The Road Less Traveled Is Often Where He Leads
I opened the door to their persistent knocking
I knew who it was and I did not really want to open the door, but I knew they would not go away until I opened. I opened the door and through the security gate, four dirty little faces smiled at me.
“Hello Ouma (granny), we are hungry.” They greeted in their familiar sing-song Cape accents.
My grumpiness disappeared like mist before the sun as I looked at their smiles. I started to prepare some food while they sat outside my door waiting. The security gate stayed locked but they were happily chatting away to me, taking no offense at the fact that they were not invited into my house.
This was the road God called me to walk on since I returned from a mission trip to China.
“Feed the children,” was His first simple command to me when I returned home. I was not sure that I understood this right. I am a widow, teaching piano from home.
I live with my daughter, and frankly finances are a bit tight for the two of us, so how could we afford to feed the many children on or doorstep that needs food.
One night, reading the story of Joshua, and how the priest crossed the Jordan river, God showed me how the impossible is done.
You take the first step, and God will do the rest.
And that was how Shepherds Outreach started. On Saturdays, we took sandwiches and fruit into Happy Valley. During the week, the hungry ones came to our door. God provided the food and the finances and we just kept on taking one more step.
Happy Valley
I need to tell you a bit more about Happy Valley. A very misleading name. An informal settlement where the gangs rule.
For two woman to go into an area where the police prefer to stay away from would be considered pure foolishness to some but when God tells you to go, you go without fear. Social services have no answer to the problems, they look on in despair at the many children going hungry, being abused, and in the end turning to one of the many gangs to find some protection.
I have learned though that our great and mighty God is just as interested in the individual as He is in the nations.
So on this road, God took us to one individual, or maybe I should say He lead the individual to us.
His name is Noah and God brought him to our doorstep so many times that we just could not keep on ignoring him. Noah’s dad is a gang member, who spends more time in jail than out of jail. Noah has done and seen more in the first nine years of his life than most people would in their lifetime.
Now God started talking to us very clearly about Noah. “Open your home for him.” Both my daughter and I did not want to do this. Taking a wild child off the streets into your home was not what we wanted for our peaceful, clean, tidy home.
But peace only settled into our hearts again when we said yes to this new call.
I would love to end the story here and tell you that all is now well. I would like to say that Noah has now become the most wonderful, obedient little boy and that our home is now the perfect example for anyone who would consider taking in a child from the street.
This would be so far from the truth though.
Taking a child like this into your home means that you will face more challenges than you could ever imagine
Things that we teach our children at the age of two now have to be taught to a ten-year-old. Things that you do not want your eighteen-year-old to know, we have to speak about and try and put into the right perspectives.
Appreciation does not come easily for a child like this, as he has never been taught to appreciate anything. We have tantrums and fights and to add to it all the legal part of fostering and adoption takes forever and cost a great deal.
But, I am happy to end my story with a “BUT” the reward is great
When you hear his off-tune voice singing from his room early in the morning: “Praise the Lord, O my soul,” and when he tells you that God woke him this morning and that he is not scared to die anymore because he will go to heaven, you know it is worth taking this uphill road, the view at the top is so good.
Two weeks ago, we moved from Cape Town to Durban. Along the way, we encountered car trouble and my daughter and I got a bit panicky until Noah reminded us to pray.
Every day has many challenges but I look at the silver linings around each dark cloud and I smile.
Friday was one of those silver lining days. Four days in his new school and it was athletics day. Noah came first in 100m and long-jump but this was not what brought the biggest smile to my face but what he told me that afternoon.
Our little boy (who was so quick to fight with everyone) stepped up to two boys who started to hit each other and persuaded them to stop fighting. He told me that he remembered a verse that I taught him:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
This story is published in Koinonia — stories by Christians to encourage, entertain, and empower you in your faith, food, fitness, family and fun.
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