I was given the opportunity to visit an impoverished family in Shoshanguve South Africa. There was a woman living with her daughter and baby (who have AIDS) and four other orphaned grandchildren. The condition of their house was deplorable and their food supply inadequate. It touched our group deeply and, in addition to praying for them right then and giving them our sack lunches that we had packed for ourselves, Johan committed to building them a more suitable house and getting the orphans into the Day Care Center. Below are Johan's words of the impact that this day has had in the ensuing month.It gave me goosebumps as I read this and saw God's mighty hand working through what to us was a brief stop on a busy day "tour". It may have been brief in our minds but the faithfulness of the AFnet team is causing a lasting impact in this community.
A few weeks ago we wrote about how we were touched by the plight of a poor old granny and her 5 orphaned grandchildren. We decided to build a small house for these destitute children who had all lost their parents due to AIDS. Our motive was humanitarian and driven by compassion. And so we launched into this project, not realizing what a divine opportunity this project would turn into.
From the first day we started digging the foundations, and right through every step of the project our team has been swamped by people from all over that impoverished community. They come to check on the progress, asking questions, giving advice, wondering why we would even consider doing something like this for people that we did not even know; people whom nobody else even cared about. They can not understand why we care! At first it was curiosity. Now the interest has grown to an almost embarrassing hysterical situation as people from all over that village come running, cheering and dancing along the road when they see our team drive up that dusty, almost impassable road. Our only reply could be: “Because Jesus deeply loves you!”
Since then, Pastor Jack Baloyi, our team member in Soshanguve, has reported that so many people from that village have swamped his church (which is miles away) that they’re struggling to handle the overflow. The people are coming to see for them selves and to find out who these people are that would do such a thing in their community. He further reported that Grandma “Sambo”, who had not attended church for years, was now regularly attending his services with her 5 orphans and that this past Sunday she had brought with her 11 other members of her extended family. They all received Jesus as Lord and Savior, reporting that for the first time ever they could understand the message preached, and that it actually made sense them. It now made sense in the context of their experience with those who were living out what they believed by serving the poor, destitute and desperate people of the surrounding communities. Everything about this was so different from their perception and what they had experienced the Church to be up to now.
And so, this past week, upon Pastor Jack’s suggestion we decided to plant a new congregation in that community. Now the people of that un-churched community will not have to walk miles to get to his church in future.
We never thought that such a small thing would lead to such a dynamic groundswell of interest by a whole community. We never imagined that building a small house for an “insignificant” little orphaned family would lead to many of their neighbors receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. We did not think that serving the poorest of the poor would cause a whole community to sit up and watch; let alone lead to a very strategic church planting project. How could we imagine what a difference a small thing like building a little house for a grandmother and her orphans would make in a community? And now, the word is spreading through Soshanguve that the Church is doing something different in the community. The word is out that people from the church really care and are making a difference. As a result the Kingdom of God has advanced!
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