Last week, our team had the privilege of going to a community less frequently visited. They didn’t know the ministry, and there was increased reservation to talk with us. In the morning, we went into a home where I played with two kids and a balloon for a couple hours while Katherine, Aliseya, and our translator, Tshepo, had conversation with two young women there. It was a really sweet time, but the afternoon is when the party happened.
I turned to the side as we walked down the street to see a man working on a fence. Felt like stopping, so Tshepo asked him if we could talk. There was also a woman there who owned a store on the edge of the property. Both seemed wary of the idea to have conversation, but we were allowed in.
At first, we were met with a little tension. One woman, who was a helper in the community, asked us if we had brought any food parcels; and asked if we hadn’t what could we possibly be doing there.
Little by little, the group at the front of the property grew, over our two hour visit. And questioning turned to conversation, and conversation to stories, and stories to dancing.
One of my favorites was a woman named Amelee.* She had been through a lot, raising four grandchildren who had been orphaned when two of her children had died, and being left by her husband. She was a go-go (old person) in the community’s eyes, but back home I wouldn’t have considered her to be aged. We talked about Jesus, and the hope that He brings as we hung clothes to dry together. She had a great outlook despite her situation, and told me that there was no reason to sit in it.
Being called away from washing to the front, our team was offered Coke and guava fruit from a tree over one of the houses. The conversation had deepened, and questions went back and forth. Little did we know that a dance party was about to break out! We asked the two mamas to show us their moves, and of course they wanted to see ours too. A boom box came out, music started, and dancing followed…
The biggest surprise was a 8 or 9-year-old (prodigy, as I call her) who killed it on the dance floor. We were standing in a circle and taking turns improv-ing in the center, and when she took her turn we were screaming, cheering, and clapping for her.
We bonded so much in that time of dancing, and when Katherine went away to help one of the mamas with dishes, she overheard one of them say, “We have never had outsiders come into our community like this before. We know it was from God that we were encouraged today.”
The end of the afternoon was, of course, a dance battle. My team picked me to represent, and it was truly a blast. I didn’t hold any conviction that I would win, until the prodigy was somehow put on the team with me…blessing! What a sweet day of seeing the Lord move in unexpected ways. We were encouraged, the little community we came to was encouraged, and the dance battle even drew a lot of the neighborhood kids to witness. So, we had the opportunity to pray over them all as we left. Truly one of, if not my favorite day, in Johannesburg thus far.
Please pray for unreached communities. For those in your community and around the world that have not heard of Jesus, or that need provision and encouragement. Pray that God would meet them where they are and show them who he truly is, bringing them hope for their present and for their future. Take time to reach out in communities where you don’t normally go. Start a conversation, ask questions, commune and share Christ’s love! Just a challenge 😉
See part of the dance battle here:https://youtu.be/X-ZbiWzlo0Q
*Name changed for privacy.
