Well Worth the Wait
- Marco and Amelia Lodewyk
- Jul 12, 2021
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 3, 2022
It has been far too long since updating our dear friends and family. Our autumn & winter here in South Africa has brought a lot of different seasons that we’ve experienced as a family. Many things have changed, and we’ve had to adjust quickly.
In our last post, it was nearing the end of Summer here in Cape Town, and we were busy with hosting a Colour Conference Watch Party for Correctional Officers and ex-offenders! :)
We want to recap with you a few of the INCREDIBLE & challenging moments we’ve experienced in the last few months:
March
With Marco’s official role as Prison Ministry Leader with Hillsong Africa, our aims are to continue building our incredible team, and establish a healthy and holistic aftercare program for parolees and ex-offenders who need support with adjusting to life after prison.
We are also helping lead the Hillsong Tafelsig church location in Mitchell's Plain with our dear friends the Lawrence’s. It's been a really empowering experience to do church with Marco’s hometown community.
Colour Conference March 13th at Pollsmoor Recreation Hall. Ok so pause for a Crazy pre-story...when we went to set up the hall the day before we were shocked to see a boxing ring being set up for a live television match (!!!) It ended up being a miscommunication, and we had to rapidly set up the next morning in the dark with flashlights (thanks to ESKOM’s loadshedding). Praise the Lord, the electiricty came on and the sun had begun to shine just 30 minutes before the event started. It was as if when the lights came on, suddenly we had a dusty and dirty hall transform into a dazzling and vibrant atmosphere with balloons, confetti, streamers, and beautiful tables and chairs right before our eyes. We had 23 ladies attend and 6 men help serve the ladies. It was a really special day to gather as women and be together. We ate a healthy chicken + veggies meal for lunch, had popcorn, cupcakes, and treats, and had a dance competition, it was sooo much fun! Definitely a highlight for the year :)
That same night, my brother proposed to his now fiancé, Ren! Love is in the air!! We are super excited for them and their future!
Then on Saturday, March 27th in Tafelsig, Mitchell’s Plain (Marco’s hometown) we hosted another Colour Conference Watch Party with a lot of ladies who attend our church. We had a really amazing day dancing, worshipping, eating a lovely chicken curry meal, and tuning in to the amazing messages together.
That same evening we had supper with some of our friends for a delicious Durban Curry, and our conversation that evening led to a transformative season we would soon go into*...
Then unfortunately at the end of March, I (Amelia) struggled a lot with mental health; it came out of nowhere it seemed. But subconsciously, I think it was the realization we had been in lockdown for a whole year and knowing that also meant I'd been away from loved ones in the states for that long as well. We also struggled significantly financially from November all the way through March. God carried us through these seasons, and we are eternally grateful for his grace. We share this because this is a reality we faced, and overcame, and it comes with the package of doing ministry overseas.
(Oh yes, and if our lives were’t already busy and wild enough, we adopted another puppy. We wanted Tyson to have a friend. His name is Max, and he is a little nugget of cute ferociousness! Pics below).
April
*Our amazing friends we had supper with in March were planning on moving overseas as soon as possible for the husband’s work and for family reasons. The blessing: We would be able to rent their house, and take care of their dog (Gus) for the next couple of years. Marco and I now had to patiently wait for the when, and in the meantime were absolutely excited, and eternally grateful for this opportunity. This meant we would be able to spend less gas/petrol money and time traveling in the car to our destination, and more time with our boots on the ground serving, as well as being much closer to Marco’s family, and our larger community of friends in Cape Town.
Our three simultaneous Easter services at Pollsmoor were UNFORGETTABLE! Marco shared the word with the men at Pollsmoor, Amelia hosted the Easter service with the unsentenced ladies and our missionary friend Britt shared one of the most powerful sermons I've ever heard!!! The whole crowd erupted with tears and applause. I still get teary eyed just thinking of that Sunday. Our Hillsong Prison Ministry team is full of legendary people!
Amelia began a monthly Strategic Planning Course by Ezrah. So far it’s been really engaging, and filled to the brim with resources and tools for practically organizing a non-profit from the inside out.
At our weekly meetings we have been reviewing our Church’s Credo (List of beliefs and values). This collective experience has been refreshing, and really forward-thinking, and also aligns with what Amelia is doing in her Strategic Planning course.
MIRACLE STORY: Church was having Baby Dedications across South Africa at the various locations on April 18th, and God is SO GOOD. His timing is so perfect. Of all things, as we were on our way out of the Female Centre after the two services with sentenced and unsentenced ladies, there was a group of women behind bars who came up to us with little infants in their arms, they were even asking for prayer before we could say anything. So we had a chance to pause as a team and pray and dedicate their beautiful little ones to God!! The crazy thing about this is the Baby-Mother-Unit is in another building on the property, and we've never seen them in that same section that we were in that Sunday. So what are the odds, really?! God's timing really surpasses all understanding and he HEARS our prayers as a church!!!! Come on!#BabyDedications
May
In the Month of May our church creates a theme called Miracle Month of May.
