As I recited Jeremiah 17:7-8, I had a deeper understanding of it, or maybe I saw it through a different lens. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, who's hope is the Lord. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit." This is what I witnessed in Africa.
"They are not bothered by the heat." It was 100 degrees most days, no air conditioning, no reprieve from the heat, and they were not bothered. Their water shut off unpredictably, often... once even for a 60 hour period. It hardly rains there and some homes don't even have water. "They don't worry in times of drought." Despite these hardships and difficult living experiences, they are full of life. They are fruitful: loving, kind, joyful, peaceful, patient, good and faithful.
How can this be?
Because they are firmly planted and drawing from the Living Water. What an example to follow. They trust in God and their hope is in Him, not their circumstances. I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from my South African brothers and sisters.
I want to share with you about Lydia.
She is a domestic worker who I had the pleasure of engaging with each day. Although we couldn't speak or understand one another's language (she speaks Sotho) we were able to connect in a deep, loving way. She showed me so much love and compassion. We prayed together, cried together, laughed and hugged- often not knowing what the other was saying, unless their was someone around to help us translate. I asked her if I could share about her story with you and she graciously agreed, with the help of my friend translating, who can speak Afrikaans, Sotho and English, which is extremely impressive!
Lydia has 2 children, a 17 year old daughter (in the photo above) and a 14 year old son. They live in an impoverished part of town called Phomolong. My blog post from 11/24 has a picture of this town, I passed it on my drive to Hennenman. It's 10 minutes from Hennenman. Her house is made of Sinkplaat, which is Afrikaans for corrugated iron sheets. There is no electricity, no toliet and no water. She usually has to walk 20 minutes to a water tap, stand in line for 30 minutes to fill her bucket and then walk 20 minutes back home. This water pump broke recently so now she has a 40 minute walk to the nearest tap. Every Monday my friend and her family, fill up this barrel of water and drop it off to her, to help the situation
Lydia shared about how dangerous this area is. There is a lot of thieves that come into the houses. My friend had bought her small trees to plant by her house, and someone came and stole them out of the ground. She said they do destructive things to get their way. She is often scared to go back home after work. She is afraid to leave her kids at home because she doesn't know if they will be safe. She said "bad people rape the children." There are people who's children have been kidnapped for 1-3 months. Lydia has recently put up a barbed wire fence which she said helps to keep them safe.
Lydia said, "I am a child of God, I have peace in me and trust Him. I know He will protect me and look out for me. When I am not home with my children, our Father is there with them." She taught them Psalm 23 and 91 and has them practice reciting them, so that they can say them when they are scared, to protect them.
I gifted her my compassion t-shirt (in the above photo) for the kind-heartedness she showed me while I was there. Upon my departure she hugged me, crying, and in English she said, "I don't want to lose you" and gave me this note, which her daughter wrote for her since she has learned English in school. This letter melted my heart and is the best physical gift I received while being there. It is such an illustration of how our presence, our smile, our embrace- can touch people and we can be an example of Christ's love.
Just when I didn't think my heart could swell anymore.
From Psalm 91, one of the Psalms she says with her children,
"If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Because he loves me,” says the Lord,
“I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name."
Lord, I pray this Psalm over Lydia and her children. Thank you for protecting them.
Oh my goodness.....your writing is amazing, it's like I am teliported there, I can see and feel everything as you explain it, especially since I have a little background of being there with you bsck in March. My heart melted and was in tears reading that beautiful letter....thank you so much for sharing this, I know a lot of it isn't nice, but good for Americans to see, and how we should be so greatful for all we have, and still so many are unhappy...many couid learn from you...thank you
Oh Kristen, what a beautiful post!! Thank you for sharing the letter Lydia wrote to you....Ever since I read your post telling of this letter and how it blessed you so, I have have been wondering what she wrote...now I know! Thank you for sharing this. The love that we demonstrate to others transcends all human language barriers. It comes from the heart/spirit...it truly is Divine Love.Welcoming you back to the U.S. and so glad we get to keep you here for awhile! Thank you so much for all of your posts the past few weeks! They have blessed me so!!