I think I should learn by now that I should not have expectations of what I think will happen or what I will be doing. As I arrived late to LAUNCH, I was informed we would be doing orphan ministry. EXCITING RIGHT? Except when we get to South Africa, we are informed that there is no children… do you feel the tires skid to a hault, because I did.
How do you do orphan ministry with no kids???? But God was reminding me of something that I had almost forgotten, ” Ministry is who you are and mission is what you do.” A good friend once told me that and I held unto it since. So here we are, my team (Broken Chains) ready for what the Lord has prepared for us this month.
When we arrived to South Africa, it was beautiful and fast. Our bags came in for most of us, and as we went to customs we were greeted by our host Erika and her husband Louis, and their friend’s son Elmar. They picked us up, we said goodbye to our squad, knowing we will see them again during debreif. The place of stay is in Pretoria, South Africa just outside of Johannesburg.
We live in one of the guest houses at BEAM House Ministry. BEAM stands for Biblical Education and Ministry, and their purpose is not to just take orphans in until they are 18 and then send them on the streets, but to take them in, give them a place to stay, food to eat, and to teach them a trade such as computer works, Cosmetology, and retail to help them get a steady job and income when out of BEAM House. Here they also teach financial management and time management to help better equip their people for the work force and just for life.
Erika and Louis were stationed in Mamelody until the local authority told them they could no longer have BEAM House there and told them to move. So they had to pack as much as they could and leave. So my team and I are in this place in Pretoria that needs to be prepared for future BEAM guests. Erika and Louis informed us that orphans are a huge problem in South Africa because before two people marry, they engage in intercourse to see if the woman is fertile, and then what happens is that the men would get tired of the woman and leave them with the kid. So a woman may end up having 3 or more kids. Which a single woman can not take care of all those kids, so what happens is that the children are dropped off at their granny’s never again to be seen by their mother.
Hearing Ericka and Louis heart on this was just so beautiful, and them letting us know what our job would be for the next couple weeks here in Pretoria. Which would be a lot of administrative work, cleaning the houses and rooms, concrete work, landscaping, and praying for the fruit of this ministry. So yes there was a slight disappointment that I do not get to work those kids and be physically there, but my team and I can be an essential part of the planting the seed process.
How many times do we look at ministry as just the physical aspect of it, or better words “Getting the work done.” I know I did, and I know that was one of the things I was excited about the Race. To be hands on and get my hands dirty for His kingdom, but God still takes me back to the basics. Intimacy with Him and prayer for guidance and wisdom for the will of the Lord in what ever ministry we are doing. So though it was not what we expected the first time coming to South Africa, the Lord still has blessed this time in the intimacy with Him, my team, and the power of intercession prayer before a ministry starts up.
This week we will be meeting up with Eziekiel who is in charge of the ministry in
Thank you all for your support in reading this, please be in prayer and if you want to support I am $7285 from my final deadline, but only $3000 from my third deadline!
