i am in love with a ganster.

well several gansters actually.

let me just tell you this. Jesus LOVES gansters. i know this for a fact. he is not intimidated by the fact that they are addicted to drugs and steal from people everyday. he is not overwhelmed by the knives they carry or the fact that they use them...often. they are his sons. the ones he created in their mothers’ wombs. his heart aches for them to come and receive their place in his house...sons dearly loved.

something is happening amongst the gansters in masi. they are coming one by one, being transformed by the love of their Papa God. in each of the different spheres of the gangs, He is lifting out his sons, binding their wounded hearts, freeing them from their chains and igniting their hearts to help their ganster friends to find the same.

*sipho is one of these gansters. oh how my heart is bursting with love for this boy.

sipho is 18 years old. after being abandoned by his mother as a baby, he was raised in a home where he was not wanted or cared for, with alcoholism and verbal abuse as his norm. because of this, he was driven to life on the streets. he joined a group of gansters, and began doing drugs and stealing to support his habits. he dropped out of school and spent all of his time with these gansters. to the world, this boy was without hope and a future. but God had more in store for him. after getting into a knife fight with his aunt’s boyfriend, sipho was taken in by his neighbor. this man is a Jesus follower with a heart to reach his community for God’s kingdom, especially the gansters. under his loving care, sipho has met Jesus. he has completely left drugs and life on the streets, and he is now back in high school. sipho wants to tell anyone who will listen about how Jesus has changed his life. he has lived his life longing to be loved, seen, cared for. he searched for it in drugs & gang life, but was left empty and hard of heart. Papa knew. he knew his son. he has reached down and pulled him out because he delights in him. his son is home safe & sound. and we are all rejoicing!

*mandla is the other ganster that has stolen my heart. i love this child.

i have shared his story before. but i just can’t get enough of this boy. his hard little heart is thirsty for love. all he has known has been the harsh realities of this world; rejection, death, neglect, fear, pain. an unstable home life & the murder of his brother drove him to life on the streets. the world says he is destined for destruction. but Papa says he is destined for the abundance of his house; receiving the full rights of sonship. and He is doing it. He is drawing mandla. its not an easy road. but God is not afraid of the process. he is not discouraged by setbacks. his promises will prevail. (and he is teaching me this over and over.) i have seen that a little love goes a long way. walls of hostility crumble under these words: “i believe in you.” with every kind word, every minute spent getting to know him, every effort to help him...his heart is melting and the strongholds are weakening. i got a note from him the other day that said, “I love you nontsikelelo. you are the best.” yep. he has stolen my heart. this sweet child. Papa’s treasured one.

God loves gansters. for sure.