Forgive my lack of updates recently. You should know that no news is semi good news. I haven’t had time to give you a thorough update in awhile because of all the stuff God’s doing… that’s good news!
First of all, two weekends ago, I attended a women’s conference: Beauty for Ashes. Two Americans were the guest speakers- Angela Thomas and Kim Hill. It was fabulous to talk about ‘the South’ and hear true Southern Accents from home. The conference was amazing. I was blessed by what God spoke to me. I’m busy trying to figure out what to do with it all.
Secondly, this past Sunday was the Global Day of Prayer. Our little Capricorn Church had 60 tickets to this event. A bus picked us up at the church and we sang our way across town to pray with Believers all over Cape Town (and the world- as this event was televised). It was an incredible experience. Not only did we spend 3+ hours in prayer and worship, but we had precious bonding-time with our church! I was honored to be part of this day in the founding city of Cape Town! Read more about the Global Day of Prayer: http://www.gdop2010.com/
Thirdly, God has OPENED doors in Capricorn. I’ve been welcomed into that community by teens AND THEIR PARENTS! I’ve made numerous home visits lately- chatting in their small, cozy homes, listening to their stories and opening my eyes to the realities of life as a Capricornian.
I’ve had a burden to begin building deeper relationships with some of the girls at the Capricorn Church. God has clearly guided me to specific teens that need a listening ear and attention. There are two teens in particular that have been on my mind recently. I made an ‘appointment’ with one of the girls God laid on my heart. She’d been asking for time with me recently and I was able to meet her schedule and make one-on-one time. Much to my surprise, the day I was scheduled to meet with this one girl, she came walking up to our meeting with the other girl that I’d wanted to seek out. So, God brought our paths together and the three of us met and chatted over milk-shakes at McDonalds (a huge treat for Capricorn kids)! As I sat and caught up with these girls, my eyes were wide and my heart broke. Here’s the story of one of the girls:
She’s 15. Her mom is a drug addict and uses their tiny home to host friends and have drug parties. She lives with her mom and 4 brothers (all 5 children from the same mom, all different dads). She told me she often doesn’t have food to eat. One of her friends packs a lunch for her so that she can have something to eat at school. She’s failed a few grades- probably because she doesn’t get proper rest because her home is loud a cloud of drugs and when the parties are going on, this teen is kicked out of the house- often doing homework on the stoop of her home in the dark. She has a different boy-friend each month. Has a seemingly strong confidence in herself, but her actions say she just needs attention because of a LACK of self-esteem and knowledge of who she is in Christ. This young girl is at every Capricorn Church event and at Living Hope Afternoon Clubs on and off. I see her often, have visited her home, shared the Gospel with her mom and her mom’s boyfriend.
As we sat and talked about life and God, I asked the two girls if they wanted/needed someone to talk to and walk life with them. I told them I wanted to commit to praying for them and being someone who would challenge them to stand strong in their faith and relationship with God. They both put their hands flat on the table and said, “I’m in!” It was a moment I’ll never forget. God had put these two specific girls on my heart, they showed up together as if God had placed them together for our meeting, and allowed them to open up and let me in their lives. I’m making strides but hearing about their lives and needs (spiritual, physical, emotional) break my heart.
Here’s another story of a girl I’m trying to minister to…
Awhile back I wrote about a girl that came to me on a Friday at Youth and asked me how to live a life of Faith. We spoke for a long while. She told me that she’s 20 years old, has a job but sees no purpose in her life. She wanted to live a bolder life for Christ. She acknowledged that she’s not with the right friends (most are pregnant, party on the weekends, do drugs, etc), but her admission of those things made me think she was serious about wanting to follow hard after Christ. That conversation was about 2 months ago. Three weekends ago, this same girl drank rat poison – trying to commit suicide. She was taken to a hospital, stomach pumped and seemed to be given signs that she would be ok. She then tried to hang herself while in the hospital. She was transferred from the medical hospital to the psychiatric hospital (no visitors, strong medication and psych evaluations). I was floored when I heard this news. Last Friday before Youth, I went to her house to talk to her parents. They told me the doctors were allowing her parents to visit on Sunday. I told them I’d write her a letter and give it to them for their visit on Sunday. So today, I went back to their house to see how the visit went and see if the letter got delivered. They invited me in and we sat and talked for a long while. I asked how the visit was, how she was progressing, etc. In the middle of the conversation, the mom went into the bedroom and came out with a note. She wanted me to see the suicide note that her child had written. This precious girl is now doing better, in a step-up unit at the psych hospital, and might get to come home for a few days and then go back for more treatment during the weekdays. The parents were so open and willing to talk about their struggles and the whole situation. Pastor Severo has been counseling them through this whole thing. I can’t wait for her to come home so I can wrap my arms around her and again (as in the note I sent) tell her how much she’s loved and has a purpose!
These are just a few examples of the ministry God has opened up in the last week or two. It’s been emotionally, physically, spiritually draining, but OH SO WORTH IT! I feel like God is literally guiding every step of my day, putting people and conversations in my path that bring about honesty and talk about Him! Please continue to pray for God to give me wisdom and guidance and patience for His hard work in Capricorn.
Capricorn Ministry: not for the faint-hearted
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