Praying for Sarah

I have never been one to share my faith or pray for strangers on the street…but last week I was challenged to do just that. Walking up to strangers and asking them if I can pray for them is definitely outside my comfort zone, but the fact that I was in Khayelitsha, (the largest township in Cape Town) and one of the few white faces within miles added to my initial discomfort. I was joined by my former London church, Christchurch Fulham who was in Cape Town for a week doing ministry at a church in Khayelitsha. One early evening, before the service we walked down to the train station with the local pastors to invite people to the service and pray for them. It was rush hour, the hustle and bustle of people coming home from work…African taxis were hooting their horns, women with babies securely fastened on their backs rushed by and children of all ages loitered among the crowds. We stopped on a street corner…a group of white ‘foreigners’! As I saw the more courageous team members step out and begin to pray for people I knew in my spirit that I needed to be bold and do the same. I went up to the nearest stall, which was selling cool drinks and snacks, and said hello to the individuals working behind it. I started making small talk with one woman, telling her why we were here and also telling her where I had come from. I asked her if she had any children, not an unreasonable question as most women my age here have many of their own children…but she was very shy in her response as she quietly said one and then walked away. I was thinking to myself, “Oh great this is going well.” The man behind the counter was very friendly and we quickly struck up a conversation. He was a member of the new political party, Congress of the People and proceeded to talk for ages on politics and some interesting insight on where he feels like his country is going. I then asked him for his opinion on Obama which added to another long conversation. Obama is well loved here, and I have found that I can talk about him with anyone. To be honest, most Africans know more about my President than I do! After a while I told my new friend that I was here with a group praying for people and inviting them to the evening service at the church around the corner. The woman I had previously talked with then immerged behind the counter…The man said to me, “This woman would like prayer, she has no husband and is going to have a baby.” At that moment, I walked over to the woman and found out her name was Sarah. She did want prayer…so right then, admits the busyness of life going around us I grabbed her hands and began to pray for her…asking the Lord to bring her a husband who would care for her and also a healthy delivery for her baby. No wonder she was a bit unsettled when I first asked her if she had children…for there was so much fear and uncertainty surrounding the little child she was carrying. After our prayer, the man said to me… “Take some chips”…I looked at this humble stall and said “No thank you, I don’t have any money on me”…he said, “No it is a gift” and proceeded to hand me my favorite bag of chips/crisps. I then felt something else in my hand and when I looked up Sarah had placed an entire packet of biscuits/cookies in my palm…another generous gift that I couldn’t refuse. At that moment the group I had walked with was leaving and I quickly said my Thank Yous and Good Byes. I was beaming with joy. Did I just hold hands with a precious woman and have the opportunity to pray for her…was I just blessed by two people who generously gave all the had…was I experiencing the joy of breaking out of my own fear? I may never see those two ever again…I may my never know if Sarah meets a man and delivers a healthy baby…but what I do know is that I serve a God who loves those two very much…a God who knows everything about them! I am continually reminded that as I step out of my comfort zone, I am met with unbelievable experiences.