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On Fire for Jesus!

Updated: Apr 2

We had a really unique conversation with a firefighter the other week. I was waiting for Marco with Raeez and Ava, and the firefighter was making silly faces at Ava. He noticed my American accent, and from there asked how I ended up in South Africa, and of course prison ministry came up. He was baffled. He asked me, "How can you go into such an evil, gang infested place?"... "How do you not lose your own mind from hearing such awful stories and seeing such dark things?"


I explained to him with confidence and a smile, "You would never dare to go into a blazing fire without first putting on your fire uniform. In the same way, we would never go minister in the prisons without first dressing ourselves in the Armor of God*."

* 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.-Ephesians 6:11NLT

I continued to explain that Marco's testimony is incredibly impactful to the men and women we serve behind bars and the holistic approach we take with our programs, worship services, and Aftercare pathway for Returning Citizens. Just at that moment, Marco walked up and was able to smoothly transition in the conversation and the firefighter's eyes were shocked that everything I had shared with him, Marco was able to confirm AND MORE!


It was a really powerful and igniting conversation. Marco and I are certain that this firefighter's whole life perspective was changed, and a seed of hope was planted in his heart. I walked away with more conviction than ever on the importance of fully dressing ourselves in the Armor of God on a daily basis.

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. || 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. -Ephesians 6:13-18 NLT

So how does this look practically for us and our larger team you might ask?

  1. Reading the Word (The Bible). We know the authority that we have as believers, and the importance of applying the truth to our hearts and daily lives by speaking and declaring scripture over ourselves. To name a few: 1 John 3:1 declares us as children of God. Romans 5:8 speaks about God's unconditional love for us. Galatians 4:5-7 says we are redeemed. Ephesians 2:10 describes us as a masterpiece, or a work of art! John 14:6 and Ephesians 2:18 speak on the direct access we have to God as our Father through his son Jesus Christ.

  2. Equipping our Hillsong Prison Ministry Team through workshops and courses to gain understanding on the socio-cultural environment of doing spiritual care and volunteering within a correctional environment with South African context. Here are some examples from this year alone!

    1. In January we hosted a vision day for our team with the theme of "Gather." We had worship, communion, and aligned our focuses and came around our goals for the year as Hillsong Prison Ministry. Our team also got new t-shirts and beautifully designed calendars for 2025 which was a request from last year!



    2. On the 15th of February our volunteers attended a "Fathers Matter Workshop" with an organization called Heartlines which is the largest fatherhood campaign in the history of South Africa. They helped mobilise our team with information on the realities and resources to help men step into the full potential they have as a father. Unfortunately South Africa is plagued with a phenomena called "fatherlessness" and it is heartbreaking for so many children and adults of the damage that this causes from generation to generation. Easily, nine out of ten incarcerated individuals in Cape Town do not currently or never had a healthy or present father in their life.

    3. On the 22nd of March we invited an independent social worker Venessa Padayachee to train our team around counselling from her perspective of someone who works with people in the communities and those coming out of prison who need help navigating life after being incarcerated.

    Team Counselling Training
    Team Counselling Training

  3. Prayer. Before we enter the correctional centres we dedicate time to praying over ourselves and as a team. After we leave the correctional centres we take time to debrief with our team and then we close in prayer. We do not take these moments of prayer lightly.

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. -Ephesians 6:12 NLT

So sure, from the firefighter's perspective we might appear insane to go to "the devil's playground" willingly. But we know the authority we have in Christ. We also understand the calling God has placed on our lives for ministering in prisons/ correctional centres. Therefore, we do not need to fear and we can walk into those dark places bearing light and equipped with faith. We have countless stories of how God has gone before us, and even quieted the most distracting spirits during a program or service. Ultimately the power of the Holy Spirit is mightier than that of the enemy and his obnoxious plans.


Friends and family, the first three months of 2025 have been gruelling and we have squeezed out what feels like every last drop of endurance. We've each recently faced some health set backs that have been frustrating and disruptive to our full ministry schedules. So, we are currently breaking for 2 weeks to refresh. But, we first want to share a few highlights with you:


On the 5th of March we had a Sisterhood Service at the female centre. Our team brought in a variety of colorful and uplifting decorations that transformed the hall from being dreary to dreamy! There was a live worship band who started the service with a beautifully written spoken word by our friend Nancy Sekhokoane. Marco hosted the service, and youth pastor Susie de Klerk shared a word of encouragement. At the end we blessed each woman with a bookmark and a cookie in the shape of a butterfly. We also got to bless the correctional officers with two giant framed posters that have affirmations written on them that the women and officers can be encouraged by on a daily basis when they walk past them hanging for all to see in the foyer area.


This past week Marco celebrated with the men who graduated from Hillsong Africa Foundation's 7 week STRENGTH program at two different correctional facilities. About a dozen men graduated at Drakenstein Maximum, and another 7 at the pre-release center at Pollsmoor. Each man received a certificate, and we blessed them with a cup of coffee and a muffin for the reception portion. Marco said one man testified that he used to struggle with deep-rooted anger towards the person who called the police on him (which led to his prison sentence), but now he understands that it was HIS poor decisions and criminal behavior that led to the consequences of serving a sentence behind bars. He is verbalizing ownership of his actions, and ready to take the next steps of restoration for his case as well as those he has hurt along the way.

We are believing for more miracles and testimonies like this throughout this year. We invite you to join us prayerfully and also financially. Your support enables our family to remain in ministry full time, fulfil our calling, and relieves financial burdens and stress so that our basic needs can be met.


We are believing for a miracle to raise $170,000. This amount would help us to privately buy the home we are living in (the deadline is December of 2025), as well as help us get a larger vehicle for our ever growing family and ministry needs as we often move lots of equipment and help offer transportation to volunteers and Returning Citizens.


While we know this is a significant request, the amount above is separate from our monthly budget as a family of 5+. We still need to raise an additional $2,000 per month to help cover everything. We appreciate your support and please feel free to reach out to us personally if you have any questions. You can also read more in our FAQ on our Support Us tab above.


Please consider joining our support team. Details below!⬇️

Also, choosing the monthly support gift option is really helpful for us- and any amount you are able to give monthly or one-time is highly appreciated!


FOR TAX DEDUCTIBLE GIFTS:

1. DONATE ONLINE!

(USA & Int’l Cards accepted)


2. MAIL CHECKS:

World Outreach Ministries, Inc.

P.O. Box B

Marietta, GA 30061

(designate for #975 Lodewyk)


3. BILL PAY: free option via your Online Banking

(use the same info for checks)


We are excited to update you again soon! We'll be re-starting a Women's Program soon and hopefully have baptisms at our Easter weekend services too! (Which is a huge deal to do behind bars).


With Love,

The Lodewyk Family


P.S.: Check out ways you can support us and pray alongside us on the Support Us tab above! And make sure you are subscribed to our blog to get the newest updates instantly in your inbox!

 
 
 

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