We spent the last week of children’s camp in a township called Mamelodi in South Africa. Mamelodi consists of about 2 million people living in a very small area. The houses are made of whatever the people can find. It is a sea houses and people for as far as one can see. The camp has taken place there for the last 3 years. The people look forward to it all year. The children flood in to the school where it is held in the morning. They walk from all over; some walk 30-45 minutes. Many of the older children (and by older, I mean age 7 and above) carry their younger brothers and sisters on their backs.
I worked in the “pre-school” of the camp the last week with Jenny and Mary. We do not want to turn away the older children that are taking care of their younger siblings, so we offer a class for the young ones.
There was no real way to communicate with the children in preschool, age 3-5. Only 1 of them spoke English and many of them were too young to understand much. It was a little hard for me when I knew the older children were having meaningful conversations about God and life. But I absolutely loved my children. It was a joy to play with the children and show them love. God comletely showed me that He can use me regardless of any barriers. He can use me, even without words. I saw that, as I would just hold these precious children and pray over them. He was using my arms to hold His sons and daughters. It was an honor to pray on a child; to speak truth and blessings into their life; to set them apart for the Kingdom. The children couldn’t understand me and sometimes they couldn’t even hear me, but God did. I am confident that He will answer those prayers. I believe that some of the children I held and played with will be leaders of His church in their community.
Many of them had strings tied around their wastes – a sign that they had visited the local witchdoctor. We used prayer to break any curses or strongholds that had been placed on the children.
Regardless of what I can say to a person or what that person can understand, I have so much hope that God hears my prayers and that there is an abundance of power in prayer.
the kids love to attack Silas…
Charmaine…
Some African style worship to start the morning…
