I’ve been living in Heidelberg, South Africa for about 3 weeks now.
Craziness how time has flown.
I feel like the 12 people I’m traveling with and I were all driving through the wine country of South Africa, in awe of what our eyes were seeing, just yesterday.
Wild.
Since we’ve been in Heidelberg our ministry has consisted of a wide range of things. We’ve had the opportunity to visit the hospital to pray for the patients, newborn babies, and everyone in between. We’ve gone to the police station and shared our testimonies with the officers, we’ve sat in bible college lectures and heard testimonies of all ages and walks of life. We’ve gone to townships to do outreach, we’ve put on assemblies at high schools. For those YL kids out there, lots and lots of “bananas unite.” Some of us have led childrens church, which is a blast. Kaylee, Zach and I are assistant preschool teachers. We’ve painted, and cleaned, and organized. 2 of us ladies, Josie & Kara work with this incredible woman that is starting up an orphanage here in town. Some of us have led worship at our home church, others have traveled to another church to share their stories. A lot is happening here in Heidelberg.
The hospitality is unlike anything I’ve experienced, and I talk more briefly about that in my other blog called “pale yellow hellos.”
People that just have huge hearts, that love well and serve well.
Really amazing things happening.
We’ve got a good amount of free time everyday, which in short, is a privilege, but time is something I’ve learned to steward well. Time is of the essence and surely something i’ve learned to not waste.
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you just need rest, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with rest. But there is a difference between rest and laziness.
In the free time we’ve had it’s been a really beautiful thing to see how everyone’s gotten creative with ways to find ministry in the in-betweens. A lot of really great things happen in the in-betweens. I’m thankful that the Lord uses our inbetweens to continually open our eyes and hearts like He did today, February 5, 2018.
Today my team and the other team were with, team kairos, all started the morning by going to a highschool to hold an assembly where my pals Noah and Kate shared a little bit about themselves. After that, we headed to the bible college we’re partnered with to learn a little more on children’s ministry. The lesson was coming to an end when Kaylee looked at me and said
“Wanna do homeless ministry during free time?”
It’s weird, Kaylee and I have been thinking a lot of the same things lately, we just wait for the other person to say them.
“I was just thinking the same thing, absolutely. Lets do it.”
Super stoked, we rode home on our new scooter that we bought off a man named mike at an antique store in Barrydale, South Africa. (my friend Kendall actually talks about Mike and how she so evidently saw the Lord in their interaction in her latest blog check it out www.kendalladams.theworldrace.org )
We got back home, dropped the blue smoker (our scooter) grabbed our wallets and went to the grocery store. Together we got 2 loaves of bread, 3 packs of sliced chicken, 24 cheddar cheese singles, mayonnaise, 4 bags of chips, a jug of water, and some grapes. Together we prayed over our time and then headed out on the streets to see who we could meet. After a solid 20 minutes of aimlessly wandering, we finally saw a man wearing a green ball cap sitting on the sidewalk. We asked him his name, “Simon,” he answered smiling a radiant toothless smile. We asked Simon if he’d eaten lunch when another man approached us.
Scarred and marked with bruises and a few tattoos.
A life.
A man with a heart and soul;
Wearing skin that told stories.
Dressed in a baggy grey t shirt, worn down socks and sandals, and a black beanie.
Not just another homeless man,
But a child of God.
Men that deserved to be seen as children of the king of all kings, rather than just another statistic.
Lives that were chosen for life, as you and I both were.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Henry.” he answered.
Kaylee asked if Simon and Henry were hungry and wanted some sandwiches; and they both looked at us wide eyed, like we just had offered them a free christmas brunch buffet. We sat on the ground with them and made some sandwiches. We sat with them a while and talked to the both of them about their families that were also homeless. Henry told us about how he sits on the very corner we were at, everyday, waiting for any kind of work. The both of them, just itching to put their hands too good use in order to provide for their families, for themselves. We sat longer and asked them if they knew who Jesus was. Henry stood up and grabbed a weathered pamphlet out of his sweatshirt pocket and handed it to us to look at. There was a photo of God’s hand holding the world, printed on the front of the yellow pamphlet. He began to tell me that it’s God that’s in control. That the God of the world is the same God that gives him power and strength everyday. He looked at me with his tired weary eyes, and told me that he wakes up every morning and not only prays for the day ahead, but praises the Lord for another day. “Today, I’m lucky to be alive. I’m lucky to see another day with my eyes, and it’s God who gave me today.” I asked him if there was anything he needed prayer for and he asked me to pray that he would just have a job. That he could work to earn money to just be able to provide. I read Matthew 6:24 to him all the way through to encourage HIm that the Lord is our sustainer and he would provide.
While Henry and I were talking I heard Kaylee and Simon reading Simon’s favorite scripture; Psalm 23, also our squad verse. The both of them were reading in unison “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters…” They read the psalm all the way through and Simon was really excited. His face beaming, pure joy. “Amen!!!” He looked at me, “read this to Henry!” Urging me to share the psalm with him. About a minute later three other people came over to us. Simon was exclaiming to Kaylee, “Read to them this,” he looked at everyone around us; “You must hear this.” Simon was eager, eager to share that he lacks nothing with the lord. That he will indeed walk through the darkest valley, but he won’t be afraid, because it’s the God of the entire universe on his side, as his comforter. It was a beautiful moment to witness. Mama Tuli, Jacobis and Michael were the other three that came and sat down with us, we also made them sandwiches and talked about their lives. Michael asked me who Jesus was to me, and I asked him in return. We talked about why Jesus came down from heaven to put on human flesh, for us. Us measly humans that fall extremely short. Out of love. Jesus did this, all out of love.
Michael began to tell me about his life, his parents that had passed away and his family that he’s unable to live with because he doesn’t have money to pay a bride price for the woman he loves, the mother to his son. Hardship. Heartbreaking hardship.
We talked a little bit on the things that hurt him deeply, that frustrate him, one being he can’t be with his family in Cape Town. He talked about how these things did indeed make him angry, but he doesn’t allow that anger to take residence in his heart. He doesn’t let his anger consume nor define him. He said that with God he has patience and love abounding.
“If I were to go through each day angry at people, angry at the world for my circumstances, angry at God, I wouldn’t get anywhere. That’s why we must love. Love is power. God is love, and power”
People take gap years and go on mission trips for an extensive or short amount of time, to serve. To love. Little do they know, the Lord puts people like Michael, Simon, and Henry all in our lives to teach humbly teach us. To be raw examples of Jesus, in very different ways. Beautiful humbling ways. To show us what it’s like to praise the Lord in the midst of heartbreaking hardship. The Lord doesn’t promise us an easy life because we choose to follow Him. But hardship becomes easier because of the Lord. Because of His love, and the strength He gives us.
We prayed for the people we met, we prayed for jobs for them, but we also prayed that the Lord would teach them more about what it looks like to rely on him. To trust that God will indeed provide.
Afterwards we sat a little longer, and right before we left, a truck pulled up. The man in the car yelled out to Michael, Simon and Henry in Afrikaans that he had work for them. “I got a job, they have work for me” Michael’s face lit up as he yelled to us, he and the others quickly gathered their things and got into the bed of the covered truck.
Our God, answers prayers. Big and small. Today I was a witness of that. Our God, He’s limitless, and prayer is powerful. Believe that.
