As I write this letter, my heart is hurting for the youth in Johannesburg who are falling to temptation and experiencing the consequences of their actions; and I am feeling so inadequate and insignificant to do the tasks that God has entrusted to me... But my heart is also overflowing with the blessing of amazing friends and family that God has blessed me with here. I am excited about the opportunities God is giving me in this New Year, and my heart is exploding with love for the people who have captured my heart! I remember learning this familiar phrase in Sunday school; “God is good; all the time; All the time ,God is good.” When I am on the highest mountain and when I am in the lowest valley, God is always, always good!

Just to give you a glimpse into some of the issues that are occurring here so that you can know how to pray I will sprint you through a recent week in JHB, SA . Please pray for Tshepi Makume, my best friend and the youth director at LBC; she was in the hospital this weekend and will be going in for tests in two weeks. Her apartment also caught on fire as the result of lightning. God protected her; however it was her bedroom that experienced the damage, and she breathed in a lot of smoke before she woke up. Also, three of her friends were killed in a car accident at the end of last week; they visited LBC the Sunday before the accident, please pray for their families as they grieve the loss of these three in their early 20s. As you can see, she has been under heavy attack from the devil; please pray for her physical healing as well as emotional encouragement during trying times and spiritual strength to withstand temptation, as well as for wisdom as she counsels youth at LBC and in the community.

Please also be in prayer for the BIMS Guest House where I work and the safety of the missionaries who stay here. The IMB is undergoing major reorganization and assignments of missionaries who visit BIMS may be changing; please also remember the leadership of the IMB as they make decisions about the reorganization. Over the past few days, four of the missionary units staying here have been targeted because of their foreign license plates by men posing to be police officers; one family had their laptop and a large amount of cash stolen. Please pray for this family specifically whose young son was in the car at the time. This type of incident occurs very often all around this city; please remember to pray for crime to end in JHB.

The words of this Casting Crown’s song sum up what I am feeling about some specific youth that I am working with at LBC. “Lord, I lift my friend to You. I’ve done all that I know to do. I lift my friend to you. Complicated circumstances have clouded his view. Lord, I lift my friend up to You. I fear that I won’t have the words that he needs to hear. I pray for your wisdom, oh God, and a heart that’s sincere. Lord, I lift my friend up to you, my best friend in the world. I know he means much more to you. I want so much to help him, but this is something he has to do. Lord, I lift my friend up to you. There’s a way that seems so right to Him, but you know where that leads. He’s becoming a puppet of the world; to blind to see the strings. Lord, I lift my friend up to you.” This has been the prayer of my heart; God I can’t but You can!! There are a several youth who are entangled in sin and cannot/will not let go. Marijuana has been a part of one of my very close friend’s life for several years, and the addiction has taken over his life; he dropped out of school after failing the last two years, left rehab and has no direction for his life. Please pray that he would long for God with more vigor than he seeks in this drug, and that he will have a desire to quit using the drug. He is a Christian, was raised in the church, and God has blessed him with so many talents, but right now he is a slave to this drug. Please also pray for a group of our guys who are going down a dangerous path, I will refer to them as GPG (God’s Potential Gang). Many of the youth here do not have families or at least stable ones; so they look to the streets and the activities that surround it for identity and acceptance. Some of the guys in GPG are young believers and others are not followers of Christ, but they faithfully come to youth and church, and Tshepi and I spend a lot of time with them. They define their territory by fighting; they have their identity in their group, and they find their escape in smoking and drinking. Please pray that they will open their hearts to what God is saying to them; they have such radical potential to make a difference for God in our area. Please pray that their behavior changes while they are young and before they encounter any more trouble.

I want to thank God for the amazing things that He is doing here; at times it may seem quite hectic; the devil wants to kill, steal, and destroy, but God is the victor, and we overcome with Him! About 40 youth attended LBC youth camp in December; six accepted Christ as their Savior, and many other made decisions. The youth who made decisions are shining brightly, and God is using them to confront their friends on the streets, speak and lead at youth on Fridays, and witness to their families. Many of the ones who just graduated from Matric (highschool) are seeking God for direction about their future jobs, education, and relationships. Please pray that they continue to shine brightly for their Heavenly Father, that He blesses them, and that we can be an encouragement to them as they daily encounter the lure and temptations of the world. God has surrounded me with wonderful friends and 2 amazing South African families that have adopted me while I am here. This was such a blessing to me during the holidays especially when I was away from my family in the States. Please pray for wisdom and enthusiasm, as I am beginning the girl’s Bible study on Tuesdays at LBC. God is so amazing; when I think I am inadequate He reminds me of His sufficiency, when I don’t have the answers to tough issues, He gives me the wisdom, and when I am fearful; He quiets my heart. Thank you God and thank you everyone for your prayers and support. I love you all.

Serving with you in South Africa,
Sarah Maddox