I've been thinking about Africa a lot lately, even more so
than usual. I've been thinking about the ways I saw God show up within Jeffreys
Bay and in my own life. I've been thinking about my children- His children. I've
been thinking about the faces, the names, the memories. It's all so weird. This
journey began a year ago yet it seems like a different lifetime that I was in
South Africa. In trying to make sense of all my thoughts, emotions and memories
I stumbled upon a song I had heard a few times before. In really listening to
the words, I couldn't have said it better myself...

"I saw what I saw"

By: Sara Groves

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it

I heard what I heard and I can't go back

I know what I know and I can't deny it

Something on the road, cut me to the soul

Your pain has changed me

Your dream inspires

Your face a memory

Your hope a fire

Your courage asks me what I am made of

And what I know of love

We've done what we've done and we can't erase it

We are what we are and it's more than enough

We have what we have but it's no substitution

Something on the road, touched my very soul

I say what I say with no hesitation

I have what I have and I'm giving it up

I do what I do with deep conviction

Something on the road, changed my world

No words can ever describe the experience I had in South Africa. No words can
ever paint the picture I saw of poverty, disease, and loneliness. The piles of
trash that were ever growing, the glass that lined all of the "streets" in the
township, the absurd amounts of taverns, the women that lived with abusive
boyfriends, the children that couldn't go to school because their parents had
no money for the school fees yet alone the uniforms. It's not fair. It's not
right. Children prostitute themselves to provide money for their siblings that they
end up raising because their parents are dying or have already died of AIDS.
Husbands drown themselves in liquor to take the sting of poverty and sin
away, ultimately diving more into both issues. Wives stay with husbands that
have no concern for them or their children because that is all they have ever
known. Abuse is everywhere: parents beating their children, husbands beating
their wives. You can see the despair on so many faces. It's not fair. It's not
right.

I could go on and on about the depressing sites you will see once entering
the township but that's not where the story ends. God is redeeming each and
every one of these situations. God is using His people around the world to
bring hope. We can all learn from these
situations. We can learn about hopes and dreams and courage. We can learn about
Christ love and grace that is more than enough. We can learn about the body of
Christ as we see it in action bringing hope and healing to His hurting people.
These stories, these situations, these friends are more than just a memory in
my heart and mind. They are what stir me on toward Christ. They are the
reminder that though I am weak and only one, I can make a difference by sharing
the love of Christ. They are who inspire me to never give up and to never stop
hoping. These aren't just stories or situations, these are my friends. These
are those who have captured my heart and changed it forever. Their pain has changed
me, their dream inspires, their face a memory, their hope a fire, their courage
asks me what I am made of and what I know of love.