Reaching Out

(This blog was posted last week, but erased by Blogger and only now restored.  Enjoy again!)

Tonight was a WOW night.

Last week a horrific fire happened in Masiphumelele township that destroyed over 500 shacks and displaced about 5000 people.  It was devastating and our entire city rallied around this poor community.

Churches and community leaders came together and have helped to rebuild much of the homes, as well as supply the people with food, clothes, and other necessities.

It's over a week later, and I wanted our women to respond, but what could WE do to help, especially since now so much has already been done and many homes are up again like those in the picture below?

We decided we could do what we do best: LOVE WOMEN.  So we went this evening with my friend Tricia who are working in this township and helping to rebuild, to encourage and pray with some of the women she is working with.

My ladies were not totally up for an evening stroll in the dangerous Masiphumelele township, but I learned tonight they MAJORLY trust me and we went together.  We parked in the middle of some homes, and followed some people back through a maze of shacks.  Finally we found ourselves in the home of a young woman with a six year old physically disabled son, who spends every moment in a crib.  People began to fill the room; they just kept coming to see what was going on.  The mothers shared about their lives, their kids, the fire.  We learned that the home was the center of a new home church where the surrounding families meet and study God's word together.  Beautiful.  So we just started praying, and then we sang, and then more prayers, and then singing, and then praying.  It was all in candlelight, as they don't even have electricity.  It was beautiful.  We were united.  It was holy ground.

Seriously, people from Ocean View NEVER go to Masiphumelele.  Granny Jacoba said it was her SECOND time ever there.  My women just stepped in and loved those women so well.  And we ended the night just how we end our View meetings; we hugged.  Everyone hugged everyone.

It was a piece of heaven right among us in that shack.    

Love

sarah

Picture from www.accidents.co.za