What if he walked into your restaurant?

i'm 16 years old, and ive been on the streets for 6 months. My mom and i got into a fight last December; so I left. She wouldn't pay my school fees...well, she can't. She uses all of her money on alcohol! I'm not from Joburg; I live a couple of hours away….well... i use to. i heard there was money and jobs in Jo'burg, but it hasn't turned out how i thought it would be. i'm all alone; my older brother knows where i am, but i don’t have any contact with my mom. See, i go to different shelters or churches to get food during the days and at nights i sleep in the park or wherever i can find a place. There are these two restaurant owners who are nice to me and a couple of the others; they always give us food if we go in and tell them we are hungry. This is my reality as i wake up each morning to people walking by me on their way to work, each afternoon as my stomach begins to ache from hunger, and each night as i look for a place in the park to sleep ….i'm not just a body under a blanket by the bridge...my name is Lawrence.

I have had the opportunity several Wednesday nights to take part in a homeless ministry in downtown Johannesburg. We met Lawrence during our last stop of handing out soup and bread last night. He looked so young and scared; hopeless. He needs HIS love. ....and Lawrence is only ONE....there are sooo many more like him.


When you do it for one of the least of these; you have done it unto Me (Matthew 25:45). Our world would be a different place if Christians began putting action to the faith they claim to have. Don't we have Jesus??? ...why is it people think it is strange when a Christian wants to be out there or on that side of the ocean or on this side of the tracks no matter what the cost... Obedience shouldn't be the exception if we are Christians; it SHOULD be the norm. Wouldn't you rather live with others perplexed by your devotion, than die and have your Savior questioning it? Let's live a radically obedient, irresistibly contagious, and fervently devoted life so that the Lawrences in our world become a priceless soul, someones child (HIS child) that needs to hear about His love and not just a body under a blanket by the bridge!!

Kids Day Camp at LBC

This past week Lyndhurst Baptist Church hosted a Day Camp for children in the community. We had about 50 children come each day; only a few of the children attend the church regularly so this was a great opportunity for outreach into the community. The youth came during their holiday break to lead classes, set up games, help with the crafts, and serve 50 children and 30 workers snacks and lunch. It such was a blessing to see our youth take ownership of this and to use their gifts to love on these children. The theme for the camp was "The Hand of God." The children learned about a different Bible character each day and the attribute of God that was displayed through that character's life. Please continue to be in prayer for the youth as God molds and stretches them into His image.

A Year of BLeSsINgS

A dozen yellow roses, a new Bible Cover, adorable Nikes, alot of baked goodies, 13 boxes of pizza Wednesday night, Mexican dinner Thursday night, a traditional African dinner Saturday night, my very own Strawberry Cheesecake!! ...I am soo amazed, and not because of all this stuff that I was blessed with during this week of celebrating my 23rd birthday, but because of the love I felt and the time I got to spend with the people who are so very special to me!! Thank you for your love each and every day; I always feel at home when I am with you and you have blessed me this past year in more ways than you will ever know or can even imagine. You have embodied 1 Corinthians 13 :7 " (Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Thank you for walking with me through everything, supporting me and giving me your unconditional love!

I love you ALL!

Confederation Cup 2009

USA v Italy June 15, 2009

Tshepi, my brother and I were able to attend the USA v. Italy Confederations Cup game! It was quite memorable. Besides the two random guys sitting in front of us waving the American flag, we felt like the only US supporters in the whole stadium. We didn't let that discourage us; we made tshirts and went out in full support! It was very exciting. The US lost this game, but they went on to place 2nd among all the teams in the Confederations Cup....now all eyes are on South Africa as they are also hosting the World Cup in 2010! Saying soccer is big here is definitely an understatement; it's a way of life, and it definitely gets in your blood. Let's go South Africa! Let's go USA!! (...hopefully they won't play each other in 2010)

Kenya: Time Out

For a week at the beginning of June my brother (who had just arrived in South Africa) and I were given the opportunity to go to Nairobi, Kenya. We, along with two others, were responsible for working with the missionary kids (mks) during their annual East African Sectional Meeting at Brackenhurst Conference Center. Brackenhurst is beautiful! We were responsible for the 2 to 5 year olds each day from 8am to 4pm while their parents were attending the various meetings. We played games, did crafts, had Bible stories, enjoyed the playground, and became experts at some Veggie Tales (thank God for movie time). The children were wonderful and such a blessing throughout the week even though some points were challenging. During the evenings and nights I was able to have some precious God and I time; I sat in the coffee shop at Brackenhurst and was able to listen and breathe... Sometimes life in Johannesburg can get very trying emotionally and spiritually and you don't really realize it until you intentionally remove yourself from the situations, make yourself breathe, and just rest in God. That's what this week was for me; even though our "job" was to minister to the missionary children in East Africa; God also ministered to me and gave me a refreshing drink of His peace, love, and His sustaining presence....at the end of the week though I was ready to get back home to Johannesburg.