Month one of ministry on the World Race for my Team was not a “typical” month. Our plan was to arrive in Port St. John’s and serve with Living Hope Ministries through the month of July, however I’m coming to find that our plans, more often than not, do not go as we anticipate them.
We ended up having to leave our ministry host and the boy’s home we were staying in because our safety was compromised in that town. From Port St John’s we visited Umkomaas, Durban and Port Elizabeth making connections and building relationships with other existing ministries in hopes that other World Racers might be able to go and serve with them in the future. As a result of this abrupt change, my Team and I had the opportunity to see a lot of the Eastern Cape of South Africa. There were many aspectsof this change that were enjoyable and purposeful; meeting wonderful people, being inspired by the hard work, dedication and faith of many who have given their lives to what God has called them to do, being able to help AIM expand their network of ministries to partner with. But, the truth is, there were some aspects of this fast paced, ministry hopping lifestyle from the past month that were very hard for me.
I’ll give you one example..
The last five days of ministry before debrief my Team and I stayed in Port Elizabeth. We traveled the 18+ hours to visit and serve with One Life, a ministry invested in redeeming the lives of children with unbelievable challenges. The work they are doing in Port Elizabeth is rooted in education. The impoverished community in that city is in a state of crisis, perpetuating the problem generation after generation. Most of the children that One Life works with have lost one or both parents to HIV. Almost every child has been effected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Those that do have parents have no structure at home, no discipline, and no safety. In the culture that these children are being raised in women are not allowed to refuse sex from a man. Children are being raped at unspeakable ages. On average girls and boys are becoming voluntarily sexually active at age 9. I know that this is just a list of facts to all of my readers, but to me these “facts” are names and faces and smiles and tears.
We visited two of the schools that One Life has invested in, working in their organic vegetable garden that teaches the children the importance of health and the skill of sustainability, leading bible studies, painting and playing. Our last day with this ministry we went to visit a one room school house in a small town just outside of Port Elizabeth called Wells.
Wells is about a twelve minute drive from the quaint little town in which my Team and I were staying. The difference in that short distance brought an ache to my stomach. Homes built out of the garbage found along the road, dirt paths for roads, stray starving dogs rummaging through trash piles.
We got out of the truck and walked into the fenced in school yard. There were about 30 children there, ages ranging from 14 to 3. We played some games, tried to learn names, held hands. Then we all packed into the school room while one of my teammates led in a bible lesson.
The children were rowdy, hurting the younger, smaller ones when they thought no one was looking; hitting me and pulling at me desperate for attention. I was speaking with one child and he spat in my face, laughing at his offensive gesture. I had compassion on those children, having no one to look out for them but themselves. They are jaded. The joyful innocence of childhood has been taken from them.
They do all they can just to survive.
After a loud, busy couple of hours it was back into the truck and back to our comfortable, lovely town. There was a heaviness within me, feeling useless and overwhelmed by the crooked culture that is present in Wells. I left but my heart didn’t. God was stirring and speaking within me… I was talking with a dear World Race friend of mine about this experience I had. During that conversation God brought more clarity to me. I have had a tendency in my life to hear of stories like these, realities that the majority of the world’s population are affected by, but only hear it to a certain extent. It reaches a point where cringing and closing my eyes, turning my head and wanting to close my ears takes over and I do not let the truth penetrate.
That day I did. I saw, smelled, heard, felt the reality of everything those kids are going through. Head on, eyes open, heart vulnerable. It hurt and I cried. Why I have the privilege of leaving that place, going to the safety of my nice accommodations, warm bunk, lighthearted conversations with friends, I do not know. I do not know why God allows everything I have shared with you all. I do not know all of the details of His plan for redemption. I don’t like that my Team and I went into that one room school house, giving two hours of our time to children we will never see again, names and faces and hearts that we will forget.
One thing I do know… God has invited me to be apart of His redemptive plan in South Africa. I will give all that I can to spread love, hope, kindness and peace amongst the broken and impoverished of this country and all the countries to come. God says there is purpose in this work. It is not in vain. Even if just one heart is encouraged, one wound bandaged, one soul saved it is worth it.
Ministry is not always easy and happy and pretty. It doesn’t always feel like we’re doing much good at all. But I will continue to hold to the Truth that God has shared with me. God is good. I trust Him and I will honor Him as best I can from the biggest to the smallest of ways.
