“”Who is my neighbor?” He asked. Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do the same.” (Luke 10:29-37)
Go and do the same.
A motto that lays at the foundation and upon which Love Story is built.
In their own words, Love Story is a relief organization, established in 2012 in Port Elizabeth that seeks to meet the needs of the poor and marginalized – to restore hope through feeding schemes, education programs, clothing distribution, and poverty alleviation.
Love Story is working to unify a divided country, where the economic gap has reached a point of complete devastation. In this, Love Story believes in building genuine connections and creating family out of complete strangers.
For us this month, that looked many different ways.
City Feed. Every night we went to the city center and did something called City Feed. All day, the incredible women at Love Story spend their time cooking two gigantic pots full of rice, corn, vegetables, and whatever else has been donated that week. In the evening, we then take the food to the city center and feed the homeless and impoverished community that gathers there. We often spent the majority of our mornings helping sort donations, peel, chop, and create what would be given out that night. Love Story does this 5 days a week, every week. No exceptions.
This was one of my favorite parts of ministry because it went so much further than just feeding a stranger. Every face that was a stranger on our first day became a dear friend by the end of a month. We prayed and poured into them on a daily basis. We heard their situations, struggles, and pain, and prayed for miracles and provision with belief and confidence like never before. Throughout our month we saw God move in mighty ways in these peoples lives and remind many souls that they are seen, they are loved, and they are not forgotten.
We also partnered with several creches in the community. A creche is basically the African equivalent to a kindergarten. These were generally run out of someone’s home and can consist of anywhere from 10-100 kids. Generally kids would pay a set amount per month (200 ZAR = about 13 USD) in order to attend this type of kindergarten and get fed there throughout the day. However, many of the women that run the creches pay for the kids to attend out of their own money because the child’s parents cannot pay. The women say that they would rather pay for the child to be there themselves than to let them stay in their home environment all day. They care so deeply about the kids in their community that they are willing to give all of themselves to make sure these kids are provided for and loved. Love Story helps here by providing volunteers to help the women and providing food so that the children can have enough food without the works having to sacrifice their minimal income.
We also did weekly bible study with the women that run the creches. This was also an incredibly impactful part of my month. I desire to one day have the type of faith that these women have. They love weekly bible study because it is a time for them to gather, share their hardships, and then glorify God. Regardless of the situations that they bring with them, they sing at the top of their lungs and get down on their hands and knees to praise God for the provision that they know he will bring. Not provision that he has brought, but provision they are confident their faithful God will bring. That is faith.
We were also so blessed to be able to have experiences that allowed us to learn more about the Xhosa people and their culture. We learned about their customs, had our faces painted, danced, and ate traditional food. Among which, I ate a chicken brain. Yeah, not just the head, but the brain. Not sure if that’s actually traditional or if they just wanted to see if I would do it. I am clearly not good at saying no under pressure. Definitely something I will not soon forget. Fun fact, tastes like chicken.
Another highlight of the month for me was taking care packages to new moms at the local hospital. We spent several days packing 85 bags of baby clothes, diapers, and hygiene products and then went to the maternity ward and delivered them to new moms. We were able to talk with them, pray with them, and see their joy as they received the gift of things they otherwise would not have been able to get for their babies. It was incredible!
The craziest thing about all of this, feeding the homeless every single night, feeding children in the townships, making packages, and everything else that Love Story does, is that they run fully on donations. Everything they have and everything they give out is a donation. And they hold absolutely nothing back. Ever. Regardless of what the need is that shows up at the doorstep, they find a way to meet it and have full faith that God will provide the provision to make up for the extra they gave out. And God is so incredibly glorified every single day when it truly looks like that days packages cannot go out because there is not enough, and God provides EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Out of nowhere, someone will bring in a truck full of vegetables, or corn, or whatever it is that is needed. We serve a faithful God.
This month has moved me in so many ways.
To all the faces on the street that have become my friends, I will never forget you.
To MZ, Thomas, Beatrice, and Shanez – you are seen, you are loved, and you have forever changed me.
To all the Love Story staff that has become family, thank you. Thank you for being incredible representations of the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you for teaching me what it means to be a neighbor to every human being in front of me.
I will go and do the same.
You should go and do the same.
<3 Em
