As we entered the town of Gordon’s Bay (GB)/Cape Town last
week, we were amazed. God never
fails to bless us! This town
reminds me of a little beach town in CA…a little like Laguna Beach,
beautiful. We arrived at Tom and
Cindy Sipling’s house and just thanked God, not only did they provide a perfect
home for us to stay in, but a home you feel the Lord in…there is a peace from
floor to ceiling, a home that you know has been covered by people who are sold
out for Christ.
As we begin our first day of ATL’ing (asking the Lord) we
walk around the town and pray. My
prayer was that God would open our eyes to the truth, to what is really going
on in GB. Just like so many places
in America, GB looks like a lovely place, a place that seems to have it all
together, but we knew that the enemy had a cover over so many people’s
eyes. Walking around town we came
across a woman hitchhiking whom we prayed for, a couple buildings that we were
drawn to and of course we had to check out the internet situation…so we made a
short stop at the café to check prices.
While a few of us went in to check it out, a few stayed out front. As we waited, we noticed directly
across the street was a small building that said THE BODY OF CHRIST. It was a restoration home for drug
addicts, prostitutes, and gangsters.
As our inquisitive hearts lead us across the street, we
entered and a man said, “please
sit down I will be with you in a minute.”
Long story short, we met Peter and Donna, a couple who for the past 10
years has been sharing Christ with these people, changing their lives, turning
heartache into a burning desire for God.
Turns out that GB is consumed in drugs, methamphetamine being the
biggest problem. GB is filled with
a majority of white people who are doing well for themselves, like much of
America. The black people are
fewer and only make up about 1% of the drug abuse problem. As the parents become consumed by work
and making money, they run out of time for their children. Their only compensation is shoving
money in their kids faces and sending them off to have fun, but little do they
realize what is really happening…just like in America.
The kids get bored, have to much money and quickly find out
what marijuana does, then cocaine, and shortly after methamphetamine because it
sustains the growing reliance the body is calling out for. They begin to get so wrapped up in it,
steeling from their own homes is the next scheme to provide enough money for an
addiction that the parents allowance can’t sustain anymore.
Many would say this is not much of a problem back home, but
I would say think again. During my
years in high school, I followed the same path. I never went to Meth, but I know for fact that kids today
are there and beyond. My friends
and I would make up stories that we needed money for school activities and buy
drugs with it, its real and it’s happening not only in South Africa, but in
suburbia right back home.
Where do we go with it? I’m not sure, I’m not a parent providing for children, but
what I do know is that money is not worth it. 1Tim 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all
kinds of evil.” It’s plain that
the bible speaks truth! How many
parents do we have at home who shove money at their kids to make up for their
absence and the kids end not only in trouble sometimes, but inevitably grow up
feeling rejected, fatherless, abandoned, etc? How many parents are miserable at careers to find out that
they are not only paying for their own poor quality of life, but the evil that
feeds their children?
We so many times mask it with “We are so lucky in the US,
look at all we have.” That is
truth and I am very thankful for it, but its not everything…we have so many
other issues at home that equal those across the world that we perceive as
worse. I grew up with plenty, but
in American standards I grew up in an average home. My mother was able to stay home part of the time and get
into more of my business than I wanted…lol. Sometimes it stopped me from doing things, as I never knew
when she would pop in from work.
Although many of the time I hated it, I am thankful for it now.
Money has been a root of much stress in my life, even this
year. It has consumed me, it has brought fear of having nothing upon me, it has
become the focus of my life at times.
In Matthew it says, “You cannot serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both Love and
Money.” God is love and I know
when I have been consumed with having enough money, my focus is not on God, the
provider of an abundant life. He continually shows me that He will provide what
I need if I keep my eyes on Him.
My dream for all, me included is that we would have our eyes constantly
on Jesus and we would trust Him to provide for our every need. It’s not some fairy tale that sounds
good, it’s Truth, it’s REAL and it happens!!!!!
