I continue to go out to Venndale Rehabilitation Centre (Drug and alcohol related) each Saturday with the church leaders to share the gospel with those clients. I began with a question, "What is God like? What do you think God is like?" and then, from their after sharing about my own assumptions of who I thought God was, I simply said, "Well, what does the Bible say? What does God tell us about who He is? Because that is the true measure of who He is, not just what we think he is like." So we looked at Creation, what does that teach us about God? What does that teach us about ourselves and our relationship to our Creator?
With each week, we could have as many as 10-12 people come to the service, 15, but they were just "checking it out". We've been doing the Venndale outreach now for 2+ months, and if ever we need to cancel it, there is always someone asking, "Are you coming again next Saturday?" There is a regular group of about 5-8 who attend most Saturdays. As you know, the services are conducted completely in Kriol, because that is the first language of many of the clients at Venndale, and a common link for many of the clients.
We open the service with prayer and song, and then after singing, I share from the Bible or one of the church leaders will share. It has been such an amazing blessing to have those ladies coming with me on a regular basis. Each week, at least 3 of us go to Venndale together, we are allowed to be a group of four, but not more.
After many weeks, I began to wonder if God was really working in their hearts, and if I was preaching what He wanted me to preach. After dropping the church leaders off in Barunga, as I drove back to Katherine I just asked God, "Please give us a break through! I want to see something happening in these men and women's lives. Please, Lord!" As they say, "Aibin geda shok" at how quickly God answered my prayer.
The following Monday (two days later) I was out at Venndale teaching Language, Literacy and Numeracy. One of the men who would frequent the service on Saturday, but was very quiet and sat in the back with his sunnies on, and cap backwards, approached me before class and said, "I wrote a song." Inside, I was like, "WHAT?!"
But on the outside, I said, "Oh, wow! That's excellent! What is it about?"
The man said, "I wrote it when I was in prison. It's your song now. I'm giving it to you. God gave it to me." He borrowed a guitar from another client, and then began to play the song God gave him. I asked if he could write it down, and he said, "It would be faster if you did." So, I typed it up. I asked him if I could share the song with others, and he told me that would be good, and that is why he gave it to me.
The following Saturday, we had the service as usual, and at the end, asked him if he wouldn't mind sharing his song. He agreed and played and sang beautifully. It went so well the church leaders asked if they would be allowed to translate it into Kriol. Praise God! The lyrics to his song are as follows:
"Jesus, you're our Savior
Our King from heaven
And we will praise your name forevermore our Lord
'cause you have died on the cross for us, on Calvary.
Oh my Lord I wanna be with you on a paradise.
And let your light let it shine on us to follow you our King.
We believe in you our King, we believe in you. (x2)
And we have seen the light on us, we will carry on.
'Cause you have shed your blood for us on Calvary.
And we will pray to you our Lord, to wash away our sins.
I believe in you my King, I believe in you.
Oh my Savior, my Lord, my King. "
Praise God for His faithfulness and his kindness to us, I am so thankful that he kindly let me see Him working in the Venndale Saturday services, and I'm so glad our church is blessed with this opportunity. Please continue to pray for us and for the Venndale folks as well. Thanks, yumob! (y'all in Kriol)
