Beauty for Ashes

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour.” 

Isaiah 61:3

Thirty people arrived at Clouds End two weeks ago, all victims of the fire that swept through the Mandebvu community consuming over fifty homes. Some were happy to be there, others came apathetically, with defeated hearts, wondering what on earth these smiley Christians thought they could do to change anything. One or two youngsters were simply on board for the ride. With a few joints of marijuana tucked safely in their bags, and assuming there would be access to alcohol, they figured on partying.

The first day began early with devotions, where a couple of blurry eyed young men huddled towards the back, wincing as the Foundations for Farming team launched into a time of enthusiastic clapping and singing. Then leaning their throbbing heads against their palms, they closed their eyes and tried to ignore the preaching that washed over them. The trainers were unruffled – our God is way bigger than addiction and after all, He had chosen them. No one was there by accident.

Each person was handed a Shona bible and asked to write their names inside. The books were unwrapped with great care, and names neatly written. Hardly anyone had ever owned a bible before, and clearly a sense of worth was placed on these – although the real value would only become evident later. Petty was leading devotions, and had a simple instruction: read Romans 5:6-21 and bring feedback the next day. Only three people had ever read anything from a bible before.

The next morning they arrived with questions. What does verse 15 mean? Petty explained how God’s grace is sufficient to clean any person of any sin, no matter what their past, if they turned to Jesus. As the weight of those words sank in, expressions slowly began lighting up. Until then, many had accepted their corroded lives as simply being their lot, without any hope of change. Twenty nine had something to say about what the passage had meant to them. One man, with no clue of who Adam was, said he had put himself in that place instead. Although he was yet to fully understand, a fundamental truth had already taken root in his heart – that we are indeed all Adams. As excitement grew, little groups began meeting at 5:00 am to read the Word. How the Father must have smiled to watch those curious index fingers pointing at new revealing truths!

So began two weeks of training. The course covered God’s timeless methods of agriculture, describing farming as the most ancient and important of vocations – feeding both families and nations. A biblical model of Foundations for Family explained the value and purpose of God’s design for family living. The Crown Money Map covered good stewardship of finance, and how to gain freedom from debt. Woven into all this, was the Alpha Course, the highlight of which was the Holy Spirit weekend when twenty four precious lives were joyfully given to Christ!

Throughout the two weeks, the previously sunken and hopeless expressions were noticeably being replaced with cheerful smiles, and words fail to describe the tangible atmosphere of joy by the end. No wonder God has such a deep love for the precious poor, their hearts are so open to His. ‘Poor’. That would be the world’s description of the thirty people singing and dancing in the upper room at Clouds End that last day. Poor, because their clothes were patched. Poor because of their meagre possessions. Poor because their finances consisted of a few dollars stored in an empty bread packet. But actually they were rich. Filled with a treasure that all the money and power in the world could never buy.

As transparently jubilant hearts were lifted in hauntingly beautiful harmony, one was reminded how – despite all her problems – there is a uniquely unspoilt simplicity about Africa. And God loves simplicity. It is where His omnipotence combines with childlike faith, to restore what has been broken… and move mountains. The world can keep its wealth, its sophistication, its designer labels and status orientated lifestyles … there is something so wonderfully clean about unpretentious simplicity. Something real. Something that makes you want to run in, and stay.

After devotions on the final day, people were invited to freely express anything they wanted to say about the past two weeks. That was when the pearls began tumbling out. Stories of healing, hope and transformation. A woman with fresh-faced radiance was the first to shyly raise her hand. Describing how the fire had taken everything she owned, even her clothing, she went on to thank God that it had also destroyed her old way of life in prostitution. In the last two weeks she had met Jesus, and was going home changed, cleansed. A new creation. Her heart’s desire? To implement the teaching on Family Living, and finally become the mother God intended her to be. She glanced at the floor, “Before, I stood alone.” The smile broadened, “But now God stands with me … I am new.”

Lewis was not shy to speak out. He described a life spilling over with poor choices and self imposed problems. “I have learned so much. So many good things. And I have been made new! Jesus died for me, because of me. I’m going home to be a leader and a father. It was not a mistake that I came here. Now I want to go back and preach about Him. I am His vessel, I want to show Him to people, through my life…”

The stories kept coming, a woman who had left her husband wanted to return after learning God’s truths about the family; another man had been involved in a cult for over ten years and, through Alpha, discovered the error of it. He was thankful for the diploma received upon completion of the training, but said it was not worth anything near what had been planted in his heart. Another thanked God for the past two weeks and described a previous life of violence. His see-through earnestness was clearly evident to everyone, and it was hard to imagine this gentle, soft spoken young man as hostile. He had met Jesus, and it showed on his face.

Mbofana is an older man, stocky and strong. He had worked in the area for twenty one years and everything he had built up had been reduced to ashes. When the fire ended, he encouraged people to search the debris for anything worth salvaging, and to his horror, had discovered the charred remains of a young pregnant mother and her child. When told by the community leaders the following week that he had been selected to come to spend two weeks at Foundations for Farming, Mbofana complained. His wife tried to persuade him, but he had argued “I’m dead inside, how will that help anything?” Eventually he agreed. His face broke into a smile as he continued the story, “Now I have surrendered everything to God, my home and all that I lost. I was a very bad husband, not a good man at all. But I am changed … I want to live for this God I have learned about. He has changed my life.”

Foundations for Farming will visit each month to encourage and walk alongside these people over the next year. However, the test will come in the weeks ahead, when the enemy attempts to regain lost ground, and when old habits lure like a pair of comfortable slippers. When old friends convincingly entice with drugs and alcohol. When money is tight and ‘just one night’ of prostitution can put food on the table. They desperately need prayer. But for those who cling to their newfound hope, who hold tightly to the precious deposit made in their hearts by the Author and Finisher of their faith – growth will abound. They will be lights in the darkness. They will continue to wear the crown of beauty, which came out of ashes.