I had previously introduced my heart as being immersed, saturated and dripping profusely a few posts ago. A bit drama-ish, but descriptive nonetheless. Before I continue with Jafta at the BP station, a few thoughts on returning to KC. I never thought about going to South Africa in my life. Ever. Didn't know much about the country. I had interest in going throughout Europe, but I guess that only happened after I went to a European country (Romania). I have always been ready to hop on a plane since I was a kid. I grew up with a grass airstrip 5 minutes walk from my house. South Africa, however, just hadn't entered my mind. Turns out, there is a pretty big world out there. ("ooo baby baby it's a wild world, hard to get by just on a smile girl..." old song..) and, the more I see of it, the larger my heart grows for it. God keeps enlarging the territory of my heart for the nations. He definitely did that with SA this summer, or rather, WINTER for that side of the world!! God continually surprises me with how perfect His plans are for me. Wow... ok so where were we with Jafta?
Oh, ok, so 3 something in the morning, doing the Night Watch in Rosettenville, South Africa near Joburg. Cold wind, gloves, jackets and warm hats. Missing the campfire that we had left to go grab a midnight snack. .. Anywhoo. I get inside the door and I'm like, "what is going on". Everyone is serious, there is a dude sitting on a blue, plastic crate beside the cashier counter. The cashier is sitting behind a glass window, and another BP worker stands watching with us. There was a floor freezer right inside the door. I went over to ask JJ and Meagan what happened. "He got carjacked and shot". Meagan said. Wow. I didn't see any wound. His eyes were rolling around and he was smacking his lips like his mouth was dry. He seemed a bit out of it, which I guess is probably normal if you get shot, huh! He had red-like stuff on his lips and I thought, maybe this guy is just drunk, or high and he got in a fight with his girlfriend. I thought maybe the red stuff was lipstick. Maybe she pushed him from the car cause he was being a punk or something??? Was he lying or telling the truth?? I stood back so as to give him some room. We didn't want to crowd him. We all stood back except for Meagan and JJ. They continued to hold him up.
Blaire had called the ambulance and Jafta's fiance while I was outside with the woman and the creepy men. So, we prayed, and we waited. Karen bought Jafta some water and held it to his lips. He drank a little and then stopped. He was in pain. I was still not believing this was really happening in front of us! wow. ok, so people were coming in to buy groceries and pay for petrol (gasoline)and stepping right over Jafta to pay! They were completely unmoved it seemed! Several people were annoyed at the hold up in the line. Out of no where this white South African guy, with shaggy blonde hair busts in through the door. He is immediately annoyed and leans both hands on the deep freezer and says to us, (4 of us were on the other side of freezer), "Who's holding up the line!?" "What's going on here, what's the hold up in the line?". Something like that. He came in abruptly and not with a good spirit, that's for sure! We told him that Jafta had been shot. He said, "Why are you keeping this piece of trash alive?!" "Just let him die!" What??@%*@! wow. We were stunned as he kept saying stuff like that. Completely a strategic attack from the enemy on Jafta's life! wow, what if we hadn't been there? God so lead our steps to that gas station, not to mention many other times during our trip in South Africa!! This man was speaking death over Jafta and calling him South African trash and that we should let him die and go to heaven. "Just let him go to heaven", he said, unsympathetically. Afterward, our group agreed that the man wasn't talking to Jafta necessarily, he was speaking to his spirit. We all had a bad feeling about that guy. He started digging in his pocket quickly. I was thinking, "Jesus! he's trying to find his knife! Is this guy going to try and kill Jafta right in front of us???!!" Marishka, started saying, "Please leave, in the name of Jesus, please leave!!". I joined in and kept praying, "Jesus, protect us, protect Jafta, get this guy out of here... !!". So he left pretty abruptly, as he came. We were relieved, but shocked. Wow, such words of death and complete lack of compassion. What was up with all this.
We were still waiting on some kind of emergency response and the ambulance. Another guy came in a little later and stepped over Jafta to buy some groceries and laughed. as he walked out he said, " Welcome to South Africa!" with a sarcastic tone in his voice and a grin on his face! Woah, again, such disregard, and disrespect for human life. The emergency response guy showed up. He didn't seem to know what to do. He came in casually, poked at Jafta's knee and shrugged his shoulders as he asked patronizingly, "What, you got shot?" I hadn't seen the gun shot wound either, but just by the look of the man, you can tell his body is in shock and he is wounded pretty bad. He wasn't able to hold himself upright and his eyes kept rolling back. The response guy poked at Jafta's knee and then he said some stuff to Jafta I didn't catch. Might have been in his language. Meagan and JJ helped Jafta take off his jacket, as the response guy was off somewhere. Jafta was in a lot of pain, and complained of being cold. We could now see the hole in his left arm. It was 2-3 inches down from his shoulder. The first aid guy, pushed around the hole in Jafta's arm. Jafta wanted to lay down. JJ, Meagan and a Salvation Army guy helped lay Jafta down on Marishka's blanket. Jafta seemed to be in more pain on the floor and almost immediately wanted up. We decided it was best to leave him on the floor. We didn't want to keep moving him. We didn't know what to do and the emergency kid wasn't much help. The ambulance arrived and they got out as if it were their lunch break in the middle of the afternoon on their day off! They got in there and were unmoved. I know they must see this a lot, but you would think that they would care a little more??? They got him on a stretcher and into ambulance. .. We walked back down to the camp fires and worship circle a couple blocks away. Sobered and not feeling that hungry anymore, we sat around the fire with the rest of the Salvation Army group, and our EC team.
I kinda felt more safe sitting across from the brothel where the pimps were at that moment. I hadn't really felt fear the whole trip. But at the gas station when the blonde haired guy came in, I felt some. God completely protected us and divinely ordered our steps that night. I stared into the fire and prayed for Jafta's life. I walked over and joined the rest of the ones that were with me at the BP station. We huddled up and prayed life and healing over Jafta and the whole situation. For God to wash us clean as well, that no darkness would cling to or take root in us from that situation. I looked across the fire and watched as Amy talked with one of the girls from the brothel. This has given me a new definition of Night Watch. I want to do this again :)
It was close to 5am and the leaders started packing things up. We loaded up in our beloved van (that we happened to drive over 11 thousand kilometers in!) and drove back to Hebron. Going to bed that night/day, I was in awe of what just happened, and so thankful to the Lord for using us. Jafta would have died if we hadn't had the munchies. God directed our steps every day in South Africa, I know it. He used us in our weakness and in the times when we didn't have any plans or intentions to minister. When we were out sight seeing, he brought people to us. When we left Hillbrow, because we had a different vision (ptl - EC team, you know what I'm talking about!), He had Gerard and Leoni and Maxim's hotel, and the 11 story brothel all lined up for us! When we had no plans, God had plans, he used us everywhere.... Thank you Jesus for the opportunity of a lifetime. I pray that this is only the beginning. I have a feeling it is. Life is not the same for me after South Africa. Kenako (it is time).
~ Steph Q.
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