Wednesday 16 November 2011

God Being Faithful to Faithful People

Written November 13th 2011 7:53 pm from Cape Town South Africa

Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. Habakkuk 1:5

Tonight we drove to Pastor Stu’s Uncle Peter’s new church building. Peter is about the sweetest old man ever and I’ve fallen in love with him and his wife a little bit over the past two days. I saw pictures of the old building last night, a shack made of metal and wood and plastic, so I was looking forward to seeing the new building. We drove off of the highway and into a community of shacks and buildings that resembled forts I had made as a child. I didn’t believe that buildings like this existed, or rather; I couldn’t believe that there were people that actually lived like that. I thought that those kinds of buildings were just sets that the people at World Vision made to get people to call, but they were very real and very sad. It’s crazy to think that there are millions of people living like that. I’ve always considered my family, life and living situation to be average until this trip, but now I know that that’s not the case at all, we’re so rich and blessed beyond belief! We have everything.

Driving along the streets was completely frightening at first, the look on people’s faces as they saw a train of white cars filled with white people entering their community was nothing but confusion. I wish I had the ability to write about and accurately describe all of the things I saw and felt, or that I had the courage to take pictures on the drive in but I didn’t. The houses were heartbreaking… They are pieced together from scraps, and from what I was able to see through open doors, they usually consisted of only one room.

The streets were littered with trash, people, dogs and children, teens sitting on the ground around a hookah, little boys running around holding hands, pre-teen girls in too small shirts, cross-eyed men talking to themselves and the half empty bottle in their hand. Some kids swarmed our car screaming “CANDY! CANDY!” while others stood on the side of the road waving and getting excited over our returned waves and smiles. We were certainly out of place, and certainly noticed. A little boy, maybe three years old, handsome as ever stole my heart and then broke it as he waved to us by himself from the side of the dirt road. He is the only picture I brought myself to take on the drive in.

As we turned a corner, the church came into view and I lit up with excitement. Like a light in the darkness, this cement building amidst the shacks stood proudly! What wouldn’t seem like an important building anywhere else looked more beautiful to me right then than any Notre Dame or Westminster. This thought only became truer when I saw Peter’s face beaming as he looked proudly upon the building that God had blessed him with. Seeing him and his wife Sybil talk with some of the locals I was originally sketched out with was inspiring, as they had clearly done good work building relationships in that seemingly broken community for the past 17 years. It was truly God being faithful to his people, and like the Seed of Hope, I could feel this church making a difference in the community. It was something that made Habakkuk 1:5 seem like it could apply to my life right now as it is. There are things going on not only in that community, but in the country of South Africa as a whole that I can’t even imagine!

Peter excitedly showed us his church, and I got a little teary as I saw how much this old, good and faithful servant was doing in a hurting area. Pastor Stu too seemed to be brimming with pride and joy for what his dear friend had done and had yet to do. Stu prayed for the church and for Peter and Sybil and I left feeling hopeful for the community I had just seen.
There was so much joy and potential for joy in that area, where neighbours looked after each other, churches were built, and where kids grew up. There is so much possibility for good when communities are encouraged to do good and to build themselves up from the inside out. Like we’ve learned at the Seed, our Western ways of helping can be hurtful, and this church was an example of how equipping a community to do great things and become great people makes so much more of a difference.

Despite all of the brokenness, segregation and violence associated with thoughts of South Africa, love is one of the first things I associate with what I have seen of this country so far. There’s love in Jabu’s voice as she sings praises from her toes, love in sweaty, snotty-nosed kids holding my hand, in cement buildings among shacks, in sunrises over the ocean, in Zulu prayers, in Buli’s curry and in cloudy mountains. There is so much love and so much hope.

3 comments:

  1. Wow. Just... wow! This is by far one of the most powerful blog entries you have done so far on the trip so far. It was both heart breaking and uplifting. Tons and tons of emotional resonance to be taken away from this one. I'm not even going to try and come up with something to criticize about it, though I probably could if I wanted to. I've been really, really stingy about handing these out, but I think you finally turned out a post that I believe deserves a perfect 10/10.

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  2. Thank you for summing that moment up so beautifully, Alanna...it's just perfect...

    I'm so proud of you, kiddo...
    xo
    Mom

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  3. That really moved me, Alanna. You are such an observer, and I know you have a powerful voice too. Can't wait to see what you do with these experiences. Man, you're a renegade, girl.

    xox

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