"Without God I would be dead" - This is Leon's story - 10 Jan 2014

Leon is part of the 24-7 Boiler Room community in Manenberg. We first met him at last year’s International Gathering in Dublin under amazing circumstances and it was here that we heard his testimony of violence, loss, arrests and ultimately, God’s unwavering protection.

Leon was raised in Cape Town by his sisters and grandparents and spent much of his young life with his only two friends, Randall and Nathan. The trio would spend many days playing and walking the half hour journey to the arcade, with just a penny in their pocket to spend.

Leon and Randall’s brothers were members of a gang in Manenberg of which Randall later became a member. Soon after joining, he was shot and killed in a gang fight.

Nathan was then recruited by the gang and began working for Randall’s brother. After a series of escalating incidents, Nathan stabbed a killed Randall’s brother; he was arrested and sentenced for murder.

Leon himself was arrested for the possession of a (friend’s) firearm but was spared any jail time. Leon never became involved in the gang culture that had consumed so much of his friends and family.

   

He became a Christian at a young age and believes it was God’s love and provision that protected him from this walk of life and the terrible circumstances that surround it.  He told us he is sure he would be dead if it wasn’t for his relationship with God.

“All the while God was keeping me, protecting me, and reserving me for His great purpose. I may not have seen it then, but all the while I was set up not to embrace that kind of life, to not get sucked in because of an inferior identity or a broken home, but Him doing a great work in me, preparing the way for my destiny in Him. “

This is Leon’s testimony of his incredible journey of faith that found him leaving South Africa for the first time and joining the 24-7 Prayer family in Ireland:

I remember when I was told that 24-7 prayer would be hosting a conference in Dublin. To begin with, we were just looking at the prospect of someone from Fusion going, but we had no money to cover the costs of travel and the conference fee, so it looked to be impossible. When it was suggested that I would be the one to attend, this seemed like an even less realistic possibility. My wife’s income was all we had to keep us afloat. We had no money and no passport.

But we prayed that if it was God’s desire, He would make a way…

Soon after, news came that 24-7 prayer international were willing to pay £600 for flight and accommodation on the trip. We felt that God had given us a massive yes!

Though the amount still wasn’t enough to cover flights, we continued forward in faith. I had three weeks left to get a passport and I had no money for it, and was informed that even if I did, it could take up to 4 weeks to arrive. In spite of this, we, the team, decided that I should go for it.

The next two weeks were a drag; in and out of home affairs, calling, submitting letters of invitation and urgency, doing what was in my capabilities with no word of the passport. The week before I was to due to travel our flights still hadn’t been booked. Every flight was listed at £700 – still more than we could afford.

I was due to fly on Tuesday and it was the weekend before. We went online to check flight prices and from nowhere, one had appeared that morning, for just £450. We booked it straight away.

There was no doubt in my mind that the passport wouldn’t arrive.

On Tuesday, the day of the flight, I arrived at home affairs early that morning and left with it in my hand, ready to fly.

You can find out more from Leon about the work of the Manenberg community in this interview from Dublin

In the next couple of weeks we will be releasing the location of this year’s Eurogathering so please keep checking back.