This is the view from my window where I have been spending the last 4 weeks. Hardly the kind of "new world" like Aladdin and Jasmine sing about, huh? The township, "Gugulethu," which means "Our Treasure" in the native language "Xhosa" (pronounced Koh-zah, with a clicking of the tongue) is made up of shacks with no running water or electricity. They are very close together, as you can hopefully see and usually host about 10 people. These townships are filled with poverty, crime of all sorts, HIV, poor education, etc., etc., etc. Alcohol is rampant and children are playing everywhere. Most people would judge this place and think like the people in Jesus' time when they said, "What good can come out of this place?" This is why we are here, to unbury the treasures in the darkness, the lost souls whom our Lord Jesus Christ died for, just like you and I. Little by little we are making our presence known in the community, by playing with the children, praying for alcoholics who wish they could stop drinking so they could be better mothers, a man with heart troubles, etc. Even as depressing as it can be in the natural, I have faith that the Lord is using as bright lights bringing hope to the hopeless and fulfilling Isaiah 61. God is enlarging my heart as I have typed before through prayer and realizing the truth in Matthew 5. It's a beautiful thing, really to live like this, and I am excited to share testimonies of how God is using us as we venture out to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. It's about pressing in and standing in the gap for a community and refusing to be discouraged. God sees the bigger picture and He is in control. He loves this place, and with the time I have here, I am determined for Him to use me as a vessel to pour out His love however I can. Can I get an AMEN?
