The
Squatter Camp community that Kristin and I work in is called Magnwanini Manzini.
It is a dark and wounded community. I Peter 5:8 says that the devil is prowling
like a lion looking for someone to devour. Well, in Magnwanini, it looks like
he is feasting. Alcoholism plagues almost every household. Deceit and jealousy
are a way of life. The closest thing the men have to a job is going across the
street to the dump and scavenging through the rubbish looking for something to
eat. The women are largely prostitutes and the children are far from loved.
Most kids go to the dump as well where many are raped, even killed for the
chance to eat expired meat. One of the teachers at the carepoint told me she
thinks that about 70% of children in that community are sexually abused.
Others, including myself, think the number is much higher, and sexual abuse in
this country pretty much grantees AIDS. Satan has a dark grip on this self
named “forgotten community.”
I don’t
share these details to make you squirm or to raise funds. I simply want to
share the truth about the environment in which I go every day. I hold children,
apply band-aids, stir pap and beans, kiss their heads, and pray. But many days
I feel so helpless. I become filled with doubts and feel completely defeated. I
feel like I can’t stand in front of a group children who live in these
circumstances and proclaim that God has the power to protect and provide. I
feel inadequate to talk about the faithful God who stands for justice and loves
the little children. I get so discouraged that sometimes I just want to call it
quits.
Everyday
I help dish the afternoon meal to about 100 children at the carepoint. For a
couple days I noticed that we had only about half as many people coming so I
asked a teacher what why she thought so few children where coming. She claimed
that she didn’t know but after a couple minutes she said in the wisdom and
discernment I have come to respect and rely upon, “I think there is a dark
cloud over this place. I think it is spiritual.” That’s when I realized
that the doubts and defeat I had been filling my life where spiritual a
spiritual attack as well. The lion, the devil, is still hungry and wants
darkness to stay in that place. I was ignorant to think that he would allow us
to bring in the light of the world without a battle.
I came
home and repented for believing the lies of the enemy over the voice of my
Father. I admitted to God that I couldn’t stand up against the devil’s lion
like attacks by myself and asked for help. Then I went to Ephesians 6 and
received the gift God had so mercifully given us – the armor of God. I know
most of us have talked about the armor of God in a VBS or sunday school where
children have gotten dressed up in plastic armor to take a picture to hang on
the frig but now I needed God’s help for real. I slowly looked at each piece
and put on the armor in a real way. First I put on the belt of truth. I decided
to hold onto a few key truths that were hard to believe in the face of such
darkness. God is merciful and faithful. God has a plan. He is just and loving.
I was resolved to not doubt things that I knew where true just because I didn’t
understand them in this context at this particular moment of time. Then the
body armor of God’s righteousness. I love how the thing that protects my heart
is God’s righteousness and not my own. I need to rely on his protection and his
holiness. Next was shoes of peace that come from the Good News. There is peace
in knowing that the battle is already over and victory is already won. I am not
anxiously awaiting the outcome. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” he
wasn’t lying. Then came the shield of faith. I looked at my faith and realized
that if that was my shield then it had many holes in it. I repented and asked
God for a new shield. that in his mercy he might strengthen my faith. Salvation
has a helmet brought comfort as I realized that I am saved. I am safe. God has
me in his might hand and will not let me go. The last piece is the sword of the
Spirit which is the word of God. Praise him that he does not send us into the
world empty handed. I don’t have to hide and wait it to pass like a storm. I am
a mighty warrior for his kingdom with his Spirit working through his Word.
This
process was simple and didn’t take a lot of time but made a world of
difference. I have been rescued into the Kingdom of Light
and I intend to live that way. Every day I enter into ministry I will be
praying on the armor. I invite you to join me. See where you can stand strong
in your life.
My
ministry partner, Kristin Lampen, posted a great blog about the expectations we
put on God and how so many times we actually expect too little of a glorious
God that made the entire universe. To read it, check out her blog at
kristinlampen.myadventures.org.
