So at El Shaddai there are about 50 orphans, their ages ranging from 7 to 18. Last month I got to know all these kids, but I was specifically paired with two “buddies” to intentionally spend time with and invest in. Their names are Mthokozisi, a 12-year-old boy, and Philane, a 13-year-old boy. The first week I was at El Shaddai, I often went to the area where the Swazi kids hang out, looking for my “buddies.” I never seemed to be able to find Philane around. After several days of hardly seeing him, I realized that he was intentionally avoiding me. That hurt. I felt like I had done something wrong to hurt his feelings, but I had no idea what I had done. One morning I saw him, and he started walking away from me. I chased him down and asked him if we could hang out that afternoon, since we were buddies. “Mthokozisi is your buddy. Go hang out with him,” was his curt response before he walked away. That afternoon, I saw him playing soccer with the other boys. I started walking toward the soccer field, but as soon as he saw me he left and walked a wide path around me, into his room.
At that point, I was so frustrated. I walked into my room, so angry, hurt, and confused. Then, out of nowhere, I heard God speaking. “Drew, this is exactly the same thing you did to me. I pursued you, but you ran and hid from me. Even when you did encounter me, you spoke just a short sentence and ran away. But even still, I pursued you, even to the point of death. Considering the way I pursued you, how can you NOT pursue Philane the same way?”
Wow….I was so humbled to hear those words. I resolved to pursue both Philane and Mthokozisi persistently, no matter how they respond.
Over the next few weeks, things improved with both the boys. They warmed up a lot, and I was able to play soccer, play cards, and watch movies with them. Sometimes we also just spent time together, without even doing anything.
We spent Christmas together, and I gave them both gifts. Watching them open their Christmas gifts was amazing and unforgettable.
Now my time at El Shaddai is over. As I look back, I see that God used me to show Philani a side of Himself. Now Philani knows what it means to be pursued unconditionally. When Philani hears that God loves him and wants to be with him no matter what, he will be able to understand and believe that a little easier. And that is worth all my frustration, all my time, all my pursuit. In fact, that is worth spending my 9 months on the World Race!
