“Everywhere I’ve been in South Africa I have seen the Lord being active and present. In the quiet and the chaos, in the poverty and the plenty, and in drug recovery and the ocean waves. I’ve seen Jesus in the way my team members have served those around us and I’ve seen Jesus in the stories of the locals of how God has changed their lives.” -Sydney
While working in the Muizenberg Community Garden, I had the privilege of meeting Graham. He was working on the compost when I spoke with him. We talked about our ethnicities, and I learned he is IsiXhosa and Khoi San. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting to have a deep conversation with him. But then, when he started reciting Scripture from memory and sharing his testimony, I was surprised. Graham had been homeless for 20 years—basically since I was born and in all my life, I’d never met someone as faithful as this humble man.
As he spoke with such passion about the Word of God, I began to feel convicted by the Holy Spirit about my ungratefulness. Mr. Graham then led me to a place with some shade, pulled his Bible out of his backpack, and we read through Luke 4 together. “Man does not live by bread alone,” he read aloud.
At that point, Graham hadn’t eaten for over a day. Yet he was telling me how blessed he was to have the Word of God—that it filled his needs and satisfied him like no food could. He said that in 20 years, the Lord had always been by his side, faithful and loving. If I’m being honest, if I was in Graham’s position, I’m not sure I’d find it easy to believe that. However, Graham is the perfect example of living by the Word: “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” This hard-working, humble, wise man showed me what it means to fully rely on Jesus.
Jesus showed me through Graham that when we fully rely on Him, his joy is our strength and that indeed, when we love Him, he rescues us. He protects us when we acknowledge His name. That when we call on Him, He answers. He delivers us from trouble and honors us. Satisfying us with eternal life and salvation.
Gabby
Class XIX Fellow