the story he is writing
“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”
Psalm 34:5 (NIV)
I’m writing this on a flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town. I’m heading to a prayer retreat with the team from 24/7 Prayer South Africa. I’ve been trying for the last week to put to words what the Lord done through not even a month of me being in South Africa, but it’s difficult. As soon as I go to write, God does something else significant. I’m sure there are many more words to come with all the little details he has woven together and the beautiful people whom he’s allowed me to walk with, but today I just want to testify.
I’m on this flight because of a little email I sent about a week and a half ago. I was sitting at a coffee shop in Rosebank, one of the few safe areas to walk around in Joberg and I was bored. Quite frankly, I had grown quite accustomed to a non-stop pace in Nashville and South Africa was slowing me down. I was waiting for a response from my pastor here, letting me know what we were doing for the week and hadn’t heard back. I was restless. God had put me in a church, given me incredible community and affirmed his calling me to start a prayer room in the city, but I still didn’t know what day to day life should look like. Rest. Rest. God kept whispering it when my insides wanted to run from the space he was creating for me.
I was sitting in the coffee shop when I remembered the day I met my pastor here. When I walked into Hendrik’s house my second day in Joberg, he read to me the vision for a 24/7 Prayer Room, written by Pete Craig, the founder of 24/7 Prayer. It was the same vision I had heard about 5 years ago when I read his book Red Moon Rising. The vision that made me curious about prayer rooms and places where people could simply come to sit, sing and be with Jesus. My mom had sent me a podcast from 24/7 South Africa right before I left the states and I had finally gotten around to listening to it that morning. I was touched hearing the founder’s story of reconciliation and curious what partnership could look like.
I scrolled to the bottom of their site, finding a generic email next to the contact us button. What’s the harm? I thought. No deeply spiritual moment, just a curiosity.
Within the hour, a woman named Vanessa emailed me back saying she was very interested in the prayer room I wanted to start in Johannesburg — in fact, she lived only 10 minutes from where I went to church! I had emailed thinking maybe we could hop on a zoom or a call in the next few weeks, assuming they were all in Cape Town, the hub named on their website.
“Thursday?” She asked. Thursday.
The next day, I woke up with the same restlessness. My mind was stirring with questions about the future and yet God kept quiet. Finally at the urging of my sister via text, I found a coffee shop I wanted to try close to the University of Johannesburg. My desire to get out of the house outweighed my questions of safety so I caught an Uber downtown. As the car pulled up to the shopping center, I saw greenery hanging from the tall balconies of shops, studios and office spaces. An art studio with canvases spilling out the doorways leaned against a coffee shop, situated next to a quaint book store. I hadn’t seen anywhere like this in Joberg yet. I wandered into the space, taking in the canopy of trees lining the cobblestones of the walkway. No cars were allowed in, and as I walked, my ears caught conversations in Afrikaans and Zulu and Hindi. I sat at one of the cafe tables with my notebook, absorbing the beauty of my accidental find.
About two hours in, it hit me — I’ve seen this space. A few weeks before I left for South Africa, God started stirring my heart for a 24/7 prayer room in Johannesburg and started confirming I should spend the bulk of my 2 months in the city. Whenever I would see the space with God, I could see 2 rooms of a brightly lit space. Large windows bathed the room in natural light, the walls bright and airy. The front looked like a music school, instruments strewn around the room and in the back a prayer room — treasure in the field of the city.
Realizing as I was sitting there that the windows looked familiar, I wandered upstairs to one of the studios. A young guy sat at his laptop in a huge room with large industrial windows, a small music studio set up opposite him. I could practically see God winking at me!
We chatted for a bit about rent and the turnover in the space — he let me know he could put me in touch with the property manager if I decided to rent space in there. Beyond the wonder of the windows, rent matched the exact amount I had felt God ask me to begin fundraising last summer! Before I even knew I’d be leaving Nashville!
I left the shopping center just before 6, hurrying to make it to our church’s youth group in time. As I stood outside the gate waiting for students with my friend Tehillah, I timidly told her, “I think I found the space.” She nodded reassuringly. “Right on, that’s great news my friend.” I couldn’t be so sure so I told her I was just going to see what was to come, not wanting to get my hopes up.
Two days later, I had my meeting with Vanessa, from 24/7 Prayer South Africa, the woman who had emailed me back. We settled in at one of my favorite shops I’d found in Linden, the neighborhood where my church Vida is and began swapping stories. I listened as she shared her journey with the Holy Spirit and God’s leading her to coordinate prayer for South Africa. We wept as she shared stories about Rwanda, about the founder of 24/7 South Africa and how God has been sowing redemption into their country. I started to tell her my dream for the prayer room space downtown, near the University, near the people who would not want to go to church but would maybe step into a nondescript prayer room. She started to cry.
“I know that building” she said. “My cousin has a coffee shop in there, he’s been there for years, you need to meet him.”
I was stunned. Our coffee lasted almost three hours and probably could’ve continued. I could feel our mutual excitement over what God is doing in the city.
The two of us went down there this Monday to walk and pray and meet her relative. We are hoping I can more formally meet with him in the next few weeks to share more with him and see what steps I can take to rent space downtown beginning in the fall. As we sat in his shop, I marveled as people walked in and out of the shop, buying coffee and making conversation with one another. Imagine — imagine, a space for people in the chaos of this city to retreat and find home in the presence of God.
My dear, and new friend Vanessa was supposed to be on a prayer retreat with the 24/7 team this weekend outside of Cape Town, but ended up not feeling well and offered me her spot. One of their team members, Sanri phoned me last night making sure I was all set for today. As I stepped into Tambor Airport this morning, she introduced me to her parents and immediately began asking me about my time in South Africa so far.
Family. This was the promise God wrote on my heart when I felt him calling me to urgently come to South Africa. When everyone thought I was crazy, this is the promise I heard him repeating. He who promised is faithful.
This is just part of the story. I will share more as time gives way to write.
I need to share about Hendrik and Marga, the Pastors of Vida Church and the family God has put me in. I need to share about my friend Gen and her similar calling to this city. I need to share about the gathering after the normal Sunday service made up of brothers and sisters experiencing homelessness called Bread of Life. I need to share about my Uber Driver who told me he wasn’t ready to give his life to Jesus, only to be chased down the street by my pastor who brought him into his living room and then led him to the Lord. There’s much to share.
God is faithful. Whatever risk, whatever cost — those who look to him will never be put to shame. Those who look to him are radiant.
Posted February 9th, written Friday, February 7th.