Archive for month: April, 2012

Hardness and rejection melted by love.

While out sharing the good news with people who come to the weekly training in Diepsloot we came across a woman nursing her baby.  She was sitting on s step amongst a few other women and her facial expression was stone-cold and hardened.

We started talking with the group of women there but none really wanted prayer for anything.  We then struck up a conversation with this particular woman and she said she actually would like prayer.  When we asked for what in particular she said, “for life”.  She went on to say life in general was just full of difficulty.

So we proceeded to lay our hands on her shoulder and asked God to touch her with His love — for the Holy Spirit to flow in to her heart.  After a few moments she began to weep.  It was obvious the sorrow and deep disappointments in her life were surfacing and being washed away.

We proceed to pray with her to receive God’s love and salvation in Jesus, and to be filled with His Spirit.  The tears continued to flow and we repeatedly reassured her how much God loves her.  We invited her to meet again for fellowship, and by the time we got up to leave we could tell the peace and love of God had touched her in a deep way.

The amount of deep, dark experiences MANY people go through in Diepsloot can be hard for some to imagine who live in a completely different environment.  I can’t help but thank God to be able to go and manifest the love and light of God amidst such darkness and despair.

Groups of young men drinking … discover God.

Being a white guy walking around the shacks in Diepsloot tends to attract attention. One little kid saw me and ran away crying and scared — his father told me he’d never seen a white person!  (Actually, I’ve never seen a white person walking within the heart of Diepsloot either.  For that matter even some local residents fear to traverse in some parts where we regularly go.)

Anyway, it happens quite often that as I’m walking with some locals, groups of men (often drinking) tend to take notice and sometimes have ‘funny’ reactions.  More than once groups of young men have wanted me to come speak with them — obviously VERY curious as to what a white guy would be doing around there!  What starts off for them in an atmosphere of drinking and foolishness very often ends up with them asking for prayer against their drinking problems and for a changed-life, as the atmosphere becomes charged with the love and presence of God.  Many groups of men have proceeded to ask Jesus in to their lives and hearts as a result.  Strong men with shirts off to show their muscles, still under the influence of alcohol, have got on their knees and asked me to lay my hands on them and pray for God to help them change their lives (while wives throw their drugs to the ground to turn over a new leaf) — as they proceed to accept Christ and the salvation and deliverance He offers.

Fights, scars, and salvation.

One woman we met was also desperate to start a new life.  She showed me her scars from the night before when she was involved in a fight amongst an atmosphere of alcohol and drinking.

She said she felt completely trapped in her surroundings and circumstances and was very surprised when I adamantly shared with her the love of God and the reality that she could live a new life with Him.  She prayed to ask Jesus in her life, desperate to start a new life with Him.