When Kelly and Cherise Smith arrived home at 7 Rivers Farm in KwaZulu Natal last June, winter holiday was in full swing for the cluster of three Zulu villages in the area.
(You heard that right. South Africa is in the southern hemisphere, so winter occurs from June to September.)
They’d done - once again - one of the hardest things about being on the mission field. They’d said goodbye.
This time, it was their two youngest children, Zoe and Wyatt, they had to leave on another continent to return to the place God has called them to love and serve in His name.
Fifi, Wyatt, Zoe, Cherise and Kelly Smith (early 2019.)
Both Smith children’s paths led to college in the States. Leaving them in their respective cities and schools wasn’t easy.
After Kelly and Cherise’s flight landed in Durban, South Africa, they took the only dirt track leading home. The road crosses the same winding river seven times, rising and falling over the steeply graded hills of KwaZulu Natal.
The sharp grades are dotted with colorful round huts called rondavels in which Zulu families cook meals and receive visitors.
The sharp grades are dotted with colorful round huts called rondavels in which Zulu families cook meals and receive visitors.
Fifi, one of their grown daughters and mission teammates, had been holding down the “fort” at 7 Rivers Farm on her own.
While Kelly and Cherise were gone, the winter holiday had begun. For the youth in the area, a break from school means hours of idle time.
With little to do, there is an increase in smoking marijuana and teen pregnancies at this time of year.
There are no jobs in any of the cluster of three Zulu villages near the Smith’s farm. The only work to be had is in one of the nearby cities.
Those who live in the area and get a job either stay in town and return on weekends or holidays or, they’ll spend half or more of their wages on daily transport into the city.
As the Smiths considered how they might share the Gospel and at the same time be a blessing to young girls who find themselves with child and without income or adult know-how, the Bead Shop ministry emerged.
That same river that must be crossed 7 times to reach their farm from Durban also runs through 7 Rivers Farm. On its banks, the chwabasi seed grows in abundance.
The chwabasi seeds can be made into beads and then crafted into beautiful and unique necklaces, bracelets and garlands.
Each week, Fifi and Cherise prepare for women from the community to craft the beads into delightful patterns.
On the banks of the river that runs through 7 Rivers Farm, the chwabasi seed grows in abundance.
Cherise and Fifi prepare for the bead shop ministry.
This opportunity to earn a little bit of income without having to get to town is a huge blessing to these young girls who have had to drop out of school for various reasons.
Before they begin, Fifi or the Zulu wife of the local pastor, who also lives on 7 Rivers Farm, leads a Bible study and prayer time. Fifi is mindful to make sure the Gospel is presented every week.
Then the girls begin assembling the beads into the patterns Cherise and Fifi have prepared. As they work, they chat about motherhood and share their lives.
This opens up the opportunity for Fifi to help explain how the Biblical principles they study interact with their everyday lives.
Coming from a fellow Zulu, this is powerful.
“It’s a very respectful culture, the Zulu culture. They don’t want to upset you,” Cherise says, “and so you can share with a whole bunch of people about Jesus and God and the Bible and they will all pleasantly smile and accept what you’re saying.
…it’s almost like they’re saying, ‘yes, yes, that’s great. So nice to hear what you believe, for you.’
Then they go home and they carry on, and when it comes down to it, it’s, ‘Well, that’s a white man’s gospel...but we’re Zulu and this is what Zulu people do.’
So thats’ why its so important for us to be equipping those who Christ has opened the eyes of to know Him and to study His Word and those Zulu people then can do so much more.”
And this is why Fifi is such a benefit to the 7 Rivers team.
When the Gospel message comes from a Zulu in their own language, it wields greater power.
She is a Zulu who grew up in one of those very villages. When they tell their stories, Fifi knows exactly how they feel.
She’s felt the pain they’re going through.
But she also testifies to a powerful healer and Savior. Her demonstrated and declared faith in Jesus as the one and only sovereign King forces her fellow Zulus to consider the Gospel as more than just a tradition of another culture.
This is why the second ministry that seems to be opening up for the Smiths in KwaZulu Natal is so exciting.
Why the Second Door is so Exciting
Right now, some of the Zulu pastors and believing men are genuinely seeking to understand God’s Word more fully so they can lead His people better.
This is a really big deal.
When the Gospel message comes from a Zulu in their own language, it wields greater power.
Once a Zulu comes to Christ, they typically experience heavy persecution. This is true for the women, but it’s especially noticeable with the men.
Their family blames the new Christian’s lack of dedication to the ancestors for every set back the extended family clan experiences.
In a third world culture, where you are heavily dependent on your kinfolk, this creates an immediate survival challenge on top of the emotional trauma.
In addition to the persecution, the Smiths have noticed that just after a big declaration of faith, many will experience intense temptation.
The kind that can lead to getting stuck in the mire of sin for a long time.
Equipping Zulu men to know and live according to God’s Word is paramount for the body of Christ in KwaZulu Natal.
This opportunity is still in the infancy stages, but Kelly and a team are pursuing the idea of setting up some seminary training to equip the Zulu men who want to pursue a deeper understanding of Christ and His Word with the knowledge and skills to do so.
The eternal impact those who are enabling the Smiths to be in KwaZulu Natal to seize these two exciting outreach opportunities are making is extensive.
Praise the Lord for using His people to send the Smiths to live among the Zulu in South Africa and opening up these two exciting opportunities!
