On our long trek back to the farm we made a quick three day stop at a small church in Welkom (pronounced Vell-come; located in the Free State province). The church had been robbed four times in a ten day span several months ago... and is now on a long road to recovery. With the average member’s age spanning between 60 to 80 years old, the necessary manpower to repair their severely damaged ceiling and repaint their old back wall is hard to come by, and not to mention a struggle to deal with other issues such as the stolen chairs and sound system. Upon our arrival, another local church had donated old pews that we were able to sand and varnish during our short stay. We also helped repaint the back wall and varnish the doors of two entrances.
When I first heard we were doing a three day construction project before going back to the farm I didn’t think it would be anything special… and definitely was not expecting it to be all that enjoyable to be completely honest. What I thought would be a quick, somewhat boring pit-stop on our way back to the farm turned out to be quite the opposite. We packed more into the past three days than I could have ever thought possible.
The first thing I noticed was the immediate warm welcome and hospitality of the South African culture. This town sure lives up to its name. The people of the church greeted us with such interest, love, and attention… In fact, I think they were serving us more than we actually served them. One older woman from the church invited us into her home where she gave us all beds, showers, and goodnight kisses. Every morning was started with a hefty breakfast, handmade by the women of the church… a little work… followed by snacks… a little work and a lot of conversation… followed by a homemade lunch… more stories and snacks and stories… a little work… and a full, traditional homemade dinner and dessert to cap off the evening. These people loved cooking for us, sharing their culture, their community, and their history with us.
While we made a physical and tangible difference renovating the church, I think God moved powerfully in the relationships we made in Welkom. At our final braai on the last night, different individuals shared with tears how much our visit had meant and how much we had renewed their spirits, brought encouragement, and lightened their overwhelming burdens since the robberies. Though they were very tight in finances, they did not hesitate to lavish meals, snacks, desserts, town tours, and even wanted to pay for a trip to a local game park. Their unrestrained hospitality and love reminded me of the church in Acts where they poured out everything they had to their brothers and sisters in Christ. The minute they met us, they counted us as family… and I felt it. Beautiful people. Beautiful love.
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