“People feel a heaviness and darkness when they walk by the house. We have heard that they may practice witchcraft but we are not sure,” said our ministry host.
The house she was referring to is a house surrounded by flags, located across the street from where we are staying for the month. I knew nothing about this house, but I knew that I needed to go. Where there is darkness, He wants to bring Light… and if I have learned anything from being on the race, He will use my little light to create a big fire.
Last month in Lesotho, God gave me a vision of women practicing witchcraft. Witchcraft is something that I have heard about, but have never been around. God told me that He wanted to use me to break the spirit of witchcraft and lead women on a path of freedom in Christ. This was a scary vision, but it excited me!
As soon as those words left our ministry hosts mouth, I wanted to run over to the house and get to know these people. I knew that God had spoken to me and if this was the opportunity that He had for me, then I didn’t want to miss it.
A week later, one of the teams on my squad had ATL day (Ask The Lord). They prayed and felt like God was leading them to this Jericho house across the street. The team obediently went to the house, and through broken English, met the family, held conversation, and prayed for them. One of the team members, Matt, helped one of the daughters fetch water that they use to drink, wash clothes, and cook. The family doesn’t have a water source on their property, so every morning they take a wheelbarrow with 4 large jugs, about two blocks down the street to a well where they fill the jugs with water. Matt and the daughter brought the jugs back and placed them in the church, which is a small concrete building. In the center of the building, there is a rope and chain hanging from the ceiling that meets a large rock on the floor. Next to the rock is a machete. Matt asked the woman if he could fetch water for them in the morning and she willingly said, “Yes!”
Matt told me about this church and the opportunity to serve this family. So he, myself, and another squadmate (Mary), have been fetching water for them every morning that we have been here and building relationships with them. I pray over this family and whatever goes on in this church constantly. I have built a relationship with Nompilo who is one of the daughters. She is 22 years old and has a son who is 8 months old.
After continuing to serve this family for a week, we invited them to a soccer tournament that we were hosting that Saturday… the daughters gladly attended. At the tournament, I met a man named Progress. He is sold out for Christ and started a Bible club at his high school. He was telling me more about what the Jericho church believes. I learned that they believe in Christ, but because they can’t physically see Him, they worship the rock. In essence, the rock is a false idol. Likewise, they practice witchcraft. With more knowledge about this religion/cult, I talked with Nompilo at the soccer tournament and she agreed to share her story with Mary, our mentor (Teresa), and myself the following week.
Waving hello in the morning when we came to fetch water turned into warm hugs and kind smiles. My relationship with Nompilo continued to build and she was opening up more and more.
The highly anticipated day had come, the day that Nompilo was to share her story with us. As Mary, Teresa, and I prayerfully walked up to the house, Nompilo and her sister kindly greeted us and brought chairs on the porch for us to sit on. Nompilo shared her beautiful story with us. We brought up the rock in their church and talked about how it was a false idol. She seemed to understand, but she wouldn’t look us in the eye. This was a way of life she was born into and knew nothing else but what her parents told her. She didn’t know that through Christ she has a light that shines and yearns to spread.
We shared how each of us hear from God in different ways (i.e. visions, dreams, a whisper, peace). We asked her if she had ever heard God’s voice. She shared with us that she had a dream one time and God told her to help others but that she wanted to really hear His voice. We began to intercede as she listened for God’s voice. After a couple minutes, she said that she heard God say, “I want so much of you. I want you to pray to Me. Stop worshipping the rock.” Nompilo was now looking at us in the eyes instead of off in the distance. I then encouraged her to be the Light in her home, to not stop talking to God and listening for His voice. I told her that just like God gave her the dream to help others, she can do that by sharing the love of Jesus and what He just did in her life. I told her that God wants a relationship with her… One that she talks to Him and listens to Him everyday.
Nompilo was now wearing a smile on her face. She told us that she was going to continue listening and praying to Christ. She couldn’t stop thanking us for the blessing it was that we spent time with her. What Nompilo didn’t know was that the time we spent with her blessed me just as much as it blessed her.
I pray that God gives Nompilo the courage and boldness to spread this light that she now has living inside of her with her family. I’m believing that God will open the eyes and ears of her dad who is a witch doctor to see that Christ is the only one who can heal the wounds he is trying to heal himself. I pray that Nompilo runs after Christ and continues to pursue a relationship with our Good Good Father. I am believing that God will use Nompilo to show her family that the only remedy you need is to sit in His presence and allow God to speak to you.
Never did I think that God would ask me to daily serve people who are acting as witches. But what’s cool about God is that sometimes He places you somewhere, you fall in love, and you realize that it wouldn’t have happened without His love and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through you. I know You don’t need me, but thank you, God, for allowing me to be just a small light on this dark earth… I’m gonna let it shine. To God be all of the glory!
