Thank you all for supporting us and praying for us while we were in Africa. Over the next couple of weeks we will try to share some of the stories from our trip with you.
One such story happened on our last day in Jeffery’s Bay. A group of us had just finished dinner out on the beach and we were walking back to the place where we were being housed. As we rounded the street corner we noticed two individuals sitting on the ground. Instantly we recognized one of these people as one of the FYM participants, she looked like she had been crying. Next to her on the ground was a young South African boy (Patrick). He seemed to be incoherent. She explained to us the young boy had been drinking.
In South Africa many of the taverns will sell Alcohol to children. As we talked with the young boy we found out that his mother had passed away recently from alcohol and that he was drinking because he wanted to be with her. At this point Jim (one of the Awakening speakers) kneeled down and looked into Patrick’s eyes and spoke words of life to him. The rest of us stood around and prayed for this young boy and the conversation that Jim was having with him.
As conversation continued we were able to determine that Patrick was one of the boys that Matt (one of the J-bay) FYM participants had been working with. We waited with Patrick… gave him some warmer clothes (believe it or not, it was cold in South Africa) until Matt showed up.
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When Matt arrived Patrick instantly recognized him. Matt got down on the ground, gave him his coat, and wrapped his arms around Patrick. Matt talked and sat with Patrick for a number or hours until Patrick sobered up. It is moments like these that we believe in mobilizing young people to not only share the gospel in word but down in the trenches living out the gospel.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
