Last month, South Africa, How do I even begin to explain what happened. Well for starters, my view on gangsters and black people has changed drastically!
So anyway my ministry last month was right next door to our hostel, it was called Camp Joy, and is a rehabilitation for men and women who are trying to escape gangsterism, drugs, and prostitution. Some of the guys in there have killed people, some have been on drugs for over 20 years, and they all have such different stories. I was lucky enough to be able to hear a lot of their stories, as they were so willing to open up to us and share their pasts with us. Where they have been and where they want to be and what they are doing about it now! It is a Christian based rehab and so our part in the ministry, was to be there from 9am-1 (devotions at 9-10) and then hanging out from 2-4 and then back for evening devotions at 8-9. But after the first week it just ended up with us being there ALL the time! I mean for the last three days, I don’t think I left in between then ours of 8am and 10pm haha.
I just don’t even know where to begin with what all happened there! Who I should talk about! I guess the one example I use most is Xavior, when we got there he was really hard, stand off ish and I guess kind of mean to me at least. His dad was higher up in the American gang and was shot in the head in a mall parking lot. Xavior saw his first person die at the age of 6, which is insane. So I mean with a background like that, all he knew was gangsterism, that’s the only life he really knew. After a few weeks of us being there, he gave his life to Christ and became a Christian!!!!! (PRAISE THE LORD) But gosh if you could have seen him when we left, he would come and give me hugs, tell me that he is going to miss me and that he loves me. He would hang off me all the time and when we would walk to the store in the morning to go get bread, he would hold my hand, which was a joke we had cuz we would see how many people would stare at us (me being so white and him being so dark, you should have seen the stares we got). Now Xavior has just started cooking school, he wants to be a chef and work in Dubai! He has dreams outside of gansterism, he wants better for his life than where he was! I mean it is so cool to see how much he grew even just in one month!! Ahh makes me want to cry just thinking about him!
This month to say the least was the hardest month to leave. I realized how much I really enjoy working with people who were in gangs and addicted to drugs, I have a passion for it! And really pouring into them and learning so much from them as well. The men and women that I met have changed my life so much, and I hope that I have left some good in their life as well. I could go on and tell stories upon stories of grandpa, Jeremy, Jason and so many others of the guys there. But that would take forever! Ha! One prayer request that I do have is about going back to South Africa, just that if that is where God wants me to be that He will reveal that to me! I mean I bawled like a baby when I left there, and my heart so wants to go back, but I want to make sure that it is Gods will that I go back! And I guess one more prayer request is that I will be present in the ministry that I am in now because my heart is so in South Africa, and it is hard for me to get excited about ministry here!
If you want to hear more stories just send me an email or a Facebook and I mean I could go on for hours about all that happened last month!I can’t remember the last time i was that happy for an entire month! <3