In a season of waiting to move, the question was when or if we would be able to move. The song Wait On You by Maverick City Music / Elevation Worship was just released and really spoke to Marco and I in this season of our lives in learning how to grow in a season of waiting. (Fun side note, Marco’s youngest son, Raeez sings, or more shouts, the lyrics “That’s what happens when you’re awake!!” haha).
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31
Marco had the opportunity to share about "priorities" with a Restorative Justice classroom at GoodWood Correctional Centre.
Marco was invited to play Soccer against the Correctional Officials's team at Pollsmoor. We rounded up some guys from church and the prison ministry, and the score was 2-2 (hey not too bad)!
For Mother’s Day, Amelia brought a message around Jesus and the Woman of Samaria from John 4 at the Baby-Mother-Unit in Pollsmoor. This story shows that Jesus will choose us regardless of our past history. The woman of Samaria was in need of living water (truth). Her voice became a voice of truth, and it echoed across her town and led to many more people knowing the Truth. When we encounter Jesus, we can positively impact our community, and as women, our voice does matter in society. Speak Truth.
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. -Proverbs 22:6
With the help of some of our volunteers from church, Amelia made and served a filling meal to the adults and dozens of kids who joined us on Sunday in Tafelsig.
Also, Amelia’s been diving into self care and what that looks like, and one Saturday morning I (Amelia) went horseback riding with our friend/colleague Chantelle (who leads the Boland Team of Hope Prison Ministry). It was a crisp winter’s morning, and my horse "Magic" had a LOT of attitude, but nonetheless it was great to do something for myself, something that wasn’t prison related, and a change in pace of our busy schedule. Just as well I've really been missing home, and all of the milestones of people close to me with Weddings, Graduations, Birthday’s, Holidays, etc. In a normal setting I would cherish the moment to be there in person to help celebrate. It’s wild to think that I’ve been in South Africa for over a year straight without visiting home.
June
God answered two families miracles at the same time, and we finally packed up our belongings and two dogs and moved. We’ve unpacked and are now settling into our new home, it’s really been such a jaw dropping miracle. We are still speechless that we’ve been entrusted with this blessing to stay here. Also, moving is NO JOKE! It’s a total full body workout.
We hosted a Youth Day event at Drakenstein Medium B with a total of 82 young adults, and 10 men stretching their hands out for Salvation. One man was on his knees in remorse and weeping.
For the last few months, Marco’s been traveling weekly to Drakenstein Maximum prison for one-on-one spiritual interviews with clients, and it’s been really a transformational journey for a lot of these men to share their story of their upbringing, ask really hard questions, and a chance to get a moment to reflect and pray. One of the guys shared with Marco, “Thank you Pastor. You listen to us, more than you speak/preach. We need people to listen to what is going on with us as well as what we've been through before. It’s a moment to be heard, encouraged, and challenged.” One of the men hasn’t seen his daughter for over twenty years, and through conversation, Marco was able to help reconnect them with the help of the correctional officers.
One of our former students that we met back in 2018 while Amelia did her internship is now celebrating one year of his release from a 27 year sentence (meaning he was sentenced before Apartheid ended). We are now helping him adjust to life outside of prison, and he has been attending our church every Sunday which is close to where he now stays. It’s been really inspiring to journey with him, and he is very determined to never go back to prison and create a new life for himself.
And just as we are experiencing a torrential downpour, Seattle was in a record heat wave. This rain is really such a blessing, as we were praying for rain for South Africa just a few years ago (right before I first journeyed over here) when the country had experienced a scary drought.
July
We are now in Lockdown level 4 which isn’t good, and extremely frustrating.
With it being so cold and rainy I now crave warm Thanksgiving-y/Christmas-y and winter-y foods because it’s now cozy season.
The boys are on their school holiday right now, so Amelia is acting as super-mom to the two boys and the dogs. It feels like a bit of circus here sometimes... And all the boys are experts at consuming every food item in the house. #Parenting
We are doing Groups online with our community from Church on Tuesday nights with our Mitchell’s Plain/Tafelsig Team and then on Wednesday nights with our Hillsong Prison Ministry Team: Collectively we've covered the following Messenger Courses: Breaking Intimidation, FAITH, Gifted, and are currently doing Healthy Relationships. We plan on doing The Holy Spirit: An Introduction next.
Amidst all of these seasons, there have been some difficult experiences as well, including burying friends and neighbors at funerals, as well as first hand trying to navigate how to help rehabilitate a person we know from a critical drug addiction. Even though these experiences are extremely sensitive, we wanted to share the intense reality of the calling and field we are in.
Amelia’s goal is to raise $300 per month (~ZAR 4000) for serving in Prison Ministry. Amelia does a lot of behind the scenes work with administration, communications, and aftercare. Click on the link below to help support me reach that goal!
Our church’s new Sunday series is called Dream Again.
Some of our hopes and dreams right now include:
Getting Marco’s eldest son to be able to go to a high school closer to where we now live to have access to a better education, more extra-curricular opportunities, and focus more on tutoring and homework time.
We want to create a more stable reintegration aftercare program for men and women who are experiencing challenges when they are released.
We love and appreciate your continued support and prayers.
With Love,
The Lodewyk Family
P.S. Check out ways you can support us and pray for us on the Support Us tab above
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