysitter) in Swaziland. While she lived there, she was treated very badly, almost as if the dirt beneath there feet. The servant never fed her which forced her to eat the scraps from the dog bowls. She had to be discrete when she ate because whenever she was caught she was beaten. While she was living there, at one point the servant burned her in her face. When she went to the hospital, her father found out about it and then moved her to stay with his wife in Swaziland. Although she was staying with her new stepmom, her father was never around because he stayed away working. Well, while hoping to be free from her previous home, her new life was even worse. Her stepmom didn’t like her and beat her daily. She was forced to cook at the age of 8, and when she accidentally burned the food, she was beaten. Her stepmom would often kick her out of the house and make her sleep outside. With nowhere to go, she found a small area near the house where she would sleep. But sadly, every night for 3 years, she was awakened and raped by her stepbrother. She would have to change her clothes again in the mornings because of all the blood. She had no safety and no outlet. She finally reached a point where she was tired and no longer wanted to live. She tried to take her life but didn’t succeed. This was the first time she cried. While all of this was happening, her stepmother told her that she could never tell anyone or she would kill her. When her dad would come to visit, which was 1 to 2 times a year, she would feed her and act like everything was ok and normal. He would also send her clothing, but her stepmom kept them. While this was taking place at home, my buddies’ teacher noticed that she would walk funny. When the teacher questioned her, she said it was nothing and tried to walk normal. My buddy would be in so much pain that she would have to sit on her hands in class, because she was so soar due to the constant raping. But her teacher was persistent and told her she could tell her. When the teacher placed her hand on her back, she broke out into tears, due to all the abuse and scars all over her. In this moment, she finally broke down and told her everything. Her teacher helped her and reported the abuse and raping to the police. The police helped her and sent her to the orphanage that she lives at now. But sadly, before her departure, her stepmom found her, wrapped a rope around her neck, and hung her from a tree. She passed out, and only remembers someone cutting her down in the middle of the night. I believe it was an angel, since she told me all she saw was white. What my buddy is, is a survivor.
My buddy has now been living at El Shaddai for 4 years. Even after going through all of this, she always had Jesus. I asked her why she thinks she went through this, and she said to make her stronger. She wakes up at 5am every morning to first read her bible, and then goes to cook 48 children breakfast at 6am. I was able to join her often to accompany her in the mornings.
What I see when I look at her is Christ’s redeeming power. No matter how much the devil tries to hold us down, he will never win, only the power of God. I couldn’t have been more blessed this month then to spend time getting to know her, doing bible studies, hiking, playing cards, and listening to worship music. We all go through trials in life, but God will never put us through anything we can’t endure. God’s love will truly endure forever, and I’m blessed to have witnessed it in her this month.
A particular verse that wraps her story and mines as well is:
1 Corinthians 10:13
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful: he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
