there are so many things I could write about right now. I could write about the joy that was expressed when I watched my Joshua Project kids open the Christmas gifts that we wrapped for them. I could write about running into the street kids on the way home from the fruit and Veg, and seeing them so excited that someone was treating them as someone special. I could write about the Africa team comming and the amazing worship nights that have occured. I could write about so many great things that are happening here in Jeffery’s Bay, but there are so many things that are weighing so heavily on my heart. the 11 year old who is being beat by her boyfriend, the 13 year old who is involved in demonic activities, the 8 year old who watched her dad kill her mom. it seems so overwhelming sometimes.
Last week, on our way to the beach, Tiffany and I stopped to get a smoothie at the fruit and Veg. on our way, we ran into two street boys who we have worked with previously at the Joshua Project. Excited to see them, we called them over and began to talk with them. Suddenly, the man who owns the shop they were near came running over to us telling us “DO NOT GIVE THOSE BOYS MONEY!!! THEY ARE GOING TO USE IT TO SNIFF SOME GLUE!” Everything inside of me wanted to scream back at him. i wanted to tell him that I knew these kids, that they were inspiring and they weren’t even asking us for money, they just came to say hi, becasue we see the potential of all they can be. But, instead, we replied in a calm voice.
“We actually know them, we were just saying hi”
“well if you know them, you can take them away, they aren’t welcome here”
It’s been the second experience with something like this in a week. it’s so heartbreaking to see the boys of the town looked down upon and turned away, though they are the ones who need the most love. It’s almost as if there are two compleatly different worlds inside of Jeffery’s Bay.
Pray that this town would learn to love and help eachother. Pray god would transform the lives of these kids as well as the lives of the shop owners. pray that God would take over Jeffery’s Bay. Pray for strength as I hear these stories. Pray that God would transform lives here and that he would sho love to the people here in ways that the people here have never experienced love before.
