Giving out free prayer on the beach in Durban
This month my team was not given a contact to work with. We were ATL (Ask the Lord)-ing and searching for new contacts for World Race teams to work with in the future. When we weren’t going to meetings or working with a ministry we scheduled, we found tons of opportunities to minister to people just in our daily life.
Without a contact to stay with, my team and I had to find a place to stay on a limited budget. Thankfully, God smiled on us and led us to a backpacker’s hostel that let us stay the entire month for an unbelievably low price. We found that simply being friendly with the staff and fellow hostel guests could lead to Gospel-centered conversations. We also befriended several homeless people and prostitutes in our neighborhood. (Ok, maybe we weren’t living in the best part of town, but God kept us safe and I think it was all according to His plans.)
Our hostel on the second floor, next door to Sonja’s, a “massage parlor”/prostitution house
I struck up many conversations with strangers this month. Even if God or Christ was never mentioned, simply loving people and accepting them as they are made an impact on people. It also made an impact on me, opening up my eyes to people in search of the love I hold in my heart. (To be clear, I mean Jesus’ love, not mine.) Here are just a few encounters my teammates and I had this month. It is amazing how much people are willing to open up when you show that you care enough to listen.
We met:
-The young black woman who works at a fancy hotel who has accepted a life of being mistreated by white people. She’s had white women refuse to be served by her because they “don’t let black people touch them.” I assured her those people are wrong and she is loved and valued by God.
-Joanne and Mario, the homeless couple who doesn’t let their living circumstances keep them from building their marriage or being generally joyful. My teammate prayed for one of them to find a job all month, and invited them to turn to the Lord in their troubles as well. On our very last day in Durban we found out Mario got a job! Praise the Lord!
Max and I at a birthday party we got invited to at our hostel on our last night
-Max, the old German man whose face lights up when you speak to him because no one takes the time to sit and listen. He has great stories from growing up in Munich and plenty of knowledge to share that he’s learned while traveling around South Africa. He’s wandered the globe on his own for most of his adult life, and has lived in the hostel I stayed in this month for two years. He plans to stay there for the rest of his life. With no family, and no friends in the country, he just wants someone to notice him and talk to him. It would have been easy to overlook this gentle soul, but because God prompted us to reach out to him, we had some great conversations and learned a lot about the Zulu culture in South Africa.
-Mandy, the prostitute who started into the business to pay her way through school so she could further her education and make a better life for herself. Now she’s trying to raise her 3 year old son and doesn’t know how to get out of this lifestyle with a well-paying job of 1000R ($100) a day to being poor and hungry making only 50R ($5) a day with an honest job. To my amazement, as we prayed over her she repeatedly said, “Thank you, Jesus,” and talked about seeing the Lord answering her prayers over the last month.
-Alex, the homeless man I prayed for who just wants to be seen. Hundreds of people walk by him every day, and his loneliness grows as he is scowled at and looked at as not even human, or worse, ignored altogether. He thanked me for simply speaking to him, acknowledging his existence, and telling him that God cares for him.
We enjoyed getting to know these two sisters all month. We were heartbroken the day we visited their beyond dilapidated homeless shelter, but were encouraged by their willingness to find joy in their humble circumstances.
What strangers will God bring into your path today? Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation, and see how Jesus can speak to other people through you!
