May 2009 - You need the silence to hear the question

Fifteen minutes of silence

Fusion"I don't have anything to talk about today," said Stanley*, a 28 year-old young man living in Manenburg in a makeshift 'shelter' not much larger than a dog kennel. A young man whose life  has been characterised by gangsterism, prison, drugs and mayhem, Stanley is someone that Jonathan Jansen and Grant Stewart of Fusion have befriended over the past few years. He was alone in his hokkie when Jonathan went around to visit him unannounced recently.

The day before Jonathan had been at The Warehouse crying out to God for the lives of five young men who Fusion is engaging with on an ongoing basis. "My question was 'Lord, when will I see change and what will that look like in their lives?' And God reminded me that I had no control over these men's lives. The situation these guys are living in makes it impossible, on a human level, to change," explained Jonathan. All God told him to do that day was - pray.   The next day he felt he should go and look for the guys and catch up on the relationships.  He was unsure as to who would be around, but certain that he needed to go and seek them out. "When I arrived at his home he was just sitting there in his little hokkie outside," says Jonathan, "And I crouched down and went and sat with him."

Jonathan said he also had nothing to say, and they agreed to just sit in quiet. "We sat there for 15 minutes, in total silence. Just him and me. I was praying." Then Jonathan asked him a question about who was really sitting there .. was this the real Stanley?  Is this you?  Or is this who you have become? Tears flowed down Stanley's cheeks as he answered that the man living in this hokkie, was the person he had become .. not who he really was or wanted to be.

His sister's children were playing in the backyard and they called him 'Boeta', a sign of respect, which lead to a conversation about the role that he plays in these children's lives and what kind of example he is setting for them. He said, "All I am waiting for is to die, Jonathan!" And Jonathan left him with one question .. "Instead of waiting to die, which could be 40 years or more from now, how about trying something else?" There was a commitment from Jonathan to walk alongside him and not give up on him before they parted ways. "I left there saying, 'God, help us find the real Stanley in all this mess'," says Jonathan, and that is what the Fusion team are committed to doing.

That fifteen minutes of silence lead to a vulnerability that surprised both Jonathan and Stanley, two young men living in a community that is wracked with poverty, gangsterism and drugs. One who has become the 'father' to a number of these lost men, in spite of him only being 30 years old himself. And the other, a broken and desperate young man living in conditions not even fit for animals, but with potential untapped. What these young men need is someone who will sit with them in silence, if necessary, hear their heartbeat, ask who they really are and help them explore how to discover who God has created them to be. It's the silence that leads to permission to ask the questions and the way the Fusion guys draw young men away from the gates of hell is by training church members in 'being there' for them in those moments when they need the silence to hear the question.
 
*Stanley is not his real name
 
Read more about Fusion and their work with High Risk Youth here...
 

Off the shelves 

• We recently produced a short film which tells the story of The Warehouse in around 8 minutes.  Watch it on our website or contact us to obtain a copy.
• Find out how to support us financially via the Donate Now pages on our website.
• Did you know that groups of various sizes can come and give time at The Warehouse.  If you'd like to arrange this please email Caroline, our Gleaning Coordinator.
• The Training Course in Christian Social Transformation equips people to engage in community transformation according to Biblical community development principles.  The next course will run from August 3 - 7 and October 5-9.  Click here for more information.
• St John's Parish Wynberg are hosting 240 hours prayer from the 21st to the 31st of May culminating in the Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost Sunday.  St John's Church, Wynberg will be hosting the prayer over these 10 days and everyone is welcome to join in.  Email Alison Bourne if you'd like more information about how to participate.
• Rich Stearn, the head of World Vision, gave a speach at the Mobilisation to end Poverty conference in Washington DC recently.  Although the speach is aimed at the American church we believe it holds a significant challenge for all believers.  Read it here.
• Are you looking for resources aimed at church responses to poverty and injustice.  We love the Tear Fund Learning Zone site.  Click here. 

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