August - English - Doxa Deo

Inspiring Story #1How Grace can heal the WorldKobus Windt (Campus Pastor – Doxa Deo Hartbeespoort)--------------------------------------------------------------------------This is a story of two partners inour campus, Hein and MargueriteEnslin. Despite the fact that theyare retired and could easily haveopted for a care-free life, they arestill investing their lives fully in theKingdom of God. Through themGod is making a profound impacton the lives of broken people whodesperately need Him.After living in the US for a numberof years, Hein and Margueritereturned to South Africa in 2009.In 2011, while travelling daily fromHartbeespoort to Pretoria, theynoticed a woman begging at acrossing at the end of the PelindabaToll Road. They mentioned this tofriends and family and realisedthat many others had also noticedthis woman. Their hearts wentout to her, and as time went bythey started taking her out for aquick lunch whenever possible.By developing a relationship withher in this way, they learned thatshe and her 24-year-old son wereliving in a car: at night they wouldpark their car at a garage and usethe bathrooms there. For safetypurposes they would overnightwhere there was some light.However, that didn’t help much asthey were robbed at gunpoint andlost all proof that they even existed.They were left with only the clotheson their backs.The Enslins were astounded todiscover that this woman wasa qualified English high schoolteacher. Her son had been bornin Paris, France, where she andher husband (who later left her)lived for six years. After the divorceand back in South Africa, she hadtrusted a financial advisor whoswindled her out of everything shehad. As Hein and Marguerite grewcloser in their relationship withtheir new acquaintances, both thewomen and her son expressed theirtrust in a faithful and loving God.They believed that life had morein store for them, although theyfound it very difficult to bear thehumiliation of the life they wereforced to lead.Hein and Marguerite encouragedthem to do everything possible tobetter their lives. The first optionwas to involve social services.However, to get social services toassist, a physical address had to beprovided. A month later Margueritehad found a Wendy House in aDanville shelter where the womanand her son at least had a singlebed each and a roof over theirheads. They also gave the womana cell phone so that she could finda job. During the six months theyspent in this shelter the Enslinsassisted them financially to keepthe woman off the street andhopefully enabling her to get a job.God works in mysterious ways! Heinand Marguerite are still amazedby the results of their efforts... Thewoman received a job offer froma family who also got to knowher during the two years she hadspent begging on the street corner:she would assist in a Pretoria-North shelter for disadvantagedpre-school children. And thefamily also assisted financially tosupplement the rather meagrecompensation the woman wouldreceive. Currently, the womanand her son are able to rent tworooms and share a bathroom withother tenants in a mostly blackcommunity in Pretoria-North.Hein and Marguerite are stillinvolved in fixing up their livingspace by offering a hand as needed.But this was not the end of thisinspiring story attesting to God’sabundant grace and love! One daythe Enslins sat the son down andasked him what he’d love to domost if he had the opportunity tostudy. He said that he wished toqualify as an IT specialist. Alreadybelieving that he would succeed,Hein and Marguerite enrolled himin Pretoria-North’s Boston Collegewhere he’ll soon be completingthe first phase of his studies. Heis doing extremely well and thepossibility of a job offer uponthe completion of his studies isimminent. Hein and Margueritewere also extremely impressedwith the way the woman succeededpage _ one