Hanging Onto Hope

Original post 6/10/2015

**name has been changed**

Over the last week, this is where I have been…hanging onto hope. 

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I head to Embonisweni, get out of the car, and begin a ritual that I love: hugging six beautiful women, telling them I love them, getting to work chopping onions (they actually leave these for me), and listening to these same six women chatter away in Siswati. You can better believe that when one is missing, I KNOW IT!

Last Tuesday was no different. We got out of the car, hugs, kisses, and I love you were said, knives were grabbed, and….wait…where is **Mary**? No one knows. Have any of you heard from her? No. Does anyone have her cell number? She doesn’t have a phone right now. The question, “Do you think she is okay?” is met with, “We don’t know.” 

Those three words…we don’t know…are the hardest words for me to hear and, I think, for them to say. You see, Mary is in an abusive situation. It’s not much different here than in the States. I’ll find you if you leave. I’ll never do it again. You made me angry. You want to see your child, then come home to me. I will never let you go; you deserve this……………All the words that keep women, and men, trapped.

We were finally able to get a little bit of information…he beat her, and she left and went to town on Monday; no one had seen her since. Thursday rolled around, and still no Mary or word on where she was or if she was safe. Finally, Friday came, and I got a call that said, “She has called her mom, she’s safe, and she’s in Johannesburg.” SAFE! Away from him! Please, Lord, continue to keep her safe!

Tuesday, this week. The same routine…get out of the car, WAIT! Not the same routine! She’s here! She’s back! I hug her and tell her, “I’ve missed you and been worried about you.” She looks up at me and says, “I’m fine,” but the smile that usually lights up her eyes is not there. I know that is probably all I’ll get…for now.

We go about our work as if Mary has never missed a day. My first thought was, “She still doesn’t trust us,” but I knew that was not true. She was just ashamed and trying to be strong. And then…we had finished tea time, and Patchi asked Mary if she was okay. There, see it? Right there…a break in the armor. Mary began to open up that he burned everything that was in the house…her blankets, mattresses, medication…she was left with nothing. He has also taken her son and will not allow her to have him unless she returns to him. 

Right there, she started saying, “It’s finished. I deserve better. I shouldn’t have to always be running. He needs to understand it’s finished, but he doesn’t. I am telling you, it’s finished!” We asked if she would have to face him for it to be truly finished, and she spoke words that had my heart torn. She said, “The elders from both families will meet.” What does that even mean?! What if they decide that she must stay with him?! What if, what if, what if?! Brett just happened to be out there, and we prayed for protection over her and God’s love and truth about who she is over her. As we prayed, she wept. As we prayed hope over her, she poured her tears to God. 

Today, I am hanging onto hope for all the women, men, and children who are battered and abused. I hope they will find a way out before it is too late. I hope they realize God never intended them to be someone’s punching bag. I hope they will truly know who they are in Christ. I hope that they will begin to see their value in Christ. And yes, I’m even holding onto hope that these men, or women, will be introduced to Christ and that the Holy Spirit will change them from the inside out. 

Father, today, we hold onto hope for your children who are in abusive situations. We ask that you give them the knowledge that there is a way out. We ask that you help them understand that you never, ever meant for anyone to abuse another and that it is okay to leave when their life is in danger. We pray for the children that the abuser is making pawns. Father, cover their hearts and their hurts. Lord, protect everyone involved in these situations. Set a hedge of protection around them. Give your angels charge over them. Fill these homes with your light and your love. Fill these homes with a supernatural peace. The Holy Spirit brings hope and healing. In Jesus’ Name Amen

March 20, 2024, I am still holding onto hope!