Surprises Before Leaving SA

On Tuesday night we announced to the guys that we’ve been meeting with that we need to take an unexpected trip back to America to obtain our visas so that we can come back and stay in South Africa for a longer period of time.  We really wanted to emphasize with them that we are not leaving them by choice.  We have to leave BUT will be returning.  So many of these guys have already been abandoned, so we wanted to be clear with them that wasn’t going to be the case with us.  We enjoyed our last meal together, for at least the next 2 months, and participated in an activity with them.  Josh asked them each to draw a picture of what describes them best.  It was a powerful time to have them share in a group setting and see their hearts open up more.

Before departing, our friend (the parole officer) asked one of the guys to share a few kind words to us, along with handing us a gift bag of goodies for our trek back to America.  Then she asked each of the guys to speak something kind over us.  After that she asked if any of them wanted to pray over us.  There were 12 guys in attendance, 2 that were new to the group.  One of the new guys stood up and prayed over us in his native tongue – Afrikaans!  Even though we didn’t understand a word he prayed, except AMEN, we felt very honored and blessed that he would pray over us in his own language.  After the prayer, Christian said to him, “You know we don’t speak Afrikaans.”  The guy just smiled.  I told Christian that was okay because God understands Afrikaans and that’s all that really matters.  Everyone smiled.  Then they all began singing a song of “thanks for your kindness” to us in Afrikaans.

As we said our goodbyes, one of the guys gave me a hug and handed me some papers that were folded up.  He tends to be quiet and didn’t say a word but just smiled at me…..which said 1,000 words!  As he walked off, I opened the papers and my heart melted.  This guy, whom the Lord made a special place in my heart for the day I met him, likes to draw.  I found this out a few weeks ago and had told him that I’d like to see some of his drawings someday.  Well, today of all days, he decides to bring some and GIVE them to me!!  Again, I felt very honored that he’d give them to me.  He didn’t even know beforehand that we were leaving the country and that it was going to be our last gathering with them for 2 months…..but God knew!  God treasures our hearts, and we felt like He was saying, “I know you’re sad about leaving, but here is my gift to you…….an outpouring of My love and honor.”  We left that night with such joy in our hearts!

We have such momentum going with these guys in building relationships, so the thought of leaving for 2 months didn’t excite us in the least.  However, they have decided to continue having their weekly gatherings on Tuesday in honor of what we started!  In addition to that, one of the guys asked the parole officer if they could come to the airport to welcome us back home when we return on June 9^th (which, coincidentally is a TUESDAY – the nights we meet on).  The driver made a deal with them.  He said that it’s “all or nothing” – either they ALL show up as a team and head to the airport or not.  The guys were all excited and said they’d ALL be there!!  We’ll be praying for that because we’re genuinely going to miss them.

In the last few days leading up to our departure, the Lord “surprised” us with 2 more divine appointments.  On Monday morning we had a meeting with the parole officer just to discuss how things were going and plans for moving forward.  During that time, a guy came into her office and she introduced us to him.  It turns out he’s on fire for the Lord and has worked in the adult prisons for 25 years.  His role is to prepare people for parole/transition back into the community.  Our heart is to provide housing and mentoring to guys transitioning out of prison.  The two go hand-in-hand!  Then on Wednesday Josh met with a guy who is a recovering tik/meth addict who has volunteered in the prison system for the last 8 years after getting clean.  He also works for the local government as a rural development officer and is connected to all of the farmers and land owners in the smaller communities.  Basically, what this means is that we have a local that can help us to find land for the vision the Lord has given us!!!  In talking further, it turns out that this guy’s heart is to also be involved with transition homes.  He said the meeting raised his spirits and encouraged him that he’s on the right path.  The Lord is connecting us with people who have like-hearts in what the Lord has placed on our hearts to do, and it is so exciting to witness all of the pieces coming together.

With such short notice of having to leave the country, you can imagine how quickly we had to jump on booking our plane tickets.  Well, unfortunately, we have the holiday weekend against us which limited our options because a lot of flights were full or really expensive.  We were able to find a great deal on tickets to get us from here into Johannesburg.  However, it’s requiring us to stay overnight in Joburg for 3 nights.  We wanted to avoid staying in a hotel because of the cost, which ended up being higher than expected, but were unable to find anyone with connections in Joburg that would be willing to house us.  So, hotel it is.  We will arrive in Joburg tomorrow evening then fly out @ 7:15pm to Seattle (with a 4-hour layover in Dubai).  We are scheduled to arrive in Seattle on Tuesday, April 7^th @ 1pm local time.  Flights into Boise were going to cost us $1k, but the Lord surprised us again with Matt Gager’s generous willingness to rent a vehicle then drive all the way from Boise to Seattle to pick us up!!  We will then turn around and drive back that same day, which will put us back in Boise around 2-3am.  Please pray that our internal clocks adjust very quickly to all the time changes and traveling.  Also, please keep Matt in your prayers as he and his son, Eric, make the long drive to get us.

We met with the owner of our house today to explain our situation in person.  Let’s just say, we are grateful to have a house to come back to and he’s not giving us the boot!  He’s been very understanding.  We paid rent upfront through the end of May.  Bummer that we’re paying for a house that we won’t be in for 2 months, but that’s just how things go.  We’re grateful the house and our vehicle will be looked after.  The owner is also going to turn on the alarm system while we’re away.

I’ve completed all of our packing and am thrilled that we only have 5 checked bags instead of 12, wahoo!!  It seems surreal that we’re headed back to the States, but we’re looking forward to the trip with JOY in our hearts because the Lord’s ways are higher than our own and we know He’s up to something good!  So, I leave you with this: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.  Proverbs 3:5-6